Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 90009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
We’ve been friends for a decade, and I’ve seen Steele without a shirt hundreds of times before at the lake or pool.
But I’ve never caught sight of him like this.
My greedy gaze slides over his broad shoulders. The sinewy muscles bunch and flex as he dries himself with unhurried strokes. I’m mesmerized by the movement as my attention slips to his tapered waist when he twists around to give me an unobstructed view of his backside.
It’s official. Steele is a perfect specimen of a man.
Instead of backing away, my gaze dips lower.
Because how can I not look at his ass?
It’s so freaking perfect.
A shiver works through me, and I stare so hard, there’s no way that every nuance of his backside won’t be imprinted upon my memory for the rest of my life.
It’s just so muscular.
The urge to reach out and stroke my hands over him is so damn strong. I haven’t felt this punch of arousal in…
Maybe never.
My thighs unconsciously clench, and I’m struck with the realization that my panties are soaked.
The last thing I should be doing is standing here and drooling over him.
I’m probably breaking a dozen unspoken friend rules.
His biceps bulge and flex as he dries his hair, turning just enough for me to catch a glimpse of his front. Even though I tell myself not to look, my gaze zeroes in on the thick length of his cock nestled against dark hair. He might not be hard, but he’s still impossibly big.
Hung.
Oh my God, did I just think that?
My brain chooses that moment to malfunction.
Maybe it’s because I can’t seem to rip my gaze away even as I silently scream at myself to do it. Or maybe it’s because I’m rooted to the spot, drinking him in like I’ve been starved for the sight of him.
That’s the exact moment Steele meets my gaze in the mirror, and my stomach drops. Heat rushes through me. His expression shifts, and surprise gives way to something darker.
Hungrier.
My face flames so hot, it feels like it’s on fire.
It takes effort to jumpstart my brain into action as I stumble back a step. “Oh. Uh. I—”
In one swift movement, Steele fastens the towel around his waist. “Is there something you needed, Lilah?”
How he manages to sound so casual, as if me standing here gawking at him is nothing out of the ordinary, I have no idea. But I still catch the way his eyes burn with an intensity I’ve never seen in them before.
My mouth opens and then closes like I’m a fish gasping for its last dying breath.
“I… uh… your schedule,” I finally blurt, waving the tablet like it has the power to save me from the humiliating moment playing out between us.
“What about it?” He steps toward me, closing the distance with easy, deliberate strides.
My brain short-circuits.
It’s completely blank.
And it doesn’t help that Steele smells like fresh soap and skin, still damp from the shower, completely unbothered by the fact I just walked in on him.
I need to retreat.
Now.
“Never mind,” I mutter. “I’ll, uh… just email my questions.”
With that, I spin and nearly trip over his gym bag before bolting for the door.
“Lilah,” he calls after me.
I wave a frantic hand without looking back. “No worries! We can talk about it tomorrow!”
I barely make it to the living room before scooping up Waffles and hauling ass into my room. Once there, I deposit the kitten on my bed.
She doesn’t look pleased by the disruption.
But it’s hard to focus on that when my entire body feels overheated.
I’m not just burning up. I’m being burned alive from the inside out.
Holy hell, what was that?
Why did he look at me like that?
Then again, why did I look at him like that?
With a groan, I realize I’m the one who now needs a shower.
Preferably a cold one.
10
STEELE
Iroll over for what feels like the hundredth time, the glow of the digital clock taunting me from the nightstand. It’s late, and I should be out cold. Practice was brutal. Instead, my body refuses to cooperate and my mind won’t shut off.
All I can think about is that Lilah is sleeping just down the hall.
Her reaction to walking in on me after my shower has been on a nonstop loop in my head. The way her gaze slid over me, slow and lingering, felt more like a physical caress, and it’s got me in a chokehold.
It’s exactly how I always imagined her looking at me.
Like I was more than just Steele, her best friend.
And now she’s in my space and under my roof, but the place I want her most is in my bed.
Not for a night.
And certainly not as a distraction.
I want her here for good.
The realization slams into me, and I sit up, staring at the far wall, heart pounding under the weight of it.