Romancing the Grump (Appies, #4)

by Jenny Proctor

I’ve only been in my room ten minutes—barely long enough to pee, check my teeth, and change into leggings—when a knock sounds on my door. The main door, not the one connecting my room to Nathan’s. I still can’t get over how he literally fell into my room earlier. I thought my heart might stop. I couldn’t see his face—he was just this giant blur of a man—and I panicked. Then I realized it was him, and my heart started pounding for an entirely different reason. I look through the peephole and recognize Nathan, then give myself a tiny mental pep talk. I can do this. I can control my feelings. I can squelch a teeny tiny crush and move on. I open the door and smile. “Hi,” I say, gesturing for him to come in. “Hey.” He steps inside, and I close the door and move into the room. He follows behind me, almost bumping into me when I stop at the foot of the bed. It’s possible we didn’t really think this through. There’s nowhere to sit in here, not unless we want to sprawl out on the duvet, which doesn’t exactly feel conducive to a serious conversation about his brother’s legal trouble, especially when I’m also trying to quell my growing feelings. The only chair is all the way in the corner, facing the built-in desk. At least he can sit in that one. I’ll just have to make perching on the edge of my bed not seem awkward. “Do you want to take the chair?” I ask, gesturing toward it. “Sure.” I’m standing at the foot of the bed when he moves past, and he lifts a hand to my arm, his fingers ...