0°Celsius: To thaw a frozen heart

Un-freaking-believable.

Jen snuck a sidelong look at Cash as he parked his SUV at the curb in front of the ice cream parlor. The entire ride over, he’d been making idle conversation and acting like they were nothing but a pair of buddies going out for ice cream.

It was disconcerting to realize he hadn’t been kidding about keeping things platonic between them. Not that she was some sex-crazed nympho who couldn’t keep her pants on, but come on. Their chemistry at the Tavern had nearly set the place on fire. And she hadn’t missed the tent situation under his pants earlier. An entire Boy Scout troop could’ve camped under there.

At least he wasn’t denying the chemistry between them. His admission that he wanted her had been a definite ego boost…until he announced that he wouldn’t be acting on that attraction.

Because of her brother.

And you’re surprised because…?

True. Why was she surprised? Carson had been doing the whole macho big-brother bullshit her entire life. He’d scared away more potential boyfriends than she could count. He’d ruined her first kiss by bursting onto the porch, pulling Ben Sampson off her mid-liplock, and ordering Ben to keep his tongue in his own mouth. And who could forget prom night, when Carson guaranteed she wouldn’t lose her virginity by informing her date of all the ways he could kill a man thanks to his military training.

And then, when she’d finally lost her virginity to Kyle Parker, Carson was the one who sent Kyle running afterward by giving him a speech about condoms and threatening to drown him if he knocked her up.

To drown him. Who threatened to drown people, for Pete’s sake?

And now her brother had gotten to Cash, the only guy who’d ever managed to arouse her by merely breathing.

Sure, Cash’s military status squashed any notion of something long-lasting between them, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t indulge in a little fling as long as they were living together. She got the feeling that sleeping with Cash would be a whole new experience, an introduction to the kind of sex she’d always craved. Wild, passionate, uninhibited.

But Carson had officially thrown yet another wrench in her love life.

“So you weren’t kidding the other day when you mentioned a crazy ex,” Cash remarked.

“I never kid about stalkers,” she said glumly.

A bell dinged as they walked through the door of the ice cream parlor. Jen made a beeline for the counter and ordered without glancing at the menu posted on the wall. “Two scoops of Choctastic Verryberry Swirl in a waffle cone, please,” she told the pimply-faced kid who greeted her. “And a to-go gallon of the same flavor.”

Cash whistled. “As your friend, I should warn you that all that ice cream can’t be good for your figure.”

She bestowed him a sweet smile. “As the woman you refuse to sleep with, I should tell you that my figure is none of your concern.”

The kid behind the counter coughed and averted his eyes. “Um. What can I get you?” he asked Cash in a squeaky pubescent voice.

“Double scoop of rocky road. Waffle cone.”

After they paid for their cones and stepped outside, Jen headed for the wooden bench out front, but Cash took her arm and led her back to the SUV. “We’ll sit in the car,” he announced.

“We can’t eat ice cream in your air-conditioned car. You’re supposed to eat ice cream outside, where it’s hot and sunny and the cold ice cream hits the spot.”

Unfazed, he dragged her to the passenger door. “Considering your knowledge of obscure ice cream flavors, you probably come to this place a lot. Which means Psycho McGee probably knows that. Which means he might be lurking in the bushes. Ergo, get in the fucking car.”

Lord, his hand felt like a steel band around her forearm. This man was strong.

More than a little annoyed at being manhandled, Jen reluctantly got in the SUV, frowning when Cash slammed her door and rounded the vehicle. He slid in next to her without a word and focused on his waffle cone.

Her gaze followed the movements of his tongue. Gosh, look at him go. Lick. Swirl. Flick. Her thighs clenched together as she imagined that tongue working between her legs with the same focused precision.

Plop.

She squeaked when something cold landed between her breasts. Great. Her ice cream was melting.

A second later, Cash shoved a paper napkin in her direction.

Shrugging away his hand, she curved her lips in an impish smile. “I got it.”

