Boston Avant-Garde 2 - Crescendo by Maitland Kaitlin Read Free Book Online Page A

She shouldn’t give a shit that he’d had a date on her first night in their apartment. It shouldn’t matter. He could do whatever he wanted. “Did you have a nice time?”
    He carefully loosened the edges of the omelet with a spatula and flipped it over in one smooth motion. The movement could not have been more polished had he been a professional chef. “Does it matter?”
    “Sorry, just trying to be polite.”
    He grabbed a plate and slid the omelet from pan to shining ceramic surface without even ripping an edge. Dropping it on the placemat in front of her, he put both hands flat on the countertop. “No, really. I’m asking. Does it matter?”
    Okay . She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to right her sense of equilibrium. Did she even have an answer to that question? Did she care if Joshua went out with some woman, had a few drinks, and then let off a little steam in a willing pussy?
    She was there for just a few weeks. Until Niles’s legal situation was under control. Until she was sure Caleb was safe. Until she had a place to live. Then she could get the hell out of their apartment and their lives forever. It wasn’t like she was looking for a long-term situation or something.
    Her stomach growled again. “I need a fork.”
    He was strung tight as her violin strings. Every muscle in his arms was rigid beneath his tanned skin. “What?”
    She exhaled slowly, counting to five. “I need a fork. It smells good, and I’m starving.”
    A fork clattered to the counter beside her plate. Without looking at Joshua, she picked it up and began shoveling food into her mouth. Shovel, chew, swallow. At first it was a relief to have an excuse to avoid that idiotic question he’d just tossed her way. A second or two more and she noted how the tangy flavor of the cheese perfectly balanced the sautéed vegetables. Unable to help herself, she closed her eyes and savored the taste.
    “Shit, woman, when did you last eat?”
    She took a brief pause between bites. “This morning.”
    It was hard to decide, but it almost looked as if his face softened. “ What did you eat?”
    “A sandwich from the vending machine at the school.” Holy crap, it was like a symphony of food soothing her stomach. Three-quarters of the plate was empty, and she slowed down as the gnawing ache in her belly eased. It was funny how things like eating regular meals could take a backseat to her student loans and credit card payments. The man probably thought she was a pig.
    Who cares what Joshua thinks?
    Oh, the lies you could tell to yourself.
    He was staring. She could feel it. Hazarding a look from beneath her lashes, she picked at what was left on her plate and tried not to concentrate on how sexy he was.
    She’d giggled over a lot of abs in her life, but his were just drool worthy. Muscle and sinew blended beautifully, every ridge curving toward the center of his body. A thin trail of downy, gold hair began just below his navel before growing coarser and more golden where it reached the low-slung waistband of his trousers. Her fingertips itched to trace each contour, to roll over each muscle before she lowered her mouth to his belly and ran her tongue through the grooves that arrowed down from his hips to his groin.
    She was losing her mind.
    “I thought the two of you dated as a team.”
     
    Her quiet comment shattered the intensity of the moment, and Joshua felt his fingers loosen from the death grip they’d taken on the edge of the countertop. His balls ached, despite the load of cum he’d lost earlier.
    “Well?” Her frankness unsettled him.
    He willed his voice to a normal pitch. “That all depends.”
    “On what? Either it’s a lifestyle choice or it’s not. You can’t have it both ways.” She finally dropped her gaze and pretended interest in what was left of her food. “At least that’s how I understood it.”
    Until now, that’s how I understood it too . “In the past, we’ve always shared the same taste,