Get her inside. Do not fuck her. And for the love of God, don’t blow your load in your pants like a kid on his first date.

Before I could let this go any further, I had to clear it with Heath. Otherwise, I’d feel like shit.

Although I had my self-imposed marching orders, I doubted my confidence to stick to them as I parked under the porte cochere and hopped out of the Jeep. Ari had her door open by the time I got there, her legs stretching for the ground and looking longer than ever in that short skirt. It wasn’t the first time I was glad my Jeep had those six extra inches of height on it.

I reached out to grab her but she jumped at the same time, stumbling forward when her feet connected with the ground. My outstretched hands connected with her perfect tits.

Christ. I had no doubt they were one hundred percent perfect based on how damn good they felt in my hands. Instinctively, my fingers closed around them, and the nipples hardened against my palms.

My dick flexed against the zipper of my jeans like it was testing just how tricky it would be to find its way out and into the woman I’d never been able to admit I wanted.

Until now.

The expression on Ari’s face was priceless when she realized I was holding her up by her tits.

“Steady there.” I slowly positioned her upright and released my grip, even though I didn’t want to.

When she wobbled on her heels, I grasped her around the waist this time, not able to talk myself into breaking contact completely.

“You’re bossy all of a sudden.”

A smile slid over my lips, tugging one corner up. “I’ve always been bossy. You just never realized it.”

Her eyes widened, telling me she put it together in the context I meant. Heat crept up Ari’s cheeks, and there was nothing I wanted to do more than bury my hands in her hair and kiss her again. But that would be dangerous, considering we were within sprinting distance of her bed.

And I meant what I’d said—I wouldn’t go down this road without clearing it with Heath first. Sure, Ari was a grown woman and made her own decisions, but loyalty and friendship were concepts I valued.

Apparently, Ari wasn’t willing to be patient. Her hands moved from my shoulders to my neck, pulling my mouth down to hers.

Wait, did it count if I wasn’t kissing her, but she kissed me?

Loophole. This is what those fucking lawyers would call a loophole.

As soon as her lips pressed against mine and she took the lead, all thought left my head except how damn good she felt.

Ari moaned against my mouth, rocking her hips against my erection.

I was going to hell. My hands dropped from her waist to grip her hips, and when her tongue stole inside my mouth, I pushed her skirt up to her waist and squeezed my next favorite spot—her ass.

She bucked into me, tugging hard on my hair as she lifted a leg and wrapped it around my hip for more contact just like she had at the bar. I’d been two seconds from laying her out on the pool table and fucking her in front of an audience then, and now that there wasn’t one . . .

My fingers slid when she moved, and before I could draw them back, they swept across the wet panties covering her pussy.

Fuck. Me.

Ari was drenched, just like she was always meant to be for me.

One move, that’s all it would take to bury a finger inside her. I rubbed along the soaked lace as Ari moaned into my mouth, urging me on.

One finger slipped under the fabric—seconds away from finding heaven—when the front gate opened and headlights cut through the darkness before they came down the driveway.

Ari either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because she was still writhing against me. There was no way in hell I was going to let Carver see her like this, though, and I was pretty sure she’d agree.

I pulled my mouth away from hers. “We gotta stop.”

“But—”

“Company.”

As soon as the word was out, Ari jerked back, dropping her leg and shoving down her skirt. “Shit. Carver. I forgot.”

One of the garage doors opened, and as the car turned, the beams cut across us.

There was no way Carver could miss Ari’s wild hair or flushed face, so I took charge. “I gotta get the hell out of here before we do something we might both regret in the morning.”

Ari shrank back from me, but I was too preoccupied with getting her inside to notice. As soon as we stepped into the gargantuan house, she crossed her arms over her chest again, but this time, there was nothing seductive about it. All that delicious heat and intensity was missing.

“You can go. I’m fine.”

“Ari—”

“I would hate for you to make a mistake you’d regret in the morning.”

Fuck. “That wasn’t what I—”

“Just so you know, I don’t require my brother’s permission to do anything.”

“And what happened with the boyfriend? Is it really over this time?”

My question came out of nowhere, and Ari sucked in a breath before narrowing her gaze.

“Not that it’s any of your damn business—”

“My hands all over that sweet body of yours says it is my business.”

She bristled. “He cheated on me. I saw the pictures. Heath had them. Of course it’s over for good this time. I do have some self-respect, you know.” As the anger faded, her vulnerability broke through.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” I pulled her into my arms, and she didn’t resist. “So damn sorry.”

She sniffled, and I wanted to wipe that dick off the planet for causing her a single moment of pain. “I should’ve done it a long time ago, then I wouldn’t have had to go through that awesomely humiliating experience with my brother. I called him after I left Heath’s and confronted him about the pictures.”

“What’d he say?”

She stiffened in my arms, and I loosened my grip so I could see her face. The expression on it gutted me, but morphed into rage before I could say anything else.

“He told me that they were none of my concern.”

What a fucking asshole. I kept the comment to myself.

“So I very politely explained that he was right, it wasn’t any of my concern because I was done with him, and I would appreciate it if he never contacted me again.”

A wave of approval surged through me, and I swiped a thumb along her cheek to catch the couple of tears she’d let fall. “Way to stand up for yourself.”

Ari lifted her chin, and I could practically see her armor closing over her emotions. “Thank you. Now I hope you’ll understand why I’m asking you to go before I say something I won’t be able to take back because I’m frustrated. I refuse to be anyone’s mistake. If anything, I’m a goddamned privilege.”

Only Ari could make me smile while throwing me out of her house.

She’s always been special, and this is more proof.

“I’ll go, but I’ll be seeing you tomorrow. And just so we’re all clear, I’m going to see your brother first.”

The promise in my words made her eyebrow shoot upward. “Is that so?”

“Damn right.” I turned for the door.

“Good night, Rhett.”

I paused with my hand on the knob. “Tomorrow, Red.”