Becca woke to the sound of popcorn popping and pinging. Her eyes opened slowly and strong arms around her body shackled her tighter.

“It’s just the fire,” a deep, sleep-roughened voice said.

Oh yes. She was with Jase. In fact, her face was nestled into the coarse hair of his chest, his masculine scent enveloping her. She snuggled in closer, loving the warmth of his naked body. He was probably putting off as much heat as the fire, especially with his strong arms locked around her body.

She wondered what time it was, but didn’t dare move from this spot. It was too glorious. Especially when she recalled what they’d done before crawling into bed. It hadn’t been intercourse, but it had still managed to be the sexiest, most erotic experience of her life. Jase Beckford, on his knees in front of her, getting himself off at the same time he took care of her with his gifted mouth. Seeing him touch himself had made her want to do the same in front of him, something she was still surprised she’d done. She was getting aroused just thinking back on it. Closing her eyes, she let her mind replay the events as she settled back into a dream state.

The next thing she heard was a constant buzzing, over and over. This time when she opened her eyes, a faint light was illuminating the sky above the boarded windows. Angling her body away from Jase’s, she tapped his chest.

“Wah?” he muttered, eyes shut.

The buzz came again and his eyes cracked open.

“Is that your phone vibrating?” Becca said quietly. It was still relatively dark in the room, the sun only peeking out yet, but she could see his eyes snap to attention.

“Yeah. It is.” He rubbed a hand down his face and then rolled over and scooped his jeans off the floor. Pulling the phone from the front pocket, he lifted it above his head. Becca saw the name on the screen, and saw the photo of him and Hannah behind it. It was a selfie of the two of them, both grinning like they were an adorable couple. The sight made her feel dizzy. “It’s Hannah.”

When he made like he was going to answer it, Becca’s hand shot out. “Wait!”

He turned to look at her. “What for?”

The call ended, obviously going to voicemail. He opened another screen to show that Hannah had called four times. And it was just after seven in the morning. Early for her twin for a non-work day.

“She’s obviously worried about you,” he said, staring at Becca. “We have to call her back. Where’s your phone?”

She thought about that. “Must be in the truck. In my coat pocket.”

He opened the phone app and hit CALL on Hannah’s name. Becca internally groaned as he put it to his ear closest to her. Becca heard her sister’s voice on the other end.

“Where are you? Becca’s missing. Her car’s here,” Hannah said frantically. The fear in her sister’s voice made her feel bad.

“Calm down, Han. Becca’s fine. She’s . . . with me.”

There was a pause. “What?” Hannah asked.

Becca sucked in a breath and Jase glanced over at her. “Becca is here with me.”

“Okay.” Hannah let out an odd chuckle. “Did she . . . stay the night?”

“She did.” Jase didn’t even hesitate. The awkwardness of the situation made Becca start to turn away, but he was quick and grabbed her, pulling her into his body. When Hannah didn’t respond, Jase spoke again. “She’ll be home in a few minutes.”

“Yeah, well, she’d better brace herself. Brian’s here.”

Becca jerked. On instinct, her hand flew up to yank the phone from Jase’s grasp. She put it to her ear. “Hannah, don’t tell him. Please.” When no response came, she looked at the screen. Her sister had hung up. “Shit!”

She glanced over at Jase, who stared back at her. “Don’t tell him?” His tone was accusatory. And . . . hurt.

Becca’s lips parted. She hadn’t even stopped to consider how that would make him feel. Before she could reply, Jase tossed the covers off his naked body and got out of the bed.

“I’m sorry, Jase. I didn’t mean it like that.” She tried not to stare at his butt while he yanked his jeans on, but she couldn’t help it.

“Then how did you mean it, Becca? Because you sounded panicked. Ashamed.”

“I’m not ashamed,” she said. “Not a bit. I just . . . I was taken off guard.” Which was the truth. What the hell was Brian doing there? Obviously, he’d shown up looking to make amends; otherwise he wouldn’t have driven all this way. But why? She was pretty sure they’d been clear with each other at his place.

She watched Jase open a drawer on the chest across the room and pull out a deep-red Henley shirt. He grabbed a second one in gray and tossed it to her on the bed.

“What’s this for?” she asked.

“Because I ruined your shirt last night,” he spat out, jerking the red one over his head.

She glanced down at the floor to find the top she’d been wearing wadded up near where their erotic encounter had gone down. Literally. Yeah, she couldn’t wear that home. Unfolding the gray shirt, she pulled it over her head and then found her underwear on the floor. Dressing quickly, she didn’t say a word when he grabbed his keys and phone and then walked to the door.

“I’ll be outside in the truck.”

“Jase, wait,” she said, turning to face him.

He sighed. “What?”

“I don’t want to leave like this. It’s Christmas morning. And, honestly, I don’t think your anger at me is fair.”

