Page 28 of The Rebound Plan

My cock pulses to life, thickening as if on command.

As a lifelong dominant man, I’ve never responded to praise like this. Even knowing it’s a friendly tease, though, my body doesn’t care. If she wanted me on my knees, begging her for scraps, I would give her that in a heartbeat to hear her call me a good boy unironically.

She pats me on the arm, scalding my skin, and goes to move past, humming to herself in pleasure.

I twist, following her, and she turns around in surprise, backing up against the counter. I brace my hand on the cupboard to keep myself from leaning all the way in, and suddenly we’re too close for friendly teasing. We’re too close for the fact she’s my teammate’s wife.

I don’t move.

Her cheeks turn pink, hot slashes that I feel in my belly. A warning I should heed, step back, give her space. Apologize, because I might not be agood boy, but I am a respectful man. But then, as the blood flow in my body redirects away from my cock, her eyes flash with something that looks a lot like arousal.

Outside, someone laughs loudly. There’s a clatter of dishes, too.

Here, in the kitchen I bought because I’d convinced myself I needed to move on from this woman, she looks at me with a confused, desirous expression so raw it steals my breath. Her pupils dilate, her gaze turning liquid, and it’s as if I’m suddenly seeing Shannon for the first time all over again.

Rough need closes like a fist around my brain stem, cutting off careful consideration and sensible thinking.

“If you need to ken a secret about me, Shan,” I say roughly, the Scottish side shoving to the fore. “Let it be that I’m definitely not a good boy.”

Her breath hitches, her lips parting, and I know that I’ll be stroking myself to that subtle, beautiful sound for the rest of my life.

In a single moment, she’s imprinted on my plan to get out from under my desire for her in a way that guarantees I never will.

But she’s still my my captain’s wife.

I drop my hand from the cabinet and step back.

Her gaze follows me, and hell if it’s not magnetic. There’s nothing I want more in this world than to step back into her orbit. The only thing that stops me from finding out if there’s more where that shudder came from is the door opening behind me.

“Are you looking for this salad?” Shannon asks smoothly.

“Nah, just some ice,” her husband says.

I gesture to the fridge without looking in his direction, then busy myself with tenderizing steaks until he’s gone again.

There’s a rattle of bowls as Shannon finishes the salad Emery started, then silence.

“Russ,” she says softly.

I grab my tray of steaks. If I’m holding eight pounds of meat, I’m not likely to grab her. Or that’s the theory. “We’re good. Probably had too much sun today, but that’s nothing some grilling won’t fix.”

I don’t look at her as I head outside. If I do, I’ll do something we’d both regret.

CHAPTER 11

SHANNON

I’m losing my mind.

What just happened?

What was that?

That was the old Shannon slipping through.

Horror jabs a finger in my chest.

No.

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