His eyes search my face, then his brows pull together. “Riley.”

“Mm?”

“You got something on your mind?”

“I don't want to talk about it.”

Now his brows are lifting and nearly reaching his hairline. “Is it about tonight?” he asks.

I blink. He knows?

“It sucks that you can’t be there,” CJ continues, face tensing a little. “You don’t have PTO or anything you can take so you don’t have to miss out on it?”

CJ thinks I’m sad about my overnight clinical rotation landing on July Fourth. And while it does suck that I’m going to miss all of the festivities, especially considering how much I love fireworks, that isn’t what we needed to talk about.

I let out a deep sigh. “No, I can’t take off,” I tell him. “I’d get marks against me if I did.”

“That’s fucking lame. They shouldn’t schedule you to work a holiday.”

“When I’m a nurse I’m going to have to work holidays.” I shrug. “It’s fine. Hopefully I’ll be able to see the fireworks next year.”

CJ’s mouth twitches. He looks like he knows something I don’t. And although I’d love to lay here for the next hour and pick his brain, I really need to get to my point before we get sidetracked.

My nudity tends to lead to us getting sidetracked.

“Everyone will be there tonight,” I begin, holding his eyes. “And I didn’t know if you were planning on saying anything, but I'm just worried that―”

A knock sounds on the door, cutting me off.

“Go away!” CJ hollers, his muscles beneath me flexing as he looks toward the noise. He meets my eyes again. “You’re just worried that what?”

“Um,” I look curiously over my shoulder, then back at CJ. “Well, it's just that―”

Three more knocks interrupt me, these being made with a heavier fist.

CJ curses under his breath and glares at the door, face tense and angry, but he doesn't make any attempt at getting up to answer it.

“Maybe you should check and see who that is,” I suggest. “They could keep knocking.”

“They can come back,” he replies curtly, eyes cutting to mine. “You got something you want to talk about. That's more important than whoever's at the door. Don’t worry about them.”

My lips press together as something wonderfully warm flutters in my stomach.

Holy crap, that’s sweet. Those Publisher’s Clearing House people could be here, holding one of those giant checks for CJ, and he’d rather listen to me talk than collect his millions.

I press a kiss to his chest instead of attacking his face like I want to do, knowing that will just lead to more sex, and we really need to have this talk. “Well, I didn’t know what you were planning, but I just think that—”

The sound of the front door swinging open and a man’s voice entering the house halts me from saying anything more.

“Fuck you. Go away. What . . . oh, damn. My bad.”

I squeal as CJ curses under his breath, grabs onto me and flips us with lightning speed, covering me up with his massive body and shielding my nakedness from whoever just rudely walked into his house.

Seriously. I mean, unless you’re family or something, why would you do that?

“What the fuck, Jake?” CJ roars, head whipping around to peer over his shoulder in the direction of the entryway. “Goddamn it. You couldn’t wait a minute?”

I suck in a breath. Jake?

Oh, my God . . .

“Oh, fuck you. Like you were going to let me in,” he replies, his voice similar to CJ’s in tone, but sounding rougher, as if he needs to clear it. “I would’ve been standing out there all night.”

My arms are bent up between our bodies. I uncurl my fists from underneath my neck and press my fingertips to my mouth. “Your brother just saw me mostly naked,” I whisper.

CJ looks down at me. “No, he didn’t.”

“Yeah, I did.”

My eyes widen. Worst family introduction ever! I cover my face with my hands and groan.

CJ shifts above me. “Turn around and stay that way until I fucking tell you otherwise, you hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jake mutters. “God. Some welcome party.”

“You didn’t tell me you were coming today, asshole.”

“I said I was coming in a few weeks. It’s been a few weeks.”

“You couldn’t give me a heads up? Let me know you were dropping in on the fourth?”

“I didn’t know I was approved for leave until last minute. This is your heads up. Goddamn.”

CJ lets out an exhausted breath above me. “Come on, darlin’,” he says, dropping his knee to the couch space between my legs. “Let’s get you to the bedroom.”

“I don’t want to move,” I grumble from behind my hands. “Just stuff me underneath the cushions and leave me here to die. My butt was totally hanging out of my underwear.”

I feel his body quake with a laugh. He kisses the back of my hand. “He’s not looking anymore. And if he does, I’ll kick his ass.”

“You can try, gimp,” Jake counters. “Pretty sure I’ll have an advantage.”

“Bro, for real? It's good to see you. Always is, but don’t make me embarrass you in front of my woman.” CJ pushes off me as Jake mumbles something I can’t make out over the sound of my nervous breathing. The couch dips and I hear Velcro being pulled, and I know CJ is putting on his boot. Then before I have time to protest moving from my burial spot, yet again, I’m being scooped up off the couch, cradled against CJ’s chest in a way my naked upper half is squished against his, and carried around the sofa and down the hallway.

“Sorry about that,” he mumbles into my hair. His arm underneath my knees lifts me closer. “I really don’t think he saw much, babe. I had my arm around you and my hand on your ass, but even if he did see something? Jake wouldn’t get on you about it. He’s a good guy. He’s not a dick.”

I open my eyes, thinking on that.

Mm. CJ did have his hand on my ass. And he has big hands. Awesome hands. They cover a lot of surface. And it wasn’t like I was laying on my back. My boobs were pretty hidden.