Chapter 2
Kelly held on to the glass panel and stared at the closed bathroom door. Her heart pounded and her skin tingled with heat. She blinked.
A man she didn’t know had just seen her naked.
The air still sizzled with electricity. Her blood hummed from his blistering blue gaze, which had traveled over her as if caressing every inch with his eyes. She released a breath, one she’d been holding the entire time, and tried to wrap her mind around the last few moments. Dennis was famous for practical jokes and she’d thought him up to his usual pranks. She’d been stunned when she saw the man who dumped ice water on her was a complete stranger.
The guy, probably six one or two, had coal black hair that shined like silk. And those eyes. So blue, you’d think you were looking at the water off one of the shores in Hawaii. She giggled, wondering who had been more surprised. He’d been thunderstruck to find a woman when he had obviously expected Dennis.
Who was he?
With Dennis gone, she’d decided to use his shower and saw no need to lock the door. Guess it was too late now. Still, she padded to the door and turned the bolt.
She stepped back into the stall feeling the tension leave her body as the water raced over her tingling skin. Even with her eyes closed, the stranger’s image stayed sharp in her mind. His eyes had lingered. His gazed had burned. At first, she’d been mad, outraged. The sting of the ice, the shock of a strange man, her standing there naked. Her breath had caught at his unconcealed interest. Good Lord. He could have been a burglar or a rapist, and all she could think about were his arresting blue eyes.
She’d always been intrigued that a man with black hair could have blue eyes. And the man who’d interrupted her shower? His blue eyes were smoldering. It would have been so easy to fall into their depths.
Get a grip, Kelly. She turned the water off and stepped from the bath.
She’d just gotten out of a bad relationship and had no desire to jump into another. She used the towel to wipe steam from the mirror. Who said anything about a relationship, anyway? The man had burst into her bath. The shocked expression on his face had been almost comical. She didn’t know him. How could she be attracted amid such a crazy situation? She sure couldn’t trust her judgement these days.
However, the dreamboat had apologized. He could be forgiven for assuming Dennis was the one in the shower. An easy mistake since it was in the master bedroom. With its large shower head and nice gadgets, the master bath was too tempting for Kelly to resist.
She finished drying herself off and wrapped the towel around her body, tucking the end between her breasts. Before leaving the bedroom, she peeked down the hall to make sure the coast was clear, and wondered if the man had gone. She hurried to the guest room without meeting a soul.
One thing was for sure. She needed to get dressed and find out who had invaded her shower.
~ ~ ~
Craig grabbed a beer from the fridge and flipped the bottle top onto the counter. He took a long draw and relished the cold brew sliding down his parched throat. It wouldn’t be as easy to cool the sexual thoughts running through his mind. Not that he objected much. He loved the sight of a beautiful woman, a naked one only added a craving to his already lust-filled brain. He needed to know the lay of the land before he could truly enjoy the sensual images burning behind his eyelids.
Who was that stunning creature?
While contemplating his dilemma, he heard a door open and close. His friend’s cheerful whistle grated on his nerves. Of course, guilt could be the reason for his dismal mood. He didn’t know if his mistake would be laughed off, or viewed as a serious crime. Every time he thought about the woman in the shower, he couldn’t help but indulge his mind, greedily devouring her curves, even though he had no business looking.
Dennis came to a sudden stop in the kitchen doorway. “Hey, ole buddy.”
“Where the hell have you been?” Craig’s harsh voice echoed off the kitchen walls.
“Who shit in your cornflakes this morning?” Dennis tossed his suit jacket over the back of a high bar stool and headed for the fridge.
“I saw your car outside,” Craig said in self-defense.
Dennis grabbed a bottleneck and unscrewed the top. “I drove Kelly’s car to the office this morning. She has a real sweet convertible.”
Kelly. The bombshell in the shower?
“Kelly?” He aimed for nonchalance, but his guts churned with discomfort.
“You haven’t seen her? She’s around here somewhere. Unless you scared her off with that scowl of yours.”
Oh, yeah. He’d seen her all right. Every sinful inch of her. He closed his eyes as the image returned, as fresh and crystal clear as when he’d stood there like a gaping ape.
“What’s gotten into you?”
To save his hide, he sifted through one explanation after another. “Look, Dennis. I thought you were here. The door was open, so I came inside.”
“That’s fine, but . . .” Dennis stopped talking while a range of emotions crossed his face. Then he grew anxious. “The door was open? Kelly. Where is she?” He slammed his bottle down and spun round.
