The door swings open.
And my entire body malfunctions.My limbs forget how to move.My brain forgets how to form a single coherent thought.My breath stalls halfway up my throat, andoh god,I am so,soscrewed.
Joel steps out, still dripping wet despite a towel hanging obscenely low on his hips.His chiseled torso is on full display—like some reckless god of destruction sent solely to dismantle my last shred of sanity.
I think I actually black out for a second.
His shoulder length hair is damp, messy, curling slightly at the ends and it reminds me of how he used to look when we were kids.A single droplet slides from his shoulder down his chest?—
Nope.
Absolutely not.
Do not pass go.Do not collect $200.
Do not,under any circumstances, let your eyes go any lower, Anna.
My gaze jerks up to his face so fast, it’s a miracle I don’t snap my own neck.
Of course Joel notices.
His lips twitch, amusement flickering behind his way too curious eyes.Something else flashes across his features and his face flushes.
And just like that, I know.
Heknows.
He knows thatIknow.
Heat bursts up my neck and into my own goddamn cheeks.
I need to fix this.Right now.
I clear my throat, crossing my arms so tightly, I might cut off my own circulation.“Took you long enough.”
Joel tilts his head, a hint of entertainment spreading across his lips as he gives me a lopsided grin.“Something wrong, Ace?”
Yes.Everything is wrong.Wrong, wrong,wrong.
But then he shifts his weight slightly, and?—
Oh mygod, the toweldips.
Panic explodes in my chest.
My brain flatlines.
I snap my gaze back to his face with the force of a thousand nuclear reactors.
Joel’s smirk deepens.
Fuck my life.
“Did you, ah…” He pauses, dragging my torture out as he runs his hand through his wet hair, making his bicep flex in the motion.“Were you standing outside the bathroom door long?”
I scoff—too fast, too sharp.“What?Psh.No.Jesus, Price, I was?—”
Too defensive.Absolutely zero chill.