Bad Boy Under My Roof

Mum and Dad weren’t home.

I was wearing a loose skirt while running on the treadmill on the balcony.

My hands gripped the handrails, and I leaned forward, my body low, my hips raised high.

Not far behind me, Ethan sat on a stool, reading quietly.

After a while, I was drenched in sweat.

I raised my hand to wipe the sweat off my face, and out of the corner of my eye, I unexpectedly noticed Ethan sneaking glances at me, particularly at my raised hips.

Ethan is the son of my mum’s best friend, and he’s still in his first year of university.

My parents and his parents had gone on holiday together, so Ethan was staying at our house temporarily for convenience.

Ethan is 6'1" tall, quite handsome, but he still has a bit of a boyish charm and tends to be shy around new people.

Although I’m older than him, I’m only about 5'3", so standing in front of him, I feel quite petite.

However, there’s something about his boyish charm, his shyness, that makes me feel a natural sense of affection and protectiveness towards him.

At this moment, I didn’t blame Ethan.

I figured he had just turned 18, and he was probably just curious, like any young man his age would be.

I pretended not to notice, focusing instead on adjusting my form on the treadmill. I straightened up from my previous position, trying to be subtle about it.

Just then, a breeze caught my skirt, making it flutter upward. Earlier, when I'd caught Ethan watching me, I'd managed to keep my cool despite the blush creeping across my cheeks. Now, though, I scrambled to push my skirt back down, my face burning even hotter than before.

I couldn't even bring myself to look at him.

"Scarlett..." Ethan's voice was husky behind me. I heard him clear his throat.

"Hmm?" I managed, still avoiding eye contact.

"You weren’t wearing anything underneath," he teased.

"What?!"

Mortified, I jumped off the treadmill and darted to my bedroom. My face felt like it was on fire as I rushed inside.

Once in my room, I closed the door and checked my skirt - only to find I was wearing my favorite red underwear! Of course I was - I distinctly remembered putting them on that morning.

That little trickster!

I just couldn't believe that beneath his sweet, innocent face, he was capable of such playful mischief - and I'd fallen for it so easily!

I was caught between annoyance and amusement.

"So... red's your color, huh?" His laughing voice came through the door.

I spun around to find he'd pushed the door slightly open, wearing that mischievous grin I knew so well. He'd played me again - getting me all flustered just so he could catch me checking.

And here I was, still standing there with my skirt held up, completely caught in the act!