While I cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, Rhett stayed in the bathroom. After a few seconds, I heard the shower turn on and the rush of running water. He was taking a shower? Rhett was getting naked in my bathroom. A strange thrill ran through me at the thought of his hard body beneath a spray of steamy water.

I disinfected the floor, rinsed out the mop, and stowed the cleaning supplies in the broom closet. I turned in time to see Rhett walk out of the bathroom, stark naked and glorious. My mouth gaped open. Ripples of muscles stretched down his back on either side of the smooth groove of his spine. His legs were long and sprinkled with hair, strong thighs, a thatch of dark hair between them. A strange mixture of heat and dampness tingled between my legs.

“What are you doing?” I moved after him. He didn’t answer but walked into my bedroom and fell face first onto the mattress. “Rhett?”

He grunted but didn’t answer. I shook his shoulder, and he rolled onto his back, throwing an arm over his head. From the front, he was even more beautiful; rippled abs, hard pecs, a V of muscle below his hip bones, and a long, straight cock resting against his thigh. I swallowed and averted my eyes, feeling like a voyeur. The apex of my thighs began to ache, swelling with need.

Taking my hand in his, he kissed the palm and tucked it into his chest. The gesture was so vulnerable, so trusting. It sent a rush of sympathetic tears to my eyes. A lock of hair had fallen over his face. I brushed it back. With his eyes closed, lashes fanning over his cheeks, he looked much younger than before. I sighed, fighting against desire and longing. I wanted to pull him into my arms, to protect him.

I’d dreamed of having him in my bed, but I never thought it could actually happen. His breathing evened out, making it apparent he wasn’t moving anytime soon. After a minute, I extricated my hand. I only had one bedroom and one bed. The white sofa in the living room was uncomfortable and not meant for sleeping. I bit my lower lip and contemplated my options.

He was in my bed. My bed. It only made sense that I should sleep there. He was too drunk to be a threat, but I knew on instinct that he’d never hurt me. I removed my robe and hung it in the closet. Then I stepped out of my shorts and climbed into bed facing him, wearing only the T-shirt and my panties.

God, he was gorgeous. His thick eyelashes formed a dark fan across his high cheekbones. I swept a hand through his hair, pushing it further from his face. He mumbled something and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me tight against his chest. I could feel every hard inch of his torso, the rough hairs of his chest. I tried to move, but he tightened his grip and tossed a leg over my thighs.

The warmth of his body heated my skin. Instead of struggling, I blew out a deep breath and relaxed. He smelled like my shower gel. I nestled my nose into his neck and closed my eyes. I’d never been held by a man before, not like this. Sleep tugged on my eyelids. I didn’t know what the morning would hold, but for tonight, I meant to enjoy every minute.

* * *

Something hot and hard pressed against my backside. I blinked a couple of times before I remembered where I was. A hairy arm held me in place. I stretched, testing Rhett’s grip. His front was to my back, my bottom snuggled into the curve of his groin. He growled, his nose nuzzled just above my ear. The sound vibrated through my body down to my sex.

“Don’t move,” he whispered, his breath warming my earlobe. “It’s been forever since I held someone like this.”

“Okay.” My pulse raced, knowing he was naked behind me.

“Before my wife died, we spent every Sunday morning in bed like this.” His voice was rough and deep, rumbling through his chest. “It was an accident. She walked out in front of a bus.” His ribs lifted and fell in a sigh. “She was only twenty-four.”

I turned in his arms to face him and cupped his face between my hands. Our eyes met. “I’m sorry for your loss, Rhett.”

One corner of his mouth lifted in a sad smile. “It was two years ago. Sometimes it seems like forever ago. Other times it seems like yesterday.”

“My mom died last year. She fell over dead in the coffee shop from an aneurism.” His arms tightened around my waist. “I was there when it happened. I did CPR until the ambulance arrived, but she didn’t make it. We were arguing about me moving out on my own. I hate that our last conversation wasn’t a pleasant one.” I swallowed against the ache in my throat, remembering the bright sunshine of that day, my mother’s expression as she drew her last breath.