His eyes went wide. “Really? Let me be clear on how I feel about this. There is not one person in the world that I would hide the fact that I just slept with you from. Not one. Not Hannah. Not my mother. Hell, I wouldn’t be thrilled with saying it to his face, but I wouldn’t even hide it from your father.”

That made her feel like shit. “This is different. I just got out of a long relationship with this person.”

“Just got out of was the part I was counting on. But what I’m afraid of now is that you may want to get back in it.”

“That’s not true, I never said that. It’s just . . . we just broke up. Besides, what were you hoping for here?” she asked, holding her hands out. “A relationship?” Was that what she’d been hoping for? What other reason would explain the terror she felt at what his answer might be.

“Hell, Becca, I don’t know. But I’ll tell you what . . .” He pointed a finger at her. “I know this has all happened crazy fast this week, but I would never have sex with a Walters girl just for the hell of it.”

“Well if you recall, you didn’t have sex with a Walters girl.”

He glared at her and took two steps in her direction. “What we did there was every bit as intimate as fucking, and you damn well know it.”

She swallowed. “You’re right. It was. And you need to understand that I panicked when I asked Hannah not to tell him. He just drove all the way on Christmas morning. Him pulling in to find me already sleeping with someone else isn’t how I want to break it to him that we’re never getting back together again. Especially when it’s with you.”

“What does that mean?”

She stared up at him, surprised but relieved when he gently reached out to adjust her sleep-mussed hair.

“I realize now that he’s always been . . . a little jealous of my feelings for you,” she said.

Jase’s eyes went wide. “Why?”

She sighed. “Because early on I’d told him about my crush on you. How you were close with my sister and I’d been jealous for years. I mean . . . we’ve been in a serious relationship for a while now. You talk. You know? He knows me.”

“So, he knows you had a crush on me as a teen?” His tone implied he didn’t understand what the problem was.

“Yeah, and . . .” She bit at her lip, a little embarrassed to tell him the rest. But for some reason she wanted him to know how much—and for how long—she’d wanted him. “The other night when we fought, he accused me of thinking about you when we had sex.”

Jase’s eyes went wide in shock and he stepped a little farther into her space. “And you told him . . .”

“Well, he was pissed because I kind of admitted it.”

He huffed out a laugh that slid into a deep groan as he leaned his head against hers. “That was the wrong answer, Beck.”

She smiled, relieved to feel like the tension that had built up in the past few minutes was lessening. “I know. You should have seen his—”

He shook his head, shushing her. “No. Not for him. For me. Because now all I want to do is get you back in my bed and make sure you understand the meaning of real sex. Dirty sex. The kind that you think of every time you get naked for the rest of your life. And I promise, with me, you would be thinking of no one else.”

She had absolutely no doubt, and she wanted that. So bad, which made her feel a little ashamed considering Brian was down the road waiting for her on Christmas morning. Had he bought a ring? If he had, it was too late. Last night with Jase solidified that for her. Not because she expected something to happen with him, but because she’d never felt with Brian what she’d felt last night. She couldn’t settle again. For the rest of her life she’d be looking for that intensity again. With Jase or without. Because while Jase had implied he wouldn’t have meaningless sex with her, that didn’t guarantee he was looking for anything permanent. He didn’t even seem like a permanent kind of guy.

None of that mattered any longer when Jase leaned down and kissed her gently . . . but quickly. “Let’s get you home,” he said quietly, and gave her an almost sad smile. If these past few hours with him was all she’d ever get, then she’d take it.

* * *

When they pulled into the driveway and she saw Brian’s car, Becca was tense and nervous. There was no telling how Brian was going to react to this. She had no idea what Hannah had said to him. She could be jealous, angry, and hoping to get back at Becca. But in her heart, Becca didn’t think her sister would do that. Beyond what she now knew Hannah had done that Christmas Eve long ago with Jase, Hannah had never intentionally hurt anyone.

She and Brian had ended things, there was no doubt about that, so she had no reason to apologize, even though she still felt bad for letting him see it happen so soon. If he’d done the same, it would hurt her feelings.

“You ready to do this?” Jase said, opening his door.

“Yes. I’m ready.” She jumped down from the truck, wrapping her coat tight around her.

The kitchen door opened and Hannah came out to meet them in her sweats and hoodie. “He seems pissed you’re not here.”

“Did you tell him where I was?” Becca asked.

“No, but he guessed.” Hannah looked none too happy, and as she folded her arms across her chest, Becca couldn’t help noticing the ring on her finger. She had no right to be upset, but clearly an engagement to someone else didn’t keep her from feeling a bit possessive of Jase. For some reason, Becca almost couldn’t blame her. The two of them had been close most of their lives, and this probably felt like it came out of nowhere. Because . . . well, it had.

“Hannah. I don’t want you to be upset with me over this.”

“I’m not upset,” she said, in a tone that implied otherwise.

