Oh my god.
It was him.
It was the pink-haired man from the boardwalk. Whose shirt I was currently wearing.
Andhewas wearing nothing but a tiny scrap of silk and lace.
Panic bubbled in my chest, spreading until it felt like my veins had gone numb.
I didn’t know where to look. There was so much skin. And—and lace. And…silk.
He was wearing lingerie.
Lingerie.
On a man.
Oh my god.
I couldn’t breathe. I’d already made a fool out of myself once with him, and now here I was again, falling apart because of a piece of clothing.
My body tingled everywhere.
Even though I tried to keep my eyes on his face, I couldn’t stop them from dropping down his smooth chest and flat stomach, my gaze drifting over the tattoos randomly scattered across his body, all the way down to the black panties that were hugging his hips. The obvious bulge of his dick behind the silk and lace made me feel like I was seeing something forbidden, something not meant for me.
He was like every one of the fantasies I’d ever had come to life, and I could feel myself getting harder and harder.
Horror that I was reacting like that engulfed me.
“Hi, Beau. Remember me?” His words were a delicious purr, and when I raised my eyes to his, he had that gorgeous smile on his lips. “You disappeared before I could thank you. I’m glad you’re still wearing?—”
Shea moved closer, setting his hand on Lea’s arm. “What are you talking about? Go put on some clothes. I swear to god?—”
“Okay, fine, fine! I’m going!” He let Shea push him into the room, but not before he looked back at me and winked. “See you soon, sugar.”
Shea yanked the door shut and sighed heavily, resting his forehead against the wood and muttering something under his breath.
“Well,” he said, pushing off the door. “That was Lea.”
“Oh.” I had no clue what to say, and my throat was so dry that I didn’t think anything of substance would come out anyway.
“Sorry about that. Lea’s very…free-spirited. And clothes-averse. Are you okay? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable here, Beau.”
I let out a shaky breath and rubbed my hands down my face. “No, I—” I swallowed, then shook out my hands. “I’m okay.”
My brother thought I was uncomfortable for all the wrong reasons, and I would let him continue to think that.
Because I had a secret, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready to share it.
With anyone.
Ever.
I quickly brought allmy bags to my room and unpacked. There was a small mirror leaning on the wall behind the door that I immediately turned around. One glimpse at my red face was enough; I really didn’t want to see the constant reminder of how socially inept I was.
There was a bed, a desk, a closet, and not much else. It was a good space. Small, but enough. I didn’t need anything bigger, anyway, and there were two huge windows facing the ocean that made up for its size. One had a bulky AC unit in it, but the other one could be opened.
We weren’t right on top of the water, there were probably three or four blocks between Lea’s apartment and the ocean, but I could see it. The first thing I did after unpacking was open the window. I didn’t care about the heat for now because I wanted to be able to smell the water.