The words hit me like a physical thing, sinking into my chest. My stomach did this weird flip—half from irritation, half from… well, I didn’t even want to finish that thought. My throat felt a little dry, and I hated that I didn’t have some clever reply ready. Worse, I hated the fact that he could probably see the pink in my cheeks.

He stepped closer, and it was like the closet shrank around us. The scent of him wrapped around me—clean soap, something sharp like cologne, and an ...