The Rival Roomies Read online

  He waits for me on the other side of the door.

  “Don’t go listening to your friends. They usually give shit advice, and honestly, you usually get a lot more experience with a girlfriend than by flipping around with multiple girls. Teenage boys have shit for brains. Don’t listen to them.”

  I really don’t want to know how far he’s gotten with Becca. Especially with Phoenix and Sedona being the same age as Elijah.

  He looks at me sheepishly. “Well, we have—”

  “That’s a conversation I don’t want to hear and no one else should either. Don’t be a dick and kiss and tell.” The bell rings. “Go to class.”

  He turns around. “You mean assembly.”

  “Assembly?”

  We walk out into the hallway where everyone is filing toward the auditorium.

  “Yeah, remember Principal Miller had the baby?”

  Shit. Now I’m running my fingers through my hair. All the teenage angst had me forgetting that we have to meet the new principal of Lake Starlight High School this morning. The last principal I’ll ever be under because next year I’m heading to the college level—I hope.

  “Yeah. Go. You don’t want to be late.”

  “Thanks, Coach… for everything.” He jogs down the hall, catching up to his friends.

  I turn to go through the back entrance since I’ll have to sit in a chair in front of all the students so that we can appear as a united front for the new principal. A symbol that says we have their back.

  I run smack-dab into Fay Murphy, the office assistant. “Hey, Fay.”

  “I’m so happy I found you.” She seems a tad flustered, and her face has that beet-red overlay she used to get when Principal Miller reprimanded her for not refilling her stapler.

  Working without that dictator will be a nice change. Let me tell you, pregnant women do not like it when they have to give up coffee—something we all paid the price for.

  “What’s up?” I keep walking because we’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.

  “We need you to introduce Principal Radcliffe.” She peers behind me then pushes up on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear, “Malcolm, I mean Vice Principal Ealey, called in this morning. I think he was still…”

  Fay doesn’t have to finish the sentence. Malcolm Ealey went through a public divorce last year and has been spending a lot of his time at the Lucky Tavern, drowning in a helluva lot more than his sorrows. That’s why, even though he should have become our temporary principal, the school board decided to hire someone new.

  “Why me?”

  She hands me a piece of paper. “The kids look up to you, and everyone thinks that the kids will welcome Principal Radcliffe if you introduce her.”

  Her. Another woman. Hopefully this one is well-caffeinated and not pregnant. We’ll all stand a better chance that way.

  I accept the piece of paper, looking over what I need to say. “Fine.”

  I’m not scared of public speaking. I’ve got two teenage girls at home. You don’t know a hostile environment until you’re trying to break up a fight between those two.

  “You’re the best, Austin.” Fay squeezes my forearm then walks down the hall.

  My footsteps slow as I read over the new principal’s bio. What the hell is a Yale graduate doing in Alaska at Lake Starlight High School? After skimming over her education, I fold up the paper. I can wing it from there. Besides the kids couldn’t care less about what’s printed on that sheet.

  Heading into the auditorium, I search out the face of our new principal, but I know everyone here.

  “Her meeting with the superintendent is running a tad late, so if you could stall, I’ll tap you on the shoulder when it’s safe to announce her,” Fay informs me.

  “I’m not a zoo keeper.”

  Fay laughs.

  I will not miss this part of my job next year.

  Before I realize it, I’m in front of the podium, clearing my throat and introducing myself, as if everyone here doesn’t already know who I am. Sedona rolls her eyes and looks away. I have no fucking clue why she’s so embarrassed of me. I mean, look at me. Six foot two, two-ten, short, neat haircut. I work out four times a week, hike, bike, ski. My muscles aren’t from just the gym…

  Okay, before I keep sounding like a male-seeking-female want ad, let’s get on with how my day went into the shitter in a matter of twenty minutes.

  I tell a few jokes, and the kids loosen up a bit. Maybe I should rethink the whole college baseball coach thing and go for stand-up comedy. I’m pretty good at this.

  Fay taps my shoulder, and thank God, because I’m running out of material.

  I pull the paper out of my back pocket and clear my throat one more time. “All right, everyone. We all know that Principal Miller has left us to enjoy her new baby, so we’re welcoming a new principal into our school. Our new principal for the remainder of the year is Dr. Radcliffe. She graduated from Yale with her doctorate in education. She comes here from the lower forty-eight, so make sure you give a big Alaskan welcome!”

