Page 11 of It Has To Be You

The long, slow pan required to take him all in served as a reminder that her memory of him— and her dreams, by extension— hadn’t done him justice.

Dark jeans hugged his thick thighs, while a white T-shirt struggled to contain his upper body.

Indy’s mouth went dry.

How dare he be so hot? It was indecent. And annoying.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll start to wonder if you’re really dating my cousin.”

It would be hypocritical to judge him for examining her when she’d just done the same to him. But with most of her skin and her tattoos on display before him, she was a little too exposed to deal with the fire in his eyes.

Fine, if he wanted to play, she’d play. Indy would happily meet him on his level if it meant taking him down a peg.

“Are you going to let me past or just stare at me?”

“I haven’t decided yet. It’s a good view,” he said. “But if you’re here to see Nick, he’s not home.”

She huffed and turned on her heel. This visit was a bust. Again.

Whatever game Fate was playing better be worth it.

“Leaving so soon?” His question was thick with suggestion, his gaze darting over her tattoos, the menagerie of flora and fauna that twisted its way up one arm and down the opposite leg on display under the midday sun.

And heating quickly under his appreciative stare.

“You just said Nick isn’t here.”

“He hasn’t given you a key yet? That’s unlike him.”

The question was loaded with something Indy didn’t understand. She had to tread carefully. Getting in the middle of the relationship Ethan had with Nick wouldn’t help her.

“What’s your problem with him?”

Apparently, her mouth hadn’t gotten the memo.

“He didn’t tell you? You could call him, ask him yourself.” He crossed his arms. “In fact, I’ll wait. You can tell him we’re here. Then we can have a nice chat about why he isn’t answering my calls.”

Even if she wanted to— and damn her for being so curious about it— she didn’t have Nick’s number.

He was testing her, wasn’t he?

What was with this guy?

Come to think of it, what was withher? She shouldn’t be here. What had she been thinking?

“Actually, I can’t stay. I have a…”

“A thing?” he supplied, wearing a smug smile.

“A deadline.”Oh thank god. Brain, I will reward you later.“I’m a writer. Author. And I’ve been swamped trying to get my current draft ready. So I should…” She pointed behind her.

“What do you write? Have I heard of it?”

“Oh, uh, probably not. Unless you’re a fan of action-adventure romance.”

She readied herself for the inevitable judgment. Usually, the insult was accidental. A small “oh,” with just enough inflection to expose a person’s true feelings on the subject.

But Ethan was quiet. And when she met his gaze, all she found was… interest? He was scrutinizing her again, his eyes traveling the length of her body, then moving back to her face. A shiver ran through her, and she cursed inwardly when her nipples hardened.

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