Coming Apart at the Seams by Jenna Sutton Page B

luscious—before she gasped and jerked away.
    Clenching his fists on the steering wheel, he fought the desire to cup his hand around her head and pull her mouth back to his. His lips tingled, and he tasted peppermint when he licked them.
    She touched her fingers to her mouth briefly before dropping her hand to her lap. Her eyes were wide, and the look on her face could only be described as horrified.
    If he’d ever wondered how Teagan would react if he pushed the boundaries of their friendship, he now had his answer. He told himself he didn’t care because there were thousands of women who wanted to kiss him.
    That’s right—thousands.
    â€œI’m sorry! I was aiming for your cheek!” she exclaimed, talking so fast her words almost tripped over each other. “I was t-t-t-trying to ki-ki-kiss your cheek like I always d-d-do!”
    He stared at her, feeling as if he’d been thrust into a weird alternate reality. For a moment, she had sounded just like him.
    He could tell that Teagan was appalled by their almost kiss, but he didn’t want the whole day to be ruined. He needed this time with her. It was hard not to see her for weeks and weeks, and this outing was going to have to sustain him for a while.
    â€œGo ahead.” He turned his head and pointed to his cheek. “P-p-p-plant one on me.”
    Laughing softly, she leaned over and dropped a quick peck on his cheek. She drew back, grabbing the seat belt and clicking it in place.
    â€œLet’s go. I love to sail. I’ve been looking forward to it all week.”
    He’d been looking forward to something all week, too: seeing her. He didn’t give a flying fuck about sailing. Still, he was glad they were doing something she would enjoy.
    Shifting the Escalade into drive, he headed toward the marina at a moderate speed. Now that Teagan was here with him, there was no need to rush.
    After several minutes of silence, he glanced toward her as she stared out the window, tapping her lips with the tips of her fingers. He wondered why she wasn’t talking. Whenever they drove somewhere, she usually chattered the whole way.
    â€œT,” he said, just to get her attention.
    He’d fallen into the habit of calling her by her first initial, just like her brothers.
    But you’re not her brother,
a little voice inside him whispered.
    He sure as hell didn’t need the reminder. He and his cock were well aware of that fact.
    Dropping her hand, she shifted in the seat so she could look at him. “I talked to my mom last night. I told her we were going sailing, and she told me to say hi and give you a hug for her.”
    Nick smiled. Kate was a hugger. In fact, all the O’Briens were huggers. It was how they said hello, good-bye, and almost everything in between.
    Teagan continued, “She’s renovating the kitchen, and I swear she spent forty-five minutes telling me about her new cabinets. She’s decided to go with a color called ‘fresh sage,’ which is basically light green. I asked if she was sure that green cabinets were a good idea, and she told me that I’m not adventurous enough.”
    He chuckled. “Go on,” he prompted.
    â€œI told her that I’m adventurous where it matters: the bedroom.”
    He jerked his head toward her, certain she hadn’t said what he thought he’d heard. Her blue eyes held a wicked little glint, and her glossy lips tipped up at the corners.
    â€œYou did not.”
    He couldn’t tell if she was joking, but it didn’t really matter. Her words had already sunk into his head and settled into his groin.
    â€œI did, too,” she replied, nodding emphatically.
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œAfter a few moments, during which I envisioned her mouth opening and closing like a pet goldfish, she said, ‘Good. I’m glad to hear it.’”
    He guffawed. Teagan’s laughter joined his, and the sound of it filled his chest until he