“I mean, he has to be if you live with him,” she said with a grin as they headed toward the living room. But as soon as they entered it, she wished she would have just stayed in the room and let him devour her.

Because standing only feet away from them was JT.

Fucking the naked chick from behind over the couch she had just cleaned.

“For the love of God,” Karson yelled as Lacey gasped beside him, covering her mouth and turning away. Who could blame her? Boobs were bouncing, ass cheeks were clapping, and really, no one wanted to see their roommate like that.

“Almost there guys, hold on,” JT said, waving them off.

“Oh my God, he did not just say that,” Lacey said before rocketing back into the bedroom.

Again, who could blame her?

“Are you fucking kidding me? Are you doing this to fuck with me?” Karson yelled as his best friend stilled, slapping the girl hard on the ass.

He was going to kill him.

Sucking in a deep breath, the girl arched her back, meeting her mouth to JT’s for a long, disgusting kiss. Why was he still standing here? Watching as JT moved out of her and seeing way more than he wanted of his best friend, Karson looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. “I’m going to kill you, Thomas.”

JT chuckled. “Dude, when the itch hits, gotta scratch it.”

Glaring, Karson met his gaze as he pulled his boxers up and the girl laid her naked ass on the couch. He was going to have to buy a new couch now. “You’ve never done this before, and we’ve been living together for years, so I call this you being an asshole and trying to fuck with my girl. And that makes me mad. What the hell?”

“Dude, you’re being a chick, Melody is leaving and it won’t ever happen again, well, that is until you two leave,” he said, stretching his arms over his head.

“Oh, I am?” the girl asked and JT nodded.

“Yeah, we’re done. See ya later.”

Her face scrunched up as she stood. “Wow, you are a dick.”

“Proud of it, darling. See you later,” he said as she passed by him. He smacked her ass with a shit-eating grin on his face. She must not have liked that because she flipped him the bird before disappearing down the hall.

“What is your problem? Lacey was coming out to get to know you.”

JT laughed. “Well, she got an eyeful, huh?”

“For real, JT? What the hell is going on?”

He shrugged. “Dude, I was getting it in real quick, no big deal. Stop being such a prude about this.”

He wasn’t being a prude! He wanted to know why his best friend was being an asshole. “Do you not like her? Is that why you are doing this?”

“I am not worried one bit about your wife. I don’t even know her.”

“Are you trying to set boundaries, show us that this is your apartment? Is it about what I said earlier, about you keeping it in your pants?”

He paused and Karson knew that was just it. Jordie Thomas was a prideful man, also a “do whatever the hell he wanted kind” of man. Usually, Karson liked that about him, but today, he would kill the guy and not think twice. This was already a hard transition for Lacey; he didn’t need his best friend acting like a douche.

Setting him with a look, JT said, “Why are you asking so many questions? Fuck, Karson, marrying this girl’s turned you into a pussy!”

He was so tired of being called a pussy.

“You know what, forget it. Don’t let it happen again, and stop being an asshole!”

“Whatever, dude,” he said, falling on the couch and reaching for the remote. Looking back at Karson, he snapped, “Don’t you have houses to look at?”

Wait. “Dude, are you jealous?”

“Please.”

“You are!” Karson said, pointing at him. “What the hell?”

“Dude, you run off and got married, no worries about the apartment we share or the fact that you’re my best friend. You didn’t even tell me anything, and now you’re moving out. It’s shitty.”

“Who is the pussy now?” Karson asked.

“Fuck off,” JT sneered with a shake of his head.

Falling onto the couch beside him, Karson looked at the TV as he said, “Even though I am moving doesn’t mean you won’t still be my best friend. You’ll always be my friend, Jordie.”

He was going for sincerity, but he feared he might have come off kind of patronizing.

“Don’t be a jerk. I’m not a chick.”

He was acting like one, Karson thought, but JT was like a bear. And you don’t poke bears.

“I know it’s a lot of change, but it’s time for me to be a man and love the one I love. She makes me happy.”

“I know,” JT said with a nod. “It’s just I don’t like being alone, but I don’t let people in. The first person I did let in is leaving now.”

That stung a little. JT was a hard-ass, had been the whole time Karson had known him. His dad had killed himself when he was little and his mom tried her best, working three jobs, but all anyone saw when they looked at the Thomas family was trailer trash. He was the kid from the other side of the tracks, and because of that, he had a thick skin no one could penetrate. Even with his mom now married to some rich guy who owned some big ski resort, Jordie still hated the world. It was sad, but Jordie was a good guy. They’d clicked from the beginning.

Sometimes people grow and move on though, and it was time for Karson to do that. He just hoped one day that Jordie would too. He’d hate for him to grow old and lonely, but if he didn’t let people in, he would.