Page 16 of Wrecked
Jesus, Deacon.
Yeah, she wanted to see Cole, but not like this. Having the guy move next door at the request of her overbearing brother, reporting back to him, was not what she’d had in mind.
There could be no other explanation.
That’s when Cole walked out of the bedroom, looking as stubborn as always, that dark brooding thing he had going on, front and center. He spotted her, and his brows lifted as he took her in from head to toe.
When those usually cool eyes lifted to hers they were burning hot, and she felt a surge of excitement rush through her.
She was a sweaty, dirty mess, but he wasn’t looking at that. No, his gaze had roamed her curves in a way that made it clear he liked what he saw. Hell, a week ago she would have been embarrassed to be caught by him in her too-short shorts, or the tank she’d shrunk in the drier that now clung to her belly.
Not now, though. Now she actually felt—sexy.
But as much as she wanted Cole, it wouldn’t help her cause to throw herself at him again. He would only fight their connection harder, she’d figured out that much after the other night in her room. He had to be the one to make the next move. It had to be him.
She held his gaze. “What are you doing here?”
He watched her closely, obviously not sure what to expect after their kiss. “I think that’s kind of obvious, Pipe.”
The man was as infuriating as he was gorgeous. Maybe she could tease him, push him to the breaking point, force his hand?
She inwardly cringed. Seduction had never been her thing. She’d always been too self-conscious of the way she looked. But Cole didn’t make her feel self-conscious. And apparently, he liked the way she looked just fine.
She put the idea aside, not sure she could pull something like that off. For now, she needed to pretend nothing had changed between them, that last weekend in her bedroom meant nothing.
Calling on all the attitude she could muster, she planted her hands on her hips and stared him down. “Well, you can turn yourself around, get whatever you’ve dumped in that room, and leave. I don’t need a goddamn babysitter. And you can pass the message on to my tyrant of a big brother as well.”
Spinning on her work boots, she strode toward the door. He certainly wouldn’t think she had seduction on her mind after that.
“Piper. Stop.”
He’d said it almost softly, but the way she slammed on the brakes and turned to him, he may as well have roared the words at her. His voice rasped over her nerve endings, hit her low in the belly every damn time.
He didn’t speak right away, just watched her with those cool blue eyes, a banked fire blazing from their depths. His jaw was covered in whiskers, but she could still see the scar that ran from the corner of his eye, brushing the edge of his mouth, all the way down to his jaw. It twisted his smile when he chose to share one, which certainly wasn’t now.
In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him really smile.
He lifted his arms, resting them on the door frame above his head. The plain gray T-shirt he wore came up, flashing a mouthwatering strip of tan skin, and a sexy trail of dark hair between his shirt and the top of his jeans. The denim was faded and soft and molded to the more than adequate package in front. They also hung low on his hips, so low she could see where the trail of hair started thickening again.
She shivered, remembering the way he’d pinned her to her wall, hard and straining, demanding.
Her nipples tightened.
She tore her eyes away, which was not easy, and did her best to focus on his face. Oops. Going by his strained expression, he’d definitely caught her eyeballing his crotch.
Heat hit her face, again, and she crossed her arms, her automatic reaction when she felt nervous or embarrassed. Cole’s gaze dropped to her chest, like it had the other night in her bedroom.
Could it really be that easy?
She decided to test her newfound power and forced her boobs higher, showing an obscene amount of cleavage. She didn’t dare glance down, but with the combination of her old work bra, plus the stretched-out neck of her tank, it was highly likely Cole was getting a peek at the tops of her nipples.
This was confirmed when he made a strangled sound.
She did her best to look concerned. “Are you all right?”
His gaze shot up. “Yes,” he said between gritted teeth. He was working on maintaining his usual serious, frowny expression, but his gaze kept darting down to her chest, giving him away. “Look, Piper…”
“Why are you here, Cole? Why are you moving in?”
