Having It All: Naked Men, #5

By Christi Barth

Josh Hardwick's life looks great. He lives with his best friends, runs a gourmet food truck, and spends his nights hooking up with every eligible woman in D.C.. But he hides his daily struggle with dyslexia--which holds him back from expanding his business.The last complication he needs is a relationship. Especially not with an off-limits friend who is dangerously hot...

Annabeth Vasquez wears combat boots because life is a war zone and she damn well intends to be a survivor. She's clawed her way out of poverty and is still in shock at her amazing new job. Failure isn't an option. So being distracted by Josh's playboy moves is definitely out of the question. The boutique job puts her in the middle of his circle of rich, educated friends. Annabeth can't believe they accept her--or that Josh wants her. 

Dating a player always ends badly, and Annabeth can't risk losing her job. No matter how well Josh kisses... Her job's at stake. Josh's friends will kill him if he screws up and hurts her. But they can't ignore how long--and how much--they've wanted each other. So when Josh comes up with a plan to test-drive their relationship, Annabeth's on board. Will they be able to move beyond their complicated pasts and fears and discover love makes it possible to have it all?  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christi Barth
• Release date: May 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386237549

Christi Barth

USA TODAY bestseller Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes award-winning contemporary romance. Christi can always be found either whipping up gourmet meals (for fun, honest!) or with her nose in a book. She lives in Maryland with the best husband in the world.

Book preview

Eleven Years Ago . . .

Was he dead?

That was the thought that popped Josh Hardwick’s eyes open every time he woke up. Obviously, if he could think it, he wasn’t dead. But he’d passed out more times than he could count in the last three days.

The passing out—sometimes in mid-sentence, according to his friends—scared the shit out of him. Sure, it was easy to attribute that to the giant gashes on his head. Even at sixteen, Josh could put two and two together and figure out that he had a skull fracture...at best. Blinding headaches, blurry triple vision, puking until his body ran out of food to throw up, and the constant slips into unconsciousness. His memory, though, was just fine.

Which sucked.

Because Josh desperately wanted to forget the bus crash. The stomach-churning roll as it slid down the mountainside. The pain when his head smacked something sharp, and then the worse pain when it hit something harder on the other side as the bus finally got stopped by a tree. He wanted to forget the bloody sight of the impaled driver, the reek of the smoke from the fire nipping at their heels as he and his three best friends scrambled to get out.

He especially wanted to forget the last three days of wandering, coatless and hurt, in the brisk March cold of the Italian Alps.

So no, not dead. Not yet, anyway.

Eyes now open, Josh scanned the snow-covered peaks just outside the cave. How the hell would anyone be able to find them, to rescue them?

Hey! You’re awake! Griffin Montgomery, captain of their soccer team and a close enough replica that people mistook him for Josh’s brother, leaned right over his face. Good morning!

A flat palm on Griff’s chest shoved him away. Dude. We haven’t brushed our teeth in freaking days. Your morning breath could literally kill a small rodent. Keep your distance.

What’s so good about this morning, anyway? Knox Davies grumbled. He rubbed his eyes. But considering his glasses had been lost in the bus crash, chances were slim he could see much of anything.

Riley Ness awkwardly hunched over as he came back into the cave. The freshmen from their high school might be able to fit in here, but they were juniors. All of them except Knox had already hit six feet. Of course, Riley was probably also hunching to protect the dislocated shoulder Griff had jammed back into place their first night. Yeah. I just peed into a snowdrift. That’s no way to start the morning.

We’re lost, butt-ass cold, with just about zero chance for rescue. It is a sucky, shit-ass zit of a morning.

Griff arrowed a finger at Knox. I told you, we’re rescuing ourselves. And it’s a good morning because Josh woke up. Again.

Pretty low bar on the day if all I have to do is wake up. Josh smirked. Wouldn’t it be great if that carried over once they got home? His grades had been crap and his teachers had written him off as a lazy troublemaker most of his life.

The dyslexia diagnosis two years ago had changed things. Now he got extra time for tests. A tutor helped him bridge the gap between the classroom day and his struggles with homework. But the years of not meeting expectations, of being treated like he was stupid? That humiliation still stuck with him.

Getting an A for waking up? That he could handle.

If you make it three hours straight without passing out, there will be a reward, Griff promised.

Knox snorted, mussing his dark hair with both hands. A cookie or a medal?

Hell, if we get rescued, shouldn’t we all get something awesome? Riley scooped up a handful of dry leaves and tossed them in the air like confetti. Medals for bravery? A parade for our awesomeness?

Griffin rubbed around the edges of his swollen knee. Pretty much think getting rescued would be its own reward.

It got quiet—too quiet—as they all thought about that. There’d been a lot of moments like that since the crash. Josh knew he got scared and freaked out and pissed about every seven minutes. The only thing that kept them from giving in to the panic and crying through the dark nights was being with each other. Making fart jokes. Telling stories—mostly real, but obviously fake in Knox’s case—about the girls they’d kissed.

Josh knew it was his turn to step up and distract everyone. Make them laugh and joke and feel normal for a couple of moments. That was his superpower.

So he rolled up to prop himself on an elbow. Waited while the wave of nausea passed. Waited for the cave floor to stop bending and rolling and the walls to stop spinning around him. Then he reached out and flicked Knox, fast, three times on the ear.

Why’d you have to go and mention cookies, dipwad? I’m so hungry I could slap some snow between these leaves and call it a sandwich.

