As he stood up, the lamplight caught the ring on his left hand. He studied it for a long moment before he made a decision and tugged at it. It had been firmly in place for so many years that he wound up needing shaving gel to work it off. That stripe of white flesh was going to take longer to go away, though, and the memories never would.

He curled his fingers into a fist, thinking he should go wash his hands. But before he could move, a double tap sounded at the door. Shit.

“Sean?” Addie called through the door. “I thought you might need these for a shower…or you might want to go swimming later.”

The whole room smelled like cucumber, aloe and ginger, weird organic shaving stuff Cami had bought him in order to make him more GQ. And right now, it was dripping off his fingers in gooey strings. Addie was going to think he was a freak.

Before he could decide what to do, she let herself in with fresh towels, probably guessing the room was empty since he hadn’t answered. She was humming something, and then she drew up short, sniffing. He felt heat suffuse his face and neck as she focused on his dripping fingers.

“Uh,” she said, clutching snow white towels to her chest. “I can come back if this is a bad time, if I interrupted…something…”

She’d changed into a pair of green shorts—they hung low on her hips, showing the gentle curve of her belly. Sean caught his breath at her casual sexiness. He was pretty sure those were men’s clothes; she wore silk boxers and a plain old Fruit of the Loom undershirt, but the contrast of her tan skin against white cotton spoke to him like a religious experience.

Sean shook his head. He didn’t remember how to speak English, pure mortification paralyzing his vocal cords. Hurriedly he wiped his hand on his pants, where the gel promptly left a stain. Pure malignance, no doubt.

But then, her gaze lit on the wedding ring sitting beside his open laptop and she seemed to draw her own conclusions. Her expression melted from slightly worried to downright sympathetic. “I’m sorry. No wonder you look upset.”

Do I? He felt a faint flicker of surprise, followed by a surge of warmth. It was nice, having someone pay attention, though if anyone had asked, he would’ve said he had a decent poker face. Downside was, now he had two women driving him crazy when he’d never figured out the first one.

Sean mustered up a smile as he took the towels and set them on the bedside table. “Bad news on the phone just now, that’s all.”

He knew what interpretation she would place on that and he had to wonder if she would call Cami to confirm. Did they know each other that well? Sorority sisters? Sean tried to imagine Addie rushing and couldn’t. She just wasn’t the type.

“Would you like to talk about it?” She bumped the door closed with her hip, and the room seemed much smaller, dominated by his unmade bed.

“I don’t think it’s anything you could help with,” he answered, aware that his cock had all kinds of seditionist ideas about how she could assist.

I’m not imagining that look. The air felt charged, and as she moved toward him, he had to force himself not to take a step back. That would be revealing how much she unnerved him.

Addie stopped about a foot away and began tidying up his bed. Sean knew an absurd sense of disappointment; he would have sworn she was thinking something else entirely as she closed the distance. Maybe he was just too horny to read her, and he sure couldn’t remember the last time he’d made love.

As she worked, he caught her scent and his stomach muscles clenched. She smelled clean, apple shampoo and oatmeal soap, a ridiculously delicious combination. He watched the curve of her hip, the swell of her ass cheeks as she bent, straightening the covers, but she didn’t put the pillows underneath.

Addie turned then. “Lie down.”

“I…what?” The sudden rush of heat made it impossible for him to think.

Her slow smile as she patted the bed turned his brain to mush and his cock to titanium. “Lie down, Sean. You’re upset, but you don’t walk to talk. That leaves me no other recourse.”