Page 26 of Reckless With You

Dear, God.

I’d known my brother’s best friend was hot, but I didn’t realize he wasthishot.

He was like all the good Chrises rolled up into one Avenger. And naked.

Yep, I was going to hell.

“You okay there, Amelia?”

My eyes shot up to his face, and I saw the laughter there.

“I baked you a pie,” I said and shoved it at him.

He used his free hand to grab it from me. Thankfully, he didn’t release the towel.

That would have been awkward.

But again, I had gotten mostly naked in front of him already. It should be his turn.

No, there would be no turns.

This was bad. This was so,sobad.

“You baked me a pie?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes. And…thanks for the tequila. I mean, thanks for taking care of me after the tequila. Anyway, it’s cold, and your nipples are hard.”

I snapped my lips shut, and he threw back his head and laughed.

“Yeah, it is cold enough that my nipples are hard. Thanks for noticing. Do you want to come in?”

“I really don’t.”

I really did. No, I did not.

“Okay, thanks for the pie. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, I did. So, I’m going to go home now. But thanks again. Seriously. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“I’ll always try to be there for you.” His eyes went somber, and his smile was a little soft. “You’re practically family, Amelia. Of course, I’ll be there.”

I ignored the little clutch I felt at the wordfamilybecause it really didn’t matter. Hewasfamily. He was practically my brother’s brother. And there were rules about that.

Even though I would likely have some really dirty thoughts about him later. I couldn’t help it. He was in a towel.

“Well, I should go. Good luck with your towel.”

Sheer mortification rolled through me again, and I ran toward my truck.

His laughter followed me, and I resisted the urge to flip him off. I was going to hell, but it would be fun on the way.

I was doing my best to force out the visions of what lay under that towel as I pulled into my driveway—and almost slammed into the garage door.

Someone was on my porch. Someone I wanted to see with every fiber of my being, though someone I knew I couldn’t see.

I turned off my truck and slowly got out, trying to calm my heartbeat. Attempting to swallow the bile in the back of my throat.

Why was my mouth so dry? And why were my hands so damp?