Taking Chances: A Donnelley Brother's Novel by Alannah Carbonneau Page B

serious?”
    Collin nodded. “I’m not going into town tonight, Dad.”
    And there was the confirmation I needed. John was Collin’s father. Sensing John’s eyes on me, I refused to allow myself to look up from where I’d focused on the land passing us by. I didn’t want to be a part of this conversation. I missed my own family and I was feeling slightly jealous of this big family Collin was a part of, and didn’t quite seem to be fully appreciative of.
    By the time the bus rolled to a stop at the small clearing where we’d entered into the river, I was so ready to get out of the confined vehicle that my muscles were twitching. Standing up, I tried to politely excuse myself from Collin. I wanted out of this suit, in my clothes, and I wanted to go back to the peace of my little cabin.
    Obviously sensing my need to escape, Collin allowed me to pass, but I could see the confusion in his emerald eyes. His shoulders were tense and his jaw was locked, but he didn’t reach out a hand to stop me.
    Was his lack of interruption in my internal struggle because of his father’s presence?
    Picking up my clothes from where I’d left them on the counter in the shack, I moved behind the privacy wall to change. I struggled with the zipper of my suit for what felt like forever before I huffed a frustrated sigh and stomped from behind the wall. Seeing Collin leaning against the counter wearing only his shorts, I froze. Something climbed up my throat as my eyes wandered over the magnificence that was his body.
    He had well defined muscles, but they weren’t so large that they looked unreal. Instead, they were firm, artfully lined, and lean. His entire body was lean, like a runner - or a swimmer. But he definitely had the kind of body that could make a girl feel small and delicate - protected. As my eyes took in his long, thick arms, I couldn’t help but imagine them wrapping around me and holding me tight. I’d be safe in his arms, I thought. And then the thought registered and I stiffened against the track my mind had begun to travel.
    God help me, I shouldn’t be entertaining these thoughts for this man.
    “You need help?” He asked, nodding at my suit and interrupting the whirlwind of my thoughts. I heard his words and struggled to allow them to sink into my very stimulated brain.
    Finally, I nodded, chewing nervously on the corner of my bottom lip. “Please.”
    Collin peeled himself from the counter to close the distance between us. My heart raged in my chest, pounding so hard, it was all I could do not to clutch my chest with my trembling hands. Why did he have this affect on me? He was only helping me with the zipper - like Jackson had. But it wasn’t like Jackson. This was Collin undressing me now and although we had agreed that friends was all we’d ever be - this didn’t exactly feel friendly. Oh God, I was confused. And nervous. And I couldn’t seem to breathe quite right.
    Collin placed his hands on my waist, spinning me until my front was facing away from him. Then I felt his fingers brush against my neck where the zipper of my suit rested. As the flesh of his hand met with the back of my neck, my entire body began to shake.
    “You’re still cold?” There was a question hanging off the edge of his statement.
    I nodded, but my reply was barely a whisper. “Yes.”
    “You’ll be warm as soon as you’re out of this suit.” He announced, but I couldn’t help but think - he really was taking his time unzipping me.
    Ever so slowly, I felt the zipper fall. Warm air touched the skin of my back, but that wasn’t what made me feel as though I was suddenly burning up from the inside out. No, it was the feeling of his knuckle traveling down the length of my spine behind the zipper that made my insides feel as though I were engulfed in flames. Part of me knew I should step away from his touch, because no matter what he said, this wasn’t the way a friend touched another friend. This was intimate. And it - affected