Dirty, Reckless Love (Boys of Jackson Harbor 3)

“What?” I try to sound innocent, but I haven’t managed to get my eyes off his abs, so I’m not sure I’m successful.

He grabs me by the hips, then spins me so I’m pinned against the counter. He plunges his hands into my hair and brings his mouth down on mine. I gasp against his lips. Pleasure heats my blood, and the kiss turns desperate. My hands are in his hair, and his slide around to cup my ass.

He drags his mouth down my neck—kissing, nibbling, sucking, and setting my nerve endings on fire. “What happens if he comes back?” he asks, but his hot whisper against my ear feels so decadent that I have trouble focusing on his words. He sucks my earlobe between his teeth, and I gasp at the sharp sting that sends warmth pooling between my legs. “You don’t have to answer now, but I need you to think about it.”

“Think about . . .” I grip his arm to keep him from pulling away, but he steps back anyway. “What?”

“If Colton comes back. If he’s okay, and there’s an explanation for everything. If he didn’t cheat on you, and you can forgive him for disappearing and for shutting you out before that. What happens then?”

“That’s a lot of ifs,” I mutter.

He searches my eyes and shakes his head. “Maybe it’s not fair to put so much stock in a hypothetical question, but I need to know.”

I can’t answer for the memories I can’t retrieve, but I know exactly how I feel right now. I want Levi, and only Levi. But he’s right. And while his question is hypothetical, I know Colton’s very much alive and planning to come back.

“I’m supposed to be on my way to Brayden’s already.” He rakes his gaze over me and shakes his head, as if walking away is causing him physical pain. “Jake will kick my ass if I screw up the schedule for the day.”

“Go. We can talk later.”

“I’ll see you at the ceremony.”

Levi pulls on a shirt—and I watch because I’ve become a desperate perv and need to get my thrills where I can. He grabs his tux bag and heads out, setting the alarm on his way. When he’s gone, I finish my coffee and then grab my bag from the guestroom and head to the shower. I’m glad

I packed a dress for Ava’s wedding. But when I get out of the shower and put lotion on my legs, I’m not thinking about my friend and wanting to dress well for her special day. I’m thinking about Levi and the way I want him to look at me tonight.

I want him to want me when he sees me.

Am I betraying Colton? He seems to believe we’re going to be reunited when he’s no longer hiding, and despite believing I couldn’t return to him, I still have too many unanswered questions. Should I feel guilty about what I’ve been feeling for Levi?

Levi’s question makes sense, and since Colton is alive and well, I need to figure out for myself what happens when he comes home and our lives return to a semblance of normalcy—assuming they ever do. To me, it’s clear that whatever was between me and Colton was already coming to an end before I saw him with Molly, but I know there’s more I’m missing. Sometime between then and now, I agreed to marry a man who’d broken my heart. A man who’s hiding for reasons I don’t understand and whom I feel compelled to protect.

Levi

Brayden’s place is full of family, and the cacophony of voices has me grinning the second I walk in the door. I hang my suit on the banister and head to the back of the house, where the kitchen overlooks the oversized family room and the big stone fireplace.

Mom and Dad raised the six of us in this house, but after Ethan’s wife died, Mom moved in with him to help with Lilly. Since we weren’t ready to get rid of our family home, Brayden moved in here to take care of it, making my eldest, workaholic brother the unlikely host of the Jackson weekly Sunday brunches and any holidays we don’t celebrate at the cabin.

“How’s the groom this morning?” I ask Jake when I step into the kitchen.

My older brother grins at me over his coffee. “I’m better than Shay.”

My sister is at the kitchen table, cradling her head in her hands. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute.”

“You didn’t stop after talking to me, did you?” I ask.

She lifts her head and squints in my direction. “I talked to you?”

My jaw drops, and I turn to Jake. “Is there a reason my normally sensible sister got blackout drunk last night?”

Jake frowns. “She wouldn’t say, but I’m guessing it had something to do with the guy at the bar who couldn’t keep his eyes off her.”

“Did not,” she mutters. “I was celebrating with my family. Is that such a crime?”

“It is if you puke at my wedding,” Jake says.

“She’s a liar,” Brayden says, joining us in the kitchen. “The excessive drinking was totally about the guy at the bar.”

Shay scowls. “Fuck off.”