She dipped her finger into her cleavage, swiped at the ice cream, and brought her finger to her mouth.

Cash made a hissing sound as she licked her finger clean.

“So, out of curiosity, how many female friends do you have?” she asked.

His expression turned stony. “None. How many stalkers do you have?”

“Just the one,” she said cheerfully. She licked the side of her cone before another drop of melting ice cream slid off.

From the corner of her eye, she saw that the tables had turned. Cash was now watching her, his vivid blue eyes glued to her mouth. Deciding to milk it for all she was worth, she licked her ice cream until she heard that sexy little hissing sound again.

She met his eyes. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” he said stiffly. “So…uh…how’d you hook up with Psycho McGee anyway?”

“He came into my store to buy his mother a locket.” She lapped at the top of the cone, then rubbed her lips over the cold cream. “Gosh, this is so good. Wanna taste?”

Licking her lips, she stuck out her cone.

Cash stared at it as if it carried the Ebola virus. “No thanks.”

“Suit yourself,” she said, shrugging as she went back to diligent licking.

The temperature in the SUV spiked. The sound of crunching filled the air as Cash polished off his cone with impressive speed. The second he swallowed the last bite, he wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin and abruptly started the engine.

“That was fun,” he said in an overly cheerful voice. “We should do this again sometime.”

She rolled her eyes as he practically burned rubber pulling away from the curb. So he didn’t enjoy a little harmless teasing. Too bad, because he deserved it. It bugged her how he could so easily give in to her brother’s demands. That he was actually willing to shove her in the friend zone all because his commanding officer told him to.

As frustration boiled in her belly, Jen focused on her cone, wishing she weren’t so damn attracted to the man sitting beside her. But he was just so…hot. And he smelled terrific—the scent of his woodsy aftershave kept wafting into her nose and giving her a head rush.

“Four months,” Cash finally said, bringing the conversation back to Brendan. “When did you realize he was nuts?”

“Just in the last month or so. There were little red flags at the beginning, but they got bigger and more noticeable toward the end. Like, when he started texting me every hour.” She shook her head, the arousal in her body fizzling as memories of Brendan crept in. “And if I didn’t respond, he’d call and demand to know where I was and what I was doing.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Yeah, real fun. Clingy and possessive are deal-breakers for me when it comes to relationships.”

“No kidding.”

“Once he showed me that side of himself, I knew I had to end it, so when he told me he was being transferred, it gave me the perfect opportunity to break it off. He tried convincing me to have a long-distance relationship, but I held my ground and told him it was over.”

“And he didn’t take it too well,” Cash filled in.

“Nope. He caused a huge scene at the restaurant, cursing and yelling, which was embarrassing as hell, by the way. I figured he’d cool down in a few days and get over it, but he didn’t. He started sending me long, desperate emails, and lots of texts and DMs begging me for another chance. He had flowers delivered to my apartment every day for a week. Finally I called him and told him to stop, making it clear that it was over.” She paused. “He didn’t like that one bit.”

Cash’s jaw went stiff. “Carson said he attacked you.”

“He grabbed me,” she admitted. “I was at a club with my friend Tessa and he followed us there. When we were leaving, Tessa was on the sidewalk hailing a cab, and Brendan just appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed my arm and begged for another chance, and when I told him to leave me alone, he shook my shoulders and started yelling.” Jen had to grin. “I kicked him in the balls and dove into the cab.”

“Good girl.” Cash’s eyes glimmered with approval.

She popped the last piece of waffle cone into her mouth and chewed slowly. “The next day, Brendan showed up at the jewelry store with flowers and apologized. I told him for the hundredth time that it was really over, and he seemed to accept it. But he kept up with the emails and texts, which only got angrier and creepier. Then he started leaving handwritten notes in my mailbox.” Her chest tightened with anger. “But the last straw was breaking into my apartment. Did Carson tell you about the rose petals?”

Cash nodded.

