Page 44 of The Casanova Complex

GOOD BOY: Aw. I love when you say nice things about me.

GOOD BOY: See you soon.

Holy shit.

Bennett’s about to be here.

In my bedroom.

In my sacred space that I never allow anyone outside of Stell and Mads into.

My time capsule of happiness that most people consider chaos. But it’s organized chaos that just feels right to my brain.

But only to my brain since everyone thinks it’s usually a wreck.

Shit.

Springing from the bed, I rush around my room and attempt to pick up. I swipe at the pile of dirty clothes on my floor from yesterday and shove them into the already overflowing basket.

Look, laundry is honestly the last thing on my to-do list when it’s already brimming with fifty other things.

It can wait until… tomorrow. Which means next week and will take me at least two to finish.

I pick up the half-eaten bag of Cheetos and close it, then shove it into my nightstand drawer and then grab the various textbooks scattered across the room and stack them on the top of my desk.

Maybe… I should just make the bed too?

Get fucking real, Merritt. You’ve never made your bed a day in your life.

True.

And then, why would I randomly have my bed made at like 11:00 p.m. on a Friday night, when normal people are going to sleep?

That would be weird.

Why am I nervous? I’m never nervous.

Plus… it’s Bennett.

I don’t even care what he thin⁠—

I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear a thud outside the window, followed by a low, rough groan.

Shit, he’s here.

I walk over and tug at the window until it slides open.

“Jesus fucking Christ, I feel like I just summited Mount Everest,” Bennett grunts, slipping through the window that seems comically small against his thick, wide shoulders.

My annoyance at him rises when his clean, masculine scent surrounds me, fresh cedar and pine, and something I can’t place but that makes me want to sniff the air around me like a weirdo.

Actually, I might be having a mental break.

I think.

I’m already regretting this, and he just got here. Being this close to him makes me think about the kiss and how much I want it to happen again, even though it is absolutely not happening again.

Bennett stands up once he’s fully inside, too few inches of hardwood separating us, and gives me a devilish grin. “Mer Bear.”