Landon’s bedroom was a chaotic shrine to procrastination. Clothes were strewn across the floor like casualties of a lost battle, an empty pizza box sat propped against the wall, and his bed—unmade, of course—was a tangle of sheets and mismatched pillows. He lay sprawled across it, one leg dangling over the edge, his phone hovering above his face as he scrolled mindlessly through memes. The late afternoon light filtered through the half-drawn blinds, casting lazy stripes across his bare chest. He barely registered the sound of the bathroom door creaking open down the hall, or the soft padding of bare feet on the hardwood, until the sharp, commanding voice cut through his haze like a whip.
“Seriously, Landon? Again with the damn dishes?”
He jolted upright, nearly dropping his phone on his face, as Audrey stormed into his room without so much as a knock. She was a force of nature, all fierce energy and unapologetic attitude, and right now, she was wearing nothing but a flimsy white towel wrapped precariously around her curves. Her damp hair clung to her shoulders, droplets of water tracing lazy paths down her collarbone, disappearing into the towel’s edge. The fabric was so thin it might as well have been a suggestion, clinging to her hips and barely covering the essentials. Landon’s mouth went dry, his brain short-circuiting as he tried to process the sight of her.
“Uh, what?” he managed, his voice cracking like a teenager’s. He sat up straighter, pulling a pillow onto his lap in what he hoped was a casual move to hide the sudden heat pooling in his gut.
Audrey planted herself at the foot of his bed, one hand on her hip, the other gesturing wildly toward the kitchen. “Don’t play dumb with me, slob. I just spent ten minutes scrubbing your crusty cereal bowl out of the sink. Do I look like your personal maid?” Her hazel eyes flashed with irritation, but there was a smirk tugging at the corner of her full lips, like she was enjoying this a little too much.
Landon swallowed hard, trying to focus on her words and not the way the towel shifted with every animated gesture. “I was gonna get to it,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck, his gaze darting anywhere but at her. “Swear.”
“Oh, sure you were,” she shot back, rolling her eyes as she stepped closer, the scent of her coconut body wash hitting him like a punch. “Just like you were gonna take out the trash last week, or fix the leaky faucet, or—oh, I don’t know—not be a complete disaster of a human being?” Her tone was biting, but there was a playful edge to it, a challenge that made his pulse race.
He forced a grin, trying to match her energy despite the way his heart was hammering. “Hey, I’ve got charm. That’s gotta count for something, right?”
Audrey snorted, crossing her arms over her chest, which only made the towel ride up slightly on her thighs. Landon’s eyes betrayed him for a split second, flicking down before he could stop himself, and that’s when it happened. As she shifted her weight, the towel slipped—just a fraction, just enough to reveal the barest hint of what lay beneath. Smooth, glistening skin, the curve of her hip, a flash that seared itself into his brain before the fabric settled back into place. She didn’t notice, thank God, but Landon felt like he’d been struck by lightning. His face burned, and he coughed into his fist, hoping she wouldn’t see the way his hands tightened around the pillow on his lap.
“Charm?” she repeated, oblivious to his internal meltdown, her voice dripping with mock disbelief. “Landon, the only thing charming about you is how you manage to survive on a diet of instant ramen and sheer audacity. Try harder.”
He laughed, though it came out more like a choked wheeze. “Damn, Audrey, you’re ruthless. Cut me some slack—I’m a work in progress.”
“Progress?” She arched a perfectly sculpted brow, stepping even closer until she was looming over him, her presence dominating the small room. “Sweetheart, you’re a demolition site. But don’t worry, I’m patient. I’ll whip you into shape eventually.” Her smirk widened, and there was something in her tone—something dangerous and teasing—that made his stomach flip. “Or I’ll just keep dragging your sorry ass until you figure it out.”
Landon’s mind was a mess, caught between the sharp sting of her words and the image of that towel slip replaying on a loop. He shifted uncomfortably, praying she wouldn’t notice the way his breath hitched. “Yeah, well, maybe I like being dragged,” he shot back, his voice lower than he intended, a little too raw. He regretted it instantly, but her eyes gleamed with amusement, like she’d caught the slip and was filing it away for later.
“Oh, do you now?” she purred, leaning down just enough that her damp hair brushed the edge of his shoulder. Her voice was a velvet blade, smooth and cutting all at once. “Careful, Landon. Keep talking like that, and I might take you up on it. You wouldn’t survive me.”
His throat bobbed as he struggled for a comeback, but his brain was a blank slate, wiped clean by the heat of her proximity and the memory of that fleeting glimpse. “I, uh—I’d probably manage,” he stammered, cursing himself for sounding like an idiot.
Audrey straightened up with a laugh, sharp and bright, shaking her head as if he were a lost cause. “Keep dreaming, slob. Now get your ass up and clean those dishes before I make you regret it.” She turned on her heel, the towel swishing with the movement, and sauntered out of the room without a backward glance, leaving a trail of coconut-scented torture in her wake.
Landon sat there, frozen, his heart pounding so hard he was sure the neighbors could hear it. The room felt emptier without her, but the image of her lingered—every curve, every sharp word, that maddening slip of fabric. He flopped back onto the bed with a groan, running a hand over his face as if he could scrub the memory away. But it was no use. It played over and over in his mind: the flash of skin, the fire in her eyes, the way she’d owned the space like it was hers to command.
“Get it together, man,” he muttered to himself, staring at the ceiling. But even as he said it, he knew it was useless. Audrey had just carved herself into his thoughts, and there was no shaking her now. He was hooked, and the worst part? He wasn’t even sure he wanted to be free.
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