“How freaking creepy is that?”

She still remembered the fear shuddering through her veins when she’d walked through the door and found the trail of crimson petals. Rather than follow it to her bedroom, she’d raced into the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife. Then she’d called the cops and her brother, and waited out in the hall until help arrived.

Fortunately, the apartment had been empty, save for the roses and the note Brendan had left on her pillow. She ended up spending the night with Carson and her sister-in-law, and the next morning Carson drove her to the station to file the restraining order.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see what a psycho he was,” she grumbled. “I must be the biggest idiot on the planet.”

“You’re not an idiot. Guys like that know how to manipulate people. They wear this perfect mask to lure you in, and once they have you, they drop the mask and let their inner crazy shine.”

His reassurance bolstered her spirits, as did the lack of pity on his face. She hated being pitied, which happened a lot in her family. Each time she failed at a job or admitted she hadn’t found her life’s direction yet, her parents stared at her with those big pitying eyes and made her feel like an even bigger failure.

They reached Cash’s building a few minutes later and hopped out of the car. Jen glanced up at the cloudless blue sky and let the sun’s rays heat her face, enjoying the balmy breeze that lifted her ponytail and tickled the nape of her neck. The one good thing about getting fired was that she didn’t have to spend the afternoon indoors, stuck behind a jewelry counter. But if she wanted to keep her apartment—and her independence—she’d have to start combing the job ads and find work ASAP.

“Let’s sit by the pool,” she suggested. “I’m not ready to go in yet.”

“Sure, but we should probably take this upstairs first.” He held up the gallon of ice cream that had been sitting in the backseat.

After a quick trip up to the apartment, they emerged onto the manicured grass in the back. A rectangular pool sat in the center of the sprawling lawn, surrounded by a concrete deck offering white lounge chairs and tables topped with red-and-blue umbrellas. Despite the great weather, the pool was devoid of swimmers. They had the area to themselves as they approached the deck.

“You look relieved to not be going inside,” she remarked.

His eyes became veiled. “I like the outdoors. And it’s a nice day.”

She fought laughter. “Know what I think? I think you’re worried that if we’re inside, in close quarters, your trusty discipline might fail you.”

He mumbled something unintelligible.

She kicked off her flip-flops and rolled up the bottom of her jeans, then sat by the ladder next to the deep end and shoved her bare feet in the water. Cash did the same, leaving his sneakers on the grass as he joined her.

“Why don’t you have any platonic female friends?” she asked, tilting her head toward him.

“I’ve always been more of a guy’s guy.” He shrugged in a seriously adorable way. “Talking to women isn’t my strong suit.”

She grinned. “So you can hit on women, but you can’t talk to them?”

Adorable shrug number two. “Everything leading up to sex is easy. During sex is a piece of cake too. Everything after sex? It’s like walking through a minefield. I mean, why can’t I just tell you that a certain outfit looks bad? Or that Grey’s Anatomy sucks? Why do I have to recite a whole bunch of little white lies and play all those games?”

“I hate games,” she agreed. “Say what you mean, mean what you say. That’s how I roll.”

“Good to know, bro.”

Jen laughed. “Look at you, you’re doing just fine talking to me. Honest, cute, joking.” She raised her eyebrows. “Or is it easy for you because this is all leading up to sex?”

He scowled. “We’re not going to have sex.”

“Right, because you took an oath. Hey, did Carson make you sign the oath in blood?” When his scowl deepened, she simply laughed again. “Fine, I’ll stop. Let’s keep doing the friend thing.” She paused in thought. “So what’s up with the name Cash?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what made your parents decide to name you after money?”

“Can we change the subject?”

She furrowed her brows. “Wait, you mean there’s actually a story behind your name? I was just passive-aggressively making fun of you.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Her curiosity was piqued. “I want to hear the story.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“Don’t bat your eyelashes at me like that. That move might work on other guys, but—oh, Jesus, are you crying? Damn it. Fine, I’ll tell you. Just stop crying.”

