“Okay, here’s the thing. I don’t have anything on under my basketball shorts,” I say, pausing when she raises her eyebrows at me. “It’s just easier. Trust me on that. I could put this robe on and you could just reach up under them and pull them off. Or we can be adults, I can turn around, and if you see my ass, you see my ass. It’s a rather nice one, so I don’t mind if you do.”

She’s staring at me as my words digest. Letting out a long breath, she shrugs her shoulders. “Fine. If you don’t mind, then whatever. It’ll probably be nearly impossible to help you get dressed without seeing anything, so if you’re not shy, then neither am I. It’s not like this will be the first ass I’ve ever seen.”

Turning me around, she checks my arm one more time to make sure that the bag is secure over my cast. She then runs her fingers down my back, her touch lightly grazing my skin until she reaches the waistband of my shorts. I can’t help the shiver that runs down my spine, and my dick grows a semi just at the thought of her taking them off. Clearing my throat, I’m hoping she’ll be too distracted to realize how her touch is affecting me. It’s not her, I tell myself, instead chocking it up to the fact that I haven’t been with anyone in a while. Yeah, definitely not her.

Charlie

HE’S BEEN flirting with me off and on since I picked him up earlier, and I’m not sure where the broody jack-off went. Like Dad advised, I’ve tried to be more patient with him over the last few days, and maybe it’s finally paying off. Today’s the first time we haven’t fought about anything, and I find myself wishing his playful side would come out more often.

I won’t lie and say it didn’t sting when he said I wasn’t his type, but I wasn’t surprised. It just solidified the fact that I need to keep him at a distance and not respond to his flirting or sexy, cocky smiles. It’s just that I’ve never been one to not give as good as I take, so when I feel his shiver as my fingers run down his back, I can’t help but grin and do a mental fist pump. Damn you, Jersey Shore.

Not his type my ass. Either he was lying or he just really needs to get laid. Which, now that I think of it, could definitely be the problem. For this and his grumpy mood. Well, too bad for him, because my amusement park is closed for the season. Like I said, I don’t do roller coasters, and while I think this guy could be the best ride of my life, I know I’ll end up feeling sick to my stomach with regret afterwards.

“Jesus, Knox, how hard did you hit the pavement over there? I can still see the faded bruising on your skin and it’s been weeks,” I ask him, noticing the yellowing of his skin, along with several pink scars from what I’m guessing were burns from the explosion.

“Pretty damn bad, I’d say. You know, broken back and all that shit. I don’t remember most of it. Just what the guys on the perimeter told me. I don’t really like to talk about it.” A dark shadow clouds his face, and I can tell he really doesn’t want to discuss it, so I back off, leaving the issue alone.

I nod, and he turns back around, my fingers sliding around his waist with his movements. Closing my eyes, I hook my fingers around the waistband of his shorts and swiftly push them down. I can feel him move away from me, and I just can’t help myself. I slightly open my right eye, because come on, his ass looked killer in his jeans, and my curiosity has gotten the better of me.

“I’d say no peeking, but for you, I’ll allow it. After all, you’re just being helpful. It’s only fair that you get a reward.”

The sound of his voice catches me off guard and both my eyes pop open, only to see him grinning at me as my eyes wander down his muscular chest, his washboard abs, and those amazing obliques that are pointing a direct arrow straight to his…towel-covered cock. Seriously? Now he tries to be a gentleman?

He must see the way I’m looking at him because his voice interrupts my thoughts, drawing my eyes up to his face. “What’s the matter, Charlie? I’m just trying to stick to your ‘no funny business’ rule,” he tells me, shooting me a sexy wink.

He turns around and drops the towel, and I’m greeted with the sight of the sexiest naked ass I’ve ever seen. It’s so firm, even with his physical inactivity. I have to stop myself from reaching out and touching it. I start to back out of the bathroom, because if I see any more of his naked skin, I’m going to go all Katniss on him and start screaming “I volunteer!” when he decides he needs his back washed.

Right before I exit the room, Knox sticks his head out of the glass door in his shower. “Not sticking around for the show?” he asks as he rubs shampoo into his hair one-handed.

I try to look as indifferent as possible, but the sight of his wet skin has me fighting the urge to lick my lips. “There’s nothing special in here that I haven’t seen before. I’ll be in the kitchen heating up dinner for you. Just shout when you need me,” I tell him.

I start to walk down the hallway when I hear him yell my name. I head back towards the bathroom, wondering what he could possibly want now.

“You yelled?” I ask. He mumbles something from behind the glass door, and I ask him to repeat himself, but I still can’t hear him. Moving closer, I knock on the glass, expecting him to peek his head out. Instead, the door swings open, and there stands Knox, naked, wet, and mouth-wateringly gorgeous. And when I say there stands Knox, I mean it. All of him. My eyes can’t help but be drawn to the huge erection he’s sporting, and oh my god, I’m happy to learn that I was right. He’s definitely more than a mouthful.

“Uhh, Charlie, eyes up here,” he teases, interrupting the stare down I’m having with his cock. My eyes slowly wander up his drenched skin, taking in every naked inch. It’s only been three months since I last was intimate with Drew, but the way my panties get soaked as I take in the sight of him makes me feel like I haven’t gotten laid in a decade. Although I got pissed at his initial assessment of my wanting to go home with him that night at the bar, if I had known this body was hiding under those clothes, I might have actually been willing. Reaching his eyes, I notice that the playful look in them from earlier has darkened, and he’s watching me intently.

“Like I said, nothing I’ve never seen before,” I tell him, shrugging with indifference when really I want to strip down and join him.

“Mmmhmm. I saw you checking me out, sweetheart. You don’t have to deny it.”

I’m not admitting shit to him, so I cross my arms and lean against the wall, my eyes not leaving his. As much as I’d like another peek, I’m not letting him win this round.

“What the hell do you want, Knox?” As much fun as it might be to flirt with him, I know better than to go there. For all I know, next time I stop by he’ll be a grump again, and after Drew, I have no desire to be with someone with mood swings.

“I’m out of soap. Can you grab me a bottle from under the sink, please?” he asks, looking innocent. I look around the shower to see if he’s just pulling a fast one on me, but I only see an empty bottle.

“Oh, wow. He does have manners,” I say to myself as I go to get him a new bottle. When I hand it to him, our hands touch and his fingers linger on my skin.

“Thank you, Charlie,” he tells me. “For everything. I know this probably sucks as much for you as it does for me. Well, let’s not go that far. It really sucks more for me, but still, I appreciate you doing this.”

I wave him off. “Don’t worry about it. It’s what I signed up for.” I pause, looking around the bathroom. “Well, maybe not exactly what I signed up for, but I’m here to help and that’s what I’ll do. In a few weeks, your brother will be back and I’ll be out of your hair.”

With that, he takes the bottle out of my hand and gives me one last look, a strange shadow crossing over his face. “Yeah, right. Just doing your job. Got it.” And with that, he shuts the glass door in my face, leaving me, once again, baffled at how hot and cold he’s turning out to be.