Men of Courage by Lori Foster, Jill Shalvis, Donna Kauffman Read Free Book Online Page B

her into bed now, about doing everything he hadn’t done last night, made him hot. Holding her gaze, his hunger growing, he murmured, “God, I’ve been dense.”
    She took a step back, her eyes wide, locked on his. “Yeah, so what’s new?”
    Her sarcasm couldn’t quite hide her nervousness. Ethan felt like a superior male, ready to gentle the little woman, ready to give her what she evidently wanted, what he now knew he wanted.
    “No more games, Rosie.”
    Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths and she planted her feet, done with backing up. “Okay.”
    “Do you want me?”
    She blinked hard, twice. “You mean…sexually?”
    Just hearing her say it nearly tipped him over the edge. His voice turned husky. His chest constricted. “Yeah.”
    Silky brown hair shimmered around her shoulders with her nod. “I have for a long time now.”
    “Is that right?” Ethan didn’t want to know how long—it might kill him. He stopped two inches from her. “Nothing happened last night, did it?”
    “No.”
    “Not even a kiss?” He wanted it confirmed that if he’d kissed her, she’d damn well know it.
    “No.” She stared down at her feet. “Your redhead accidentally dumped her drink on me, so I had to leave. You were too drunk to drive andso you asked me to call you a cab.” She looked up, determination darkening her gaze. “I decided to take you home myself to be sure you made it safely, and well…I didn’t want to leave.”
    “I see.”
    She rushed to add, “I did refrain from taking your pants off you.” She made it sound like a huge concession on her part.
    Ethan smiled. “I appreciate that.”
    “You do?” She started wringing her hands and frowning at him in confusion.
    “Oh, yeah.” Her uncertainty in the face of the bizarre circumstance was rather endearing, Ethan decided. It was rare indeed to see Rosie suffer such a human emotion as self-consciousness. “I damn well want to be sober when I lie down with you, so I can remember every little detail.”
    Her eyes widened like saucers. “I was going to seduce you,” she blurted.
    “What?”
    She nodded hard. “I was. But it’s your fault.”
    “My fault you were going to seduce me?” Following Rosie’s train of thought proved impossible, especially when he was already so horny.
    “Yes. You were being so stubborn about it, refusing to see me as a female and—”
    “I’ve always known you were a female, Rosie.” He wouldn’t lie to either of them. “Not once did I ever confuse you with Riley or Harris or, God forbid, Buck.”
    Her mouth fell open, then snapped shut. “Really?”
    She sounded so hopeful, Ethan’s heart turned over in his chest. He’d always considered Rosie a very special friend. Now he realized she was very special—in all ways. Especially as a woman. “Hell, yeah.” Then he scowled. “So have the other guys.”
    “What other guys?”
    The way she asked that made his worries disappear. She wasn’t aware of their interest. And she’d made it clear she wanted him. It was enough. “Never mind.”
    “But…”
    “Shh.” He took hold of her shoulders and gently caressed her, hoping to calm her and himself. She felt so soft, so warm. He’d touched her shoulders before, for crying out loud, but this was the first time he’d done so with sexual intent. It was different. How he felt was different.
    Rosie deserved the best he could bring to her, and that meant not jumping her bones and dragging her down to the carpet, even when that waswhat he most wanted to do. He needed to be gentle and considerate. And slow.
    Ethan closed his eyes. It was going to be a close call, but he thought, all things considered, he’d manage. “Being that we’re both here, alone, and finally in agreement about what we want to do, maybe we should—”
    She didn’t give him a chance to finish. With an exclamation of delight, Rosie launched herself at him.
    Taken off guard, Ethan staggered under her weight, but quickly righted