Page 4 of Fumbled Beginning

Her lips quirked up in a playful smirk. My body remained completely still while my brain fought like hell to rid the vision of all the things I wanted to do with that mouth of hers. I was weak when it came to this woman. Like an overflowing shopping bag, ready to break apart at any second.

“You’re right.” She darted her tongue out and swiped it along her upper lip. “I actually prefer a gentleman. Do you happen to know one?”

Did she realize she was playing with fire? That we were headed toward dangerous territory? Or was she simply provoking me to see how far she could push me?

Knowing Rylee, it was the latter.

I moved in, putting us at eye level, my mouth hovering over hers. It would have been so damn easy to give in, especially now that I knew she might not resist me. “Just because I don’t date, it doesn’t mean I’m an asshole.”

“Never said you were.” Her breathing picked up, and those beautiful brown eyes searched mine. “I guess that just makes you a player then.”

“Technically, that’s true, but I also have rules that I follow.”

She was teasing me instead of fighting me, and I wasn’t sure what to make of that. “Let me guess what the rules are. They have to have big tits, long legs, and are an easy lay.”

We were close. So close that even I couldn’t ignore the heated look in her eyes, or maybe it was mischief; I couldn’t tell. Either way, it had disaster written all over it because she was one second away from kissing me.

My smile was big as I stared her down. “Why, Sunshine, you seem awfully curious? Are you interested?”

What the hell was I doing? Guilt squeezed my insides. We were playing with fire, and I was officially going to hell. This woman was off-limits. I shouldn’t have been thinking about making a move on her.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

She had no idea. It took every ounce of restraint I could muster to hold myself back. Being this close to her and knowing I had to walk away was like being a little kid in an amusement park without any ride tickets.

“You know I would, but I’m not sure Maverick would approve.”

“My brother isn’t my keeper.”

Like a bucket of ice water washing over me, I remembered what was at stake. This little encounter needed to end. Lines were getting blurred, and if I wasn’t careful, someone would get burned.

“No, but he is my best friend, and he would kick my ass.” I needed to get away from her before I did something stupid.

“What if I said I didn’t care?”

I was so fucked.

Instead of kissing her like I wanted to, I brushed my lips along her cheek. “Name the time and place and I’ll be there.”

Yeah, I was going to hell, and it would be totally worth it.

CHAPTER2

RYLEE

I spottedJP the second I stepped inside my brother’s condo. The room was loud, filled with laughter and conversation, but somehow my eyes immediately went to his.

That almost kiss had been all I thought about. The moment his lips touched my cheek, I knew I was in trouble. I could only imagine what would have happened if we actually followed through with it.

No doubt, it would have been the type of kiss to consume me, but then what? We’d give in to temptation, spend the night together; he would wake up the next day and tell me he regretted it and start avoiding me, leaving me with a broken heart.

Yeah, no thanks! I’ll pass. It was better this way. Easier. Safer.

He was gathered in a circle engaged in conversation with his teammates, but it didn’t look like he was paying attention to what they were saying. He wasn’t even looking at them. His piercing green eyes were fixated on me. My stomach twisted with nerves, and a tingle of awareness crept up my spine.

That swagger was in full effect as his strong legs ate up the distance between us. His thick, no-nonsense black hair was hidden under a ball cap. He was smiling, and those lips I dreamed about last night were formed into a smirk.

He came to a stop in front of me, and I crossed my arms over my chest. Seeing that he was my brother’s best friend, I knew there was a good chance that he would be here, and I might have put a little extra effort into my appearance.

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