Table of Contents
Title
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Temporary Position
Scarlett Parrish
Also from Scarlett Parrish
About the Author
A Total-E-Bound Publication
www.total-e-bound.com
Stay the Night
ISBN #978-0-85715-726-3
©Copyright Scarlett Parrish 2011
Cover Art by Lyn Taylor ©Copyright October 2011
Edited by Lisa Cox
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2011 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.
Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-burning and a sexometer of 1.
STAY THE NIGHT
Scarlett Parrish
Kit Blackman's anti-social facade cracks when a new co-tenant moves into his house - and bed - but unless he lets Steven in where it matters, Kit will end up sleeping alone. Permanently.
Kit Blackman is anti-social, insular and bad-tempered...and those are his good points. As well as an attitude problem, he's also got a how-will-we-pay-the-rent problem when one of his housemates breaks their third of the lease. If he wants to keep a roof over his head, he'll have to accept that Steven Kenton, a complete stranger, now shares that roof. Yes, the new housemate’s good for helping out with the bills but he also has the knack of putting Kit on edge with a few well-chosen words and lingering looks.
Kit’s is-he-flirting-with-me uncertainty doesn’t last long; on his first night there, Steven makes his intentions more than clear. He wants Kit, and he knows the feeling’s mutual. It’s in Kit’s nature to push away any man who shows an interest in him, especially when they live together, but he can only push so many times before Steven decides he’d be better off finding somewhere else to stay the night.
Dedication
This book is for, and because of, Lisa the Enabler, without whom I would be a sweet and innocent little flower. Honest.
(With a dis honourable mention for Tiffany Reisz, who elbowed her way onto my cast list.)
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Miller: The Miller Brewing Co.
Formica: The Diller Corporation
Ordnance Survey Map: Ordnance Survey
Kleenex: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
Supernatural: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
Migraleve: Pfizer Consumer Healthcare
Imigran: GlaxoSmithKline Group
Tipp-Ex: BIC Corporation
Chapter One
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” I was the only one standing and the only one with the balls not to come out with some congratulatory bullshit. I wasn’t going to lie about being happy for the guy who was leaving us all in the lurch just because his girlfriend had a goldmine in her pants.
“Kit.” Gary widened his eyes and looked from me, to Ben and back again.
“What? What?” Okay, so I probably hadn’t given Ben the reaction he’d hoped for when he’d announced his intention to break his third of the lease to move in with his other half, but it was no more than he’d deserved. How the hell we were going to make the rent now I didn’t know. The whole point of having three guys living together was so we could afford a roof over our heads and beer in the fridge and now we were losing one third of the budget.
I grimaced and looked at the label on the bottle I clutched like my life depended on it.
No more Miller, then. Supermarket own-brand crap from now on. Or paint stripper and aftershave if things get bad enough.
“It’s good news. Right?” Gary looked at Gemma for backup. She didn’t live here, but visited often. And thank God, he didn’t seem as pussy-whipped as Ben obviously was. In his case the boss had instructed him to announce his imminent departure on his own, claiming she ‘had to work’ or something. Meanwhile, I was left standing in the kitchen staring at two housemates, one of said housemates’ girlfriends, and a prospective life of penury living on beans on toast and supermarket beer.
“It’s good. It’s cool.”
I couldn’t share Gary’s optimistic outlook. “What’s good about losing one third of the rent?”
“Kit, for God’s sake.” Gemma had that look on her face only women could perfect. It must have been something she was born with. Ovaries, breasts and the ability to smile while disapproving with her eyes. “For Ben.”
“Oh. Oh, right.” Fuck, Blackman. She’s a human being, not the devil. Don’t you dare shudder.
I took another gulp of beer to fortify myself but the way she tapped her fingernails on the kitchen table made me jittery. “Good news for Ben. Of course.” It was easier just to agree with Gemma when she glared at me like that.
“Look.” Ben eased his chair away from the table and leant back, probably much less anxious now he had Lady Macbeth’s overt support. “I realise this’ll put the pressure on you two guys, but—”
“No, no, it won’t.” Gary waved away Ben’s concerns and shrugged.
“Yes it will.”
The three sitting at the Formica table—no way was it in any fit state to be called a dining table—turned their heads to look at me in such coordinated censure I almost