Craig grabbed his arm. “Calm down. I meant unlocked. She’s in the shower.”
“Then you did meet her.” A smile crossed his lips.
Craig thought he’d be better off if he kept his mouth shut.
Dennis opened the fridge and retrieved a second beer. “Here, you look like you need another one.” He took a seat at the bar and began rolling up his shirt sleeves. “So, what do you think of Kelly?”
Other than she has a delectable body? Ah, hell. He stiffened, grabbed the beer, and popped the top. Taking a long draw, he gulped half the bottle. He glanced up and noticed Dennis’s perplexed expression.
“Wanna talk about it?”
Craig glared. “No.” The girl wasn’t screaming bloody murder. If she wanted her boyfriend to know an intruder had seen her naked, she could tell him.
“Okay,” Dennis said with a shrug. “What about my other question?”
“Huh?”
“Kelly?” Dennis lifted his beer with one arm and propped the other on the counter.
Craig thought about how he should answer. “Well, I haven’t exactly met her. I heard the shower running when I came in.”
“That explains it.”
His shoulders tensed. “Explains what?”
“Why you’re sitting here alone. Kelly wouldn’t be in the shower if she knew we had a guest. She’d think she needed to entertain you until I got home.”
Entertain? All sorts of interesting possibilities went swimming through his head. Shit. He was lusting after his best friend’s girl. This had to stop. His fingers tightened on the longneck as he angled the bottle to his lips. He settled his frame back on the high chair.
“You’ve heard me mention Kelly before,” Dennis continued. “From Virginia.”
Yeah, Craig remembered the girl who made Dennis’s eyes light up every time he spoke her name. “How long has she been in Charlotte?”
“Showed up yesterday.”
Craig digested the news. Showed up? Hadn’t he been expecting her? From previous conversations, it seemed Dennis and Kelly were pretty close. Since she’d been naked in his personal space, Craig would guess the two were more than just friends.
“She was here when I got home from work. A pleasant surprise after a fourteen-hour day.” A shit-eating grin spread over his friend’s face, insinuating a sexual interlude.
His chest tightened with an emotion bordering on jealously. He took another swig of his beer then asked, “How long will she be here?”
“As long as I can keep her.”
Another nail in his coffin. If Craig hoped the relationship wasn’t serious, that theory had just been blown to hell.
Why was he acting this way? He’d just met the girl. Sure, he’d seen her naked, and the woman packed some curves. A bombshell to be sure, but he’d seen plenty of those. More than lust interested him. Her amber eyes had captivated him. All gold and intense.
“Here she is.” Dennis swiveled on his stool.
Craig glanced up to find Kelly in tight-ass jeans and a T-shirt molded to her breasts. Full, enticing a man’s hands to touch, feel. His blood heated. How was a guy to get a break?
“Kelly, this is Craig.”
Light brown eyes, with flecks of black and gold in their depths, pierced him to his gut. Her long golden hair, now dry and flowing over her shoulders, made him want to run his fingers through the silky stands. A cute rounded nose that he hadn’t noticed before. Smooth, pink cheeks, flushed from the steam in the shower, or the remembrance of his eyes raking over her bare skin. His gaze dropped to her full lips, the tip of her tongue bared enough to get his testosterone levels spiraling upward.
“Hello, Craig.”
Hell. Her low, throaty voice sent chills to his groin. As if he wasn’t already hard and pulsing. She didn’t mention they’d already met, so he decided it was a subject best left alone. He hoped his voice didn’t betray his inner turmoil.
“Hi. Nice to meet you.” Again, he felt the pull of something unexplained. It kicked him off balance.
Dennis held up his longneck. “Cold drink? Or do you want coffee?”
Kelly blinked as if coming out of her own fog. “Iced tea, thanks.”
If Craig didn’t know better, he’d think she was just as attracted. He’d better get rid of that foolish notion right now. The woman belonged to his friend.
When Dennis got up to go to the refrigerator, Kelly took his chair. She tossed her hair over one shoulder, sending a whiff of citrus through the air. Shampoo? Craig caught a hint of something sweet and almost leaned closer to capture the alluring scent before he caught himself.
“So, Kelly, how did you get mixed up with this renegade?” There. That sounded normal, didn’t it? A bright smile lit her face, causing that little knot of tension to twist.
“Gee, Dennis. Someone who knows about your escapades?” Confident and easy going, she showed no discomfort from their earlier incident. Her teasing relaxed Craig’s tight muscles.
