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“Sounds great!” She pushed open the door, stepping aside to let me in. “As you know, we brought a weird mix of stuff from Omaha. I miss my couch.”

I glance over toward the harsh, black leather couch, and laugh. I’ve only been at their place a handful of times but had always wondered about the story behind that thing. It’s so different from her warm, natural tastes, and is a lot colder than even Bryce’s tastes. Maybe he thought the industrial bachelor pad aesthetic was the only thing he could have.

“Don’t blame that on me!” Bryce’s voice calls from down the hall. He appears a moment later, dressed in gray sweatpants, and a loose black T-shirt, dark blond hair a mess of waves. “Your couch fell apart when the movers tried to load it. We had no choice. Plus, this couch followed me through several roommates.”

That makes sense. It’s a neutral, generic choice.

Bryce gives me a tired smile as his girlfriend rolls her eyes. When he moves into the kitchen and plants a kiss on her cheek, her smile is blinding. Even as he peers into the bag of pastries she’d just set on the counter.

“Are you free today?” I ask, turning my focus to him. “You could come with us. I want to get a sense of your combined tastes for the house.”

He makes a face of disgust. “Spend the day furniture shopping with you, Dalton? I’d rather swim the mile.”

Handing him his coffee, I stick my tongue out at him. “Jokes on you; I don’t know what that means.”

“It means he’d rather die.”

The warm, deep voice joining the conversation causes my breath to catch in my throat and my spine to straighten. Carter Abrams yawns as he makes his way into the room, fingers combing through messy brown hair. My gaze scans over his shirtless chest, taking in the sculpted abs and broad shoulders leading down to his muscular arms. His sweats are resting low enough on his hips that I can see the faintest glimpse of his Olympic rings tattoo.

I swallow to keep myself from saying something mortifying, but my mouth feels like sandpaper. The man has been starring in some pretty detailed fantasies since we met at the meet a couple of weeks ago. The last thing I need to do is let something private slip out.

“Morning!” Josie grins brightly, oblivious to the fact that her contractor and friend are speechless in her kitchen. “Kat has your coffee!”

Carter glances my way, a slow, easy grin tugging at his lips. Which only made the sexy man look adorably sleepy and now I’m worried my knees are about to give out. “Good to see you again, Kat.”

I hand over his coffee with a forced smile. “Here you go.”

Amused, he takes it, instantly taking a sip. “Thanks.”

“There are pastries, too.” Josie pushes the bag toward him. “We got a variety because we weren’t sure what you guys would be in the mood for.”

Without wasting a second, he goes through the bag. I look at Josie, hoping to convey the panic I’m feeling, but she’s already looking at me with a crease in her brow. Bryce, on the other hand, is looking at me with a smug smile as he sips on his own coffee.

What does he know that no one else knows? There’s no way I’ve been that obvious to him.

I look away, terrified he’ll be able to read something in my expression.

“What are your plans for the day?” Josie breaks the silence, directing her question toward the guys.

Bryce hoists himself up onto the counter, pulling Josie back between his legs. She goes willingly, leaning against him. “I’m taking Carter over to the pool to let him see the progress. Then we might get a workout in. Might even use the new pool. It’s not bad out today.”

There were still some small things to do on the deck and with the wiring, but the pool is usable now.

“Do you need me there?” I try to sound casual as I pick at the croissant I pulled from the bag. “Or you good to give him the update?”

The amused smile is back on his face. God, he can be cocky. “I think I can handle showing my business partner our business. Especially because I know our contractor has been keeping him updated on every little change. Is there a reason you want to come with us, Kat?”

Why did I let Bryce become my friend? Things were so much easier when we were at each other’s throats.

Josie nudges his leg, shaking her head. “No, absolutely not. Kat is not working today. We’re going shopping.” She turns to me. “I already texted Mia; she wants to come. I figured after that we could all get dinner, giving Kat and Carter some time to get to know one another better.”

When I look over at Carter, he’s already looking at me. He winks when my gaze meets his. The simple, playful gesture has heat flooding my cheeks in a way I know will be hard to ignore. It was one thing when he was in Georgia, but now that he’s standing before me, it’s harder to ignore.

“Oh, yeah, they should absolutely get to know one another better.” Bryce smirks around his coffee cup.

Carter glares at Bryce, and I realize I need to get the hell out of here.

“Wait, what?” Josie looks between the three of us with a furrowed brow. “Am I missing something here?”