Shay looks around, obviously not buying it. “Your floor is still gleaming from the housekeeper. Try again.”
I shrug. “Maybe I don’t want to go.”
“You don’t want to because you’re avoiding him, or because you’re avoiding us?”
I snort. “Can’t it be both?”
“You two looked awfully cozy last night.”
I sigh. “It was . . . He was only . . .”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. He told me when I saw him in the parking lot after. It was all pretend.”
Oh, this sneaky bitch. I glare at her. “If you saw him leaving alone, then you knew I wasn’t in his bed this morning.”
“I didn’t know for sure. You could have gone to his place after having Molly drop you off here. Trust me, I’ve jumped through bigger hoops to keep my own rendezvous secret from my family.”
I arch a brow. “Do tell.”
“Oh no. You’re not getting off the hook that easy. We’re talking about you and Carter right now.”
I pad to the other side of the island that separates my kitchen from my living and dining area. I’m still struggling to keep my eyes open. This morning—this conversation—calls for coffee. “You’re overthinking this,” I mutter. “I promise you, there’s no secret relationship you’ve been missing out on.”
“But you weren’t just pretending. I saw you two dancing. Any closer, and I’d be asking if you used protection.”
I yank out the carafe and shove it under the faucet. “Don’t start with the matchmaker stuff.”
“If you insist,” she says with a sigh.
I pour the water into the back of the pot, grind beans, and dump them into the filter while she toys with her phone. When I flip the pot on, she wanders into the kitchen, still staring at the screen.
“Here,” she says, handing me her phone. “You might need to know about this.”
My stomach drops. On her screen is a picture of me dancing in Carter’s arms, his forehead touching mine as I smile up at him, his arms wrapped around me and holding me close. We look . . . deliriously smitten. The headline above it reads, “Foxy Fireman’s Charity Auction Takes Unexpected Romantic Turn.”
I look at Shay, who’s smirking like she played her trump card. “Is this local?”
“That is. The local paper got the picture, but it was picked up by some tiny online gossip pages. You’re lucky Carter fever has mostly died down, or this would be everywhere. People love their puppy-rescuing firefighter, and they love a good romance.”
“Shit.”
“Surely you both knew this could happen when he called you up on that stage.”
“I never imagined he’d do it, honestly, and once he did, I was too shocked to think that far ahead.” But I’m thinking ahead now. Specifically, about the call I’m bound to get from my mother and sister the second they see the article.
There’s another knock on the door. Shay looks toward the sound, then to me.
“Teagan?” Carter’s voice is low, cautious. “Are you awake?”
Shay snorts. “Just an act, huh? Who exactly are you two acting for this morning?”
I swallow hard. We were pretending, but sometimes pretend leads to something more. In this case, his hand between my legs and the best orgasm I’ve had in years. I bite my lip at the memory. Damn.
Another knock. “Teagan?”
“She’s coming!” Shay calls, flashing a wicked grin at me as if she knows I was considering ignoring him.
“Seriously?” I ask. “I’m blaming you if I don’t make it back to bed this morning.”
Her grin spreads wider, and mischief dances in her eyes. “Isn’t that up to Carter?”
I let out a low growl. “Get out of here, brat.”
She takes a step toward the door then stops, pointing at me. “By the way, you might want to do something about that love bite on your neck before you leave the house.”
I throw a kitchen towel at her. “Go.”
She winks, but then her face goes serious. “Don’t break his heart, okay? I know he’s a bit of a player, but he’s sensitive under that tough-guy façade. You’re my best friend, but he’s my brother, and I’d hate to have to punch you in the babymaker.” And with that, she opens the front door and breezes out past her brother.
Carter’s brows shoot into his hairline. “Bye, sis!”
“Bye,” she says over her shoulder, already jogging away.
Carter walks through my barely there foyer to the living room. My house—which is pretty small to begin with—shrinks around us, and I swallow. I’m still half-asleep and am nearly bowled over by a surge of memory and lust as I take him in. Carter. In my house. Steps from my bed.
Oh, hell, I’m in trouble.
Teagan
Carter hasn’t shaved today, and his cheeks are scruffier than usual, making him exude even more testosterone and sex appeal than normal. His long-sleeve T-shirt is molded over his chest and shoulders, and when he shoves his hands into his pockets, his jeans dip dangerously low on his hips and expose the waistband of his boxers.