“Oh, no.” My eyes filled with tears.

“Hey, hey.” Max came up behind me and helped me pull my shirt back down. “If it makes you feel better, your boobs looked awesome.”

“You mean it?”

“Comes from my heart.” He grinned. “Right here.” His grin widened as he placed his hand low on my chest.

I groaned as he fell into fits of laughter.

“All right, little girl, let’s go do damage control and face that drill sergeant mom of yours.”

“He’s never going to want me,” I whispered under my breath.

“Course he will.” Max held me close. “If he doesn’t, I’ll just kill him.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

COLTON

I was so disoriented that I stumbled into the kitchen and just stood there for a few seconds. My head pounded something fierce, and my body? Well, let’s just say that even though nothing below the waist had been hit—that didn’t mean I wasn’t feeling the effects.

Everywhere.

“Damn it!” I pulled out a chair and sat.

Jason walked into the kitchen, took a look at my face, and pointed. “Milo get you too?”

“What the hell is wrong with her?” I blurted.

“Several things.” Jason winced as if remembering the pain of his black eye. “She’s an accident waiting to happen. You need ice or bandages or . . . something?” He examined my jaw and cheek. “Looks like she clocked you good.”

“She didn’t punch me,” I said defensively.

Jason sat down next to me and leaned back in his chair. “Then how’d she hurt you?”

Hah. Right. Um, that’s something I wanted to explain to her older brother, You see she didn’t have her shirt on, I walked in on her, almost shit my pants, walked into the door, almost shit my pants a second time, then stumbled down the hall Hunchback of Notre Dame–style.

Oh, and I’d thought about her naked at least seven times since Jason had sat down.

Clearing my throat, I waved him away. “Misunderstanding. I tripped, she tripped, and you know how those things go.”

“Hey,” Max’s voice called from behind me. Every nerve ending was waiting to hear Milo’s voice chime in. “We on break yet?”

“Coffee’s on and Mom went to buy fresh doughnuts from town.”

“She gets to leave?” Max sounded irritated as he walked over to the coffeepot and poured himself a mug.

I snorted.

He drank coffee like a pansy.

Was he pointing his pinky finger?

No, wait.

Ah, well played. Not his pinky finger, definitely a middle finger directed at me. Nice.

Milo wasn’t usually into his type—you know the kind, metrosexual to the extreme, tight pants, tight shirts, smooth skin.

Oh, good. Smooth skin? So I was what? Noticing his skin now? I must have hit my head harder than I’d thought.

“Uh . . .” Jason pointed at my face.

“What?”

“You’re bleeding.”

“Where?” I patted my chin and then my lips, and my fingers came away wet with blood.

“Nosebleed!” Max shouted and then took a step toward the table, only to fall onto his knees, then his back. Out cold. He was completely passed out.

“Someone help me!” Milo shouted from the doorway.

“I’m bleeding!” I retorted.

“He could have a concussion!”

“Good!” I roared.

Jason and Milo stared like I’d just told them I poisoned Max’s coffee and smiled while doing it.

Cursing, I got up from the chair and grabbed a towel. Holding it to my face, I moved Milo out of the way so I could help Max.

“He’s seriously out cold.” Jason poked Max’s face.

“Is that normal?” I whispered.

“You’re the firefighter!” Milo hit me on the back of the head. “Don’t you have any EMT skills?”

Hell, yeah, I did. I just didn’t feel like exerting myself—not for Max. Because he’d seen her naked. Naked! Damn she’d looked soft, all creamy, and smooth, just begging for a man’s hands to—

“Hey!” Milo swatted the back of my head again. “Help him!”

“Right.” Without thinking I slapped Max on the cheek.

His eyes flew open. “What the hell!”

“You okay?”

“Why’d you slap me?”

“Looks good.” I pinched his cheek, slapped it again, and then got up. “He’ll live.”

“That’s it?” Milo stomped her foot. “He’ll live? What kind of public service employee are you?”

I shrugged as Max tried to sit up. “I’m going to puke,” he said.

“Scared of blood?” What a pansy-ass!

“Yes,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Here, I’ll help you to your room.” Milo got the guy to his feet and started walking with him down the hall, only he was clearly too heavy for her.

Rolling my eyes, I stepped between them and grabbed Max by the shoulder even though I wanted to grab him by the balls and give an unfriendly tug. “I got it.”

Max’s eyes widened. “Actually I’m feeling a lot better.”

“No,” I said smoothly, as I took him down the hall, “you aren’t.”

He met my gaze, then smirked. “Well, well, well, it seems I’ve found your weakness, Clark Kent.”