thinking about those perky breasts.
Maybe asking her to travel with him had been a mistake. How the hell was he supposed to keep his hands off her now that he’d seen her half naked?
Austin stifled a groan of frustration and forced himself to be mature about this. So they were sharing a bed tonight. Big deal. He’d draw an imaginary line down the center of the mattress and pretend that he was sleeping alone. He was twenty-five years old—surely he could sleep with a woman without sleeping with the woman.
He quickly dried off and yanked on the clean pair of boxer-briefs he’d brought into the bathroom with him, then took a breath and left the bathroom.
“That was the longest shower I’ve ever seen anyone take,” Mari announced. “Are you secretly a girl or something?”
She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, wearing a pair of blue cotton shorts and a white tank top that didn’t hide the braless state of her breasts—or the puckered nipples straining against the thin fabric.
“I was shaving my legs,” he cracked, doing his best to keep his gaze far, far away from her mouthwatering chest.
In fact, he avoided looking at her altogether. She looked too damn cute in her PJ’s, with her wavy hair loose around her shoulders and her skin pink from the shower she’d taken before him.
“Anyhoo,” she went on, “your super long shower actually gave me the opportunity to do some thinking, and I’ve made a decision.”
“Okay.” He drifted to the television set and grabbed the remote control, still averting his eyes. “What about?”
“I think we should sleep together.”
The remote promptly fell out of his hand and clattered to the linoleum floor.
Austin couldn’t help but turn to gape at her. And God help him, but her declaration had made his cock go harder than granite, an erection that was hard to miss beneath his boxers.
Sure enough, Mari’s blue eyes instantly homed in on the undeniable proof of his interest.
“Huh. I thought it would take a lot more convincing,” she mused.
Breathing through his nose, Austin tried to banish the desire sizzling through his blood. “What do you mean, we should sleep together?”
She shrugged. “Like I said, I thought about it, and I don’t think a short-term fling would be a terrible idea. I mean, as long as we agree that it’s temporary and promise to stay friends afterwards, I think it could work.”
His head started to spin. Goddamn women—why were their thought processes so frickin’ nuts? One day she wasn’t into casual affairs, the next she was saying she wanted to get busy.
“What changed your mind?” he had to ask, though his voice came out raspier than he intended for it to be.
Mari shot him a pointed look, her blue eyes sweeping up and down his body. “Look at you,” she grumbled. “I probably could have controlled myself if you weren’t flaunting that hot bod every other second.”
He choked out a laugh. “Hey, I’ve been fully clothed since we met, except for today at the pond and right now. You’re the one parading around in the tightest tops known to man. And those short-shorts! Jesus Christ, woman.”
Her pretty face lit up in delight. “You’ve been checking me out too?”
“Duh.” He rolled his eyes. “If you want to talk self-control, I think I deserve a damn medal.”
Mari hopped off the bed and approached him with purposeful strides. “Okay, then we’re still attracted to each other. That bodes well for our fling.”
His pulse sped up the closer she came. “Who says I’m agreeing to it?” he challenged.
Smirking, she glanced at his crotch. “I think your agreement is implied.”
She had him there. Truth was, he didn’t know why he was arguing. Not touching this woman had been pure torture, and now she was giving him the green light to strip her naked and have his way with her? It was a frickin’ no-brainer.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You sure about this?”
She didn’t even blink.
Maybe asking her to travel with him had been a mistake. How the hell was he supposed to keep his hands off her now that he’d seen her half naked?
Austin stifled a groan of frustration and forced himself to be mature about this. So they were sharing a bed tonight. Big deal. He’d draw an imaginary line down the center of the mattress and pretend that he was sleeping alone. He was twenty-five years old—surely he could sleep with a woman without sleeping with the woman.
He quickly dried off and yanked on the clean pair of boxer-briefs he’d brought into the bathroom with him, then took a breath and left the bathroom.
“That was the longest shower I’ve ever seen anyone take,” Mari announced. “Are you secretly a girl or something?”
She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, wearing a pair of blue cotton shorts and a white tank top that didn’t hide the braless state of her breasts—or the puckered nipples straining against the thin fabric.
“I was shaving my legs,” he cracked, doing his best to keep his gaze far, far away from her mouthwatering chest.
In fact, he avoided looking at her altogether. She looked too damn cute in her PJ’s, with her wavy hair loose around her shoulders and her skin pink from the shower she’d taken before him.
“Anyhoo,” she went on, “your super long shower actually gave me the opportunity to do some thinking, and I’ve made a decision.”
“Okay.” He drifted to the television set and grabbed the remote control, still averting his eyes. “What about?”
“I think we should sleep together.”
The remote promptly fell out of his hand and clattered to the linoleum floor.
Austin couldn’t help but turn to gape at her. And God help him, but her declaration had made his cock go harder than granite, an erection that was hard to miss beneath his boxers.
Sure enough, Mari’s blue eyes instantly homed in on the undeniable proof of his interest.
“Huh. I thought it would take a lot more convincing,” she mused.
Breathing through his nose, Austin tried to banish the desire sizzling through his blood. “What do you mean, we should sleep together?”
She shrugged. “Like I said, I thought about it, and I don’t think a short-term fling would be a terrible idea. I mean, as long as we agree that it’s temporary and promise to stay friends afterwards, I think it could work.”
His head started to spin. Goddamn women—why were their thought processes so frickin’ nuts? One day she wasn’t into casual affairs, the next she was saying she wanted to get busy.
“What changed your mind?” he had to ask, though his voice came out raspier than he intended for it to be.
Mari shot him a pointed look, her blue eyes sweeping up and down his body. “Look at you,” she grumbled. “I probably could have controlled myself if you weren’t flaunting that hot bod every other second.”
He choked out a laugh. “Hey, I’ve been fully clothed since we met, except for today at the pond and right now. You’re the one parading around in the tightest tops known to man. And those short-shorts! Jesus Christ, woman.”
Her pretty face lit up in delight. “You’ve been checking me out too?”
“Duh.” He rolled his eyes. “If you want to talk self-control, I think I deserve a damn medal.”
Mari hopped off the bed and approached him with purposeful strides. “Okay, then we’re still attracted to each other. That bodes well for our fling.”
His pulse sped up the closer she came. “Who says I’m agreeing to it?” he challenged.
Smirking, she glanced at his crotch. “I think your agreement is implied.”
She had him there. Truth was, he didn’t know why he was arguing. Not touching this woman had been pure torture, and now she was giving him the green light to strip her naked and have his way with her? It was a frickin’ no-brainer.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You sure about this?”
She didn’t even blink.
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