Page 47 of Right in Front of You

“Is that a shower running?”

“Yes.” It has been running since Carter knocked on my door, yet he didn’t seem to have noticed it before.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have known better than to come unannounced.”

“It’s not what you think.”

Why was I even defending myself? Because of who was in that bathroom. I didn’t want Carter to flip or get the wrong idea. He’d jump to baseless conclusions.

“So you’re telling me that you have a girlfriend in your shower in the middle of the night? Because that did not sound like a female voice.”

“No, not a girlfriend.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Not that either. Just a friend.”

“Molly, I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“And I wouldn’t lie about having a boyfriend in the shower. You think I’d ask you to come inside if that were the case?”

“Hmm, that’s difficult to assess at this moment. I’ve had a few beers before coming, you know, to help me come… Shit, that sounded wrong. I mean…”

I reached forward and covered his hand with mine. The connection sizzled underneath my palm, and I had his attention back on me again. “Carter, please ask me what you were going to ask before you heard the shower.”

I knew he could do it. I knew he could finally ask me out like a normal man, without a stupid line or making a joke. For the first time in my life, feeling grounded, I was finally ready to give him the answer I knew he wanted. I would give him the answer that I wanted as well, and maybe we could put the past behind us. Maybe he’d move to the city…

“I wanted to ask whether you would joi—”

He stopped mid-sentence and his gaze lifted. He was looking at someone standing in the hallway leading to the bathroom, and I knew exactly who that someone was. Carter pulled his hand away from mine, and I watched the slow shift in his face from puppy dog to ruthless hound.

No, no, no.

“Seriously? My brother?”

“Hey, Carter. What’s up?”

“What’s up? What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Taking a shower. It’s been a long night.”

“I bet it was.”

Carter’s face took on a shade that matched my burgundy drapes. The veins in his neck swelled, their pressure threatening to pop. He stood up and rushed at his brother, pinning him against the wall. Maxwell’s towel slipped off his hips. Though naked, he was covered by Carter’s body. Still, the side view was definitely interesting.

Stop it, Molly! I couldn’t think around Carter. His presence in this apartment was screwing with my mind.

“Whoa, you got it all wrong, brother.” Max didn’t make any effort to fight Carter off. The brothers had always had a good but competitive relationship, and I really hoped that my letting Max stay over wasn’t about to ruin our friendship.

“I asked you what the fuck you’re doing here!”

“He’s on his way back from Texas. His car broke down by the hospital late at night.”

The grip of Carter’s arms on Max’s shoulders eased.

“You make it a thing of coming out of the shower in a towel at a stranger’s place at two-thirty in the morning?”

“Molly’s hardly a stranger, and I heard her talking to someone out here.”

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