Page 18 of The Defender

My eyes lingered on the sculpted planes of his shoulders, and a weird sensation tightened in my stomach.

He’d lived here for only five days, and I was already desperate for him to move out. He took up too much space. Toomuch oxygen. If we kept this up for much longer, I was going to suffocate from the lack of air.

“If you keep staring at me like that, I’m going to have to charge admission.” Vincent’s drawl floated above the noise before he cut the vacuum off. He turned to where I stood, his mouth tugging up into a knowing smirk as I quickly dragged my eyes up to his face.

Heat blazed from my neck up to my cheeks.Not so oblivious after all.“You’re living in my flat,” I reminded him. “I should be the one chargingyouadmission.”

“You do. I pay rent—rent that’s double the market value, by the way.”

“Well, I should charge you more for…for indecent exposure.”

His eyebrows rose. Amusement glided through his eyes. “How so?”

“It’s unnecessary to vacuum with your shirt off. I didn’t sign up to see that.” I gestured at his bare torso. The lighting caught on the ridges of his abs, and I couldn’t help counting them.One, two, three…six, seven, eight.Ofcoursehe had an eight-pack. He was such an overachiever. “If I wanted to see a half-naked man, I’d go toMagic Mike Live.”

His amusement sharpened into a devilish gleam. He walked over, stopping close enough for his body heat to sink beneath my skin. My muscles involuntarily clenched when he propped an arm on the doorframe beside my head.

“Does my half-nakedness bother you, buttercup?” His voice was like silk, pitched so low I strained to hear it over the sudden roar of my pulse.

My unwelcome reaction to his proximity brought in a rush of annoyance. How was it possible he smelled like soap and fresh laundry when I could see the faint sheen of sweat on his chest?

“Yes.” I met his eyes and willed myself not to breathe in too deeply. “It’s inappropriate.”

“If you think this is inappropriate, wait till you hear I sleep naked.”

A lightning-quick image of his naked form tangled up in his sheets flashed through my head. It was gone in a blink, but it was enough to warm my blood.

I clenched my teeth. I hated hormones sometimes.

“What you do when you sleep is none of my business. That’s in the privacy of your room. But when you’re in a common area, please refrain from unnecessary clothing removals,” I said, well aware I sounded like a prude. “How would you feel if I walked around with my shirt off?”

I knew I’d set myself up before the words finished leaving my mouth.

A flare of heat darkened his eyes, and the warmth in my blood turned downright scorching. “I don’t know,” he drawled. “Why don’t you try it and I’ll tell you?”

A flame flickered low in my stomach, but I raised my chin, my tone cool and clipped. “No, thank you.”

I couldn’t think of a wittier reply. I was too furious with myself for letting him get to me.

It’s almost like you’re scared.

Scared of what?

Of not being able to control yourself around me.

Vincent had baited me into letting him move in because I wanted to prove that he didn’t affect me, but was he right? Was taking off his shirt and having a sexy voice all it took for me to lose our invisible challenge? I didn’t evenlikethe guy in that way. He was objectively gorgeous, but arrogant. Funny, but annoying. Charming, but utterly infuriating.

No. The dust in the air must be clogging up my common sense. I could absolutely control myself around Vincent, and there was no way in hell I’d let him think otherwise.

“While we’re on the subject of impropriety, you might want to wear a thicker shirt,” Vincent said, his voice suddenly strained. “Or…something else.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

His gaze flicked to my chest. I looked down, horror consuming me when I discovered what he was talking about.

I never wore a bra at home, and I’d resisted changing that habit after Vincent moved in. Underwire was too uncomfortable to bother with even when there was man in my house.

It hadn’t been a problem—until now. Despite the warmth in the flat, my nipples had hardened to the point that they were clearly visible through my thin cotton T-shirt.