Dennis placed a glass of tea before her. She took a sip before she answered, giving Craig time to notice her long, delicate fingers and manicured nails as she caressed the glass. His buddy sure knew how to pick ‘em. When she glanced up, he blinked.
“Actually, Dennis and I go way back.”
“So I hear,” Craig forced himself back to the conversation.
“I’ve known Kelly for years,” Dennis said as he leaned his hip against the counter. “Ever since I rescued her in junior high.”
“Rescued?” she said sarcastically.
“That’s how I remember it.”
“Never pictured you as the knight type,” Craig said, throwing a jibe at his buddy. “The opposite in fact.” He received a devious smile in return.
A sound somewhere between a laugh and a cough escaped from Kelly. She obviously agreed. He’d expected her to yell at him, throw something at him, at least squeal on him, instead of acting like nothing happened. His intrusion had been a mistake. Luckily she wasn’t holding a grudge.
“Dennis has spoken of you,” he said to Kelly. “A shame we haven’t met until now.”
“Discussing me behind my back, were you?” She directed her question to Dennis, then faced Craig. “You can’t believe everything you hear. I hope he didn’t give away all my secrets.”
“You wound me,” Dennis said. “I’ve only ever said wonderful things about you.”
Kelly leaned on the counter toward Dennis, giving a nice view of her backside. She cupped his cheek and spoke in a husky voice. “That’s because I am a wonderful person, darling.”
A hazy, green fog filled Craig’s vision while an ache, something like envy, hit his gut. He could not sit here and watch two star-struck lovers act like he was not even in the room. Especially when he, for whatever insane reason, lusted after Kelly. He placed his hands on the granite and shoved off the stool. “I’d better be going.”
Kelly sat back with an expression of surprise.
“Hey, buddy. Don’t rush off.” Dennis set his beer on the counter and stepped around the island.
“I would love to stay, but,” Craig glanced at Kelly again, thinking his actions absurd. “I have an appointment.”
“You just got here.”
“Yeah, well . . .” He hated being in this situation. He didn’t like lying to his friend, either.
“Hurry back when it’s over. We have a lot of catching up to do, and I want you to get to know Kelly.”
“Some other time,” Craig answered brusquely.
“Wait.” Dennis blocked his exit. “What do you mean? You’re staying, aren’t you? At least the weekend?”
“I uh—”
“I’ve got an extra room.”
Craig locked his jaw. No way in hell was he going to lie in bed listening to his friend banging in the next room. It might have been okay in college, but not now. Not with the girl he wanted. And why the hell was his body reacting so strongly to her?
“Dennis has plenty of space.” Kelly’s voice drew his gaze to her. “We don’t have to share a bathroom.”
Had she meant to say that? Was it her intention to playfully remind him of seeing her naked? He prompted himself to breathe.
“Kelly likes the showerhead in mine.” Dennis glared at Kelly. “Just don’t leave any frilly things hanging on the knobs.”
The only thing Craig could imagine affecting his testosterone more than seeing Kelly naked would be seeing her in her frilly things.
Kelly screwed up her gorgeous face and stuck out her tongue, looking like an imp full of mischief. Could the girl not make one gesture without Craig thinking of sex?
Then she leveled her amber gaze on him. He stood rooted to the floor.
“Ignore him. I do. My stuff drives him wild.”
“You need to pick up after yourself,” Dennis scolded her. Craig would guess the guy didn’t have a tie or a sock out of place.
“I do. But you’re too much fun. I like annoying you.” Her words were for Dennis, but she winked at Craig.
He stared at her tongue swiping enticingly across her lips. He’d swear the woman was coming on to him.
“So, buddy. Hurry back,” Dennis said as he slapped Craig on the shoulder.
He needed someone to smack him upside the head. Evidently, he’d lost his senses. He gave Kelly a nod. “I’ll see you later.”
“I look forward to it,” she said, her eyes gleaming a silent message.
He hadn’t imagined the chemistry between them. Damn. Even though this was a girl he’d like to get to know, he needed to keep his head. She was with his best friend.
~ ~ ~
“Spill.”
With Kelly’s mind totally focused on Craig walking out the door, Dennis surprised her. “What are you talking about?”
“The sexual tension in this room.”
“What?!”
Dennis gave a throaty laugh. “I felt like I was in the middle of a lightning storm.”
