The #5Star Affair (Love Hashtagged Book 1) Read Free

on my shoulder, or wish I could write games as well as the masters. I don’t do it because I hate game creators—you guys are so incredibly talented and make my life more fun, and I adore that. I do it because I like to play, and I like to share my opinion of what I play. So any review I’ve already written has nothing to do with you personally, or any of your colleagues. And if we do decide to do this roommate thing, I won’t touch anything else from Digital Media after today.” That was going to hurt. They were such a huge chunk of the market. But there was no other way. “Someone else at one of the magazines I sell to might, but I won’t have any part of it.”
    His gaze never left her face, but he didn’t say anything. He drummed his fingers on the counter. Took a sip of his drink. “Is there more?” There was no irritation in his question, just amusement.
    She laughed. “Smart ass.” She had gone on for a little bit. “That’s all.”
    “Okay. I agree. Does that mean you want to see the place?”
    “You’re making a lot of assumptions.” Not that she minded. She was enjoying the back and forth.
    “You’re still here. I’m having fun, you don’t seem to be miserable, and it’s not like we’re getting married. Just sharing an apartment. Are you in?”
    She made sure to maintain her tone teasing when she said, “I’m in. Just remember, if Gwen doesn’t see me on FaceTime in thirty minutes, and back here tonight, she’s calling the cops.”
    He pulled a black nylon tri-fold from his back pocket, and plucked out two business cards. He set one on the counter, and handed the other to her. “I think that’s fair. She can send them to this address. Meet me there? ”
    She glanced at the address long enough to commit it to memory, then stuffed the card in the purse dangling from her wrist. She fell into step next to him. “These don’t say Digital Media on them.”
    For the first time since he’d walked in, he hesitated. “I’m working on a side project. Something that’ll be hush-hush until I get things rolling faster.” He pushed out the front door and held it for her.
    When she brushed past, the clean scent of body wash filled her head. He smelled incredible, too. Spicy and clean. That hardly seemed fair. Her gaze met his, and more fantasy tripped through her thoughts. Letting the door swing shut. Being pressed between him and the wall. Finding out how his lips tasted.
    Her skin tingled, as she failed to push the idea aside. She finally dragged her attention back to the parking lot, but even that didn’t successfully snap the thread of desire running through her. She needed to stuff those thoughts aside until she was alone. Especially if she was going to agree to anything like moving in.
     
    ****
     
    Even though Ethan gave Jaycie his address, he waited for her when they left Gwen’s diner, and made sure she was behind him on the short drive to his apartment. Trees lined the walkways from the parking lot to the buildings, green peeking out from the sleepy winter. Each structure was red brick with blue trim, giant letters distinguishing one from the next. Jaycie followed Ethan up the path.
    Her phone vibrated through the strap dangling from her wrist, and she jumped. Irritation and nausea crawled through her when she saw the number, and she pressed ignore. Seconds later, a new text message from Nick buzzed through. Plz talk to me?
    Get the hint already. She deleted the note without hesitation, and pushed all the negativity his name summoned to the back of her mind. He wasn’t going to ruin her evening.
    Ethan glanced at her. “Everything all right?”
    She pasted a neutral expression in place. “Depends on what the place looks like.”
    No reason to go in to intense detail about her past. As long as Nick didn’t know where she lived, he wouldn’t be an issue. It wasn’t that her ex was a threat. If he’d been anything but nice to her, she would have ended the relationship ages ago.