The Hookup Hoax Read Online Free Page A

and traveling. The queen-sized bed looked inviting, with a blanket fluffy enough to swallow her whole. A quick glance into the open closet and she knew she’d never be able to fill even a quarter of it with her meager belongings.
    “I hope this is enough space for you. Whenever you’re ready to move in the rest of your things, let me know. I’d be happy to help.”
    She patted her backpack. “This is everything.”
    “So you’re officially all moved in then.” The smile fell from his face as if he’d said something offensive by accident. His brow furrowed and his gaze darted to the hallway before he cleared his throat and pulled open another door. “The bathroom is through here.”
    She peeked inside. Clean. Not like some of the hostels she’d stayed in. Definitely not at all what she expected a bachelor’s bathroom to look like. There was a full bathtub she couldn’t wait to soak in, a steam shower, and a large double vanity—easily enough space for both of them.
    “Towels?” she asked, pointing at another door. If he didn’t have any extras, she’d have to run out and buy some for herself. The one she’d carried with her traveling had been tossed the second she’d stepped on home soil, and she’d been using the ones her brother had on hand.
    “Those are in the hall closet. You can help yourself.” He walked through the space and opened the door in question. “It’s a second entrance from my room. Hopefully that won’t be a problem. Both doors lock, and we’ll figure out some sort of schedule.”
    “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said, forcing her voice to sound aloof. She figured sharing a bathroom was likely, but sharing a bathroom that connected to both bedrooms? That was a little too cozy for her comfort.
    “I’ll leave you to get settled in. If you’re hungry or thirsty or anything, the kitchen is stocked. If you need help finding something, just ask. Otherwise I’ll assume you’ll use this apartment as if it were your own, because it is, sort of. For now at least.”
    Once Sawyer closed his door to the bathroom, she closed hers as well, then her bedroom door leading to the hall. When she was totally enclosed in her new space, she flopped back onto her bed and puffed out her breath, feeling as if she’d been holding it since she’d knocked on the door.
    Was this room really hers? All of this space to herself, for three months, seemed too good to be true. She had to share the rest of the apartment with Sawyer—a task she’d thought would be easy. But now, after seeing him again, she wasn’t so sure. Most likely she was experiencing the same shock anyone would at seeing someone from her past again after so long. There’d been a few moments when she’d caught Sawyer looking at her, studying her as if he was shocked by what he saw too. Surely, the way her heart pounded in her chest was a symptom of their reunion and nothing more.
    She could not, would not, feel anything for Sawyer. He was her brother’s best friend, her dating safety net while she got settled into her new life, and her boss. And after everything that happened with Sam, she’d sworn off playboy bachelor-types. She hadn’t met a woman yet who could reform a man like that, herself included, and she certainly would never let herself make that mistake twice.
    No, nada, nope. Gorgeous hunk of man-candy or not, he was off-limits.
    Olivia worked steadily until she was settled into her new room. The task took barely an hour, with her meager belongings. When she’d woken this morning on Aidan’s couch, she hadn’t had a single drawer to put her things in, now she had an entire room. Somehow her day had taken an unexpected twist, and here she was sharing an apartment and on the cusp of starting a new job. Things were finally getting on track.
    Her new bed called to her. She climbed into the cozy blankets and curled up with her novel.
    She startled awake as the book flopped onto her face, smacking the bridge of her