Page 85 of Only Ever You

Faye adamantly didn’t look at him as he two-handedly rummaged under his designated pillows, bending forwards. The fact that sheer force of will and whatever lay underneath the towel kept it held up, like Bash was tempting fate to let it fall, set her body aflame with stray sparks flying everywhere.

Where was the opening fold in the towel? Which way had he wrapped it?

Don’t look.

Don’t look.

Don’t groan either!

“Aha.” Triumphantly, Bash tossed the shorts in the air and snatched them again, replacing one hand over the knot of the towel.

Damn it.He was barely five feet away. Lean. Tall. Strong. Shoulders wide, arms freckled and defined and dusted with hair, and Faye had nothing in her hands as she sat up awkwardly to say she’d been doing anything other than sitting here waiting for him.

A small flicker of pride and admiration worked its way between the frantic beats of her heart that he’d let her see him this way at all when she knew how vulnerable he’d feel to show his body off, even though for her own sake she tried not to look at it.

Maybe he mistook her wistful attempt at keeping her eyes off of him for tiredness, because he wandered off back to the bathroom without saying anything else. Her gaze lifted slowly towards his retreating back and the muscles that subtly danced as he went. That towel hugged his backside like it did so for an award. She didn’t know if it was on purpose or not, but the desired effects of his peacocking definitely happened with the dryness of her mouth and impulse to press her thighs shut.

Bash never turned. With one hand, he nudged the door shut in his wake, but with the other …

As the last foot of the open door closed itself, the towel dropped.

Faye audibly gasped.

And then Bash was gone.

She’d seen all of him. His bare bottom on full display. Magnificently round, she might add, but that was beside the point. She’dseenhim. For years and years she’d thought just a glimpse might satisfy her.

She was wrong.

Faye slumped down and pulled the duvet over her head, kicking her feet and silently screaming as she grinned into the darkness under the cover.

Had Bash known she’d been watching him? Of course he did. It was the kind of thing that he’d assume, and she’d bet as he finished washing, it was with a smirk on his lips.

Someone’s phone began to ring. Ripping the covers off of herself, Faye crawled to the sound.

The name “Bennet”popped up on Bash’s phone on his nightstand and Faye knew his business partner well enough socially to answer for him.

“Hi, Bennet.”

“Faye?” She didn’t blame him for sounding surprised. “Is that really you?”

“Yes it is,” Faye said as she unwound her legs from under the duvet, intending to take the phone to Bash.

“Oh, cool. Sorry it’s late. I was just calling to tell Bash to check his emails.Woodrow and Sturridgehave sent another offer through and he needs to take a look.”

Faye slowed as she padded to the closed bathroom door, a frown forming.

“Woodrow and Sturridge?” Intrigue got the better of her. She’d never heard those names before, not that she knew ofeveryclient the pair had.

Bennet sounded distracted. “The American firm that wants us to move out there as a part of their team.”

Ice doused all of the fire that’d been burning within her tonight. Bennet didn’t recognise her silence, and she’d stopped listening.

“Anyway,” he carried on, “the new offer is better than we could have asked for, could you tell him to take a look?”

American firm.

America.

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