She blinked rapidly to clear the moisture in her eyes and offered a broad smile. “Great, can’t wait to hear it.”

Cash looked betrayed. “Those were fake tears?”

“I can cry on command,” she confessed. “Used to work wonders when I was a kid, but once my family caught on, the trick ended up backfiring. Like when I was fourteen, I took gymnastics—yet another pointless activity I absolutely sucked at—and I broke my arm falling off the uneven bars during a meet. My parents saw the tears and thought I was faking. It took thirty minutes, while I was in excruciating pain, mind you, to convince them I was actually injured.”

Cash threw his head back and laughed. “I don’t even feel bad for you. It’s not cool, manipulating people like that.”

“Duh. That’s why I don’t do it anymore.”

“You just did,” he shot back.

“Because you were being difficult,” she said defensively. “I want to know about your name.”

“Fine, but no passive-aggressive commentary.”

“Deal.”

He leaned on his elbows and tipped his head up to the sky. The pose was casual, but hot as hell. His biceps bulged in the most delectable way. The tilt of his head revealed the strong tendons of his throat and the stubble shadowing his square jaw. Why hadn’t she noticed he had a tiny cleft in his chin? Gosh, she wanted to lick that spot with her tongue. And then lick the masculine curve of his jaw. And that hard chest and mouthwatering six-pack. And—okay, she pretty much wanted to lick every inch of Cash McCoy’s body.

Dragging her mind out of the gutter, she mimicked his pose and fell back on her elbows. “I’m waiting…”

He shifted his gaze toward her. “Short version? My parents found out they won the lottery five minutes before my mom was about to have an abortion.”

Jen’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?” Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ Find ɴøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Yup.” A self-deprecating smile lifted his mouth. “Fetus-me was gonna be aborted, even though my parents constantly assure me that they loved me and were devastated that they couldn’t keep me.”

“Why couldn’t they?”

“Mom was sixteen, Dad was two years older. They both came from bad homes, ran away together, and were living in a rundown trailer outside of Phoenix when my mom got pregnant. They had about ten dollars in the bank. Dad just lost his job flipping burgers at some fast food place, and Mom dropped out of high school to help pay the bills.”

“Sounds tough,” Jen said sympathetically.

“They were in no position to have a kid. Even carrying the baby and giving it up for adoption would’ve been hard. They had no money to pay for food, let alone medical bills. So yeah, they made a hard choice.”

She studied his chiseled profile, but he didn’t look upset about the decision his parents had made.

“Anyway, once my dad turned eighteen, he started buying lottery tickets. He figured their situation couldn’t get any worse than it already was, so he shelled out two bucks a week, and every week they didn’t win a damn thing.” Cash grinned. “So they’re sitting there in the waiting room of the clinic and the TV’s on. The news is replaying the winning numbers from the night before, and Dad realizes he forgot to check his ticket. So he pulls it out and what do you know—he’s won the jackpot.”

She stared at him in amazement. “You’re joking.”

“Dead serious. They won ten million dollars.”

“Ten million! Holy shit.”

“Mom decided it was a sign from God telling them to keep me. She says he knew they needed cash and so he graciously gave them some. That’s why they named me Cash.”

“Wow. I can’t believe that’s a true story. It sounds like the plot of one of those feel-good movies.”

He rolled his eyes. “Your turn. Why’d your parents name you Jennifer?”

“It’s my mom’s middle name.”

“That’s it? That’s the story?”

“Gee, Cash, I’m sorry the origins of my name aren’t to your liking.”

A familiar voice interrupted before he could respond. “Jen!”

Squinting, Jen looked up and spotted Annabelle Holmes waving at her from a third-floor balcony.

“Stay there. We’re coming down,” Annabelle called before disappearing from view.

Cash looked surprised for a moment. “You know Annabelle?” He quickly answered his own question. “Wait, of course you do. You probably know her better than I do, huh? Evans, too.”

