Men of Courage. Jill Shalvis

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      “I don’t believe this.”

      Unconcerned with Ethan’s escalating temper, Riley took another bite of ice cream. “You know, Ethan, you’re thumping your chest over nothing. Rosie has always treated us as just pals.” He pointed his spoon at him. “’Cept for you.”

      “Lucky bastard,” Harris mumbled with feigned but good-natured envy.

      Stone-faced, Ethan paced away. Damn it, he was losing his mind. Ever since he’d awakened with Rosie draped over him, he’d been unable to stop thinking about her. But for the most part he’d forcefully kept those thoughts chaste, not carnal. For the most part.

      But now, with his best friends putting thoughts in his head, well, how the hell was he supposed to not think about it? The woman was plain hot and that was all there was to it.

      Rosie didn’t help any, prancing around in those Daisy Duke cutoffs with her rounded ass and long legs on display. Oh, yeah, he’d noticed the other guys stealing a peek every few minutes. Course, they did that to all females. But still—This wasn’t just any female. This was Rosie.

      His Rosie, damn it.

      Riley dropped his spoon into his empty bowl with a resounding clink, catching Ethan’s notice. “She seems a little different since this morning, huh?”

      Emotions roiling, Ethan asked through his teeth, “What do you mean?”

      “It’s like she’s on the make or something. The way she’s watching you—her body language.”

      His throat constricting, his eyes burning, Ethan repeated, “Body language?”

      “Yeah.” Riley turned to his cohorts. “You two’ve seen it, haven’t you?”

      “Yep.” Buck gave a decisive nod. “She wants him.”

      “Bad.”

      “Stop it!” Ethan paced again, more furiously this time. But he couldn’t outrun his own thoughts. It was too late. Their words were already bouncing around in his brain, making him sweat, causing his muscles to cramp. Last night he’d done…something with her. This morning she’d been so warm and soft and his bed still smelled like her, sexy and female and utterly Rosie.

      He breathed hard, walking faster ’round her kitchen, the three stooges looking on. He couldn’t banish the images of Rosie seducing him, touching him, kissing him…

      “That’s it.” Ethan grabbed up their bowls and put them in the sink. “Go home. Go away. Just go.”

      Harris made no effort to hide his laughter. Buck had to quickly grab for a napkin as Ethan shoved him toward the doorway.

      Riley hung back, grinning like a fool. “One thing, Ethan.”

      “What?” Ethan could barely breathe and seriously doubted he could manage a chat with Riley.

      Somber now, Riley crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Ethan. “Don’t do anything to hurt her. Remember that she is my friend and I care about her.”

      Ethan struggled for control. More than anything he wanted to knock Riley on his ass. How dare he act territorial now when seconds before he’d been all but throwing Rosie at him? He looked at Harris and Buck and they nodded, too, equally protective, equally serious about it.

      Riley wasn’t done. “She’s a real nice woman, Ethan, with a huge heart. Don’t use what her brother did against her. She had no part in that.”

      “Goddamn it,” Ethan exploded, infuriated that Riley thought such a warning was necessary. He would never hurt Rosie and Riley should have damn well known it. “How dare you bring that up?”

      Rosie stepped around the corner, the disconnected phone held loosely in her hand. She frowned in worry, her gaze darting back and forth between the men. “Bring what up? What’s going on?”

      Refusing to back down, Riley continued to watch Ethan. Harris and Buck moved to flank Rosie—as if she needed protection.

      From him.

      “Leave,” Ethan said to all three of them. “Or I will.”

      Rosie bit her bottom lip. “Ethan? What’s going on?”

      Riley stepped away from Ethan. His expression changed when he tugged Rosie up against his chest for a long hug. “Just guy stuff. Nothing important.”

      “Don’t give me that.” She shoved back, her eyes filled with annoyance. “You guys are—”

      “Drop it, Rosie.” Ethan waited, his temper growing more fractured by the second as each of them took a turn embracing Rosie. Harris even sighed. Buck touched her cheek with poignant regret.

      You’d think she was a virgin they’d decided to sacrifice to some evil spirit! Hell, he cared about Rosie, too, always had. Even during his engagement, she’d remained one of his closest friends. The night his fiancée had jilted him, it was Rosie he’d gone to because he’d been too shamed to face anyone else. He could talk with her, just be with her, easier than he could anyone.

      Looking back on it now, he realized there was significance in their complete and total trust of one another. There’d always been a special bond between him and Rosie. She liked all of them, hung with all of them, but only he shared that extra closeness with her.

      He was the only one she wanted in the sack.

      Oh, hell.

      Ethan strode to the door and jerked it open. “Enough, all ready. Violins are going to start playing if you guys don’t stop being so melodramatic.”

      As they filed past Ethan, they all grinned and winked and bobbed their eyebrows suggestively. Riley clutched his heart and pretended to swoon. Now these were the guys he knew and loved. He even laughed a little at their antics. “Idiots.”

      He closed the door behind them, leaned back on it and surveyed Rosie with new eyes—and undiluted male interest.

      She looked worried. “Uh…what’s going on?”

      Ethan pushed away from the door. Just thinking about getting 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 СКАЧАТЬ