All Messed Up 3o3x1l

All Messed Up

Kelly Jamieson

BRYANT STREET PUBLISHING

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All Messed Up Copyright © 2017 by Kelly Jamieson

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF KELLY JAMIESON

“Kelly Jamieson delivers a blazing ionate read that tugs at the heartstrings!” ~ Carly Phillips, New York Times Bestselling Author

“seductive and bewitching from the very start… Softly romantic and wickedly provocative” ~ RT Book Reviews on Rule of Three

“Kelly Jamieson now has a permanent place on my keeper shelf and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.” ~ Joyfully Reviewed

“Ms. Jamieson once again gives the reader a richly detailed story that is brimming over with sexual tension, intoxicating desires and intriguing carnal needs that is edgy and psychologically intense…” ~ The Romance Studio

“…I love Kelly Jamieson’s books and the way that she depicts her characters…” ~ Sizzling Hot Book Reviews

Dedication

Special thanks to Kate Davies whose real-life nightmare trip home from New Orleans provided such great details for Mallory and Joe’s story! Also thanks to Skylar Kade for the Greek endearment. And to them and the rest of my Naughty Nine with whom I was in New Orleans when writing this book—PG Forte, Kinsey Holley, Erin Nicholas, Juniper Bell, and Meg Benjamin—I love you all.

Chapter One

“Boarding would go a lot faster if people just waited their turn.” Mallory Hurst reclined in the vinyl seat in O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, her phone with her electronic boarding on it in her hand, and turned to look at the man two seats over who’d just spoken to her. She gave him a wry smile. “True.” Nearly everyone else in the area had leaped from their seats as soon as the gate attendant had announced pre-boarding, but she and this guy were still sitting. “I mean, it’s not as if they’re not going to get on the plane,” he continued. “We all have assigned seats.” “It won’t leave without you either,” she agreed. “Especially if your checked baggage is on it. They’ll hunt you down.” “You’re a seasoned traveler.” He lifted an eyebrow, smiling. He was hot. Those were the first words that came to mind as she studied him. He looked around her age, which was thirty-one, maybe even a couple years younger than she. His golden brown hair was cut short, a little longer on top, very thick and tousled, and sideburns turned into just the right amount of whisker stubble over his square jaw and upper lip. He too lounged in his chair, slouched back, with long, long legs in faded jeans stretched out in front of him. “I travel quite a bit for work,” she agreed. “And my family lives in Los Angeles, so I visit them as often as I can. How about you? Travel a lot?” “Not a lot. If I had more vacation time, I’d travel more. Sure don’t travel for my job.” He grinned. His mouth was wide and his smile was steal-your-breath appealing, crinkling up his eyes and flashing his straight white teeth.

“What do you do?” she asked. “I’m a cop.” She nodded. “Cool.” “You? What do you do that requires you to travel a lot?” She pursed her lips briefly. “I’m Senior Marketing Development Manager at a pharmaceutical company. We have offices in Los Angeles and London, so I sometimes have to travel there for meetings.” Talking about her work made her stomach tighten unpleasantly. The gate agent announced boarding for engers seated in the rear of the plane. Mallory glanced at her boarding on her phone to make sure she had the row right. Not that it mattered. Nearly everyone was lined up already. The people sitting in the front rows would be blocking the aisle for everyone else as they wrestled their bags into the overhead compartments. “Man, I am really grouchy,” she murmured, mostly to herself, aware of the familiar tension she’d been carrying in her neck and shoulders. But the guy she’d been talking to grinned. “Does that mean this is a business trip?” She grimaced. “I’m actually on vacation for a week. Going to see my parents.” “Sounds like maybe you need a vacation.” His eyes and smile were sympathetic. “Stressful job?” “Um. Yeah. Sometimes.” That was an epic understatement lately. She smiled determinedly. “A week off will be nice.” One week. One week to get her head on straight and figure out what the hell she was going to do with the monumental dilemma she faced. In one week, she’d be flying home to Chicago with a decision made or a plan formulated. Maybe. Hopefully. Frack.