“Yeah, Annabelle’s awesome. But I don’t know Ryan as well as some of the others. I’m probably closest with John Garrett and Will Charleston since they’re my brother’s BFFs. Do you know them? Neither of them is active duty anymore, but I’m sure you’ve at least heard of them.”

“Will was one of my instructors during BUD/S training,” he answered. “And Garrett hosts poker night every now and then, but we’re not close.”

“You’re missing out. He’s hot.”

Cash snorted. “How am I missing out?”

She pictured John Garrett’s soulful brown eyes and ripped body, and a little shiver danced up her spine. “Because he’s…well, hot,” she said again. “I had the biggest crush on him when I was a teenager. He was eight years older and completely unattainable. Treated me like a pesky little sister, and then, by the time I was old enough to catch his eye, he’d turned into a manwhore and had enough threesomes with my brother that hooking up with him would’ve felt like hooking up with Carson.”

She suddenly noticed that Cash’s expression had hardened, almost as if he was…jealous? Because she’d admitted to having a crush on someone else when she was younger?

Before she could ask, the back doors of the building swung open and Annabelle emerged, looking gorgeous and relaxed in a print sundress and sandals. Ryan Evans tailed his girlfriend, his tall, muscular frame clad in bright blue surf shorts and a black wife-beater.

“Hey,” Annabelle said happily as Jen stood to greet her. The two of them hugged, while Ryan reached out to tap fists with Cash. “Carson said you were moving in today. He ordered us to make you feel welcome.”

Jen frowned. “He specifically called you to tell you that?”

Annabelle snickered. “He called everyone.”

“Conferenced us all in this morning,” Ryan piped up.

“He held a conference call?” Jen said in disbelief.

“Everyone was on the line,” Annabelle confirmed with a grin. “Even Garrett and Will.”

Ryan laughed. “It was like a high school reunion over the phone.”

Wow. Her brother was really taking this Brendan thing seriously. Sweet as it was, she couldn’t fight the urge to strangle him.

“Anyway, we wanted to have you over for dinner this week,” Annabelle said. She glanced at Cash. “You too, Cash.”

“We’ll be there,” he answered. “Thanks for the invite.”

“You’re welcome. Now, shoo, both of you,” Annabelle said, dismissing the men with the wave of a hand. “I want to talk to Jen alone.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Where exactly do you want us to go?”

She waved her hand again. “I don’t know. Over there. Out of earshot.”

Jen hid a grin as the two guys lumbered off toward the shallow end of the pool.

“Yeah, I’m thinking of dumping her,” they heard Ryan say loudly. “She’s incredibly bossy.”

Annabelle ignored her boyfriend’s taunt and flopped down on one of the lounge chairs. “Sit. I need to ask you something.”

Intrigued, Jen sat on the neighboring chair and met Annabelle’s concerned brown eyes. “What’s going on?”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you. Are you seriously in danger from this Brendan guy?”

Jen sighed. “I don’t think so. His creep levels are high, but I think the messages will stop once he leaves town. He’s being transferred to Oakland at the end of the month.”

“Yeah, Carson mentioned that.” Annabelle’s expression turned shrewd. “Are you just saying this so nobody will worry? Because if you believe this guy might actually go American Psycho on you, you need to say something.”

“I’m not just saying it. Brendan is weird and clingy, and yes, he did get aggressive one time, but I don’t think he’s capable of anything extreme. He’s got a good position at his investment firm and there’s no way he’d risk throwing away his career. Success is important to him.”

Annabelle relaxed. “Okay. But if you feel like you’re in real danger, don’t brush it off. Tell Cash, or Carson, or Ryan. Don’t think that a restraining order means you’re protected.”

“I promise I’ll tell someone if I feel like I’m in danger.”

“Good.” Annabelle ran a hand through her dark hair. “Now I’m going to be extra nosy and ask you something else.”

“Um…okay?”

“What’s going on with Holly and your brother?”

