Page 11 of Actually Yours

I watch his long legs take him towards his bedroom and chastise myself silently.Get a grip, Amelia.This is Robby’s much older, more mature, out-of-your-league BROTHER. You can’t be having any feelings for him.

“Here.”

A soft-looking grey sweater is waved in front of my face and I take it before it drops on the floor.

“Put that on. It’s freezing outside.”

He doesn’t need to ask me twice. In addition to my frost-bitten toes, my arms are also covered in goosebumps and the cold is making my bones ache. I long for a hot bath and my softest, most comfortable pyjamas.

“Thanks.” I pull the sweatshirt over my head, laughing when it reaches the tops of my knees. At five-foot-four inches, I’m not miniature like my tiny friends Bella and Lilly; I never need to have the hem of my pants taken up. But wearing the clothes ofthe six-foot, three-inch giant next to me makes me feel like a kid wearing her mum’s clothes as dress-up.

“Better?” The throaty quality in Jake’s voice forces me to look up and then I immediately look down again. The heat in the way he’s watching me wearing his clothes must be something I’m conjuring up in my sleep-deprived, alcohol-ridden, desperately lonely state of mind.

“Much.”

We stand in silence; me looking at my feet, Jake looking at the top of my head, if the burning sensation in my skull is anything to go by.

“Then let’s get you home.”

I follow him to the front door, picking up my shoes as I go.

“You’re not putting them on?” He’s frowning at my shoes and then my bare feet, where they’re peeking out from under the hem of my dress.

“You could offer me a million dollars to put them on, and I’d still say no.”

He frowns some more. “You can’t walk outside without shoes.”

I stomp my foot. “I can and I will.”

We stare at each other. Another stand-off. Which is broken when Jake bends down and swings me up into his arms.

“Problem solved.” He cradles me against him and, without even a hitch in his breath to show that he’s carrying a whole other human being in his arms, he walks us out the front door.

What is happening? And why is there not one single thing in me that wants to make it stop?

“Um, Jake?” I tug on his sleeve to bring his attention down to me, regretting it immediately when I see his green eyes closer than they’ve ever been. “Whatcha doing?” My voice is breathless and I’m not the one exerting any energy. This is not good.

He stops and smiles down at me. “I’m taking you home, Millie. So just hang on and enjoy the ride.”

I do as he asks, guilt-ridden by the knowledge that I’m enjoying the ride just a little too much.

He’s your ex-boyfriend’s brother, I repeat in my mind in time with each footstep Jake takes. He’s off-limits.

He’s your ex-boyfriend’s brother.

CHAPTER 3

Jake

She’s your brother’s ex-girlfriend, I repeat silently as I try to ignore how amazing Amelia feels in my arms.

Your brother’s ex-girlfriend!

“You saw her first,” a pesky little voice argues back, and I shut it down. Thoughts like these do nothing to help the reality of the situation: that she’s not mine and she never will be.

“You can put me down now.” Amelia’s husky voice pulls me out of my head and I see that I’m in front of my car and have seemingly just been standing still. Holding her.

“Sorry.” I let go of her legs and keep my arms around her shoulders to hold her steady.

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