My lids blinked open; a beam of light slammed them back shut. A soft groan escaped my lips, and I rolled away from the brightness, digging my head deeper under the supple blankets. It was so comfortable it was like floating on marshmallows. I wiggled in farther, pressing against something firm. Warm. Smelling amazing. Stirring emotions and desire.

A hand slipped through the covers, landing on my hip, pulling me in. The gentle caress of his body against me, flooded memories of the night before into my head.

My eyes shot open.

Directly in front of my face was Hunter’s bare chest. The muscles along his abs moved in and out as he breathed. My gaze dipped lower. All he wore was a pair of boxer briefs. They dipped enough to see the V indentation carved into his lower torso.

The fabric did nothing to hide him.

All of him.

Oh my god.

A zing ran through me at seeing him. Again the desire to touch him was hard to ignore, but the thought of waking him stopped me.

When did he get back? How did I not wake when he crawled into bed with me? I was a light sleeper. I could hear my sister’s footsteps from down the hall coming for me the moment she stepped out of her bed. I was always ready to jump up and go if anyone needed me. But sometime in the night, Hunter crept into bed, almost naked, without my notice.

Every detail of the kiss came back, but the daylight twisted it into a tarnished dream. It rotted in my stomach as visions of Colton popped into my head, his face twisted with disgust and hurt. How could you, Jayme? My twin brother?

Hunter stirred, his fingers sliding under the shorts I was wearing and up my thigh. The punch of energy soared over my skin.

I gnashed my teeth together. Why did he invoke such exhilaration through me? Why him? It could have been anyone, a boy I met at a party or standing in line getting coffee. Why did Hunter have to be the one who could ignite the blood in my veins?

He was the one boy I shouldn’t want. The one I couldn’t have. What was wrong with me? I should be repulsed. Why did the thought of stripping off my clothes, feeling his bare skin, his body moving against mine, cause my heart to thump, ripping desire through my system?

I rolled away, sitting up.

He jerked awake, his head popping up.

“Are you okay?” His voice was husky, full of sleep. Sexy.

“Yes. Fine.” My mouth felt like cotton balls, stuffed with something that died.

He closed his eyes, laying his head back down. His face was free of conflict. Relaxed and comfortable. Gorgeous. I rubbed my head in irritation.

“When did you get home last night?” I inquired when I really wanted to ask: Did you sleep with Sunny or Krista, then crawl back into bed with me? Damn! When did I start sounding like a jealous girlfriend?

He grunted, not answering my question. His lids fluttered open again when I slipped off the bed, and he glanced over his shoulder at the clock.

“It’s only seven, Jayme.” He rubbed at his forehead.

“Go back to sleep.” My feet padded over his soft rug. “I need to head home.” After I brush the sewage out of my mouth.

“You need to go home…now?” His eyebrows curved up.

Yes, I thought. Because the longer I stay here, the more likely I’m going to do something extremely stupid. Something I won’t be able to take back.

“Soon.” I shrugged, heading into the Jack and Jill bathroom. I knew from past visits they had a ton of disposable toothbrushes in the bottom drawer for guests to use.

Guests? A voiced in me sassed. You mean an overnight visitor like Sunny or Krista?

I grabbed one, longing to dispose of the awful taste in my mouth. I brushed vigorously. My mood coiled tighter than a gnarled barbwire fence. I needed to go for a run. Kick-box. Do anything I could to forget how his body and mouth felt on mine.

Footsteps stopped at the door, and I glanced up, looking at him through the mirror. My lungs contracted. Still only in his boxer briefs, he leaned against the jamb, his arms crossed over his chest, watching me intently with a slight amused lift to his lip. His hair was in disarray and made him sexier than anyone had the right to be.

He looked nothing like any other eighteen-year-old boy at school. He had grown up fast, developing in body and mind before the rest. Even the crowd he hung out with was older. He seemed way too mature and advanced for someone like me. Everything about him frightened me. Nerves I never experienced before rocked me, shaking the foundation, especially when he looked at me so attentively.

My eyes lowered, and I moved away from the sink, throwing the toothbrush away. I could still sense his eyes on me. Hunter had the knack for staying silent. Observing. Right then I longed for Colton’s endless yammering and threadlike attention span. Hunter was intense.

Bottled energy flicked off me like sparks, and I could feel me fluttering around the space with no direct intension. “Stop.” I fingered the snarls in my hair, wrapping it up in a hasty bun.

“Stop what?”

“That.” I motioned to him. “Staring at me… making me feel…” My tongue couldn’t find the words to complete the sentence, not ones that wouldn’t insinuate something.

“Making you feel what?” He tipped his head against the door. He was calm and direct. His confidence made me want to get away. I went for the exit, and he stepped in my way, blocking my path. It was as though he was challenging me, daring me to confess. There was no way I would utter any of my thoughts.

“Move out of my way, please.”

“Say the magic words.”

“I said please.”

“Not the magic words.”

“Hunter.” Desperation filled my eyes. What did he want from me?

“Hey.” He grabbed my arms. “Relax. Okay? There is nothing to be upset about.”

Was he telling me the kiss meant nothing? To forget it? It was the best thing to do, but why did it sting so bad to know he didn’t think it was that big of deal?