One of his hands reached to cradle the back of my head. “It sucks never getting to say goodbye,” he said. His eyes were the color of warm flannel, so soft I wanted to wrap myself in their depths.

“I know.”

A blush began to creep into his cheeks. Although he seemed powerful and in command, those hidden peeks of vulnerability endeared him to me even more. He tugged his upper lip between his teeth and glanced to the side.

“What’s the matter?”

“I just realized I’m naked, and I puked in your kitchen. Is this awkward?”

“A little bit.” I didn’t want to make him feel bad by laughing, but I couldn’t help it. “Do you remember taking a shower?”

“No.” His boyish embarrassment made him even more attractive, something I didn’t think possible. “Where are my clothes?”

“I’ll go get them.” I slipped out of his embrace. When I came back, he was lying on the bed, arms behind his head, a visible erection tenting the sheet across his hips. I stopped short. “Oh.”

He glanced down and shrugged. “It happens in the morning. Especially when I’ve got a gorgeous girl in my arms.”

“I’ll go fix some breakfast while you get dressed,” I said, uncertain how to handle the complement. He thought I was gorgeous?

I floated around the kitchen on a cloud of bliss. Unlike Jo, my culinary skills were limited to a few dishes. I decided on omelets with cheese and bacon. Rhett came into the kitchen a few minutes later, wearing his jeans from the night before, and shirtless. Lord have mercy, his stomach was a thing of beauty. He perched on a barstool across from me and watched while I moved between the refrigerator and stove.

“Are you going to your class reunion?” he asked.

I glanced over my shoulder to see the invitation on the counter in front of him. Jo had brought it over yesterday, retrieved from the trash. She wasn’t going to let it go. “No.”

“Why not? I had a great time at mine.” He turned the card over in his hands, reading the information. “You should go.”

“I have a feeling your high school experience and mine were completely different.” I concentrated on spreading the egg mixture in the pan to avoid his eyes. “You were probably captain of the football team and prom king and class president.”

“Guilty as charged.” He lifted a hand in the air. “But come on. It couldn’t have been that bad.”

I turned to look at him, hands on my hips. “Hang on a second.” The bookshelf in the living room housed my senior yearbook. I retrieved it and opened it on the counter in front of Rhett. “That’s me.”

The picture still made me uncomfortable. I had thick glasses, an extra forty pounds of weight, frizzy red hair, and a bad case of acne. Rhett stared at the photo then glanced from me to the picture, as if he didn’t believe it. “Okay, so you’ve changed a bit. That’s a good thing, right? You should go and show them how hot you are.”

“Um, still no.”

“Who’s this guy?”

I froze, a shiver of premonition running up my spine. My gaze followed his finger to the blond-haired, square-jawed boy in the photo next to me. “Walt Hunter.”

Rhett flipped through the pages. “He’s on almost every page.”

“Yeah.” I didn’t want to talk about Walt Hunter. With anyone. Ever again.

“I’ll make you a deal. I have this work thing next weekend. If you’ll go there with me, I’ll go to this reunion with you.”

“What kind of work thing?”

“Nothing too complicated. It’s a cocktail party.”

“I don’t know.” I turned to study his face. He stared back at me. One of his eyebrows lifted. Was this some kind of joke? “I don’t do well in social situations.”

“If you don’t go with me, I’ll have to go by myself.” He scratched his fingers through the stubble on his jaw. Most of the time he was clean-shaven. The dark shadow added an air of danger to his chiseled features. “And everyone will try to fix me up with their divorced daughters and single sisters.”

I set the spatula alongside the sink and braced both hands on the counter, thinking through the invitation. Rhett seemed sincere. And I’d been pushing a lot of personal boundaries lately. It might be fun. I wanted to believe I could do it. “I’d have to get something to wear.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes.” My palms began to sweat at the thought of meeting new people—his people. One glance into his eyes, and I knew it would be worth the risk. If I didn’t take this chance, I might never get another one.