Read Online A Beautiful Thought (The Beautiful Series) by Alicia Rae - Free Book Online Page B

confusion mixed with hurt in his expression. The look had me feeling even worse.
    “We need to talk about this.”
    “No, we don’t.” I felt at a total loss and out of my league. “I kissed you, and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
    “ We kissed each other,” he countered. “And what if I want to do it again?”
    “We can’t,” I retorted and looked up at him. “It will ruin everything.”
    “Ruin what?” he asked quietly.
    If Damon dumped me like the last guy and the guy before that, it would destroy me, and I could not let that happen. I was a stronger woman now. Plus, I was on a very thin line with my finances. Caroline’s education was partially riding on my shoulders, which in turn was riding on having a roommate to help pay my rent.
    If Damon and I crossed this boundary between us, there would be no going back. Things were perfect the way they were now. I did not want to mess it up. I would just have to live with my attraction to him. It was an awful, risky situation, yes, but there was no other way.
    When I did not answer him, he added, “Gail, no matter what happens between us, I would never just walk out on you.”
    It was as though he had guessed what my apprehensions were. I would not jeopardize my sister’s future over dating a man I barely knew, especially given my history with men who had only wanted one thing. His last words hit me deep and gave me the strength to say my piece.
    I stood up tall, tightened my towel, and looked him straight in the eyes. “That’s what every guy says, and you’ll be no different.”
    Damon dropped his hands, letting me go, as if I’d slapped him. His eyes turned unreadable.
    My heart constricted painfully in my chest, churning and twisting relentlessly. I was so ashamed of myself for being so callous to a man who had done nothing but lend a helping hand to me in my time of need.
    “I’m so sorry, Damon,” I murmured, lowering my head in shame. Tears filled my eyes. “I have to go to work.”

    It had been nearly a week since our towel-colliding incident, and Damon had not been speaking to me, other than muttering a few words here and there. I had apologized profusely for what I said to him, but none of my attempts had seemed to make any difference.
    And now, the man was on my last nerve.
    After coming home from work, I walked into the bathroom and prayed for patience. For the sixth day in a row, a pile of his clothing was astray all over the floor. The hot jerk was totally doing it on purpose because he knew I was a clean freak.
    While cursing every name for him I could possibly think of under my breath, I gathered all his dirty clothes, the towel he’d used, and even his bottle of shaving cream that he had left open on the counter. Then, I stomped my way into his room and chucked the items inside, not caring where they landed.
    There.
    My mother had always said that if I could not keep my stuff clean, I would at least keep it in my own space.
    I sauntered into my room to retrieve my phone and headphones, and I decided it was time to blow off the rest of my steam on the treadmill. I slipped my feet into my tennis shoes and hopped onto my machine to start warming up. Coldplay blared in my ears, and my feet picked up the tempo as thoughts of my infuriating, too-sexy-for-his-own-good roommate swarmed my head.
    In the past week, he had gone from this sweet, kind, and composed man to this stubborn and exasperating man whose sole mission was to make my blood boil. And, oh, was he succeeding because I was about to burst at the seams. My irritation carried me even harder as I ate up mile after mile. Sweat poured down my skin, but I did not care. My adrenaline was on fire.
    Suddenly, the treadmill slowed and came to a stop. I yanked out my headphones, and I tapped the touchscreen button that read Start , but it flashed Warning at me.
    A muffled laugh came from behind me, and that was when I noticed his shadow. I rotated to see Damon standing there in a