Page 61 of Into the Woods

I leaned into his touch without thinking. “Yeah?”

His brows pulled together. “Why are you naked?”

And just like a pretty, iridescent bubble popping on a summer breeze, the peace around me shattered, and I realized that the only thing keeping Court from seeing my naked body was a white Egyptian cotton sheet.

I jerked back. “Uh…”

He grinned and got off the bed like a gentleman, even if his hungry gaze dipped down to the sheet wrapped around me. “Not that I’m complaining. If you feel like getting naked in my bed—”

I cleared my throat. “Where are your brothers?” My voice was pitched to a decibel just shy of the screech of an eagle.

His tongue darted out to wet his lips. “Rook has a meeting with a source from his SEAL days. Bishop is grabbing breakfast.”

“Oh. Okay.” At least I wouldn’t be flashing all the Woods brothers my kibbles and bits.

Cutting me a break, Court turned away. “Hey, is it cool if I take a shower? Unless you want to go first.”

Crap. I’d kicked him out of his room and his bathroom. “Yeah, sure. I need to call my mom and let her know what’s going on.”

He arched a brow.

“I know,” I huffed. “When I said ‘let her know what’s going on,’ I meant I’ll lie to her face using the crazy-ass story you came up with.”

He grimaced. “I know you hate lying, Becca, but it’s for the best.”

My spine stiffened. “Of course it is. That’s how you always justify it, right, Court? You decide what’s best, and the rest of us are expected to go along with it.”

He bowed his head. “Becca, I don’t want to fight.”

“Right,” I muttered. “Because it’s not worth fighting over, is it?” I wasn’t sure exactly what I was saying, but by it, I meant me.

Yeah, I’d left California—more like fled—to put space between us, but there was some dark, hidden part of my heart that had been hoping he’d come after me. That he’d fight for me.

That hadn’t happened.

Even now, he was here only because he had to be.

“You know what?” I said suddenly, “maybe a trip back to California is a good idea.”

“What?” His eyes narrowed.

“Yeah,” I continued, forcing the words through my teeth, “I can stay with Maddie and Ryan. Linc and Ash are there, so I’ll be safe.”

“I already said you’re not going to California, Becca,” Court replied, his tone firm.

The only thing keeping me from getting up was the fact that I was literally naked under the covers. “I need to be safe, right? I can be safe there. I bet Linc would bring me back for my grandmother’s birthday. He could even be my date, to spare you.”

“Spare me?” he snarled. “No one, least of all Lincoln motherfucking Westford, is coming near you.”

“He’s your best friend,” I snapped.

“Exactly,” he shot back, “which means I know all the ways he’d love to fuck you.”

My mouth dropped open. “Linc and I are friends,” I spluttered. “Just friends.”

His disbelieving expression had me flipping through my memories of all the times Linc and I had goofed off. Yeah, he was an incorrigible flirt, but it was harmless.

Right?

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