  About half the kids in the auditorium clap while the rest of them stare at the stage with an expression that only a bunch of unimpressed and uninterested teenagers can manage.

  Time to grab their interest and get them to buy in. “Principal Radcliffe’s hobbies include streaking during football games, ferret racing, and taking surveys for money.”

  The kids roar with laughter, finally looking as if they’re interested and want to be here. Fay steps up and nudges me.

  “Sorry,” I mumble. “We’ll bring Dr. Radcliffe out to explain her hobbies in more depth.” I turn from the podium at the sound of heels clicking across the stage.

  This is the part where my mouth drops open and my testicles jerk up, seeking protection.

  See the auburn-haired woman walking right toward me? The one who looks as pissed off as Sedona did when I honked my horn in the parking lot this morning?

  Yeah, that’s my new boss.

  The new principal of Lake Starlight High School.

  I don’t believe in kissing and telling, but I’ll tell you—this is the first and only principal I’ve ever given an orgasm to in the backseat of my Jeep.

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  Cockamamie Unicorn Ramblings

  For all of you who read our ramblings in the back of Dirty Flirty Enemy you understand now why we told you Dom and Val were going to pull at your heartstrings.

  * * *

  We love to write tropes that we haven’t written before and we decided early on that we wanted an impromptu Vegas wedding in one of the books in this series, hence… Wild Steamy Hook-up. We loved the idea of an opening scene where our hero was hung over and finds out he married someone. So, we had this storyline decided upon before we knew anything else about the series.

  * * *

  We strive to make every hero we write different. Sometimes we plan them out and other times they show up on the page that way. Rayne remembers telling Piper, “Dom is really quiet. He’s kind of just there as the older brother.” That’s when we decided that Dom’s Vegas bride had to be tied to a second chance romance trope. He just wasn’t the type who would marry a stranger, no matter how many drinks were involved. Carm maybe, but not Dom.

  * * *

  Dom and Val’s story was different than any other book we’ve written as Piper Rayne, but we enjoyed writing a more twisted journey toward a happily ever after. It was fun exploring how mistakes, misconceptions and fear can keep you away from the love of your life. Especially when we get to wrap it all up with a shiny bow at the end. These two probably weren’t our funniest couple ever, but that just wasn’t their journey. At least we could always count on Carm and the addition of Lulu and Gia to bring in some humor.

  * * *

  And yes Blanca will get her own happily ever after some time in 2020 so we don’t have to say goodbye to these Mancini boys just yet!

  * * *

  We can’t give you all these books without our awesome team!<
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  * * *

  Wander Aguiar for an amazing photo

  Travis S for modeling being our muse for Dom (newbie).

  Shari Ryan from Mad Hat Covers

  Cassie from Joy Editing

  Ellie from Love N Books

  Shawna from Behind the Writer

  Dani Sanchez and the Wildfire Marketing gang

  All the bloggers who carve out time to read and review our books.

  All our early ARC readers

  And of course, all our unicorns who stick with us on this journey. <3

  About the Author

  Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.

  www.piperrayne.com

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  Also by Piper Rayne

  The Modern Love World

  Charmed by the Bartender

  Hooked by the Boxer

  Mad about the Banker

  * * *

  The Single Dad’s Club

  Real Deal

  Dirty Talker

  Sexy Beast

  * * *

  Hollywood Hearts

  Mister Mom

  Animal Attraction

  Domestic Bliss

  * * *

  Bedroom Games

  Cold as Ice

  On Thin Ice

  Break the Ice

  Box Set

  * * *

  Charity Case

  Manic Monday

  Afternoon Delight

  Happy Hour

  * * *

  Blue Collar Brothers

  Flirting with Fire

  Crushing on the Cop

  Engaged to the EMT

  * * *

  The Baileys

  Lessons from a One-Night Stand

  Advice from a Jilted Bride

  Birth of a Baby Daddy

  Operation Bailey Wedding (Novella)

  Falling for My Brother’s Best Friend

  Demise of a Self-Centered Playboy

  Confessions of a Naughty Nanny

  * * *

  White Collar Brothers

  Sexy Filthy Boss

  Dirty Flirty Enemy

  Wild Steamy Hook-up