Chloe stole another piece of chicken from Jordan’s plate, watching his fake outrage through her eyelashes. His mouth opened to protest but she popped the food between her lips before he could speak.
"You’re a thief," Jordan said.
"Your food tastes better than mine."
"We ordered the sa thing."
"Doesn’t matter." She leaned against his shoulder. "Yours is better because I’m taking it from you."
Jordan shook his head but smiled anyway. That genuine smile that made her stomach flip. The one where his eyes crinkled at the corners and he looked like soone who hadn’t spent winter break crying on his bedroom floor.
Chloe’s chest felt full. Warm. Like she’d swallowed sunshine and it was radiating through her ribs.
This was dangerous. She knew it was dangerous. Kumiko fell in love every three weeks and crashed just as fast. Chloe had always prided herself on being different. Smarter. More controlled.
But Jordan felt right in a way she couldn’t explain.
His hand rested on her thigh, thumb drawing lazy circles through the fabric of her borrowed hoodie. Casual. Comfortable. Like they’d been doing this for months instead of hours.
The question lodged itself in her throat. What were they now? Friends who happened to have sex? Neighbors with benefits? Was this dating?
God, what if he asked her to quit OnlyFans?
Chloe’s stomach twisted. The warm feeling cooled slightly.
She needed that money. Her mom’s dical bills didn’t care about feelings or new relationships. Daniel’s college fund wouldn’t magically fill itself. The rent on this place was twenty-eight hundred a month and her parents could only send three hundred.
But sitting here eating Korean food on her living room floor at eight PM on a Monday...
No more coffee dates. That decision ca easy. Three thousand dollars or not, she couldn’t sit across from other n while wearing a mask and pretending Jordan didn’t exist twelve feet away through a wall.
Her phone buzzed on the coffee table. She ignored it.
"You’re quiet," Jordan said.
"Just happy." The truth slipped out before she could stop it.
Jordan’s thumb stilled on her thigh. He turned to look at her with those hazel eyes that seed to see straight through every wall she tried to build.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Chloe grabbed another piece of chicken. "Don’t let it go to your head."
"Too late. My head’s huge now."
"That’s not the only thing that’s huge."
Jordan choked on his drink. Chloe grinned as he coughed and wiped his mouth.
"You can’t just say things like that," he protested.
"Why not? It’s true."
"Chloe."
"Jordan." She mimicked his tone perfectly.
His phone started ringing upstairs. The sound cut through their banter like a knife through paper.
Jordan glanced toward the stairs. "I should..."
"I’ll get it!" Chloe bounced to her feet before he could move. "You keep eating. I’ll grab it."
She took the stairs two at a ti, her bare feet silent on the wood. The phone sat on her nightstand where Jordan had plugged it in earlier. The screen glowed with an incoming FaceTi call.
Cassie.
No photo. Just the na.
Chloe grabbed the phone without thinking. Her thumb swiped to answer before her brain caught up.
The screen flickered. A face appeared.
A woman. Maybe mid-twenties. Black hair cut in a sleek bob. Hazel eyes. The sa hazel as Jordan’s. Sharp cheekbones. Red lips curved in a smile that faltered the second she saw Chloe instead of her brother.
Shit.
"Who the hell are you?" The woman’s voice was smooth. "Where is Jordan?"
Chloe’s mouth went dry. She’d been so focused on being helpful, on not making Jordan get up when he was comfortable, that she hadn’t stopped to think about who might be calling.
The woman on the screen studied Chloe with an intensity that made her want to hide. Those hazel eyes tracked every detail. The damp hair. The oversized hoodie. The lack of pants underneath.
"Jordan’s busy at the mont." Chloe’s voice ca out steadier than she felt. "Can I take a ssage?"
The woman’s perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched. "Busy."
"Yeah. Eating."
"Eating." The woman repeated the word like she was testing its weight. "With you. Wearing what appears to be very little clothing."
Heat flooded Chloe’s face. "I just showered."
"I see." The woman leaned back. Her background ca into focus. An office. Sleek and modern with floor-to-ceiling windows showing a city skyline. "And Jordan is with you because...?"
"We’re neighbors."
"Neighbors." Another pause. The woman’s lips curved slightly. "How neighborly of him. Tell , does my brother make a habit of visiting neighbors in towels?"
"He’s wearing pants!"
"But you’re not."
Chloe wanted to throw the phone across the room. This woman, whoever she was, had dissected the entire situation in thirty seconds flat.
"Jordan!" Chloe called over her shoulder. "Your phone!"
Footsteps thundered up the stairs. Jordan appeared at the top of the loft, his expression confused until he saw the phone in Chloe’s hand and the face on the screen.
His entire body went rigid.
"Cassie."
"Little brother." The woman’s smile sharpened. "You didn’t tell you made friends with your neighbors."
"I didn’t realize I needed to report my social life." Jordan’s voice had changed. Gone flat and careful.
Chloe held out the phone. Jordan took it but didn’t move away. He stayed close enough that Chloe could see the screen over his shoulder.
Cassie’s gaze flicked between them. "Should I call back later?"
"What do you want?"
"Mom ntioned you called Dad yesterday. Said you sounded different. Better." Cassie tilted her head. "She was worried you were having a breakdown. I wanted to check in."
"I’m fine."
"Clearly." Cassie’s eyes found Chloe again. "Are you going to introduce us? Or is this one of those situations where nas aren’t necessary?"
Chloe bristled. The judgnt in that tone made her want to snap back with sothing sharp.
Jordan’s jaw tightened. "Cassie, this isn’t—"
"I’m Chloe." She leaned into fra before Jordan could stop her. "His girlfriend."
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