“What are you talking about?” Jen asked in confusion.

“The arguments… Holly staying with her sister…?”

“What?”

The other woman instantly backpedaled. “Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

“Wait a minute, you can’t just say something like that and ask me to forget it. What do you mean Holly is staying with her sister?”

And why the hell didn’t Jen know about it? She’d seen her brother several times this week and not once had he mentioned that he and his wife might be having problems. Granted, he hadn’t offered to let her stay at his place, but she’d figured that was because Carson and Holly’s apartment only had one bedroom. Sleeping on a couch for a month wasn’t Jen’s idea of a good time. She’d assumed her brother had dumped her on Cash out of a sense of decency, so she’d have a real bedroom and some actual privacy.

But had he done it for another reason? Made her stay with Cash so she wouldn’t find out about the rocky state of his relationship?

“What do you know?” she demanded.

“Not much. Holly won’t talk about it, and whenever I ask, she says everything is fine. But I know she’s lying. I caught her crying after the wedding we planned last weekend, but she chalked it up to nostalgia and said it reminded her of her and Carson’s wedding.”

“You said they were fighting?”

“Ry and Matt heard them arguing last week when they showed up early for poker night. And I overheard Holly fighting with Carson over the phone when I went by the restaurant to have lunch with her a couple of days ago. That’s when she told me she’d stayed with her sister the other night. She admitted they’ve both been really busy and on edge lately, and she claims they needed some breathing room.” Annabelle shook her head. “Why on earth would they need breathing room when he’s been gone for the past six months?”

Jen absorbed the information, wondering if she ought to be worried. It was true, her brother and sister-in-law did lead busy lives. Holly spent five days a week working at a five-star restaurant, as well as co-owned an event planning and catering company with Annabelle. The business ate up a lot of their weekends, and several weeknights now that the venture had gained more recognition. Carson, meanwhile, was a SEAL, which not only meant lengthy deployments every other year, but that he was forever on call, ready to get on a chopper at a minute’s notice and often gone for weeks or months at a time with no way to contact his wife.

The long absences had the power to destroy a relationship—which was precisely why Jen shied away from military men. Growing up, her father had been a complete stranger to her; he was the strict, taciturn man who made an appearance whenever his tour of duty ended. Her mother had shouldered the burden of raising Jen and Carson alone, while working as a full-time nurse.

Watching her mom struggle and seeing her parents attempt to reconnect each time her dad came home had cemented Jen’s decision to avoid that kind of relationship. She wanted a partner in every sense of the word, a man who’d be there day in and day out, not one who’d hand all the responsibilities to her while he went off to fight for his country.

It troubled her to hear that Carson and Holly were having problems. Those two had a strong, loving marriage, but even the strongest and most loving marriages could buckle under the pressure.

“I didn’t know anything about it,” Jen admitted. “But then again, nobody in my family tells me anything.”

“Well, if you get a chance, talk to Holly, okay? She won’t confide in me or Shelby or anyone else. Savannah thinks we should have a girls’ night next week and pry the truth out of her.”

“Count me in.”

“I’ll text you the details when I know them. But if you talk to her before then, see what you can find out.”

“I will.”

When male laughter met her ears, Jen’s gaze drifted over to Cash and Ryan, who were chortling about something at the other end of the pool. It suddenly occurred to her just how much they resembled each other. They both had dark brown hair, blue eyes, the same muscular body type. They could easily pass for brothers, yet while she found Ryan attractive, the sight of him didn’t elicit the same rush of desire she felt when looking at Cash.

Annabelle followed her gaze and smiled coyly. “How do you like Cash?”

She didn’t bother coming up with an offhand reply; she got the feeling her sexual longing was written all over her face. “What do you think?” she answered in a wry voice.

“He’s yummy, right? This one time, I suggested we invite him to have a threesome, but Ryan said no way.” Annabelle’s voice lowered to an amused whisper. “I think he’s scared that Cash might have more stamina than him or something. Ever since Ry turned thirty, he’s all paranoid about his manhood. Personally, I think a threesome would only benefit him. You know, force him to up his game.”

