Read If Only (The Willowbrook Series Book 1) for Free Online Page B

side to let him by but tripped on a flower pot. With quick reflexes, he anchored her body to his as she bit down a groan. She was right. His chest was solid.
    “Are you okay?”
    “Yes, just open the door already.” “Yes, ma’am,” he said and let her go.
    Relieved, she hurried inside the house. One more minute in his arms, and she was afraid she’d say to hell with their mess, and jump his bones. As he closed the door, her phone beeped. A text message .
    “Want me to get it?” he asked.
    She shrugged. Why not? Even with her gloves on, her fingers were numb. “Yes, please. Phone’s in the small upper pocket.”
    He unzipped the pocket, but didn’t give her the phone. He cleared his throat several times.
    “Is everything okay back there? I swear there aren’t any critters in those pockets ready to take a nip at your fingers.”
    His silence had her pivoting. In one hand he held her phone while he gripped a box of condoms in the other. Asa yanked off her gloves, snatched the box from him, and stuffed it back in the pocket.
    Could she die a quick death now? Or possibly prove true the theory of spontaneous combustion? She swore her cheeks—hell, her whole body was on fire.
    “Those aren’t mine.”
    Make him understand. That was her one thought during her moment of embarrassment. Rhys might not have romantic feelings for her, but for some reason, she had to let him know he was the only guy for her.
    “Who you sleep with or what you do with your life is none of my business. Like you said, we stopped being friends months ago.”
    He turned his back to her, hurled open the door, and stormed out before she had a chance to explain. The condoms weren’t hers. They were Eve’s, slipped into Asa’s backpack as a hint to forget Rhys and move on. But, she wasn’t a one night stand kind of girl.
    In a daze, she wandered to the bathroom and set the backpack on the floor. He won’t be out there long. The cold would send him back to the house. Ignoring the box of condoms, she glanced at the message on her screen. Eve had made it safely to her brother’s place.
    After convincing herself Rhys was a grown man and could take care of himself in the elements of the Pacific Northwest, Asa attempted to focus on the simple task of taking a shower. Her gaze darted around Jo’s bathroom. The space had the touches of a woman—floral shower curtains, pink rugs in front of the toilet and tub, and a pink toilet cover.
    Frilly white curtains hung across the only window. On either side of the bathroom was a door. The two bedrooms in Jo—Asa shook her head as she stripped off her clothes. The place belonged to Rhys now.
    Once the water heated to the right temperature, she stepped beneath the spray and let her mind wander. Unfortunately, her thoughts were about Rhys, and with the thoughts came the memories from their years of friendship.
    She recalled the times they’d walk along the river and talk until the sun set. Oftentimes, on lazy summer days, they’d lie on the grass, blink into the sunshine, and say nothing. Being in each other’s company had been enough. By far though, the best memory was of her high school graduation, when Rhys had showed up unannounced.
    It wasn’t the surprise of his visit that had left her breathless with happiness. No, he had rushed the stage, picked her up, and swung her in front of the crowd. And before he’d set her on her feet again, he had whispered in her ear how proud he was of her, the class valedictorian. Under the water, Asa smiled. Moments like those had her falling hard and fast for him.
    Finished with her shower, she stepped out, grabbed a towel from a small cabinet, and dried her hair and body.
    “When you’re ready, I can start cooking.”
    His voice on the other side of the door hadn’t startled her. Instead, the deepness of it had her flushing with longing. Damn her traitorous body.
    “I’ll be out in five.”
    After she’d dressed and pulled her damp hair into a ponytail, she