A gilded mirror hung in the hallway, and I groaned when I saw my reflection. My braided twist had come undone, and my make-up was now streaked and smudged, giving me the appearance of a wet, bedraggled Koala.

I followed Sophie into the ultra-modern kitchen and tried not to gape. The cabinets were red lacquer and the backsplash was red, orange, and gold glass tile. All the appliances were high-end stainless steel, and the countertops were white marble. This was where Sophie lived? Faith's digs in Chiswick were nice, but this was opulent. “I had a run in with a Mini Cooper and a puddle. Do you have a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt I can borrow? I must look like a drowned rat.”

A low voice came from behind me. “I don’t know. You look well fit to me.”

I jumped and whirled around. I made a quick assessment of him just like I did with all men and filed him into the preliminary category of not-a-threat.

I studied him closer, unsure of what to make of the auburn-haired guy leaning against the counter. He was cute in a quirky way. With his shaggy hair and animated green eyes, I could see how his disarming smile made him even cuter. He had several tattoos on his forearms and one peeking out from the top of his T-shirt. Fantastic. His whole aura screamed trouble. But there was something inherently kind about his eyes.

Sophie giggled. “Jasper, behave, would you? This is my friend Abbie from Uni.”

Jasper uncoiled his lanky frame and strode over. I wasn't so sure about being in his personal space, but nevertheless, I extended a hand to shake, but instead, he bowed and kissed my knuckles. Yeah. Charming as fuck. And he knew it. I tugged my hand back. “Nice to meet you, Jasper.”

“I promise you, love, the pleasure is all mine.”

I turned to Sophie. “And you know Jasper how?”

“Oh, he's Max’s flatmate,” Sophie replied.

“Yeah, my room's just at the top of those stairs if you need or want anything.” He waggled his eyebrows.

I sputtered and laughed. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

He nodded with unabashed good humor. “I've been told that before.”

Faith came from a hallway at the other end of the kitchen and hip-checked Jasper. “Leave her alone, Jas. She’s a friend of ours and isn’t ready for your flirtation assault.”

Jasper rolled his eyes. “Okay, fair enough.” He stood directly in front of me, forcing me to take an automatic step back before looking up at him. “But if you come to me, all bets are off.” He winked before turning on his heel and jogging up the stairs to his bedroom.

I couldn’t help the exasperated chuckle. “Is he for real?”

Both Faith and Sophie shrugged.

“Yeah, that's Jasper,” Sophie said.

Faith’s phone rang. “You two go ahead. I’ll catch up. It’s Liam.”