Page 19 of Light My Fire

Jackson, on the other hand, isn’t daunting at all. But he’s clearly a flirt and just likes to ruffle feathers. Luke’s, for sure. And mine, I think. He likes making me blush. He likes teasing me. But I don’t completely buy the playboy persona.

Wyatt says he just fucks around and Jackson said that he’s charming, good looking and rich twenty-four-seven, but I can tell there’s more underneath all of that swagger. He’s comfortable in his own skin. He clearly really likes Wyatt and Luke and has a meaningful friendship with them, and he didn’t blink an eye about sitting cross-legged on the floor to eat at the coffee table.

I don’t know many millionaires—my brother, who almost doesn’t count because I’ve known him forever and he’s a hockey player, not really a business-type millionaire, and now Jackson—but I don’t imagine many of them sit on the floor to eat loaded baked potatoes. Jackson also casually played with my hair during the movie. It was hanging down over my shoulder on the side where he was sitting, and I felt a gentle tug at one pointand found him twirling the end of a strand around his finger. But his eyes were on the movie. It was almost as if he didn’t realize he was doing it. It was strangely sweet.

Still, Wyatt is definitely more my type. He’s easy going and just so damnednice. He seems to be so aware of me and wants to take care of me without being overbearing. I thought he was going to kiss me out on the deck before the power went out and I’dwantedthat. So much.

So yeah, if I was going to get intimately involved with one of these guys, it would definitely be Wyatt.

Though they all make my heart beat faster and my body feel more aware and jumpy than I’m used to.

“Brooke?”

Luke’s deep voice pulls me from my thoughts and I realize I’ve been staring at him.

He leans in, a concerned frown on his handsome face. “Are you okay?” he repeats.

I nod. “Um, yeah.” My voice sounds scratchy. “Yes. Sorry, just thinking. And I’m…”Do not say horny. DoNOTsay horny.“Tired.”

Luke’s concerned look doesn’t ease. “I don’t want you going to bed until Wyatt gets the generator working. It will be too cold in there.”

The four of us could snuggle together. Bet I’d be plenty warm then.

I scold my inner voice, who seems to be a bit overeager suddenly. “Right. Yeah, that’s true.” I force a smile. “I guess I could just sleep out here. By the fire.”

Luke looks almost pained by that suggestion. But he nods. “Yeah. We’re probably all stuck out here together if there’s no power.”

Wow, I imagine that’s how he’d say ‘we’re probably all going to need a root canal’.

Jackson soothes my ego, though. “I call Brooke’s couch.”

I smile at him. “My couch?”

“Wherever you’re gonna be,” he says with a wink. “You can keep me warm.”

I laugh. “Wait, I don’t know if I want the pressure of keeping you from getting frostbite.”

He grins. “No worries. I’m sure I’ll be able to find nice warm spots to put any…extremities… that might be in danger.”

I press my lips together as I feel tingles everywhere. Yeah, see, that flirty stuff is really easy for him, almost second nature. But there’s also this part of me that wants to dig deeper and find out what’s underneath all that charming fun stuff.

Not that charming fun is bad…

Luke makes a strange, low growling noise. “Knock it off.”

I look over, and he’s glaring at Jackson.

“Hey, you can take her other side,” Jackson says. “I’ll share. She’s not very big, but I’ll bet we can both find places to put ourextremities.”

My tingles now sprout tingles. Because the extremities I immediately think of arenotfingers and toes, and I’m certain Jackson’s emphasis on that word was intentional.

And just when I was thinking thatWyattwas my type and Luke thinks I’m just a kid, I’m now imagining myself in a Jackson and Luke sandwich.

I’m suddenly not feeling cold at all.

Luke shoves himself up off the couch and paces over to the fireplace to poke at the fire that doesn’t need poking.

“You want to go check on Wyatt and see how the generator is coming along?” Jackson asks him.

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