Page 37 of His Surrender

My feet stop moving. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice tells me to look away.

Instead … I don’t.

For one suspended second, I simply stare. I see her nipples as they poke through the material. Her breasts are outlined perfectly.

I can’t look away. My body, which was cold a second ago, now feels like it’s burning up.

Aubrey follows my gaze. She glances down at herself, immediately realizing what I can see.

Her smile falters, and color rushes into her cheeks. “Oh.” She instinctively folds her arms across her chest. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even …”

My throat suddenly feels impossibly dry.

I force my eyes upward until they meet hers. “No.” I clear my throat. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.” The words come out rougher than I intended.

An awkward silence settles between us. One neither of us seems to know how to break.

“I should”—Aubrey gestures toward the hallway leading to her bedroom— “go change.”

“Yeah.” I swallow hard. “Probably a good idea.”

She gives me one quick, embarrassed smile before disappearing down the hallway.

I remain rooted to the foyer.

Liana lets out a sleepy sigh in the stroller, pulling me from my thoughts.

I close my eyes for a brief moment.

Get a grip, Ledger. She’s your employee and also Noah’s little sister. And she’s living under your roof because she trusted you enough to take this job.

The last thing she should ever have to worry about is whether you’re looking at her the way you just did.

I exhale slowly, then head toward Liana’s nursery, determined to put as much distance as possible between myself and the thoughts currently waging war inside my head.

CHAPTER TEN

AUBREY

The second my bedroom door clicks shut behind me, I lean back against it and squeeze my eyes closed.

“Oh my gosh.”

Heat rushes into my cheeks all over again.

What was I thinking?

I push away from the door and walk straight into the bathroom, catching my reflection in the mirror.

My hair is plastered to my shoulders, rainwater still dripping from the ends.

The white tank top …

I groan. No wonder he was staring.

I peel the damp fabric over my head and toss it into the hamper before wrapping myself in a towel.

As I reach for a dry T-shirt, my mind betrays me. Not with the memory of getting caught in the rain, but with the look in Dean’s eyes.