“I know it’s a surprise, but—”

“I said I’m not upset. Shocked, yes. But I’m not upset.”

Staring at her sister for a moment, Becca just nodded and went inside. Something told her that Jase wasn’t going to follow just yet, and when she made it to the door and he wasn’t behind her, she knew she’d assumed correctly. That stung a little, but right now she had another man to worry about.

* * *

Jase knew Hannah well enough to know that she was feeling betrayed. While he could somewhat understand that, he couldn’t let her get away with it. She was engaged, for fuck’s sake. For a minute, that had felt like a betrayal, until he’d realized that he’d not been so much hurt by it as left feeling adrift. Surely she’d realize that this was the same. Although he suspected the fact that he’d just slept with her twin sister made things even harder to accept.

“Talk to me.” He stepped closer to her.

Her lips twisted and she looked away, holding her arms tight around her body. When she looked back at him, her eyes were glassy. “You’re mine.”

He laughed, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the shock of her statement or the fact that he was dumbstruck with anger. He quickly pulled himself together. “No, Hannah. I’m not yours. I am your friend, and a good friend. I’m your neighbor. Shit, I’m the closest thing to a brother you’ll ever have. But I don’t belong to you.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I know what I used to want it to mean. But I think we’ve both realized that was never meant to be.”

“How do you know?”

His mouth dropped open. “How do I—” He shoved a hand through his hair, glanced at the kitchen windows. “How do I know? Because your fiancé is inside waiting to have Christmas morning breakfast with you. Is that not good enough of a reason?”

“But what if that’s a mistake?”

He sighed. “I can’t answer that for you. But what I know is that the answer does not rely on me. Not anymore.”

“So, are you in love with Becca?”

“I’ve always cared for Becca. She’s part of this family that I love. This part . . . this is new.”

“You two have never even gotten along.”

“Yeah, that’s true. And what’s funny is we were recently talking, and we realized that long ago we were both told a story. And that put a narrative in our head about the other.” By the expression on Hannah’s face, she truly had no idea what he was referring to. “I’m talking about you interfering with what bed I slept in that night your dad . . . intervened on my behalf. Telling me that Becca didn’t want me staying in her room and telling her that I didn’t want to.”

“Oh my God, you can’t be serious. That was years ago.”

“It was years ago, but apparently Becca and I have one thing in common. We’re both insecure about the other. And words hurt, Hannah.”

“You’re blaming me?” The tears in her eyes started up again.

Jase took a step in her direction. “No. I mean, not really. What’s done is done. You were a kid. But I guess I am saying that those events set our path. Yours and mine. Hers and mine. Or at the very least, helped it along. I’d always been mesmerized by Becca.”

“Of course you were. Every guy was. She’s beautiful and smart. A pleaser. She’s a young version of my mother, and I’ve been envious of her my entire life. You know that.” She looked up at him, a tear rolling down her cheek. And she was right, he was fully aware of her feelings of inadequacy when it came to her twin, something he never understood but tried to for her sake. He knew personal perspective didn’t always make sense. She went on, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “I always knew she had a crush on you. But I wanted someone to look at me the way everyone else looked at her. It wasn’t right what I did, but the two of you aren’t the only one with insecurities.”

“Come here,” he said, putting his arms out. She instantly walked into them, laying her head on his chest. “We’re all fucked up, Han. Even the best people are a little bit messed up. It builds character, I guess.”

She laughed against his chest.

“You know if we’d truly wanted each other in the way a real couple wants each other, it would have happened way before now.”

“I know. But I always liked just knowing you were there for me.”

“I’ll always be there for you. But if you recall, there’s a guy named Jonas inside who will be there for you even more.”

She pulled away and wiped her tears, nodding. “You’re right. But he’s not the same.”

He smiled down at her. “You mean he doesn’t do everything your way?”

“Exactly,” she said, laughing.

“Maybe that will be good for you.”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Think it’s safe for me to go in?” Jase asked.

“I don’t hear plates crashing,” Hannah said.

“No, I don’t hear a thing. But he’s also not leaving in a hurry, which is what I’d hoped for.”

“Do you want a relationship with her?” Hannah asked. “I know you. There’s no way you would sleep with her if you didn’t feel something.”

She was right, which was a little confusing considering he was not ready to think about forever. “Thanks for that high opinion. Truth is, I don’t know what I want. This happened too quickly.”

“What will you do if they make up?” Hannah asked.

The thought made him uneasy because it was something he’d been trying not to consider, but failing. It was all he could think about. Becca had a solid history with this guy. She’d been expecting to get engaged up until just a few days ago. Did she still wish for that? Now that they’d gotten a taste of one another, maybe it would be enough for her. Or maybe she’d take it as a sign that he wanted more.

The problem was that although Jase still wanted to see her, badly, he was nowhere near ready to offer her that kind of commitment.