Page 68 of The Roommate Subtext

“Sure.” Maggie was dizzy, but she hadn’t had more than the one glass of champagne. She took a large gulp of ice water, the glass sweating cold droplets against her fingertips. “He’s definitely something.” She wasn’t sure that sounded complimentary enough, so she added, “I’m glad to be with him.” Which was true, of course. She was glad to be with him here, glad to be sharing a condo with him, glad to be friends.

Why couldn’t they get into something different together? Would a romantic relationship really be a bad idea? She’d said she wasn’t going to trust anyone like that, and her independence was too valuable to fuck it all up, but maybe she could be with someone without sacrificing that independence.

Except it was Blake. She liked him, she was obviously attracted to him, and they’d probably have a great time in bed, but he was a gentleman. And no matter how she might talk online about assholes on the internet, and how few men were gentlemen anymore, she wanted a guy in bed who fucked her like the Pimpernel.

Maybe she was a hypocrite. She wanted to meet up with the Pimpernel, but watching Blake across the room in his tuxedo, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses as he spoke to the AV team, she knew she wanted to take Blake to bed as well.

She couldn’t think about the Pimpernel right now. Chauvel was in the same room, his presence looming over every Pimpernel-related thought. Monday felt an impossibly long way away. Now, her attention rested with Blake, and with all the various possibilities she wasn’t quite ready to entertain with him.

He caught her eye from across the room and smiled, and warm fuzzy feelings blossomed inside her.

Shit. She was in deeper than she thought.

FIFTEEN

Blake had been nervous, but by the time he was on stage giving his speech, he felt fine. He told a few jokes, warmed up the crowd, then shared how PlantSeed had changed lives in Boston over the past year. Charts and graphs were his forte, but they were also dry, so he juxtaposed them with images from the organization’s campaigns. He showed the gardens being planted in public schools throughout the district. He shared pictures and quotes from the community organizers leading the charge in their own neighborhoods. And finally, he showed Andrew’s video, which was uplifting and inspirational without being maudlin.

He stepped off the stage to applause. Candace gave closing remarks, wrapping up by the time Blake reached the bar.

As the band struck up a jazzy tune, tables emptied to dance and grab drinks. Blake stepped off to the side as a hand slipped into the crook of his elbow. “Hey, you.”

Maggie held his arm, giving him a beaming grin that made him feel dizzy. “Hey yourself.” He sipped his drink with a smile. “A celebratory booze for getting through it.”

“You were wonderful up there.” She shifted to stand in front of him, her expression warm and open. “What are you drinking?”

“Whiskey Coke.” He offered her the glass, and she took a sip. “I’d offer to get you one, but the line is a mile long now. We can share, though.”

“That’s OK.” She handed it back. “You deserve your own.”

“You really thought I was good?” He hated how insecure that made him sound, but the question was out before he could second-guess it.

“Of course. If you were shit, I’d change the subject.”

That startled a laugh out of him, which seemed to please her. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said. He was pretty sure he’d said it before, but he wanted to make sure.

“I know.” She squeezed his arm. “I’m glad to be here.”

Blake finished his drink as the band ended one song and started another, something slower, and Maggie’s gaze drifted to the dance floor, where many people were already pairing up. Blake’s mind had apparently totally disconnected from his brain, because before he knew it, he asked her to dance.

“We probably should, right?” She nodded, her lips set in a line. “Keeping up appearances.” She turned to go, but Blake took her arm and pulled her back up against him, startling a gasp out of her. Her eyes widened, lips falling open at the rough contact. Blake hadn’t intended to pull her that hard, but the way she was looking at him … maybe Maggie St. Claire liked some manhandling.

She looked into his eyes, lips parted like she was waiting for him to kiss her. Which he was not going to do here, in front of the entire donor base of his organization.

“I don’t want to dance with you out of obligation. I’m not keeping up appearances.” He released her arm to put his hand on her hip instead. “I asked you to dance because you look incredible, and I can’t imagine going the whole rest of this night without taking you in my arms.”

Maggie’s mouth fell all the way open, a blush rising on her cheeks. He loved being able to make her blush.

She nodded. “Yes, I want to dance with you.”

Blake led her to the floor and drew her close: one hand holding hers, one against her lower back, fingers splayed over the soft skin. He didn’t know the song, but he knew how to move to it, intuiting the rhythm and guiding her with the gentle confidence that all came back to him after a few steps.

“Figures you actually know how to dance.” She said the words into his ear, her breath brushing hot over the skin. “Is there anything you’re bad at?”

“Many things.” Blake smiled. “But I took Ballroom as an elective in college, so this isn’t one of them.” He spun her, guiding her easily into the move before pulling her back. She returned breathless, eyes shining.

“You’re showing off.”

“I am.” He stepped in, closing whatever distance remained between them until she was pressed flush against him. This technically wasn’t ballroom anymore, without the stiff arms and requisite distance between them, but he didn’t care. For now, her body aligned perfectly with his, and his palm pressed against a gorgeous stretch of soft, soft skin exactly where her back curved in, and she moved like she could anticipate his every move. They were blurring all kinds of boundaries tonight by pretending to be a couple, and now with their bodies this close together, Blake could imagine muddying the definitions between them even more.