Swept Away Read Free Page A

and smoothed back his blond hair in an over-the-top, I-know-I’m-good-looking way.
    “Yeah? When was the last time you got a haircut, you hippie?” His brother gave him a friendly shove. Lily’s gaze strayed to his wet shorts. He’d been the one to jump in the water after her. He’d been the one to really save her life. She shivered at the thought. And at the way the damp fabric clung to his muscular thighs.
    “At least I don’t look like an escapee from boot camp, like Carson here.” Cody snapped to attention and offered a salute.
    “I like it short.” Carson sounded a little offended. “Besides, my hair’s so thick if I go more than four or five weeks without a trim, I have to put stuff in it.”
    “And it would just run out into the river, poisoning the fish.” Cody recited the words like scolded schoolboy. “Lighten up, man.”
    “So I care about what gets washed into the river.” Carson shook his head and chuckled. “You only care about what you pull out.”
    “Hey, at least I catch something once in a while.”
    “I’m not talking about the fish.”
    They teased each other, but there was genuine affection in their banter. Lily envied their closeness. As an only child, she’d envisioned a large family of her own someday. Three, maybe four kids running through the house. Walking down to Fairy Tale Town or the Sacramento Zoo. Baking cookies and hanging their artwork on the refrigerator door. The only thing hanging on her refrigerator now was an appointment card for Foothills Fertility Clinic.
    She followed the twins to a white double-cab Toyota truck. Carson clicked open the locks and held the front passenger door for her. He offered his arm to help her climb up into the cab. A jolt, almost as startling as the icy-cold water, shot straight through her.
    How long had it been since she’d been touched, really touched, by a man? For the last few years, sex had been entirely clinical. An act of procreation—and desperation—that had nothing to do with intimacy.
    But he hadn’t really touched her. Not like that. He was only trying to help. Like he’d been trying to help when he pulled her against him. And he was only trying to help when he’d touched her breast. Lily wasn’t going to read anything into it. She didn’t need a man. She definitely didn’t need two of them.
    Carson went around to the driver’s side and Cody slid into the backseat. Lily clicked her seatbelt in place. If only she could restrain her nerves so easily.
    “So tell me.” She turned so she could converse with both of them. “What do you two do when you’re not rescuing topless women?”
    Masculine laughter filled the cab. The deep, rich sound warmed Lily from the inside out. Carson started the ignition and turned the heater on full blast, to warm her on the outside.
    “We run Swift River Adventures, a rafting company out of Prospector Springs.” Carson’s smile showed a man who took pride in his work.
    “It’s not far from where gold was first discovered in California.” Cody leaned forward, inching closer, making her aware that there was entirely too much testosterone in this tiny space. They were big men. Strong men. Very good-looking men.
    It took twice as long to drive to the cabin as it had for her to float downstream. At last, she was home. Home . Even if it was only temporary.
    “Nice place.” Carson shut off the engine and turned toward her. His eyes were as warm, and as blue, as a summer’s day. “Are you renting for the summer?”
    “Nope. It’s mine.” She was still getting used to the idea. “All mine.”
    “Is it a vacation cabin?” Cody asked from the backseat.
    “Not exactly.” Lily turned to find Cody’s eyes were just as startling and blue as his brother’s. “My house in Sacramento sold a lot quicker than I anticipated. So this is home. Until I figure out where I want to end up.”
    “Well, I’m glad you’re here now.” Carson’s voice was slightly lower than Cody’s, without