How had she given herself away? She’d tried to relax, but sitting beside the man who’d seen her naked only moments before had confused her. The guy being a sizzling hottie made it worse.
“You’re nuts.”
“Okay,” Dennis leaned his elbows on the counter, leaning into her space. “What would you call it? Craig’s muscles were wound tighter than a tight-rope. He snapped my head off when I walked in the door. And he barely looked at you.”
Craig had looked plenty. And seen everything. But she wasn’t about to tell Dennis that. “So?”
“So,” Dennis leered, “All guys look at you. They salivate over you.”
“Stop.”
“They do.” He straightened and took a gulp of his beer. “I do. You’re a knockout.”
He embarrassed her sometimes when he complimented her. She wondered if he meant his flattery, or just wanted to boost her self-esteem. She waved it off as a bribe.
“I don’t have any money,” she said jokingly. “Besides, you don’t need it.”
“I’m serious.”
She met his gaze. “You’re never serious.”
“Look,” he said, stepping around the counter and sliding onto the bar stool beside her. “All guys look at a hot babe. Craig is no different. All we think about is sex. We want it all the time. If we’re somehow not thinking about it, when we see a looker like you, we immediately think about how to get it.”
“You’re disgusting.” She wanted to laugh. She and Dennis had always been able to say anything to each other.
“I’m a man. That’s the way we’re wired.”
She glanced up. “Are you saying when you see me you—”
“No.” He shook his head. “I have a little more control over my testosterone these days. But face it, Kel. You’re hot.” He kept his eyes on her as he took a swig of his brew. “Still, Craig acted all weird.”
“How do you mean weird?”
Dennis sat his bottle on the counter, his fingers toying with the label. “Most guys would eyeball you. Let you know they found you sexy. Like any other guy, Craig takes pleasure in noticing a beautiful woman and doesn’t mind showing his interest. He barely turned his head in your direction, though. He just seemed uptight. Not like his normal self.”
Kelly kept her hands folded, her breathing even, and hoped she looked as normal as she would any other day. Dennis had been too observant. Maybe Craig had acted ‘off.’ The scene in the bathroom shook her more than she had thought.
Tension grabbed her spine, and she had a heck of a time shaking it loose. So what if Craig saw her in the all-together? He’d liked what he’d seen. She knew when a guy was interested. His eyes had burned hot and her skin singed when his gaze raked her from head to toe. She didn’t need to revisit this subject.
“Maybe Craig had something on his mind? Business or a personal problem?”
“Could be.” Dennis studied the label on his beer bottle.
“Were you expecting him?”
“Nope. Showed up out of the blue. Just like you.” Dennis studied her. “Hey. You two got something going on?”
“Huh?”
“Did you two come here together? Sure is strange, the two of you showing up at the same time.”
At first, she thought he’d caught on. If her mind hadn’t been preoccupied, she would have seen right away that he was teasing.
He belted out laughter. “You should see the look on your face.” Abruptly, his brow furrowed. “Now I’m beginning to wonder.”
“Don’t let your mind wander, it’s too small to be out by itself.”
“Ha. Ha,” he said in a bored tone. “Now that I think of it, you’ve both been my friends for years. It’s weird you’ve never met. He comes to visit. You show up whenever you want. You’d think the two of you would have run into each other before now.”
“As much as you’ve told me about him, I feel like I know him.” She took a sip of her tea.
“You didn’t act like it.” He turned sideways on the chair, facing her. “I figured my two best friends would hit it off.”
“We just met.” They told each other everything, so why did she feel the need to keep the shower scene a secret?
“You guys were like two firecrackers waiting for someone to light the fuse.” Some days, Dennis knew her better than she knew herself. She’d felt the current, but she’d hoped Dennis wouldn’t notice.
“You’re imagining things.”
“Admit it. You're attracted.” He was like a dog with a bone.
“Did you forget why I’m here?” She rose from her seat at the counter and placed her empty glass in the sink. “The last thing I want is another man.”
“The best way to forget one is to find another.” He slipped up behind her and spoke into her ear. She spun around.
“Have you lost your mind? I’m still reeling over the betrayal of the last one.”
“Hey, I’m sorry, Kel.” He shoved a strand of her hair behind her ear, then settled his hands on her shoulders. “Look. Why don’t we go out tonight? I’ll take you to dinner. Maybe Craig will be done working and can join us.”
Her pulse leaped at the thought of seeing Craig again.
She’d given up on men. Sworn she’d never trust another one. Look how fickle she could be.