Poking at the bridge of his nose where his glasses usually sat, Knox frowned. I didn’t think saying the word cookie would set you off. Because it’s breakfast time. Traditionally, that would entail eggs, bacon, or some sort of cereal. Although in Europe, there’d be more cheeses and smoked meats. And in Japan, there’d be a spread of grilled fish, rice, and miso soup. But definitely this is not a time of day that creates an expectation of cookies.

That was classic Knox. Him and his officially certified genius brain always used twice as many words as the rest of the guys.

What about Pop-Tarts? Riley pointed out. They’re sort of a breakfast sandwich and a breakfast cookie mash-up.

Griffin groaned. God, I’d kill for a brown-sugar and cinnamon Pop-Tart. Not even heated. I’d just rip the foil open and maw down on them two at a time.

Screw breakfast. Josh flipped up his middle finger as punctuation.

Griff swatted it back down. Dude. Don’t disrespect bacon that way.

I mean it. The first thing I want when we get back to civilization is a sandwich. A grilled cheese. That’s what he’d been fantasizing about.

Well, that and Brittney Tucker’s boobs. She’d let him take her bra off for good luck before the team had flown out to attend this international soccer tournament. Hey, whatever got a guy through almost dying, right? He’d be sure to thank her when/if they got home.

Squinting—maybe from the missing glasses, maybe from confusion—Knox asked, You could have anything—steak, burgers, pizza—and you’re going with grilled cheese as your dream food?

Not just any grilled cheese. The one our cook, Earlene, makes. Mustard and horseradish on the bread for a kick. Three kinds of cheese that melt together into an orange-y white swirl. Golden brown on the outside. Perfectly crunchy and then perfectly gooey. There’s nothing better.

The way you describe it? Riley closed his eyes and patted his belly with a smile. I’d give Knox’s left nut to eat that.

Griff smirked. Wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice on his part, seeing as how neither of his nuts have had any action yet.

There wasn’t much light in the cave, but the weak sun slanted right across Knox’s bright red cheeks. Shut up. I only said I didn’t want to die a virgin because, well, I thought we were gonna die. Not for you to yank my chain.

There it was. Josh’s motivation for the day. The motivation he needed to get up off the cold, hard dirt and go back to trudging through the snow in the hopes they’d stumble across a trail or road or a handy avalanche survival hut.

Knox wouldn’t die a virgin. And Josh damn well wouldn’t die with his stomach as hollow as this cave.

Slowly, he rolled forward onto his knees. We’re not gonna die. We’re going to make it home, and Earlene’s going to teach me how to make that grilled cheese.

Griffin scratched the matted layers of his blond hair. You want to learn how to cook?

Yeah. Because I never, ever want to be this hungry again. Talking about that grilled cheese just put a smile on Riley’s face, even though I know his shoulder and broken ribs have to hurt like a son of a bitch. Food makes people smile.

So does this. Knox squished his hand under his pit and made a disgusting noise. They all laughed.

And for a few moments, it felt normal. It felt like they might actually make it out of the Alps.

And then, Josh would eat grilled cheese sandwiches until he burst.

If they made it...

Chapter One

Present Day

Global warming sucked—in principle. But tonight, Josh was secretly glad the surprise warm spell that had locked in over D.C. meant they could have their annual Halloween bash on the roof deck. The fall breeze kept him just cool enough so that the spandex of his Captain America costume was...survivable.

He slid the round shield onto his back. Knox, I owe you an apology. I know I called your idea to have all of us dress as the Avengers stupid. But man oh man, is it ever working. Every woman at this party is checking out my muscles. Josh pointed at the idiot in a Chewbacca costume over by the bar. None of them are looking at Fur Boy over there.

Well, you know me. Knox tapped the glowing circle under his T-shirt that looked exactly like Tony Stark’s Arc Reactor. Because he was smart enough not to settle for a bulky tin can of a costume. Instead, he’d assigned one of his brainiac, tech-whiz minions to make an actual light-up shirt that was good enough to be used in the next movie. Always thinking of new ways to make sure you get laid.

I hear the sarcasm, and yet I choose to ignore it.

Knox looked over at his fiancée, Madison, dressed in a sexy, tight, Pepper Potts suit with her blond hair in a bun and her Amazonian figure almost busting out. Not that Josh would risk commenting on Madison’s sexiness in front of Knox, even as a compliment. The man was crazy overprotective since even before he’d put a ring on her finger. A goofy, love-drunk smile worked its way across Knox’s lips. It’s weird to think that last year, we stood right here and you were my wingman.

You were my wingman, Josh corrected. Sure, Knox had slept with every hot and semi-hot woman in D.C., Arlington and Baltimore. But only after Josh saw them first and allowed Knox to have his leftovers.

Just saying. A lot’s changed in a year. Griffin and Chloe engaged, Logan and Brooke moving in together, Riley and Summer all over each other.

You’re planning a freaking wedding. That’s the biggest change of all. One I would’ve bet against with every cent I own.

Knox rubbed together his thumb and two fingers. I would’ve taken that action myself. And I’d have been an idiot. Because Madison’s the best thing that ever happened to me.

Shit. Was this a nudge? Josh leaned his arms on the wooden railing and looked at the orange glow of downtown D.C. I should probably start looking for a new place.

Why?

Because you’re getting married. This is your house. After a childhood barely scraped together with sheer grit by his mom and a shit-ton of scholarships, Knox had turned multimillionaire before even graduating from college. He’d bought a converted rectory that he shared with his best friends.

As soon as Griff’s Coast Guard posting brought him to D.C., he’d joined Josh and Riley in it. Logan spent most of his