Just like that, I wake from my stupor and one hand reflexively covers my boobs while the other claps over the Amazon rainforest I’m sporting below. As if to add insult to humiliating injury, I’ve actually exposed him to the fact I have a proficient amount of bush that has never been whacked. I’m pretty sure girls these days are supposed to look suspiciously hairless, and here I’m blatantly showing off the fact I’ve hitpuberty.
Fish comes up and wraps himself around Knox’s leg before circling back and gawking up at me. His eyes grow large and his little cat jawfallsopen.
Great. Not only have I horrified Knox, I’ve also shocked the hell out of his poorlittlecat.
“Here’s the shirt.” Knox holds it out and I snatch it before doing an awkward dance and slamming the door shutbetweenus.
Killme.
Knox
Naked.
Harper Shelton just stopped my beating heart. She has for several reasons as of late with that kiss, her warm laugh, her obsession with pie that rivals my own—but that body I was just exposed to has sent my adrenaline skyrocketing, my balls aching, my dick anxious to have her. The obvious fact I’m left to contend with is that I am in trouble aroundthisgirl.
I head into the living room where the pizza waits and I eye that suitcase sitting in the corner. I wasn’t buying that whole laundromat song and dance, so I did the only thing I could think of and texted Lawson earlier to see what the deal was. He didn’t know. But what he did know, and was very much amused by, was the fact Lucky just told him Harper was having a little fun in my bathtub without me. I’ve never felt so turned on by a woman in all my life. It took more natural restraint than I had not to break down that door andjoinher.
Harper pads over in bare feet, her skin glowing like a fresh summer tan, hair slicked back, face fresh scrubbed, and my heart skips right out of my throat. Holy hell, here we go. She’s opted for just the T-shirt. I can see the outline of her tits underneath it, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s opted out of the panties too. Damn, she’s beautiful. My body starts to shake as if demanding to have her. I have to. I’m hoping she feels the same. But what the hell is happening between us? In an effort to avoid the classic rebound, did we just jump in with both feet withoutrealizingit?
“I guess you got an eye full.” Her gaze hooks to mine and the room picks up its own heartbeat around us. She is something to look at with those eyes, with that hot as fuck mouth. She makes her way to the sofa and I land next to her with the pizzabetweenus.
I give a wistful shake of the head. “That body alone is revenge enough.” Not sure what to say to relieve the tension between us. “Has he called?” I hadn’t planned on bringing up her ex, but unless we plan to further explore her naked body, it’s probably time we get down to brasstacks.
“Nope.” She snaps a picture of the two of us with a slice of pizza next to her open-mouthed smile. She taps something out on her phone beforeshowingme.
When your boyfriend makes you a truffle pizza because he knows you love it! #foreplay #doesntgetbetter #truelove
A dull laugh escapes me. “It’sperfect.”
She hits all of her social media sites with it. “You know what else is perfect? The fact the river rat you dated is now following me on Instagram. She’s so blonde she probably doesn’t realize I’m privy to that info, but nonetheless, I’m hoping to ruin her night in any waypossible.”
“I do what I can to help.” A thought comes to me as we indulge in the truffle cheesy goodness. “You know, a year ago, I would have never imagined that I would be deliberately trying to make herfeelbad.”
“Please. She’s incapable.” Harper snorts while reaching for the bottle of sparklingwater.
I reach over and grab my own bottle. “To making our exes miserable.” I raise my drink intheair.
“May misery abound for the rest of their rotten lives.” She touches her glass bottletomine.
“You know what would make them really miserable?” I swallow hard because I think I want to go there. “Us having a good time withsomethingreal.”
She takes in a quick breath and holds it. “Truth or dare”—her eyes grow wild as her panting picks up—“you still have feelings for your ex.” Her bottom lip tugs down as if she’s trying to keep her emotions incheck.
“I think I do.” My cheek rides high on one side as her face grows pale. “And not one of them is nice,” I flatline. I can’t come out and say I hate her. I haven’t quite given myself the time to sort through those feelings. “Truth or dare, you wanted me to see younaked.”
She takes in another quick breath as if I had insulted her. “Maybe.” She makes a face and takes a hard swig of her drink, her eyes never leaving mine. “Truth or dare”—she wipes down her face—“you’ve been wondering whether or not I have underwear on.” She opens and closes her knees just enough, but I’m too slow to catch that tiny pinkdetail.”
“True.” I frown as I set my bottle and pizza down. “Truth or dare, when you took a bath”—I open my mouth to ask the question and realize I have no good way to frame it—“let’s just say, if you were a guy, I’d ask if you were collecting a specimen.” I give a partial nod, waiting for her to cop to it. “Coming to grips with thesituation?”
Harper cocks her head up at me, her forehead wrinkled with confusion. Then as quick as the confusion set in, she straightens. “Oh my shit!” She bounces back a good foot and I catch a dark patch between her thighs. No underwear. I’m grinning from ear-to-ear on the inside, but I don’t dare give it. “Are you asking if I?” Her mouth opens as she studies me, and just like that, her face contorts from shock to horror. “Youknow!” She swats me with a pillow before burying her face in her palms. “Who told you?” She looks up slowly, her hands pulling down the skin under her eyes giving her a scary demonic look but still hot as hell. There is not a thing this girl can do to escape her beauty. “Lucky?” Her eyes grow the size of hardboiled eggs. “LAWSON!” She drops her face back into her hands a moment before resurfacing with a newfound fury. “That’s it. I’m excommunicating him as my official big bro. He just broke a sibling code of conduct that although unstated goes without saying. Yes”—she snaps just inches from my face—“I was giving myself a low five—a hand solo, testing my batteries, Jilling off, enjoying a happy ending to a story I didn’t read,enjoying the safest sex possible!” She pulls the pillow over her face and gives a groan of frustration. Harper looks up at me, her eyes red and watery, her face piqued with color. “Dare. Take off yourclothes.”
A smile tugs on my lips because I’m pretty sure she skidded right by the rules of the game. Here we go. “What for?” I have a feeling playing hard to get will only set her off, but here’s hoping it sets her off in the rightdirection.
“Turnabout is fair play. You saw my bits and pieces. I think it’s only fair I get to seeyours.”
“You strategically held your hands over your bits and pieces, but—” I stand and slowly unbutton my shirt, yank my tie off before discarding both behind me. I unbutton my jeans and pause. “Seeing that I’m a goodsport…”
Harper jumps up so fast, Fish flies between us like a bullet as if a war were readying to break out, and it justmightbe.
