Two hot roommates, minus clothes, plus a drawer full of debauchery, and a WHOLE lot of tension. You don’t have to be a math genius to figure out the sum of that equation.
They say I’m a super genius, but would a super genius make the outrageously stupid mistake of falling for his roommate?
Out of all the men in the world, I had to go and develop a crush on the one who’s already in love with his best friend.
But when Theo tells me he found my drawer of toys, the only logical thing to do is to offer some no-strings fun.
I’ve read enough romance novels to know this can’t possibly end well, but I can’t seem to stop myself from falling for Theo.
The only question is…
Will he be there to catch me?
*By the Numbers is a low-angst roommates to lovers to HEA story with plenty of heat and lots of swoony moments. It’s the third book in the Love Logic series but can be read as a stand alone.
I follow Alex to the living room, munching on popcorn as I go. I should probably slow down, or I’ll finish it all before I even get the movie started. On the other hand, I recently learned the very important life lesson: if I want something, I’d better go for it before my brother, Pax, swoops in and fucks it. Or eats it in this particular case.
Not that I’m salty about the whole my brother stole the guy I’ve crushed on for years thing. Besides, it’s not like I ever got around to telling Elijah or Pax about my feelings before they went and fell in love. It’s all a moot point anyway. What’s done is done, and the bottom line is that I’m going to keep wolfing down popcorn like it’s my last night on Earth because popcorn is officially my one and only love. Popcorn can’t break my heart; it’s foolproof when you think about it.
Alex settles onto the couch, and I plop down next to him, reaching for the remote and starting the movie. Neither of us says a word as it starts, both reaching into the bowl of popcorn and taking large handfuls, our shoulders bumping against each other on the cramped couch. Even without any words being exchanged, I feel a little bit of tension start to unravel inside me simply at the fact that I’m not spending the whole night alone.
I had enough of being alone back in New York after Elijah moved out here to California. The entire reason I agreed to having a roommate, aside from the sky high rent prices issue, was so I wouldn’t have to sit alone in an empty apartment every night. Not that I begrudge Alex whatever kind of social life he wants to have, but the sound of the buzzer when he got home might’ve been my favorite sound in the world.
He snorts at the movie, and I glance over to find him grinning with amusement.
“Whoever wrote this knows jack shit about black holes,” he says, shaking his head.
“That’s what he said,” I quip, and Alex laughs.
“Wow, that was mature.” By the smile on his face, I don’t think it’s a complaint.
I give a lopsided grin in return. “I do what I can.”
Another relaxed silence falls between us. Considering we’ve only been living together a couple of weeks, it’s not surprising that it’s taking us a little time to find our footing as friends, but from what I know of him so far, I have no doubt we’ll get there.
The faint scent of cologne tickles my nose. It’s the kind of secondhand smell that seems unintentional, likely left on Alex’s clothes by whoever he spent time with tonight. I wonder idly about what kind of man that would be. From all the comments he’s made since we met several months ago, the first time I came to California to visit Elijah, I’m guessing it was someone with more muscles than brains. Can’t say that’s my type. I’d much rather have a sweet nerd in my bed any day of the week, but to each their own.
Author K.M.Neuhold is a complete romance junkie, a total sap in every way. She started her journey as an author in new adult, MF romance, but after a chance reading of an MM book she was completely hooked on everything about lovely- and sometimes damaged- men finding their Happily Ever After together. She has a strong passion for writing characters with a lot of heart and soul, and a bit of humor as well. And she fully admits that her OCD tendencies of making sure every side character has a full backstory will likely always lead to every book having a spin-off or series. When she’s not writing she’s a lion tamer, an astronaut, and a superhero…just kidding, she’s likely watching Netflix and snuggling with her husky while her amazing husband brings her coffee.
