Page 84 of Daring the Defender

–Love, David

Instead I glance at Axel. The sad smirk tells me he’s already guessed.

“So?” Jefferson asks. “Is this the second secret relationship we learned about today?”

“Second?” I ask, shoving the card in my jeans pocket.

“Yeah, Reid’s got his new girl.” He punches Reid in the arm. “Gigi or something.”

“Oh,” I say, floundering for words. Reid’s expression is carefully crafted into something unreadable. If I hadn’t alreadytalked my brother off the ledge about us being together, I’d be more concerned. “Mine isn’t really a secret. It’s my ex. David.”

“He wants you back.” Reid suddenly chimes in.

“I guess.” He doesn’t know about the calls. The pressure I’m under to return home and make things go back to how they were before.

“Makes sense,” Jefferson says, turning back to the game. “You’re cute as hell. He’d be a fool not to chase you down.”

Axel snorts. “I’d love to see David chase anything other than my father so he can kiss his ass.”

“Ax!” I admonish, but he’s not wrong. “If y’all are done dissecting the love lives of everyone in the house, I’m going to shower, and go to bed. It’s been a long day.”

Skirting past the TV, I go into my little room and grab everything I need for the shower. Lifting my towel off one of the bike hooks, I pause, thinking of how much I love this crappy, cold porch. A lot of things happened here in a really short time. Most of it because of Reid.

On the way to the stairs, I have to circle around his side of the couch. As I pass I feel the heat of his fingers graze my leg. A shiver rolls along my skin and it lingers until I’ve got the hot water running, filling the room with steam.

I turn on some music and prop the phone on the little shelf next to the shower. This house is old, but the water pressure is amazing. A strong steady beat. I’ve just put my head under the stream and grabbed the bottle of shampoo, when I hear a soft click and see a shadow move on the other side of the curtain.

“Ax?” I wouldn’t put it past him to invade my privacy.

A hand grips the curtain and I drop the shampoo with a clatter–a scream on the tip of my tongue.

Reid’s face appears, eyes hungry and sweeping over my body. “You really should lock the door, GG.”

I make a futile, ridiculous, attempt to cover my body. “Youshouldn’t sneak up on people.”

“I wanted to see you.” His voice is low, and I’m mesmerized by his tongue darting out and licking his bottom lip. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”

My nipples harden just from the way he looks at me–the way hetalksto me. This isn’t a man who is going to send me pink roses and a half-hearted apology. This is the man who is going to do everything in his power to get to me and claim me as his own.

“Where’s my brother?” I ask, watching the way his fingers toy with the zipper on his hoodie.

“Video call with Nadia.” His hoodie falls to the floor. “I turned on a documentary and shut my bedroom door.”

“Jeff?”

The T-shirt goes next, and my fingers curl just wanting to touch him.

“In bed,” he says casually, like he’s not driving me wild, “probably jacking off to an Ingrid Flockton concert.”

“Gross.”

The jeans go next, buckle landing with a softchink.

“You asked.” He’s naked now. Hand dropping to stroke down his thick erection. “And I’d be lying to say that if I couldn’t get to you right now, I’d do the same.”

I swallow, watching him step inside the shower. “You’d be jerking off to Ingrid Flockton?”

“There’s only one woman I fantasize about,” he steps under the water, reaching for the bottle of body wash, “and she’s right here.”

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