Page 23 of Don't Let Me Go (Don't Let Me 2)

“Why the hell weren’t you paying attention?” Theo growls.

“Excuse me?” I lift my chin and stare him straight in the eye. “Paying attention to what? Your dick?”

“I meant where you were going,” he barks.

The bossy tone sends my frustration into overdrive as I glare up at him, refusing to back down. “At least I had my phone as a distraction, Teddy,” I spit. “What’s your excuse? Did the steam get to your head and make you woozy? Or maybe your stinky aftershave was the culprit. Is that it?”

His aftershave isn’t stinky. It smells like heaven, but I refuse to let him know that. Not when he’s looking at me like I’m the problem in this scenario when it’s clear I’m just as innocent as he is. Although, I also refuse to let him know I’m not blaming him after he’s thrown down the gauntlet.

Still. It was a mistake. A mistake that led me to seeing my brother’s best friend naked while also getting a chance to touch his naked chest.

No big deal.

Nope.

Not one bit.

I swear I can almost see the wheels turning in his big, stupid head as the water clings to his curly hair. The moisture lingers on it for a split second before a droplet falls onto his skin and rolls down the side of his face, leaving a trail of liquid my fingers itch to wipe away.

I fist my hand at my side.

“You think I smell stinky?” he asks, his voice laced with sarcasm and condescension. Neither of which do anything but pour gasoline on my annoyance.

Ignoring him, I continue, “Or maybe you’re self conscious. Is that it? Does Baby Taylor have a”––I lift my forefinger into the air, then crook it toward the floor––“wittle problem?”

He chuckles and steps closer, making me feel like a little mouse thanks to the height difference. “I almost forgot.”

I drop my hand to my side but crane my neck up, forcing myself to hold his gaze. “Forgot what?”

“I almost forgot my dick is the first one you’ve ever seen up close.” His laugh turns darker. Richer. Sharper. Making my belly tighten. “I almost feel sorry for you now.”

“Because it’s so pathetic?” I offer.

“Nah, because whatever guy takes your cherry is only gonna be a disappointment if you think any of them will live up to the beast between my legs.”

I snort. “For your information, your dick isn’t the first I’ve seen up close.”

His eyes darken, and his nostrils flare, all amusement dissipating from his stupidly handsome features. The heat from his bare chest seeps through the thin cotton of my T-shirt. When the hell did he get this close?

And is it hot in here?

“Oh?” he challenges.

“Yup.”

“And how many have you seen?”

“Three?” I pause, tapping my finger against my chin. “No, wait. Four. Definitely four.”

“Four? In two months?” His brow arches, and he steps even closer, all broody and broad shouldered. “Someone’s been busy.”

I laugh but stand my ground, refusing to back away or let him intimidate me with his massive size. “Says the biggest whore I know.”

He looks lethal right now. Like he could rip a car to shreds with his bare hands. His bare hands currently caging me in on both sides. How the hell did I get in this position? I swear, it’s like anytime he’s around me, I’m in some kind of weird haze and things just…happen. Like the kiss not so long ago. Like the way we’re alone in the men’s locker room. Like how my back is pressed to the smooth brick wall behind me, and how his breath is fanning across my cheeks as he bends down, compensating for our height difference. “You still a virgin, Blake?”

I gulp, my bravado swallowed up by the intensity in his gaze.

He just had to mention the v-word, didn’t he?

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