Page 27 of The Live-In Temptation (Steele Brothers of Starlight Cove #2)

He started at my boots and dragged his gaze—lazily, deliberately, no doubt making sure I felt that trek along every inch—back up to my eyes. “And yet, you’re still cold.”

“I’m f-fine,” I said. Except the second word was garbled as a frigid gust of air kicked up, and a shudder swept through me.

Without a word and without looking away from me, he shrugged off his coat, yanked off the hoodie underneath, and tossed it over my shoulders like it was pure reflex.

Like he hadn’t just rewired my entire fucking brain from that alone.

Meanwhile, all I could do was stand there, wrapped in his scent, and use every ounce of my feminine willpower not to swoon.

Because, this? This should not have felt as good as it did.

“You think I should be wearing your hoodie out here?” I asked.

He looked at me for a long moment, his gaze falling briefly to catalog the garment on my body, before lifting to mine once again. “What? You think you should only wear it in the privacy of your room?”

Ice shot through my veins, my entire body locking up at the insinuation beneath his words. The only time he’d seen me wear that hoodie in my room had been the night he’d made me come. The night he’d been avoiding ever since. The one he might be starting to realize wasn’t actually a dream…

Then, as if he hadn’t cracked my reality in two, he said, “Linc. Make me a white hot chocolate—two pumps raspberry syrup, whipped cream and sprinkles on top.”

Lincoln saluted without a word, while all I could do was stare at this man. My boss. The guy who—apparently—wrapped me up in his hoodies that smelled deliciously like him and ordered me my favorite drink as if it was no big deal.

“What?” Xander asked.

“Since when do you know my secret fancy drink order?”

He pinned me with a stare, those eyes heavy and intense. He leaned in, just close enough that I could feel his warm breath across my lips. “Since when do you think I’m not paying attention?”

And…what?

No, seriously, what ?

All I could do was stare at him and blink, my mouth opening and closing as if preparing to say something, but god only knew what it would be.

Because while he was tossing hoodies over my shoulders and yelling at his brothers for giving his little girl too much sugar and ordering my secret fancy drink exactly how I liked it, I was over here with my heart tap-dancing in my chest, my knees ten seconds away from buckling under the weight of his stare.

Not to mention the unspoken promises I saw in those eyes, just daring me to do what I’d sworn I wouldn’t.

Because I didn’t do whatever the hell this was—a slow-burn forbidden romance and shared hoodies and bosses who glared at anyone or anything that fucked with your peace.

I didn’t do this .

Fortunately, before I made a complete ass of myself, Xander’s and my little stare-off was interrupted as Atlas, Sutton, and Laurel strolled up. There were greetings all around before Laurel headed straight for Emma to create a log of her own.

Atlas, Xander, and Lincoln started talking about improvements needed at the bar, and Sutton just stared at me—her arms crossed over her chest and one brow raised.

“What?” I asked far too defensively.

“Nice hoodie.”

“He made me wear it.”

“Uh-huh.”

“He did! It’s…warm.”

“Sure.” Her eyes sparkled, her lips twitching into a smirk that very loudly proclaimed, girls’ night wasn’t that long ago, and I remember everything you said—and most definitely what you didn’t say. “Don’t think I won’t be bringing this up at the next girls’ night.”

“Can’t wait.”

She didn’t say anything else, just bumped my shoulder with hers before hooking an arm through Laurel’s as they headed toward the bonfire, Emma perched on Atlas’s shoulders following behind.

I should have followed too.

Instead, I stood there, drowning in a hoodie that smelled like a man who wasn’t mine and overcome by a heartbeat that wasn’t slowing down.

Xander had gone back to his post, but even from across the fire, I could feel his gaze on me—something weighted and warm. And if I wasn’t careful, I could get used to this.

Not just him looking at me like that, but everything.

This town, with its ridiculous festivals and the horny old woman I loved with my whole damn soul and these girlfriends whom I’d all but just met—save for one—yet felt like we’d been friends for a lifetime.

And then there was the family I’d found—not just Lincoln and Declan and Atlas and Holly—but Emma and Xander and our little house that was starting to feel a hell of a lot like home.

A home in which I never intended to stay.

My chest tightened, my palms growing sweaty even in the cold February air. It was all too much, and I needed just a second to breathe.

Knowing Atlas and Sutton were taking care of Emma, I headed in the opposite direction, fleeing to god knew where. But I didn’t get far before a hand on my elbow stopped me.

“Chloe. Hey.” Eli stood there, wearing a letterman’s jacket from high school and a smile that was a little too sharp to be sincere. “I was hoping to run into you.”

“Hey, Eli. How are you?”

“Good. Just tying up some loose ends before I head out next week.”

“Right. You mentioned you were leaving.”

“Just for a while. But I was hoping to have a little fun before I had to go.” He slipped a hand into his pocket and shot me a grin. “I was thinking maybe you, me, a couple drinks, and trivia night at One Night Stan’s… Are you free Monday?”

I swallowed thickly, knowing there was a safe answer and a stupid answer to this question.

The safe answer was saying yes. Hell yes.

A thousand times yes. Because Eli was temporary, just like I was.

He wasn’t going to stick around, and he wasn’t going to give me his hoodie to wear, and he wasn’t going to memorize my favorite drink order.

He sure as hell wasn’t going to make me feel one iota of what I felt in the presence of the fire chief.

The stupid thing would be turning Eli down and allowing this—what, crush ?—I had for my boss to fester and grow into something that overtook me completely. Something that made those feelings stick. Made me stick.

So I did the safe thing.

I offered Eli a closed-lipped smile and nodded. “Sure. That sounds fun.”

Except as he rattled off details about Monday night, the pit that had settled in my stomach had me second-guessing if this was really the safe option.

And the look in Xander’s eyes as I met his gaze across the fire, his jaw tight, body tense, had me wondering all over again.