Free Then Came You by Jill Shalvis Page B

deserted South Pacific island.”
    â€œHey, at least you got a vote,” he said.
    â€œYou didn’t, I take it.”
    He shook his head. “I’d come home from school and say, ‘Hey, Mom, just joined the Bolivia soccer team,’ and she’d say, ‘Sorry, Son, we’re going to be in Greenland by this time next week.’”
    She couldn’t even imagine. “Did it screw you up?” she asked.
    â€œNah.” He let out a low rueful laugh and scrubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. “Well, maybe a little.”
    â€œDon’t worry, you hide it well,” she teased, trying very hard not to notice that the sound of his hand on his stubbled jaw made her nipples hard.
    This wasn’t good. This was the opposite of good. He was open and fun and charming, but he was also being very professional—as she’d requested—and she needed to be, too. Which meant absolutely no more noticing that he smelled good. Or that she wanted to hug him again . . . and climb into his lap.
Dammit
. “We’re
all
screwed up by our parents. What are your sisters like? Are they like you?”
    â€œLike me how?”
    She bit her lower lip, and he gave her that sexy laugh again. “Oh, don’t hold back now,” he said. “Here’s your chance to tell me what you think of me.”
    She thought he was sexy as hell, but she wasn’t about to share that. The truth was, he was wonderful. He came off as laid-back, deceptively carefree, even playful.
    But he was much more. At work, he was intuitive, sharp, and also incredibly demanding, expecting the best for his patients, expecting the best out of the staff.
    He’d been all those things in bed, too, and at the memory, her body quivered. If she closed her eyes, she could still remember what his hands had felt like on her, guiding her where he wanted, his mouth at her ear, his words turning her on every bit as much as the rest of him.
    â€œNo words?” he asked. “Nothing?”
    â€œMaybe a little annoying,” she said primly, and he flashed that knowing smile again.
    He knew her way better than was comfortable.
    â€œYour sisters,” she said. “You were going to tell me about your sisters.”
    â€œThey’re crazy,” he said. But his tone was affectionate, and there was laughter in his voice. “Zoe’s only eleven months older than me, but she’s been playing mom since she could walk. Darcy’s the baby, and managed to party her way across the planet. They’re both colossal pains in my ass, but for the most part we make it work.”
    â€œYou live with them.”
    â€œFor now. They needed me.” He shrugged. “Family.”
    At the simple statement, and the deep loyalty in it, she nodded. She got that. Learning about his family, how he’d grown up, how he took care of his sisters, it was yet another layer to him that she hadn’t expected.
    As for their little experiment of getting to know each other in order to derail their attraction . . . if the low-level hum of arousal buzzing through her system accounted for anything, they hadn’t derailed a single thing. And now, instead of liking him less, she liked him more.
    Epic fail.
    â€œI really wanted you to be a jerk,” she admitted softly.
    â€œYou wanted to work with a jerk?”
    â€œNo, I wanted to not be attracted to you anymore.” She reached for her beer, needing the liquid courage. “Is it just me?” she asked softly into his silence, knowing she shouldn’t. “I’m the only one struggling here?”
    He looked at her for a long moment, but didn’t respond to that, either. Instead, he dropped some cash on the table, stood up, and pulled her with him.
    Mr. Professional.
    She should appreciate the effort. She should replicate his effort. “Where are we going now?”
    â€œHome,” he said, taking her back to his