echoed out in the hall. More laughter.
I made a face at my reflection and pushed away from the mirror. Back in the hall, I told myself to go to sleep, but I found myself walking toward my front door. I had no idea what I was doing or why I was being so nosy, but everything sounded … warm and fun out there and everything in here was cold and boring.
Warm and fun?
I rolled my eyes. God, I sounded lame. It was cold in here because I had the central air cranked like a mother.
But I was at the door and there was nothing stopping me. Yanking it open, I peered out into the stairwell, seeing two heads disappear down the steps. The door to the party was still open, and I stood there, torn. This wasn’t home. No one was going to send me a scathing look or yell obscenities at me. If anything, they’d probably think I was some kind of freak just standing there, half out my door, all bug-eyed, and letting all the cold air out.
‘Bring Raphael back!’ exclaimed a familiar voice and a deep laugh that had my stomach dropping in stunned disbelief. ‘You fucktard!’
I recognized that voice! Oh my God …
It couldn’t be. I hadn’t seen the big-ass silver truck outside, but then again, there were so many cars and it wasn’t like I was searching for his truck.
The door swung all the way open, and I froze as a guy stumbled out, laughing as he set a tortoise—what the fuck?—on the floor. The thing stuck its head out, looked around, and then disappeared into its shell.
A second later, the guy who’d put the tortoise outside was pulled back into the apartment and Cam appeared in the doorway in all his shirtless glory. He reached down and scooped up the little green guy. ‘Sorry, Raphael. My friends are complete, fucking …’ He looked up.
I tried to jerk back inside, but it was too late.
Cam saw me.
‘Assholes …’ He did a double take. ‘What the … ?’
Would dive-bombing into my apartment seem weird? Yes—yes it would. So I went with a very lame, ‘Hey …’
Cam blinked several times, as if he sought to clear his vision. ‘Avery Morgansten? This is becoming a habit.’
‘Yeah.’ I forced myself to swallow. ‘It is.’
‘Do you live here or are you visiting?’
I cleared my throat as the tortoise’s legs started moving like it was trying to wiggle away. ‘I … I live here.’
‘No shit?’ Those baby blues widened and he swaggered around the railing. I couldn’t help but notice how his gym shorts hung way low on his narrow hips. Or his stomach. It was ripped, taking six-pack into eight-pack territory. ‘You really live here?’
I forced my gaze up and got stuck on the sun tattoo. ‘Yes. I really live here.’
‘This is … I don’t even know.’ He laughed again, and I met his stare. ‘Really crazy.’
‘Why?’ Besides the fact he was standing in my apartment hallway, shirtless and barefoot, holding a tortoise named Raphael?
‘I live here.’
I gaped at him. The whole half-naked thing sort of made sense now and I guess so did the tortoise, but it couldn’t be true. Way too many coincidences. ‘You’re joking, right?’
‘No. I’ve been living here for a while—like a couple of years with my roommate. You know, the fucktard who put poor Raphael outside.’
‘Hey!’ the guy yelled from inside their apartment. ‘I have a name. It’s Señor Fucktard!’
Cam laughed. ‘Anyway, did you move in over the weekend?’
I found myself nodding.
‘Makes sense. I was back home, visiting the fam.’ He shifted Raphael to his other hand, cradling the squirming thing to his chest. ‘Well, hell …’
I was gripping the door so hard my knuckles ached. ‘That’s … um, your tortoise?’
‘Yeah.’ A half grin appeared as he lifted the little guy. ‘Raphael, meet Avery.’
I gave the tortoise a little wave, feeling stupid afterward for doing so. It just stuck its head back in its green-and-brown shell. ‘That’s a very interesting pet.’
‘And those are very interesting shorts.’ His gaze dropped. ‘What are they?’ He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing, and I stiffened. ‘Pizza slices?’
Heat swamped my cheeks. ‘They’re ice cream cones.’
‘Huh. I like them.’ Straightening, his gaze drifted up me slowly, leaving an unfamiliar wake of heat behind. ‘A lot.’
I immediately let go of the door and crossed my arms over my chest. One corner of his lips tipped up. My eyes narrowed. ‘Thanks. That means a lot to me.’
‘It should. They have my seal of approval.’ He bit down on his lower lip as his lashes lifted. Those eyes pierced mine. ‘I need to get Raphael back in his little habitat before he pees on my hand, which he’s bound to do, and that sucks.’
My lips twitched into a small grin. ‘I can imagine.’
‘So, you should come over. The guys are about to leave, but I’m sure they’ll be around for a little longer. You can meet them.’ He inched closer and lowered his voice. ‘They’re no way as interesting as I am, but they’re not bad.’
I glanced over his shoulder, part of me wanting one thing and the other part wanting nothing to do with any of this. That part won out. ‘Thanks, but I was heading to bed.’
‘This early?’
‘It has to be after midnight.’
His grin was spreading. ‘That’s still early.’
‘Maybe to you.’
‘Are you sure?’ he asked. ‘I have cookies.’
‘Cookies?’ My brows rose.
‘Yeah, and I made them. I’m quite the baker.’
For some reason, I couldn’t picture that. ‘You baked cookies?’
‘I bake a lot of things, and I’m sure you’re dying to know all about those things. But tonight, it was chocolate and walnut cookies. They are the shit, if I do say so myself.’
‘As great as that sounds, I’m going to have to pass.’
‘Maybe later then?’
‘Maybe.’ Not likely. I stepped back, reaching for the door. ‘Well, it’s good seeing you again, Cameron.’
‘Cam,’ he corrected. ‘And hey, we didn’t
