Chapter 5

Cash couldn’t fucking believe Jen was actually here. In his apartment. Standing right in front of him. Three steps and she’d be close enough to kiss. Twenty steps and they could be in his bed. Naked.

She’s Carson’s sister.

Despite the warning bells in his head, he couldn’t tear his gaze off her. Those tight-fitting jeans of hers were damn sexy, but the rest of her outfit was cute and girlie. Bright yellow T-shirt. A pair of flip-flops with yellow daisies on the toes. Her blonde hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she wore no makeup except for shiny, pink lip gloss.

Cash gulped. Fuck, he wanted to kiss the gloss right off her lips. To slide his hand underneath the hem of her shirt and stroke her smooth, tanned flesh. Squeeze her firm ass. Undo her ponytail and tangle his fingers through all that golden hair.

Christ, there were so many things he wanted to do to this girl, he didn’t even know which one to focus on.

But…he’d promised her brother he wouldn’t touch her.

Jen’s eyes darkened with displeasure. “You’re just going to avoid the question?”

He blinked out of his trance. “What?”

“Why didn’t you call? Not that I cried about it or anything, but I’m curious, especially since you gave me that whole speech about finishing what we started.”

“I lost your number,” he admitted.

She looked dubious.

“Well, technically, my phone fell in a puddle and I had to get a new one.” He shook his head in aggravation. “Trust me, I wasn’t too happy about that.”

Her expression relaxed. “So you really planned on calling?”

“I told you I would,” he said gruffly.

“Okay. Next question—why did you lie about your job?”

Discomfort curled around his spine. “Some women go a little nuts when they find out I’m a SEAL. Like the chick I was hiding from that night. So I don’t always advertise what I do.” He shrugged. “Sometimes I like knowing that the woman I’m with actually wants me for me, you know?”

She gave a slow nod. “I don’t like being lied to, but I get it. I’ve watched girls throw themselves at my brother for years all because he’s a SEAL.”

They both went quiet again.

Cash raked a hand through his hair, wanting to kick something. Fuck. The universe really did hate him. Here he was, standing in front of the woman he’d been fantasizing about for days, and he wasn’t allowed to touch her.

“Why do you look so pissed off?”

Her weary voice drew him from his thoughts. “I’m not pissed, I’m frustrated.”

“Why?”

He bit back a groan. “Because I really want to kiss you right now.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh.” She swallowed. “I probably wouldn’t mind if you did.”

He chuckled. “Probably?”

“Fine. I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Their gazes locked. The air between them sizzled.

The groan he’d been holding slipped out as he remembered how good her lips had felt pressed against his own. How sweet she’d tasted.

Jen took a timid step forward.

He took a speedy step back.

“But I can’t,” he said flatly. “We can’t get involved, Jen.”

She frowned. “May I ask why?”

“Because I promised your brother I wouldn’t.”

Her jaw fell open. “Are you joking?”

“Dead serious. Carson made it crystal clear that I’m to keep my hands off you.”

She laughed in disbelief. “And I don’t get a say in it?”

Annoyance and anger had stained her cheeks red, and her eyes glittered like bright blue diamonds. She looked really fucking hot when she was pissed off. Then again, it was probably impossible for her to not look hot. Hell, she turned him on by breathing.

Fuckin’ universe.

Clenching his fists at his sides, Cash cursed under his breath. “I know, okay? This sucks. Three days ago, I wanted nothing more than to tear your clothes off and—well, and, you know. But three days ago, you were Jen, the amazing girl I met at the Tavern.”

She huffed out a breath. “I’m still Jen.”

“Yeah—Jen, Carson’s sister,” he said unhappily. “Which means you’re off-limits now.”

She arched one eyebrow. “You’re seriously going to blow me off because you’re scared of my brother?”

“Yes. And I ain’t too manly to admit it—your brother scares the shit outta me.”

“Wow.” She shook her head in amazement. “You’re breaking up with me and we weren’t even dating.”

“I thought you said you don’t date military men, anyway.”

“Date them? No. But I’m not averse to sleeping with them.” She smiled faintly. “Come on, cowboy, you know you want to.”

Hell. He was in hell. No, scratch that—he was in the Garden of Eden, and Jen was dangling the forbidden apple under his nose.

He licked his suddenly dry lips. “I can’t. I promised Carson I’d behave. In case you haven’t noticed, he’s ridiculously protective when it comes to you.”

“He’s overprotective. And just because he’s my brother doesn’t mean he can dictate who I spend time with.” She went quiet for a beat. “So Carson gets to dictate your life too now?”

“It’s guy code,” he muttered. “You don’t mess around with your friend’s sister, especially when that friend tells you not to. And especially when that friend isn’t just a friend, but also your lieutenant. I made him a promise.”

“You kind of already broke it. We almost had sex in a coatroom, remember?”

His dick twitched at the memory. He briefly closed his eyes, then opened them to pin her with a firm stare. “I promised Carson to behave,” he repeated. “And I’m a man of my word.”

She smirked. “You really think we can live together and be able to keep our hands off each other?”

No.

