Hard(16)

“I’ll keep the addiction hidden if you can.”

He smirked. I sunk back against the fridge though I’d only find relief if I ducked inside of it.

His eyes. The dimples. That unbelievable body still shining with the occasional drip-drop of water. I followed a single sparkling bead as it crossed over the shadow of his pecs, along the ridged six-pack of his tongue-tempting abs, and lower. It crested in the V which peeked from the waistband of his shorts.

The man was perfection.

And what waited beneath the shorts? The source of his pride. The one delight I had yet to forget from the biggest mistake of my life.

He caught me staring at it. Thinking about it.

Wanting it.

Holy Christ, I was as big a perv as him. Crushing on my step-brother was bad enough. He was nothing but a no-good con-artist who got his money and his rocks off all in the same night.

This was a nightmare and a half. I’d abandon the house myself if it meant I could piece together some shreds of my dignity. All I wanted was to slip into a warm bath where only the removable showerhead knew where I touched.

“Get out.” Venom strengthened my words. It tasted an awful lot like desire. “Or get an attorney.”

“Christ, I’ve had insurgents crack easier than you.”

I quieted. He pulled away from me, chuckling as he crossed the kitchen. His trunks didn’t fall low enough, and his perfectly muscular ass hid from me. I wondered if he still had marks from where my fingernails dug in, trying to fit him deeper inside me.

I took my first deep breath. Mistake. The air filled with him. Sweat, salt, and dust. It certainly wasn’t what Atlanta’s Old Money smelled like.

“I have a proposition for you,” he said.

“You’ve propositioned me enough, thank you.”

Zach winked. “We can keep our clothes on for this.”

Then why wasn’t he wearing any yet? I couldn’t think of any insults to lob at him while his pecs twitched as he inadvertently flexed.

“I understand this was a big shock,” he said. “It was for me too. But we’re both adults.”

“What’s your point?”

He leaned against the counter as if he belonged in the house. As if he already knew the name of the spikey fruit loaded in the baskets by the window or if the pizza oven was wood or charcoal.

If Zach could tell me where the nearest bathroom was, we’d be set.

“My point is, we can settle this in a minute flat,” he said.

“Well, this I gotta hear.”

“I propose we share the house.”

“And you’re done.”

Zach prevented me from storming out. “Shay, listen. Let’s temporarily share the house. I’m only on leave for a few more weeks. Let me crash in the lap of luxury before I get shipped back to some desert where there’s more explosives and camels than…” He patted the granite countertop, though his eyes lingered on me. “Simple delights.”

“That doesn’t solve our problem. It just moves it to a different continent.”

Zach’s smirk faded, and he turned serious. An odd sincerity, but one I completely believed.

“I’m not looking for the easy way out or a get rich quick scheme. Never was. I’m a SEAL. That’s my job. That’s my life. I live to serve, and this…” He gestured around the mansion. “Is nothing but a fairy-tale while I wait for my next deployment. That’s all.”

I hesitated. “So…you want to live here for a few months. Then what?”

“Then you can buy out my share.”

“Buy?”

“That’s how these inheritance things work. You buy me out for a price that won’t look like we’re evading taxes, and we’ll be done. Then you can have this big beautiful house all to yourself.”

I crossed my arms. “And you want to live here while we figure all the details out.”

“Yep.”

“You don’t see how crazy that is. I’m not sharing anything with you. I don’t even know you! And this isn’t your house!”

Zach’s smile returned. He grabbed an apple from a basket and pointed over his shoulder.

“I’ll be downstairs in the gym working out. Then I’ll test the theater system with a movie. You’re welcome to join me. Take some time to mull it over. Let me know what you think.”

Easy. “I’m not sharing this house with you!”

He sunk his teeth into the apple and waved as he headed downstairs.

To the gym.

And then to the theater.

We had a theater?

No. I had a theater. And he thought he could steal it away until I paid him off to return what was rightfully mine?

Hell no.

Zach Harden wasn’t getting away with this.