Page 62 of My Not So Wicked Stepbrother (My Not So Wicked 1)

Holy crap this was really happening. My breath caught in my chest, waiting.

Sawyer’s slow hand continued a downward path until he reached my bare stomach where my shirt had come up. When he landed on my less-than-tight abs, I felt his warm hand freeze before it popped off. I opened my eyes to find the spell was broken. Sawyer’s eyes were wide and confused—or was that disappointed that his suspicions about my figure had been confirmed?

I shot up and ran my fingers through my hair. “Wow. That was awkward.” I kept my head facing forward, avoiding any eye contact.

Sawyer sat up too. “Wait, that wasn’t the way this was supposed to go.”

“That was apparent.” I threw off the covers to go anywhere but here.

Sawyer grabbed my hand. “Please, don’t go.”

I was about to ignore him and flee, but my ancient landline started ringing violently on my nightstand, which meant it was the plant and it was probably an emergency. Work was the only reason I had the landline in case cell service was interrupted or I left it in my car like I had today.

My head was buzzing from all the stimulation. I didn’t know what to do as the phone kept ringing. Finally, I took my hand back from Sawyer and used it to answer the phone.

“Hello,” I growled.

“Emma, this is Hayes.” He was a member of the production staff, which meant this wasn’t good. “I know you’re off today, but we’ve had four breakouts in the last twenty-four hours and we can’t figure out the cause. Please, we need your help.”

I could picture the mess now of molten steel overflowing the shell. I let out a heavy breath. “Yeah, of course. Lock out and tag down. Make sure everything is deenergized. I’ll be there in about a half hour.”

“You’re a life saver. Thank you.”

I hung up and jumped out of bed.

“Em, please, we need to talk.”

I headed for my dresser in the corner. “No, we don’t.” I was absolutely mortified and planning on a séance later or something to sell my soul to the devil in return for scrubbing this event from my mind for eternity. I pulled open my top drawer with gusto.

Sawyer, in all his half naked glory, joined me at the dresser running his hand through his mussed hair. He pushed the drawer back in.

“Excuse me.” I pulled the drawer back out, not caring that it was filled with panties and bras.

Sawyer took my hand and pressed it against his bare chest. I felt his heart pounding.

My eyes drifted up and met his. “I need to go.”

“I know, but please promise me you’ll still meet me tonight. I have a plan, and this wasn’t a part of it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Please, Emma, let me do this the right way. I’ll pick you up at eight tonight.”

“I don’t know. I think maybe . . .” His hand pressed harder against mine, making me more aware of how warm and tight his skin felt under my fingers. How much my fingers yearned to stay right where they were among the soft hair on his chest. It made me lose my train of thought.

“Please,” he pleaded.

I ripped my hand away like I should have done to the stupid Band-Aid I’d been using ever since I met him and fell in love with him. “Fine,” I cried.

“You won’t be sorry, I promise.”

I ran my hand across my mid-section. Somehow, I had a feeling he wasn’t going to be able to keep that promise.Chapter Eighteen“Somebody better have died,” Jenna’s scratchy voice filled my Jeep. I had her on speaker as I sped down the highway.

“Sawyer and I almost kissed, or at least I think we did.”

“What!!! Dish, girl.” She sounded wide awake now.

“Baby, are you okay?” I heard Brad ask.

“Go back to bed,” Jenna whispered, before focusing back on me. “Don’t spare any details. Go.”

My head pounded while I thought about what to say. “I don’t know. It was weird. We were in my bed together.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You were in bed together? Dang girl, I thought you said you almost kissed. What did you do before that?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Right.”

“Seriously, Jenna, this isn’t a happy story.” Tears leaked out of my tired eyes.

“Oh, Em. What happened?”

“I don’t know. No, that’s not true, I do know; and I feel so stupid now. I totally thought he was going to kiss me. I had my eyes closed and everything. And then . . . well, he touched my squishy middle and that was that. No kiss.”

“That b-hole. Did he say anything?”

“He said it wasn’t the way he wanted this all to happen and he wants to take me out tonight.”

“Wait, wait, wait.”

“What?”

“Well, maybe you’re reading the situation wrong.”

“Jen, how can that be?”

“Well, I don’t know exactly, but why would he want to take you out? Is this like a date?”

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