“It’s all right.” He gazed down at me intently.

I nodded, forcing myself to exhale. He let me go and turned back for the bed.

“Don’t tell me you’re a morning person.” He strolled to the bed and flopped face-first onto it. I tried to ignore the curve of his ass.

“Kind of,” I admitted, hesitantly following him. We kissed. No big deal. Why am I so uptight about being in the same bed as him? I’d slept next to boys before. Colton and I had fallen asleep together several times. Why did this seem different? “Comes with having a little sister. Reece has yet to sleep past seven thirty.”

Hunter groaned. “I’m gonna have to beat that out of you.”

I went to my side of the bed and crawled back on. “Oh, really?”

“Yes.” He turned his head on the pillow toward me.

“I don’t think so.” A mischievous smile plucked at my face.

He lifted one eyebrow. His eyes darted to my hand as it moved. “Don’t think about it.”

I bolted to my feet, grabbing a pillow and creamed him as he reached for my ankle, yanking me back down. I yelped and laughed, the bed bouncing as I dropped down.

“You just declared war.” He grabbed his pillow, getting to his feet, bouncing. I quickly rebounded, clutched my weapon, and swung. He countered and I twisted, the cushion hitting my hip. I quickly darted to the side, jumping off the bed.

“Out of bounds.”

“Who says?” I countered. “War has no rules.”

He grinned jumping off the bed, charging me. The moment he got close enough, I struck him, knocking him to the side. I veered around, trying to get back to the bed. An arm darted out, encircling my waist. I shrieked as he easily picked me off the floor. I squirmed against him, trying to break free.

“You started it. Now you must face the consequences.” He tossed me back on the bed. “But let me warn you. I always win.” He grabbed my foot and started to tickle it.

A half laugh, half cry broke from my throat. “Stop.” I kicked back. “Not fair.”

“I didn’t say I won fairly.” He smirked. “Remember, war has no rules.”

If I weren’t being tormented, I would have been more aware of him, mostly naked, wrestling on the bed with me, but I didn’t really notice. Nope. Not at all.

“Stop! Please.” I laughed painfully. My feet were sensitive, and it was torture when someone tickled them. I wiggled around, clasping a pillow and swung my arm back. His grip loosened, and I slithered toward the end of the bed, slipping over the edge. He caught my calf to bring me back, but my motion pulled him over the side with me. We both landed in a heap on the floor. Laughing. Once again, Hunter lay across me. This time I was on my back, looking up at his beautiful mouth.

“We really are dangerous.” Hunter turned serious, his eyes roaming over my face.

Yes, we were. In so many ways.

Friction strained the air. I wanted him to kiss me. Badly.

An emotion flickered across his face, before I could make it out, he sucked in a deep breath through his nose and pulled back off me. He sat back, thrusting his spine against the bed. His form was rigid, like he was warning me to stay away. His eyes tracked me as I slowly sat up, his face expressionless. He inhaled and looked down at the floor, tapping his knuckle absently against the area rug. “We can’t do this.”

He was right. It was the same I had been thinking, but to hear it from him twisted my heart in my chest. “I know.”

An eruption of awkward silence gushed between us, neither of us seeming to know what to say or do next. Thankfully we didn’t have to.

Hunter’s bedroom door swung open, slamming into the wall, hauling our attention to the figure in the doorway.

“There better be rampant sex going on in here or I’m gonna be pissed.” Stevie stood in the doorway, only in a T-shirt and underwear, rubbing her eyes and yawning. “Seriously, who makes this much noise at this ungodly hour? Especially when I am hungover.” Her hair was in knotted disarray, her eyeliner smeared, and her pale complexion looked even more sallow. Somehow she still pulled it off.

“What are you two doing?” She blinked, taking in the pillows scattered around and one still in my clutches. “Oh my god, did I just step into a teenage boy’s fantasy? Are you guys pillow fighting?”

Hunter pushed up, sitting on the edge of the bed. “If it was a teenage boy’s fantasy, it would be a room full of women pillow fighting…in lingerie.”

“Wow. It actually sounds an awful lot like my teenage fantasy.” She put a hand on her hip, then motioned to us. “But this one works too.”

Chris came up behind her, putting his hands on her waist. “You get in there, Hunter comes out, and I’m all for it.” He leaned down and kissed her passionately

She smiled at him wickedly. “You might get your wish.”

Hunter and I looked at each other, our eyebrows curved in duel shock. Neither one had run for the door yet?

“Can you check outside to see if the huge birds in the sky resemble pigs?” I pointed to the window.

“I’m scared,” Hunter said, his eyes wide in mock fear.

“Me too.”

“I’ll deal with you two…” Stevie broke away from Chris, pointing at both of us. “But in, like, five minutes.” She pushed Chris back down the hall.

“Ten!” Chris yelled over her shoulder. They both disappeared.

“This is a first.” Hunter stared after them. “Chris never sticks around for the morning.”

As far as I heard, Stevie didn’t either. “Maybe they did meet their match.”

“I guess anything is possible.” Hunter’s gaze landed on me.

“Yeah. I guess it is.” I smiled shyly back.

Crap. I was really, really in trouble.