She stared at the pointy toes of her black boots visible beneath the hem of her black pants. Her insides tightened even more at the pressure that built inside her. The guy she’d been talking to rose to his feet and picked up a backpack. She blinked. “Rows one through ten,” he confirmed. “Come on, let’s get in line.” She slung her purse over her shoulder and pulled her little carry-on suitcase behind her. Her new acquaintance gestured for her to go in front of him with impressive chivalry and she smiled at him. He was tall, now that they were standing side by side, well over six feet. The long, black, leather jacket he wore emphasized broad shoulders, hanging open over a thin gray sweater layered over a white T-shirt. “Where are you sitting?” he asked her. “Row eight, seat C.” He nodded. “I’m in the first row. I need the leg room.” She could see that. She held out her phone for the agent to scan her boarding and tramped down the gangway, ing through a draft of cold air as she stepped into the plane. She stowed her small bag, removed her jacket and shoved it into the overhead compartment as well, then slipped into her aisle seat. As she did, she couldn’t resist peering to the front of the plane where the man she’d been talking to was taking his seat. At the same moment, he glanced her way and their eyes met. His smile gave her a warm tingle down low inside and her breath caught a bit. She shifted back in her seat, breaking the eye , and sighed. A very attractive man. And the way he looked at her made her think he found her attractive too. Too bad they weren’t sitting closer together…gah! What was she thinking? She did not do things like flirt with a stranger on an airplane. Although flirting with a stranger would take her mind off the ugly crap that kept circling inside her head.

She organized herself for takeoff, pulling her small tablet computer out of her purse to read on once they were in the air, doing up her seatbelt and then flipping through a magazine she’d brought to read when electronics weren’t permitted. Once they were airborne and the beverage cart made its way to her, she opened her mouth to request a coffee then paused when the man next to her ordered a double vodka. She never drank when she traveled on business, but this wasn’t business. Maybe a drink would help relax her. So she requested white wine. The first leg of her trip to Los Angeles required a change of planes in Denver. Booking at the last minute meant she hadn’t been able to get a direct flight. Annoying, but not the end of the world. As they taxied toward the terminal in Denver after landing, she double-checked her boarding for the gate and time of her next flight. She had two hours. Walking into the terminal, she found herself looking around for the man she’d been talking to back in Chicago, but since he’d been one of the first off the plane, he’d already disappeared. Maybe Denver was his destination and he’d headed to the baggage claim area. She gave a mental shrug and followed the signs along the busy concourse to her next gate. As she ed a food court area, she slowed by a bar that seemed to be a popular spot. People sat there laughing and talking. She’d always had a little pang of envy for those people when she traveled for work, people who weren’t alone, people who were having fun. She continued past the bar. She paused to check the big board with flights on it and confirmed her next flight was still on time and still at the same gate. Not that she was paranoid. She just always liked to know exactly where she was going and what time she had to be there. And there was her gate. She eyed the waiting area, only a few people there right then. Although she had her tablet computer and the airport had wireless Internet access, and she could entertain herself for the next hour and a half until boarding time, the idea of sitting there didn’t appeal. “We meet again.” She turned and found herself face-to-face with the hot guy from O’Hare. She couldn’t help but return his smile. “You’re going to L.A. too?” she asked.

“Yep.” He tipped his head. “Didn’t I mention that?” “No,” she murmured. “I don’t think you did. Are you on vacation?” “Yeah.” He paused. “I was thinking about getting a beer. I don’t suppose you’d like to keep me company so I’m not drinking alone? I’ll buy you a drink.” The idea was definitely tempting. But once again, she didn’t do things like that. Let a stranger buy her a drink in the airport bar–that was bold. “Thanks, but no.” He eyed her with a bit of a challenging glint in his eye. “For a moment there, you looked like you really wanted to say yes.” She had wanted to say yes. She glanced back at the bar. “Really, I can’t.” “Why not? It’s just a drink. In a public place.” He was right. What the hell. She made a face. “Okay.” They walked back to the bar and surveyed the busy space. “We can sit at the bar,” he said, nodding at two stools near one end. She headed that way with her carry-on rolling behind her. “I guess names would be good,” the guy said, shaking his head. “I’m Joe.” “Nice to meet you, Joe. I’m Mallory.” They shook hands and the warmth and strength of his big hand gave her another tingle low inside. She draped her jacket over the back of the stool and he did the same then helped her climb onto the seat. He picked up a small menu card and studied it. The bartender appeared in front of them and laid out two small paper coasters. “What can I get you folks?” “White wine, please,” Mallory said. “Sauvignon Blanc.” “Even your drink choice is safe,” Joe murmured. She blinked. He looked up. “What’s on tap?” The bartender reeled off selections and Joe went for some kind of local ale Mallory didn’t recognize.

