Shocked, Wes was about to defend himself, but when Jin erupted in laughter, he decided he would be the bigger person and simply ignore their childishness.
Wes walked up their front steps, and reached out a finger to toy with the spring wreath on the door that Cara must have added while he was gone. A small smile caught his lips, and he immediately relaxed.
Jin and Nina just didn’t understand. He liked living with Cara. She made things nicer. The house had taken on more homey touches since Melody had left. A new pillow on the couch, a candle arrangement on the kitchen table, this wreath.
And everywhere her scent.
Wes shook the thought away. He cared about Cara; he had no problem admitting that. He cared about Nina and Jin, too. That didn’t mean Wes wanted to have sex with them. And if he’d gotten a little upset last night, when he thought she was in trouble and then told her about his past, it was just further proof. Definitely just a good friends vibe.
He heard music as soon as he opened the door—Taylor Swift blasting from a portable speaker. Wes set his bag on the table and headed for the small box to lower the volume. He smiled. Cara must have decided to put the previous ugly night behind her.
Before he reached the speaker on the kitchen counter, Cara’s door was flung open. She danced out of her room, eyes closed, singing at the top of her lungs—completely offkey.
It might have been cute, her happy abandon, hair wrapped in a towel. The problem was that the only thing covering the rest of her body was another towel that hit just above the knee. Her skin was flushed rosy pink from her hairline to the luscious curves of her breasts. She danced a few more feet, parts of her that he shouldn’t be staring at jiggling above the towel.
Any pretense of friendly feelings disappeared along with the oxygen in his lungs. Intense need shot straight to his groin and his entire body tightened. She was absolutely delectable, shimmying in front of her door.
Wes’s mouth dried, and he couldn’t help the white-hot craving that suddenly consumed him. What would she do if he stopped her dance? If he pulled her to him and held her soft body against him? If he pulled the towel away, would she be rosy everywhere? Water droplets still glistened on her pale shoulders. Would they taste like honeysuckle?
Cara opened her eyes and let out a shriek, her hand rising to her chest, blocking his view.
Wes sucked in a breath and turned away from her to hide the tent in his dress pants. He kept his back to her until he was safely in the kitchen, the cabinets hiding his reaction.
“I thought you were gone until midafternoon.” She blinked at him with wide eyes.
“I skipped lunch.”
“Oh.” Cara still clutched the towel between her breasts. “I should get dressed.”
Her eyes met his across the room, and he saw the same passion reflected back at him.
Her fingers flexed where she held the material closed. If she dropped the towel, Wes wasn’t sure if he would be able to stop himself. He’d spent too many nights tossing and turning, imagining how her breasts looked, how they would feel under his palms. How they would taste.
But he couldn’t. He had made a plan for his life the moment he realized he wouldn’t be going to jail. He wanted stability. Cara Bloom was not that.
“Yeah, you should.” His voice came out harsher than he’d intended, and her eyes flared with hurt. Wes wanted to apologize, but he kept his lips closed. What would he say? That seeing her half-naked was torture. Or that he wanted to lay her on his bed and explore her body until she was out of his system.
He couldn’t do any of those things. Mostly because he was afraid if he did give in, he’d never be able to get enough.
So instead, he walked to his bedroom and closed the door.
* * *
Wes wasdeep into coding a new penetration technique when his phone lit up on the table next to him. Melody’s smiling face flashed up at him, but his finger hesitated for the slightest second before swiping to answer it. He had hidden in his room until he heard Cara leave the house, and then it was another half an hour before he could focus on work. His hand constantly strayed to his phone to type out an apology text to Cara.
But what was the point? Wes told himself that he needed distance from her. It was best for both of them. “Hey, Mel.”
“Wes!” Melody exclaimed.
Wes tamped down his irritation. He was still annoyed she had told people about his work in D.C.
“How’s it going? Ready to come back yet?”
“You have got to come to Italy!” She gave a hum of pleasure. “It’s magical.”
“I texted you about coming to visit. You never answered.”
“I’ve been so busy! This has turned out better than I could have ever dreamed. Luca’s family owns this amazing fashion house. He said I’m his muse. Can you imagine? Me! A muse!”
