Free The Tenant by Sotia Lazu Page A

merely didn’t want his castration on her conscience.
    “I’ll survive,” he repeated her own words. “But I may have to go celibate for a while.”
    That wasn’t too bad, if you asked her. Sharing the place with him would only get harder if he was in the next room fucking whomever he could get to put out, while Amanda lay in bed alone. “Good,” she blurted, and then tried for a save. “I mean, not good that you can’t, you know, have sex. But perhaps it’s best that neither of us brings—umm—significant others over while we’re living together.”
    He leered at her, his tongue folded suggestively over his upper teeth. “What about in significant ones?”
    She’d not caused any damage after all, if he could look at her this way. “We have to coexist. One of us having sexcapades while the other’s within earshot wouldn’t be”—she paused—“optimal.”
    “And what would be optimal?” he asked, rounding the table toward her.
    Was he flirting with her? Had she opened the door to a parallel universe when she’d entered the kitchen? “It would be optimal to not do that.” She tried to sound innocent, but her voice was a little throaty, her heart beating just a bit too fast. He couldn’t possibly be getting to her like that; she didn’t see him as a man. She saw him as a nuisance. A nuisance with the body of an Adonis.
    She should be thinking of Mason’s muscular body, his long legs and wide shoulders and tight stomach and hard…
    Derek stood right in front of her now, close enough she could see his irises had widened. He tilted his head to the side, licked his lips then opened his mouth to say something, but her purse started vibrating in her lap.
    Thank God! Amanda held out an index finger to him and rummaged through the contents of her bag with the other hand. She found her cell phone, looked at the screen, and winced.
    The word “Baby” had never before freaked her out so much. She had to answer, or Mason might try the landline. She considered asking Derek to be quiet, but that might bring about the opposite result. She’d have to brave it.
    She pressed the little green button and brought the phone to her ear. “Hey, you.” She was rather proud at how calm and loving she sounded.
    “How’s my girl? How did the first night at the new place go?”
    She cringed, remembering exactly how it had gone. “I’m fine. All’s well here. How are you?” From the corner of her eye, she saw Derek pouring out her coffee and filling two mugs with fresh, unsalted brew.
    “I’m good,” Mason said. “Missed you the last couple of days and…”
    She didn’t catch what Mason said next, because Derek was mouthing something at her. She gave him wide eyes. “Uh-huh, uh-huh,” she said to the phone.
    “So, are you?” Mason asked.
    She wasn’t getting what either man was saying. She shook her head at Derek and asked Mason, “Am I what?”
    “Free for lunch,” he said, while Derek reached for her purse.
    “Of course I— hey! ” Derek had her purse tucked under his arm and was going through her things. The man had no sense of privacy! Before she could grab it back, his hand came out, clutching the Sweet’N Low. He held it up, a victorious smile on his lips.
    “What happened? Everything okay?” Mason sounded alarmed.
    “Yup! I thought someone was about to mug me, but I was wrong.” She glared at Derek and held up four fingers, ignoring his chastising look.
    “Mug you?” Mason asked from the other end of the line. “Aren’t you at home?”
    “I am. I am.” God, what a mess. “I meant Alice. She was going through my things.”
    “I thought Alice was—”
    “A brat? She is!”
    Derek leaned back on the bench at the mention of her sister’s name and was looking at her questioningly.
    She waved him off. “Listen, honey, I have some things to do now, but I’ll be free at about two. Why don’t we meet at the pizza place down the corner from your place? I’ve got a craving for