She stepped out of her room and across the hall, knocking on Beck’s bedroom door. “Beck, open up. We need to talk!” She banged again, her hand midair as the door flung open and Beck stood in front of her.
He grasped her wrist before her hand, already in motion, could hit him in the chest. “Whoa. What’s wrong?”
She’d intended to rip into him for siccing her family on her, but she hadn’t planned on the bare-chested man greeting her in gray sweats. Muscles defined his pecs and abs, biceps and triceps. Not to mention, everyone knew how much gray sweatpants revealed on a well-endowed man. Beck sported an extremely large bulge in his sweats, and at the sight of him, her mouth went dry.
“Chloe?” he asked as he released his grip, and she lowered her hand to her side.
Gathering herself, she straightened her shoulders and recalled the reason for her bedroom visit. “If you wanted me gone, all you had to do was say so. You didn’t have to go to my family so they’d gang up on me in an attempt to get me to come home.” Though to be fair, the only one who’d really pushed for that was Linc.
Beck narrowed his gaze. “That’s not why I did it. You haven’t left this apartment in over a week. You’ve admitted you’re miserable in your job, and from where I stood, you had no solid plans for yourself going forward. A bright, beautiful woman like you deserved better, and given how close you are to your family, I figured they could help shake you out of the funk you’ve been in.”
“Oh.” Her mind homed in on the words bright and beautiful, and some of her anger ebbed.
“Yeah. Oh. And for the record, if I wanted you gone, I’d have the balls to tell you myself.” He stepped back, one hand on the doorframe. “Come in and let’s talk.”
Suddenly she wanted to do more than talk. The idea of getting up close with this man, all that bare, hot skin pressing against her, had her hot and bothered.
Overly aware of him, she stepped into his bedroom, taking in his personal space for the first time. An accent wood wall behind his king-size bed warmed up the room. Earthy tones worked to give it a masculine feel, with a television on the wall across from the bed. Despite the décor being tailored for a man, Chloe felt comfortable in here. Or she would if the bed wasn’t rumpled and unmade, giving her already heated body dirty thoughts of what they could do between those sheets.
“Like what you see?” Arms folded across his chest, a sexy smirk lifted his lips as he’d obviously caught her staring at his bed.
“I love it,” she said, leaving what she was referring to purposely vague.
He walked past her and sat down on the edge of the mattress, patting the space beside him.
She eased beside him, bending one leg, her knee brushing his hard thigh. “But seriously, you should have come to me with any concerns you had … about me.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I was thinking more about what your family could do for you than what was the right way to handle it. I’m sorry.”
Her lips twitched at his apology. “You’re forgiven.” She paused. “You’re still okay with me staying here?”
“I kind of like having you around.” His eyes glittered with a sudden heat that matched the spark he ignited inside her.
“And I like being here.”
He held her gaze and she caught the question in his eyes… Was this the right time for them?
* * *
The proverbial devil sat on one shoulder, urging Beck to splay Chloe out on his bed and make a feast of her sexy body. An angel sat on the other, reminding him she was just coming out of a relationship, was vulnerable, and if she were going to turn to a new man, it shouldn’t be one who had issues with her family, or at least with one of the brothers she loved.
He wanted to help her, not complicate her life. But the thought of Chloe with any guy other than him brought out an inner caveman he hadn’t known existed.
“You’re overthinking. And I promise you I can make my own decisions.” She braced her hands on the space between them and leaned forward. “I’m looking to let go and have some fun.”
Her damp lips beckoned to him, but he wouldn’t go into this with anything less than the truth between them. “I don’t do relationships,” he told her bluntly.
She lifted a delicate shoulder. “I just got out of one. I’m not looking to get tied down again either.”
“What about the fact that you’re the type of woman who has marriage stamped all over her?” And he’d promised himself not to add to the people in his life he could ultimately lose.