Loud: The Complete Series (A Bad Boy Alpha Male Romance) Read Free

hit it!” instructed Chris, and the two of them
grunted and maneuvered the heavy sofa from the back of the truck.
    While Chris was clearly vying for our attention, I
found it easy to ignore his brash arrogance. It wasn’t so easy, however, to
ignore Emerson. While Chris' physique bordered on the ridiculous — there was no
way he wasn’t on steroids — Emerson's was more natural, less extreme, but
powerful nonetheless. I found my gaze lingering far too long on the rippling
muscles of Emerson’s arms as he carried the heavy sofa across the lawn. I had
to admit, the way the afternoon sunlight caught the stubble on his jaw as he
turned toward me took my breath away just for an instant.
    Several grunts later (and more ludicrous comments from
Chris), the two of them disappeared into our apartment with the sofa and
emerged a few minutes later, each covered in a sheen of sweat that enhanced
their well-developed physiques. Emerson hung back, dabbing at his sweat with a
handkerchief he'd retrieved from his pocket. I smiled. I couldn’t remember the
last time I’d seen a younger guy carrying a handkerchief. Chris, on the other
hand, walked immediately back over to us, smiling suggestively all the while.
    “Any other heavy lifting I could help you two with?
Now or…later perhaps?”
    Leslie laughed and folded her arms across her chest. “Thanks,
Chris, but that was the only thing we needed help with. We're super grateful
for your assistance, but I think we’re good.”
    “You sure? I mean, that sofa was nothing really.
Nothing compared to what I'm about to go smash in the gym. Seriously, if you
need us to help out with anything else, we're down.”
    “Thanks, guys. We’ve got it from here,” Leslie
reassured him.
    Emerson took a few steps closer to us and looked up into
the back of the truck. His eyes met mine, and I turned away quickly.
    “Are you sure you guys don't need any more help?” he asked,
directing the question at me.
    “We're totally fine now, thanks,” interjected Leslie.
    “Yeah. We’re good. Thanks,” I said, still avoiding eye
contact.
    Chris shrugged. “Alright then, ladies. So, uh, what
time is the housewarming? I'll bring Jell-O shots and vodka. Say nine, nine
thirty?”
    “There isn't gonna be a housewarming,” I said, aware
of how cold my tone had suddenly become. “We have a lot of unpacking to do, and
since we have class Monday morning, this has to get done. We're both swamped
this semester, and I seriously don't think we're gonna have time for parties.”
    Chris stared at me for a moment and then he shook his
head.
    “Whatevs. You only live once, yo. Life's too short to
waste sitting behind a desk staring at books all day. And yeah, speaking of
short, we're gonna be late for gym, bro! Jason already messaged me like ten
minutes ago saying he was waiting for us.”
    “Alright,” Emerson replied. “Let's go. See you around,
uh…”
    “I'm Leslie, and this is Brooke,” Leslie announced.
    “Leslie and Brooke,” Emerson said as if he was completing
his sentence. “It’s really nice to meet you both. I guess we’ll see you around
sometime, and welcome to the neighborhood.”
    With that, he climbed onto his bike, while Chris
climbed into a sleek, black sports car. No real shocker there. Emerson started his
bike up and revved the engine before spinning the back wheel as he took off.
Chris winked at us as he pulled out of his parking space. Leslie laughed, and I
couldn’t help but chuckle. When they were gone, Leslie grabbed a box from the
tailgate of the truck and grinned up at me with a look I knew all too well.
    “Come on, BeeBee,” she said. “You have to admit you
saw it. Emerson couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. He’s totally got a
thing for you.”
    “I have to admit nothing,” I fired back, trying to
sound less defensive than I felt for some reason. I didn't want to think about
that guy, or any guy for that matter — not with thoughts of Andrew still
swirling around