Jen hoped the other woman couldn’t see the blush on her cheeks. But jeez. Was she the only person on the planet who’d never indulged in a threesome? Envy burned in her belly. Seemed like pretty much everyone she knew got to experience the kind of sex she’d always dreamed about. Hot, kinky, exciting.

She cast another look at Cash, annoyance creeping up her spine. He was laughing at something Ryan had said, looking sexy as all get out with his T-shirt clinging to his washboard abs and perfectly defined pecs. Bastard, depriving her of all that sexiness.

She turned back to find Annabelle grinning at her. “Ha! You do want him. And bad, from the look of it. It sucks about Carson’s ruling, doesn’t it?”

Jen narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Carson mentioned in the conference call that Cash has been ordered to keep his hands off you.” Along with sympathy, barely restrained humor danced in Annabelle’s expression.

Jen was outraged. “Oh my God. He actually told everyone that?”

“Yep.”

“I’m going to kill him one day.”

“Not sure I’d blame you. The way he talks about you, you’re all of twelve years old. I don’t think he realizes you’re practically the same age as his wife.”

True. Holly was only three years older than her, now that she thought about it.

Annabelle waved a hand again. “My advice? You want Cash, go for it. Life’s too short to not go after what you want.”

“Good advice, except that Cash has decided we’re just friends. He keeps bragging about his formidable discipline.”

The brunette snorted. “He’s been undressing you with his eyes for the past twenty minutes. One little push and you’ll have that boy in your bed.”

Jen shifted her head. Sure enough, Cash’s hot, hungry gaze was glued to her, even as he continued to chuckle and shoot the shit with Ryan.

Did she have the guts to follow Annabelle’s advice, though? To go for it?

Why not?

Yeah, why not? Things would be different if Cash wasn’t interested, but she knew he was. And she’d be a fool to pass up the chance to sleep with the guy. She’d yet to meet a man she could explore her sexuality with, and she knew without a doubt that Cash McCoy would be up for anything.

So what if Carson had laid down the law? Annabelle was right. One little push and Cash’s resolve would collapse like a house of straw.

“What kind of push?” Jen asked.

Annabelle stared at her.

“What?” she said defensively. “You brought it up. You can’t go all judgmental on me now.”

“I’m not being judgmental. I’m just shocked. Have you looked in the mirror? You’re gorgeous. Are you telling me you don’t know how to seduce a man?”

She gulped down a lump of insecurity. “I don’t have much experience in seduction.”

“Carson will be glad to hear that,” Annabelle said dryly. “But seriously, how can you not have men wrapped around your little finger?”

She shrugged awkwardly. “I guess I do. Kind of, anyway. I get hit on a lot, but…” She blushed. “I’ve only slept with three guys and they were the ones who did the seducing.”

And they’d all disappointed her colossally in the bedroom. She didn’t have anything against slow, tender lovemaking, but sometimes a girl just needed…well, to be fucked, damn it.

“Trust me, it’ll be a piece of cake,” Annabelle said confidently. “Just utilize the three S’s—skimpy clothing, subtle touches and sexual innuendo.”

She had to laugh. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. Cash won’t be able to resist you.”

“What about bros before hoes?”

“Yeah, the bro loyalty might slow you down, I’m not gonna lie. But you just have to keep cranking up the heat until he’s feeling so hot all he’ll be able to think is, Carson who?”

Jen pursed her lips in thought. Okay. That didn’t sound too difficult.

She glanced over and found Cash’s eyes focused on her. She didn’t miss the brief flicker of desire before his expression went shuttered. As he broke the eye contact, she felt a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. So…Cash McCoy was convinced he could keep his hands off her?

Fine, well, let him try.

She was officially putting his discipline to the test. And once she was through with him, his hands were going to be all over her.