Swept Away. Kristina Mathews

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СКАЧАТЬ was the only one of them wearing a shirt, dry or otherwise. And damn, if she didn’t look really good in it. Her hips swayed ever so slightly as she walked. She wasn’t very tall, but her legs stretched long and lean beneath the faded blue shirt. Her damp hair fell just below her shoulders. Carson couldn’t tell if it was light brown or dark blonde, but either way it would look great spread across his pillow.

      He didn’t need to peek at Cody to know he was thinking the same thing. They were way past the age of acting like horny teenagers. Or they should be. Besides, Carson wasn’t going to stick around; he had no business lusting after her.

      She was just something else he would leave behind.

      * * * *

      “So, Lily, what were you doing swimming in such high water?” one of the brothers asked. The one who’d pulled them both from the river. He’d also given her the shirt off his back. Literally.

      “I wasn’t swimming.” Lily didn’t like the defensive tone in her voice. “I… I fell in.”

      “Well, it’s a good thing we came along when we did,” the other brother said. He tried to keep his tone light, but Lily sensed an undercurrent of worry. They all knew what might have happened if the brothers hadn’t been there.

      Some Mother’s Day this turned out to be. Not that she was fortunate enough to be a mother. And instead of being a good daughter, spending an uncomfortable day not talking about her divorce with her mom, she’d decided to relax in the sun, finally diving into that novel she bought for herself last Christmas. With everything that happened to her in the last few months, Lily hadn’t had time for small pleasures. Now she had all the time in the world. The next few months, at least. She planned on taking the summer off before looking for another bookkeeping job, or even landing clients of her own.

      Lily had felt a little reckless sunbathing on that rock like a teenager. She’d even switched to SPF 15 instead of her usual 50. UV rays had turned out to be the least of her worries. She should have waited for the paperback or gotten an eBook. With the bulk and weight of a hardcover edition, the book had slipped out of her hands and as she reached for it, she’d tumbled head first into Hidden Creek.

      She was a strong swimmer, an experienced swimmer, but the swift current had taken her by surprise. She’d tried swimming back toward the rock, but there was no way she could fight the force of all that water. Disoriented and a little ticked off at the twenty-seven dollars she’d spent on that book she’d never get to finish, she’d started flailing about, reaching for something, anything to grab onto so she could get her feet back under her.

      She’d been in the water ten minutes, maybe longer, when she’d heard a deep male voice, felt strong arms around her, and realized she wasn’t alone in the water.

      The rest happened so fast. She was in the water. Then out. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost her bathing suit top and this man was holding her close. There was a second man, identical to the first. He gave up his shirt and flirted with her. The first guy seemed worried about her. But she was fine. Really. They were making too much of a fuss over her. “Sorry to interrupt your fishing trip.” Lily tried to steady her voice, to sound like a woman who could take care of herself.

      “Hey, it’s okay,” one of the guys said. “The water’s a little high for good fishing, anyway.”

      “We caught something much better.” His brother smiled and spoke with a light-hearted tone. He was definitely flirting with her. She remembered flirting. It’s what her ex had done with every woman but her.

      “Tell me again who’s who.” They’d reached the end of the trail. Lily was trying to keep them straight, knowing it must be hard to be constantly mistaken for your twin.

      “I’m Cody, the good-looking one.” The first brother flashed his dimples and smoothed back his blond hair in an over-the-top, I-know-I’m-good-looking way.

      “Yeah? When was the last time you got a haircut, you hippie?” His brother gave him a friendly shove. Lily’s gaze strayed to his wet shorts. He’d been the one to jump in the water after her. He’d been the one to really save her life. She shivered at the thought. And at the way the damp fabric clung to his muscular thighs.

      “At least I don’t look like an escapee from boot camp, like Carson here.” Cody snapped to attention and offered a salute.

      “I like it short.” Carson sounded a little offended. “Besides, my hair’s so thick if I go more than four or five weeks without a trim, I have to put stuff in it.”

      “And it would just run out into the river, poisoning the fish.” Cody recited the words like scolded schoolboy. “Lighten up, man.”

      “So I care about what gets washed into the river.” Carson shook his head and chuckled. “You only care about what you pull out.”

      “Hey, at least I catch something once in a while.”

      “I’m not talking about the fish.”

      They teased each other, but there was genuine affection in their banter. Lily envied their closeness. As an only child, she’d envisioned a large family of her own someday. Three, maybe four kids running through the house. Walking down to Fairy Tale Town or the Sacramento Zoo. Baking cookies and hanging their artwork on the refrigerator door. The only thing hanging on her refrigerator now was an appointment card for Foothills Fertility Clinic.

      She followed the twins to a white double-cab Toyota truck. Carson clicked open the locks and held the front passenger door for her. He offered his arm to help her climb up into the cab. A jolt, almost as startling as the icy-cold water, shot straight through her.

      How long had it been since she’d been touched, really touched, by a man? For the last few years, sex had been entirely clinical. An act of procreation—and desperation—that had nothing to do with intimacy.

      But he hadn’t really touched her. Not like that. He was only trying to help. Like he’d been trying to help when he pulled her against him. And he was only trying to help when he’d touched her breast. Lily wasn’t going to read anything into it. She didn’t need a man. She definitely didn’t need two of them.

      Carson went around to the driver’s side and Cody slid into the backseat. Lily clicked her seatbelt in place. If only she could restrain her nerves so easily.

      “So tell me.” She turned so she could converse with both of them. “What do you two do when you’re not rescuing topless women?”

      Masculine laughter filled the cab. The deep, rich sound warmed Lily from the inside out. Carson started the ignition and turned the heater on full blast, to warm her on the outside.

      “We run Swift River Adventures, a rafting company out of Prospector Springs.” Carson’s smile showed a man who took pride in his work.

      “It’s not far from where gold was first discovered in California.” Cody leaned forward, inching closer, making her aware that there was entirely too much testosterone in this tiny space. They were big men. Strong men. Very good-looking men.

      It took twice as long to drive to the cabin as it had for her to float downstream. At last, she was home. Home. Even if it was only temporary.

      “Nice place.” Carson shut off the engine and turned toward her. His eyes were as warm, and as blue, as a summer’s day. “Are you renting for the summer?”

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