Footsteps sounded on the deck, and then someone was knocking on the latched door. “Cam?” came Gavin’s voice. “Piper’s with you, right?”

Cam waited for her to hastily pull on the rest of her clothes before opening the door.

“Hey,” her brother said. He took in Piper’s state of dishevelment and then Cam in just the sweatpants and expansive bare chest. “I’m interrupting.”

“Yes,” Cam said at the exact same time Piper shook her head and said, “No.” Carefully avoiding looking at Cam, she shook her head again. “I’m going to work.”

“I know,” Gavin said, still looking unsure, clearly guessing he’d caught them at a bad moment. “Jenna called, said she needed a ride and you weren’t picking up. She wanted me to make sure you weren’t . . . preoccupied, and not looking at your phone.”

“I’m on my way out right now.” Piper grabbed her sweatshirt and accidentally made eye contact with Cam. She didn’t need a rocket scientist to tell her what he was thinking, that he was irritated because she was suppressing her feelings. And he’d be right.

But that was her only defense. It was all she knew, and she wouldn’t apologize for that. She bit her lip. Okay, dammit, she would apologize. “Gavin, we need a minute.”

When her brother was gone, she looked at Cam. “I’m sorry I’m so emotionally . . . challenged. I don’t mean to be playing a game or to lead you on. The truth is, I . . . like you. A lot. And I think we both know that’s more than a little terrifying for me, which I realize makes me a risk, and I’m sure, annoying as hell.”

“You like me.” He paused. “A lot.”

A small, disbelieving laugh escaped her. “Is that all you heard?”

“No, but that was my favorite part.”

“Good.” She went up on tiptoes and brushed a kiss to his lips. “Can we work on the more part?”

His hands went to her hips and held her still as he took the kiss deeper and hotter. “Absolutely,” he said when he was done rendering her stupid.

She kept her arms around him. “Good. Please be careful. Please come back in one piece.”

“To you?”

“To me. One piece,” she reiterated.

He gave her another kiss that curled her toes, and when she got home from work twelve hours later, he was long gone.

Chapter 26

It was anyone’s guess as to which of their current mistakes had stopped by.