He dismissed that deviant burst of cynicism and gathered up some willpower. He was a grown man—surely he could respect his friend’s wishes and keep his goddamn pants zipped. Jen might be appealing as hell, but he’d met her only three days ago. His friendship with Carson trumped three measly days.

Steeling himself against her mocking eyes, Cash smirked right back at her. “I’ve got great discipline, sweetheart. I think I can keep my hormones under control.”

“Really.” She slanted her head. “What if I told you I like to walk around naked?”

The image caused saliva to fill his mouth. Gulping, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Then I’d politely ask you to put on some clothes.”

“What if I sleepwalk in the middle of the night—naked—and wind up in your bed?”

“Then I’d carry you to your bed, tuck you in, and go back to my room.”

“What if I want to sit in the living room and watch porn? Naked,” she added.

“I’d read a book in my room until you’re done, then come out and watch football.”

She looked frazzled. “You sound very confident in your ability to resist my charms.”

“Discipline,” he reiterated.

“Is that a challenge?”

Aw, hell. This entire discussion was treading on dangerous territory.

He shrugged. “I won’t deny I’m attracted to you, but I won’t act on the attraction. That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, though.”

Friends? Christ, he was grasping at straws here. His dick was so hard it had started to tent in his pants, and Jen’s gaze, of course, immediately dropped to his crotch.

“Friends,” she echoed, her eyes twinkling.

He willed his semi to subside. “Why don’t I show you to your room?” he suggested, desperate for a distraction. “You can unpack, and then maybe we’ll grab some lunch or something.” AKA, get the hell out of the apartment before he jumped her bones.

Her mouth tightened in a resigned line. “Fine. I’ll unpack. But I don’t want lunch. I’m kind of pissed off and the only thing that’ll improve my mood right now is Choctastic Verryberry Swirl.”

He gave her a blank stare.

“It’s an ice cream flavor. There’s a place a few blocks from here that sells it.”

“You want to go out for ice cream.”

“Yes.” Those delicate eyebrows lifted in another challenge. “That’s what friends do, no? Go out for ice cream, have a friendly conversation, walk down the sidewalk while keeping a respectable friend distance between each other.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s what friends do,” he said lightly. “Come on, your new room awaits.”

They were two steps to the hallway when his phone rang. Sliding it out of his pocket, he saw Dylan’s name flashing on the screen.

He was about to ignore the call, but Jen stopped him. “Answer it. I think I can manage unpacking by myself.”

Frustration gathered in his chest as she flounced off. He brought the phone to his ear and said, “Hey, man. Now’s really not a good time.”

“Why? Are you washing your hair?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Dylan laughed. “Seriously, why do you sound so weird?”

“I’m about to take my new houseguest out for some Choctastic Verryberry Swirl.”

“I don’t know what that means. Is that a code?” Dylan paused. “Are you being held hostage and this is your way of signaling me? Blink twice for yes.”

“How’s that going to work? You can’t see me, asshole.” Cash shook his head, unable to contain his amusement. Life was never boring with Dylan Wade around. “And I’m not being held hostage. I really am going out for ice cream with my new roomie.”

“O’Connor moved out?”

“Short-term. He’s giving up his room so Carson’s sister has a place to stay.”

“The LT’s sister is staying with you?” Dylan sounded mystified. “Why?”

“Long story.” He shot a quick look at the empty hallway, then lowered his voice. “This is bad, man. Like really, really bad.”

“Oh, I get it—total cockblock, huh? You can’t exactly bring chicks home and parade them in front of the LT’s sister.” Dylan made a sympathetic noise. “And speaking of chicks, did you ever track down that girl? The one you met at the bar?”

A hysterical laugh bubbled in his throat. “It’s her.”

“It’s who?”

“Carson’s sister. She’s the girl from the bar.”

A beat of silence. Then his friend began to laugh. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Cash said glumly.

“That’s awesome. See, I told you everything would work itself out.”

“This isn’t awesome. It’s a total fucking disaster.”

“Didn’t you tell me how badly you wanted to hook up with her?” Dylan reminded him. “And now she’s crashing at your place? Dude. Forget about the ice cream and bang her instead.”

“I can’t.”

“Okay, I have to ask this again—are you being held hostage? This whole conversation is confusing me.”

“I can’t sleep with her. Carson said she’s off-limits.” He sighed. “The threat of drowning may have been involved too.”

A soft whistle filled the line. “The LT threatened to drown you?”

“Yup.” Cash chewed on the inside of his cheek. “But he was just messing with me, right? He probably wouldn’t care if I hooked up with his sister, right?”

“No, he really will kill you,” Dylan said matter-of-factly. “Trust me. One time he caught me flirting with Holly and threatened to clock me if I ever did it again. But you know me, I totally did it again. It took two weeks for the swelling in my eye to go down.”

“Wait, you got that shiner from Carson? You told us some loser sucker-punched you at a bar.”

“I lied.” Dylan’s normally lazy voice turned serious. “If Carson said hands off, then listen to him. You know what they say about playing with fire…”

“Yeah, yeah, you get burned.”

“No, you get drowned.” With a hearty laugh, Dylan hung up.