My head drops. I’ve lived here three days and he’s already going to evict me. “Oh God. I’m so sorry. You must be Mr. Bates. The soccer player. I… um. I didn’t mean your rules were crazy. I love the rules. I love living here.”
Finn laughs and the door closes behind him. “Aspen, you’re fine. Mr. Bates is practicing in England right now.” He puts emphasis on the Mr. Bates with a horrible British accent. “He’s letting me couch surf until my place is finished. I've known Ryland since elementary school. He can be quite a prick. I can only imagine the shit he made you agree to.”
“Well, they’re not as bad as I made them out to be,” I stammer and try to backtrack. “You won’t tell him will you?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell, but in exchange you have to promise to tell me what some of these rules are.”
We’re at my door, but I don’t want him to go for some inexplicable reason. When he smiles, his cheeks curve in, creating an elongated dimple on the left side. Why do I find it cute?
I lean against my door — a pathetic attempt to prolong our moment. “I’ll see. You have to promise you won’t tell him. I need this place.”
I don’t bother to share how true my last words are, but my tiny 450-square-foot home is the solitary place in my budget in this entire city. It’s thanks to those crazy rules that I can afford to stay here. Places this big normally rent for double the price. It was either agree to the stipulations of living here, move out of the city and commute, or move in with my brother and his pregnant wife, Rebecca. Not even Rule 8: No sheer window curtains sounds as bad as the other two options.
My brother is all the family I have left. He’s been a surrogate father to me since we lost our parents when I was six. Ben, at five years older, helped take care of me after we moved in with our grandma in Southern California. I was sixteen when Grandma died. Ben, then twenty-one and almost finished with a criminal justice degree, took over as my guardian. He moved here to join the San Francisco Police Department when I started college. I followed him after finishing my MBA. It was the right choice.
“Your secret is safe with me.” Finn stops in front of my door and leans against the bare white wall. “Well, Aspen, I’ve run out of topics for today. I promise to be better prepared the next time we meet.”
I can’t stop the blush that takes over my checks or the smile that spreads across my face. Is he flirting or just being nice? I’m not sure how often we’ll walk upstairs together, but the thought is a nice one. “I’ll hold you to that, Finn. Have a good evening.”
“You too.” He turns away and continues down our short shared hallway. I watch, but open my door before he notices I’ve stared at his butt for longer than I should have. Maybe living with the endless number of rules I agreed to won’t be so bad if it means I’m sharing a space with Finn. His backside view alone may be worth Rule 1: No pets of any kind — even those in tanks, bowls or cages.
A note from the author:
Thank you for reading the first chapter of Rush. I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek. Aspen and Finn’s story is now available on all devices. (books2read.com/u/38elBm)
Book two, Lag is also available for purchase. Find out Trey and Simone’s story and other release dates and buy links on my website: www.authormeganmatthews.com or buy a copy here. books2read.com/u/3RB9on
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