It’d lasted one second, and then suddenly, it was gone, and he’d spent the next month pretending it’d never happened. But I remembered.
Goddid I remember.
Wilder wasn’t the only surprise that day. My heart racing and my whole body tingling with the very real, veryadultfeelings raging through me, I followed this insanely gorgeous man into his insanely gorgeous home. And then I’d methim.
Sandy-brown hair, piercing blue eyes, a clean-shaven, squared jaw like some sort of cowboy, and a look ofpure heaton his face the second I’d stepped into the living room. But then, just like with Wilder, it was gone — blanked from his face as if it’d never been there, even though I knew what I’d seen.
He was just as tall, and just asperfectlybuilt as Wilder, too. Broad, muscled shoulders, a hardened chest, and thick biceps that bulged at the corners of the plain black t-shirt he wore. Tattoo ink swirled down one arm, and I felt anexactrepeat of the thrilling sensation I’d just felt at the front door slam through me all over again.
“Mackenzie, this is Lincoln Reece, my business partner and best friend. He’s staying in my guest quarters over the summer while they work on his house. Ms. Smith, I believe your offices have already okay-ed the arrangement based off his credentials.”
The CPS agent had just beamed at thisinsanelyattractive man and nodded, blinking quickly as she fawned all over him and told him that yes, of course, CPS was already aware of Mr. Reece living on the premises and saw no trouble with the arrangement.
Holy shit.
Yeah, there weretwoof them. One the uncle who wasn’t really my uncle, and the other his equally and absurdly good looking friend. And I was going to spend the nextthree monthsliving here with them. Somehow, CPS had decided that a ragingly hormonal, extremely curious, and red-blooded eighteen year old girl wastotally fineliving withtwoextremely good looking, extremely single, extremely not-related-to-her men was a good idea.
…I wasnotabout to correct their thought process on that.
And then she’d gone, and suddenly, this was my world — living withtwostaggeringly good looking, rough, sexy assinmen for the next three months.
The sass —mysass — had started almost immediately, even if I wasn’t even really sure why I was doing it. It would have been so easy to just be normal around Wilder and Lincoln, or at least itshouldhave been easy to. But somehow, it was impossible for me to be “normal” around them. I mean, Jesus, how the hell was I supposed to be normal aroundthat?
So instead, I’d put up my walls and my armor, and retreated into my back-talking, question-authority attitude. They’d taken it in stride — I mean, I guess they both knew my backstory. And I guess we would have spent the next three months in that little standoff, if it hadn’t been forthat day— the day I’d told them I was going out, but then hadn’t.
…The dayeverythingchanged for me.
3
Mackenzie
He’d beenpanting and sweating when I’d bumped into him that day — every muscle on his gorgeous body bulging at his workout clothes as he stepped out of the home gym. I couldsmellthe manly, intoxicating scent of him, which did all sorts of insane things to my body and my hormones. But I’d pushed all that back, swallowing thickly as I’d given him the same attitude I’d been giving him and Lincoln since I’d arrived.
“Going out?” he’d growled, his eyes sliding wickedly over my cut-off jean shorts, hiking boots, and tank top. Wilder’s estate occupied like thirty acres of woods, and I’d come to really like going out for hikes on some of the trails.
I’d shrugged, hoping to God he couldn’t see the way he made my body shiver or made my cheeks flush.
“Yup. See ya.”
I’d turned on my heel, but suddenly, I’d felt his hand grip my arm tight and tug me back around. I gasped quietly, my heart jumping into my chest as I’d whirled to come face to face with the gorgeous, brooding man who’d occupied every single piece of my fantasies since I’d arrived. He’d never really touched me before, and the feel of that strong, powerful hand on my skin had memeltingfor him.
“How about alittlefucking respect, Kenzie,” he’d growled, his jaw tight as his eyes had burned right into me.
I’d shivered, swallowing the heat from my face.
“What, I’m just saying I’m going out. Do you need it in writing?”
“I need itnicely,” he’d growled, and suddenly, he stepped right into me, making me gasp as he backed me right into the wall behind me. His eyes burned fiercely into mine as he moved close. His hands went to the wall next to my head, like he was pinning me to it, and it took everything I had to stifle the whimper caught in my throat.
“How about ‘I’m going out for a walk’?”
“I’m going out for a walk,” I mimed back, rolling my eyes.
“I’m going out for a walk,what?” he’d growled.
“You’re not mydad, you know.”
I don’t knowwhyI decided to say it, but it was what he said back that set the entire thing in motion. A dark look flashed across his face — the same dark look I’d seen all the other times I’d sassed him or Lincoln, and the same dark look that sent a jolt of pure electricity directly between my legs.