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put my finger on what it was.
    Roommates . I sighed, tossing around the word in my mind.
    I pulled into her parking lot while trying my damnedest to block the images of her that were continuously repeating through my head—the way she’d smiled coyly at me, the unforgettable sound of her soft, genuine laughter, the look she had gotten in her eyes when she was nervous. She was fucking beautiful, and the thought of keeping my hands off of her did not seem to sit well with me. It would be the death of me.
    I shut off my diesel truck, grabbed one of my bags from the backseat, and headed for her building. Once I found the door marked 13B, I let out a sigh. Time to turn my fate over to the big man upstairs, I thought as I rang her doorbell.
    “Just a minute!” she yelled over the music on the other side of the door.
    The song was abruptly cut off, and a lot of ruckus followed. I chuckled under my breath, wondering what she was up to in there. A few seconds ticked by, and then she whipped open the door. My eyes traveled with a slow, measured pace up and down the length of her body. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a loose-fitted white Nike tank top with a black sports bra underneath that hugged her breasts perfectly and a pair of black nylon shorts. Her exposed skin was flushed as if she had been working out.
    Jesus.
    She looked fucking gorgeous, just like every other time I’d seen her.
    “Hey, Damon,” she said, offering a surprised, shy smile. “I wasn’t expecting you so early.”
    “Hi,” I replied, finding my voice at last. “I apologize if I interrupted you.” I pointed in the direction where I’d just come. “I can come back later if you’d like.”
    She shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I was just finishing up my workout video,” she responded, gesturing me inside.
    After I walked in, she shut the door behind us, and I glanced into her living room. The area was divided into two parts. The front half was filled with a couch, love seat, and TV, which seemed typical. The second half consisted of a treadmill and a mini weight station.
    Gail stopped at my side, staring between the room and me. I could feel the electricity brewing between us. I was a man dedicated to keeping my body in prime condition, but this might be too much.
    Jesus…I have to watch her do workout videos here? With her dressed like that? All my blood rushed south. Fucking hell.
    “Is everything all right?” she asked me apprehensively, breaking my concentration.
    “Yep,” I croaked out in a hoarse voice before looking at her.
    Gail shifted on her feet. “Okay,” she mumbled in a soft, sweet tone. She lifted her hand, motioning for me to follow behind her. “Would you like to see your room?”
    “Sure,” I said, pulling myself together.
    Without another word, Gail spun on her heel and led me toward the other side of the apartment. The first thing I noticed were two wooden doors right next to each other.
    Gail entered the door on the right. “This will be your bedroom.”
    I gestured to the other door. “And that’s your room?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
    We would be sleeping with only one wall separating us. If I wanted to keep a safe distance between us, it seemed fate was not on my side. Or was it a sign I wasn’t supposed to keep said distance? Shit.
    “Yes,” she answered barely above a whisper, observing me intently.
    “Where’s the bathroom?”
    “All the way over there.” Gail indicated back toward the main area of the apartment. “On the opposite side of the living room.”
    I must have made a funny face because Gail laughed at me.
    I gave her a lopsided grin, unable to rein in my opinions. “As an architect, I have to say, whoever constructed this floor plan was an idiot.”
    “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
    Gail sighed quietly, and the sweet sound mesmerized me. I wanted to hear it again.
    “Well,” she added, maneuvering herself around me, “I’ll let you