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Maybe a more direct approach was needed. I just hoped once he knew I was interested in exploring our attraction while he was in Santa Coasta that he would take control. Sure, I’d had sex before, but not with someone like him.

Or Slade.

I shook my head to fling that thought right out of it.

Fantasizing about both of them would only lead to disappointment.

The sedan slowed, pulling alongside the curb in front of my townhome. With a tight-lipped smile, I gathered my things and reached for the door handle. A moment’s pause, a hopeful hesitation, had me stalling. The naive part of me wanting him to say something. But Slade remained silent in the driver’s seat. With a huff—though I had no right to be as annoyed as I was with him—I pushed the door open and stomped onto the sidewalk.

The door slammed behind me, making me grimace.

I may not have the right to be annoyed, but I couldn’t stop.

Annoyance with both him and myself vibrated beneath my skin, whether or not it was justified.

My steps were quick as I climbed to the front stoop with the gentle hum of the car engine idling behind me. The metal key easily slid into the deadbolt before I twisted it to unlock the door. I gave in to the urge to take a quick glance over my shoulder. With the passenger window rolled up, the tint prevented me from seeing inside, but I could practically feel Slade’s stare, watching and waiting for me to be safely tucked in the house behind a locked door.

A high-pitched sappy sigh escaped as I shoved the heavy wooden front door open and stepped into the foyer. After flicking the lock back in place, I fell against the wood and tapped my skull against it, trying to make sense of my swinging emotions. Sad, quickly followed by annoyed, and now wearing this goofy smile because he’d waited for me instead of driving off before I was inside.

I told him we were friends, but that didn’t mean I could just erase the massive crush I had on him in a single night.

“That you, Rain?”

I popped off the door and started the slow climb up the steep stairs. My steps faltered when an amazing aroma of meat cooking wafted down the staircase. Even though I’d already eaten—a lot, per the catty waitress’s comment—my mouth watered at the yummy scent. Moving quicker now, I rounded the corner and froze on the landing, mouth gaping as I took in the unfamiliar scene in my normally desolate kitchen.

Air refused to enter my lungs, the organs suddenly frozen. Every confusing thought about Slade and the night vanished, leaving only room for memorizing every bare inch of Jameson’s muscular back. He was facing the stove, his defined arms shifting as he stirred whatever he was currently cooking. Those same sweats from last night that hugged his ass and generous package—it was easy to tell considering that damn material left nothing to the imagination—sat low on his hips, giving a hint of the top of his butt cheeks. My fingers twitched to give the tiniest tug for them to puddle around his ankles.

I licked my lips, mouth watering for a totally different reason than seconds before. The sight of him half naked in my kitchen made me ravenous for something other than food.

In an unhurried move, Jameson glanced at me over his shoulder, a smirk growing when he found me staring, mouth agape. “Hey, welcome home.” My heart did this weird flutter thing at those words on his lips. “Hope you don’t mind me using your kitchen. I couldn’t deal with takeout again, so I stopped by the store and picked up some things.”

I dropped my bag to the floor by my feet, not caring that it was in the middle of the walkway. Toeing off one sneaker, then the other, I padded closer to the sexy, cooking man and leaned in, inspecting the questionable contents in the pan.

“Of course I don’t mind. What are you making?”

The hand not holding the spatula lifted a familiar box off the counter and gave it a shake. “Hamburger Helper. Not the healthiest, but it sounded warm and, most important, easy. I’m as good a cook as you are a plant parent.” I shot him a glare and crossed both arms over my chest, which only made him laugh. “Food should be ready in about fifteen minutes. I’m sure you’re ready for that nightly soak and to get comfortable.”

Or I could just get comfortable here by ripping all my clothes off.

Jameson ran a finger down my forearm, eliciting goose bumps in its wake. “Are you hungry? I can wait for you if—”

“No, thank you,” I somehow managed around the lump in my throat. Him half naked and being super considerate had me half ready to burst into tears, the other half a second away from attacking his lips with my own. “I had dinner with Slade.”

My stomach dropped upon saying his name out loud to Jameson, nervous he’d pick up on my feelings for the other man by the hitch in my voice, ending this vibrating connection between us.

“That’s great. I’m glad he got you some food since you were so hungry. Well, if you saved room for dessert, I picked up a few different flavors of ice cream while I was at the store. Oh, and I bought you more beer since I drank a few last night and noticed you were low.”

Tears lined my lower lids. I bit my lip to keep it from quivering from the swelling emotions. How could this man be so sweet, look like absolute sin, and be single?

“Go on,” Jameson urged, brows dipped in tight as he studied me. “We can talk after you come back down.”

I swallowed hard and forced my hesitant gaze to meet his worried one. “Jameson.” Inhaling a deep breath for confidence, I forced the next words out. “What if I want to do more than just talk?”

He stilled, chest not even rising with a single breath. The words to retract my stupid question were on the tip of my tongue when he flicked the gas off and two powerful hands whirled me around. My lower back pressed against the rounded edge of the island, Jameson trapping me in place with both palms pressed to the marble on either side of my hips.

I couldn’t meet his gaze, only stared transfixed at his heaving, bare chest.

Holy fuck, that’s hot.

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