Then, suddenly, I get a better idea. Am I bold enough to do it? Of course I am. I never back down from a dare, even if it’s one I invent for myself. I take a deep breath, then open the shower door just wide enough to slip through. I step in and meet his gaze. Shock value at its finest. I wait for a reaction, but he just stands there calmly holding my gaze in what feels like an R-rated game of chicken.

“Was I really taking that long?” he asks, his eyes fixed on mine. He’s clearly determined not to look down, and I admire his discipline.

“Kind of,” I say with a smirk, watching the water run over his shoulders and chest.

“So do you want me to get out?” he asks, blinking, then pointing toward the only exit route from the shower—which I’m currently blocking.

Suddenly, I’m speechless. Inexplicably so. I swallow, then manage to shake my head.

“Is that a no?”

“Yes, it’s a no,” I say. “I don’t want you to get out.”

“Okay, then,” he says, staring back at me. “What are you doing here, exactly?”

His expression is impossible to read. It could be anything from pissed to annoyed to bored to amused. He might even be turned on, but that feels like a long shot given that he’s still not lowering his eyes.

I stand there, now not only speechless but flustered.

“No comment, huh?” he asks me with the slightest trace of a smile.

I shiver, then say, “I just wanted to join you…. I was cold.”

He raises his eyebrows, nods, then moves toward the wall, making space for me under the showerhead.

“Well, then,” he says. “Come on over.”

When I still don’t move, Tyson takes a step toward me. He reaches out and encircles my waist with both of his hands, then gently pulls me closer to him. It’s an incredibly hot maneuver, but I still can’t tell if he has a sexual thought in his head. Frustrating and intoxicating at once. His face and body now inches from mine, we stand under the hot water together.

As I take a deep breath, his hands slide slowly from my waist to my hips.

He pulls me even closer, then whispers in my ear. “There,” he says. “Is this what you wanted?”

Chapter 22

Tyson

I should have known when Lainey gave me that look in the elevator that she was up to something. Baiting me. She talks a big game, but she also backs it up with action. Still, I never would have predicted that she would take it this far—stepping naked into the shower with me. It’s over the top even for her, and she looks incredibly proud of herself.

I’ve seen Lainey naked before—but only a flash here and there. This time is different. Much different. I carefully consider my next move. I know what I should do. I know I should get out of there posthaste and go straight to bed. But I feel my own stubborn streak kicking in as I hold my ground, then point-blank ask her what she’s doing.

For once, she doesn’t have an answer—and something in her brown eyes looks different. Softer. Almost vulnerable.

“I just wanted to join you,” she says, shivering. “I was cold.”

I make room for her under the water and tell her to “come on over.”

She doesn’t move.

After a few seconds, I reach out and gently grab her waist, pulling her toward me and under the water. I’m surprised by how small she feels in my hands and how easily she folds into my arms. I’m even more surprised that she follows my lead with none of her usual gamesmanship. It’s almost as if she’s a different person. As I look into her eyes, a feeling of warmth washes over me.

“There,” I say right into her ear. “Is this what you wanted?”

She shudders as I move my hands to her hips, pulling her closer. She puts her face on my chest and makes a soft oh sound. I take it as a yes, moving my hands to her ass.

“Goddamnit, Lainey,” I whisper, kissing her neck and earlobe. “Your body—”

She looks up at me and smiles. She knows how good she looks, and her confidence drives me crazy. At the same time, I feel a sense of calm. Touching Lainey feels surprisingly comfortable and familiar. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, though. After all, there has never been any pretense or bullshit with Lainey. She is exactly who she has always said she is. I’m dying to kiss her, but I make myself hold back, knowing that we will take things too far if I do. Lainey isn’t one to put on the brakes, and my resolve is starting to slip, too.

I look into her eyes, the warm feeling expanding in my chest. I want to freeze this moment. Savor it. But we are at a crossroads, and I know that we have to move forward or stop altogether. It’s an extremely close call, but I choose the latter.

I kiss Lainey’s forehead, then step around her to get out of the shower. I towel myself off and quickly throw on my shorts and a T-shirt before walking back into the bedroom.

Holy shit, I think. What just happened?

A moment later, Lainey appears in the bedroom, wrapped in a towel. I look over at her, then watch as she approaches me with a subdued expression.

“Why did you get out?” she asks me.

“You know why,” I say. “The better question is—why did you get in?”

“Because I wanted to,” she says, standing in front of me and looking right into my eyes. “I’m attracted to you.”

I swallow and nod. “I’m attracted to you, too,” I say.

“Then why did you stop?” she asks me, looking genuinely curious.

I pause, then say, “Because I need to process this. We can’t fuck up our friendship on a drunken whim.”

“I guess you’re right,” she says, nodding.

“Yeah,” I say, thinking there are other reasons, too—reasons that I can’t quite articulate, even to myself. I think they have something to do with Summer and the idea that I’d be crossing a line with the second of my three best friends. It doesn’t feel right.

“But for what it’s worth,” Lainey says, “I don’t think it’s a whim….”

I bite my lip, then choose my words carefully. “Maybe not, but we need to be sure.”

She nods, staring at me with her big eyes. “Can we at least cuddle?”

The warm feeling invades my body again, this time overtaking me completely.

I nod, then lead her over to the bed. We lie down, putting our heads on the same pillow, her towel still wrapped around her.

“Come closer,” I say, my heart beating funny.

She slides the whole way over to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

“What’s happening here?” she whispers.