“What kind of work are you looking for?” Tonio asked.
“Anything I can get. I was a receptionist before. And I majored in English in college.”
“So did one of the guys at the club,” Austin said. “Guess that makes you qualified to strip.”
I met his eyes, expecting him to be joking as he said that, but instead, the look he gave me was almost… flirtatious. What was wrong with him? Surely he knew that my body was nothing special—Clint had made that clear enough. The idea of men wanting to watch me strip—not that I ever would—was preposterous, and my face flushed.
“Sorry,” Denver said on behalf of his twin. “We know you’re going through a lot. It’s probably too soon for jokes, but that’s just how we are around here.”
“Smart people usually ignore him,” Tonio added. “But come on, eat your breakfast or I’ll think you don’t like it. Then we can drive you to—wait, where are you staying?”
The few bites of bread I’d eaten seemed to solidify into an uncomfortable lump inside my stomach. “Well, I—”
“You’re not staying with him, are you?” Austin demanded.
“Did you two sign a lease or something?” Denver asked.
“No, thank God.” Though our apartment search had been frustrating, mostly because I couldn’t get Clint to put in the time, I was glad now that nothing had worked out yet.
“Were you two staying in a hotel?” Tonio asked. Across from me, Knox had been silent throughout this whole exchange, but his eyes were on me, wanting to know the answer.
“No, at his parents’ place.”
“Obviously, you can’t go back there,” Denver said.
My thoughts swirled as I tried to come up with an alternate plan. The south side of town where the club was hadn’t looked too expensive. “Could you guys recommend a hotel? Maybe something cheap like around that area where you work?”
Austin immediately shook his head. “Bad idea.”
Tonio was apparently in agreement. “I fail to see how your situation would be improved by getting mugged.”
“Or bedbugs,” Denver added.
I shuddered. “Bedbugs don’t sound so bad compared to seeing Clint or his parents again.”
“No way in hell we’re sending you back there,” Tonio said. His eyes were on his roommates and theirs on him. I got the sense that there was some kind of silent communication going on between them. Twins were sometimes said to have that kind of ability, but I doubted that extended to their roommates.
But then Denver said, “So it’s settled then.”
Wait, what was settled? My confusion must’ve shown on my face, because Austin said, “You’ll stay here until you figure things out.”
“Here?” The word came out almost like a shriek and surprise made me knock over my water glass.
Knox was quick to pick it up. “Why not?” he said softly as he mopped up the spill with his napkin.
“You can’t go back to your ex’s house,” Tonio said. “So stay here for a few days while you figure out your next steps.”
I was so shocked by the offer that I couldn’t figure out what to say. Deep inside, embarrassment rolled through me. I was an adult—I was supposed to have things figured out and shouldn’t need help from strangers. Especially such handsome strangers. As much as these guys talked like normal men, it was hard to ignore how good-looking they were. Every time one of them looked my way, it made me blush. If I stayed with them, I’d probably spontaneously combust at some point. “I, um… thank you, that’s very kind, but I can’t stay here.”
“Yes, you can,” Austin said. “Know how we know that?”
“Because you did it last night,” his twin finished.
Tonio’s sympathetic gaze caught my eye. “You’ve had some shitty luck. Let us help you for a bit.”
“You already have.”
“And we don’t mind doing it, do we?” Denver polled his roommates. They all shook their heads. “See?”
Wow, it was hard to muster arguments when they presented a united front like that. “Thank you,” I said firmly, “but I can’t. Really.” My voice was less firm now. “It’s your home, and I… maybe… I mean, only if I can’t find a hotel… maybe I could just stay here one more night so I can figure out what to do next. But just one, and only if you’re sure it’s okay. And I can pay you.” Not much, but I could pay them a little.
“Not without insulting us,” Tonio said, but he winked when he said it.
“We’re not an Airbnb,” Austin added. “Or a licensed inn.”
“But I can’t—”
“You use that word a lot,” Denver observed. “And you’re making this too big a deal. It’s a big house. We’ll be at the club in the evening, and likely gone a lot of the day, too. We’ll barely notice you’re here. There’s no way we’d kick you out after just one more night.”
“But—but I can’t just stay in your bed.”