Page 69 of Suddenly Entwined

“If we were alone when I told you all this, I wouldn’t trust myself not to kiss you properly this time.”

“So this is a buffer. A distraction?”

He shifts in his seat, one finger stroking along my inner thigh. It’s downright wrong how hot that subtle friction makes me.

“Yeah,” he rasps, “But it’s not working. I don’t think it really matters where I am or who I’m with. You’re always on my mind.”

I chew my lip, trying to process what he’s saying. “Wait, what do you mean kiss me properly?”

Berg closes his eyes for a moment, and when they reopen they’re full of heat.

“A short kiss by the door? Us dry humping with all our clothes on? If all that could feel so good, then fuck me, Caro–what would the real deal be like?”

A sharp whistle slices through the tension. Isaac stands on his front porch, holding his hands up. Berg gives my thigh a firm squeeze before letting me go and gathers up his phone and keys.

“C’mon,” he says, “Let’s go in there before your brother teaches my daughters how to operate power tools.”

I must look horrified, because he claps a hand on my shoulder.

“Kidding.” He shakes me lightly until I smile.

He returns it, the lines next to his eyes crinkling as his cheeks lift. My heart is fluttering with his hot hand still secured on my shoulder.

“Ready?” he asks, gesturing to the terrible weather.

“Yeah, let’s go,” I answer, pulling the hood of my rain jacket up over my head.

He takes off first, and I race right after him, the rain water splashing up and soaking my jeans. I’m laughing, cold fresh rain falling directly into my mouth as I pump my legs to reach the house and wonder what the hell I’ve gotten myself into.

Chapter twenty-three

Carolina

The weather worsened in the time it took us to drive over. Angry purple clouds chase each other across the rapidly darkening sky. I’m panting when I reach the top of the Craftsman house’s steps and stumble inside. Berg stops in the damn doorway to peel off his jacket and I run straight into his back, steadying myself by grabbing his thick waist. Before I can let go, he traps both my fists in one of his palms.

“See? This is why we’re here. I knew you’d be all over me.”

I melt against him.

“I distinctly remember that this whole arrangement is to keepyoururges in check, Mr. MacMillan,” I whisper, pressing my cold cheek against the soft wool sweater that stretches over his warm, broad back.

It’s only us in the foyer, but Natalie and Louisa’s giggles aren’t far off.

“Move your hands about six inches lower, Caro, and you’ll feel how terrible of a job I’m doing at controlling my urges.”

I shudder even though a fire roars mere feet away, casting a rich glow over dark woodwork and sumptuous leather furniture. Berg clasps my hand, and tugs it down to the bulge in his jeans. It’s an instant reminder of how thick he felt between my legs. And that was with all our clothes on. He releases my hands only a moment before a swinging door opens into what I guess is a closed concept kitchen. Berg does a quarter turn to hide his arousal as Dean saunters out, raising his dark eyebrows for a moment. He offers a short wave and a poorly disguised smile before heading down a hallway.

“What did you tell him?” I hiss.

“Caro. If a woman shows up on a job site with a man’s lunch kit, people talk. Why do you think I tried to get rid of you so fast?”

My brother. That whole interaction makes so much sense now.

“C’mon.” He takes me by the hand and tugs me through the living room, letting go after a quick squeeze.

When Berg pushes open the same swinging door, the din of conversation rises in a chorus of hello’s. For a moment, I’m completely shielded from view by Berg who basically takes up the whole door frame. Then he moves, and for a millisecond the room goes quiet. You could almost miss the pause if you weren’tpaying attention. But that moment is enough to remind me that I was only invited by one person here, and he isn’t the host.

My brother does a double take. “Caro?”

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