“Is that good beer?” He shrugged, a smile playing on his wide mouth. “No idea. Never had it before.” Music played somewhere, nearly unrecognizable over the loud babble of voices and laughter in the bar. A big screen television broadcast a hockey game with no sound. “Hey, it’s the Blackhawks,” Mallory said. “And they’re winning. You like hockey?” “Love it.” He eyed her with renewed interest. “Awesome. Do you go to many games?” “Yeah. My company has a suite and we often entertain guests there.” “Now that’s the way to watch a game. Me, I buy the cheap seat tickets.” The bartender served their drinks and Mallory slid the glass along the polished wood closer to her. She sipped the crisp wine. “Nice.” “Good.” He held up his glass, the golden liquid inside bubbling, the outside frosty, and they touched glasses in a toast. “Cheers.” Their eyes met as they sipped again and something inside Mallory gave a little squeeze. This was kind of fun. She hadn’t had fun for quite a while. Or…did she ever really have fun anymore? Sure she did. Her life was the way she wanted it. Responsible. Hardworking. Respectable. Maybe she didn’t do spontaneous things like this, but she had fun. “So the weather in Los Angeles is a lot warmer than at home,” Joe said. “A little sunshine and heat will be nice in October. You said you grew up in L.A.?” “That’s right.” “You must miss that weather.” “I do. But I really love Chicago.”

“Yeah. I like living there.” His smile went crooked. “Are you on vacation alone?” she asked. “Going to visit someone?” Maybe a female someone? He dropped his gaze and his smile receded. “I’m going to see my dad.” “Oh. That’s nice.” “Uhhuh. We’ll see. Hey, look at that, Toews just scored for the Blackhawks.” They watched the replay together. “Beautiful,” Mallory said, grinning. “Right through the five hole.” Joe leaned closer and gave her a gentle nudge with his shoulder. “Gotta love a girl who knows hockey. Especially a girl as smokin’ hot as you.” She made a face at his compliment, although it warmed her inside. “You must have brothers,” he added. She laughed. “Actually, I’m an only child. But my dad’s a big hockey fan.” She watched his gaze drop to her left hand. “You’re not married.” “No.” “Boyfriend?” She shook her head. “Nope.” A pause. “You?” “Nah, I don’t have a boyfriend either.” A giggle bubbled up inside her. It almost shocked her. God, her life wasn’t that serious, was it, that laughing out loud was so foreign to her? Once again, they exchanged grins and heat quivered inside her. “I mean a girlfriend,” she chided him. “Or wife.” Then she added with deliberate hesitancy, “I’m pretty sure you’re not gay.” He laughed and their eyes met in a charged little exchange. “Pretty sure, huh?

Not gay, no girlfriend, no wife. Almost got married once, but it didn’t work out.” He shrugged. “You don’t seem too broken up about that. Was it a while ago?” “Last week.” The glint in his eye made her laugh again. “Kidding. It was a few years ago. And I’m over it. Wasn’t meant to be. Worked out for the best. All those clichés.” “Did she have issues being married to a cop?” His eyes flickered with a faint shadow. “No. That wasn’t what her issue was.” One corner of his mouth kicked up again. “I think it was just me Zoe had an issue with.” Well. She didn’t know him at all, really, but from what she’d seen so far, that surprised her. And frankly, she didn’t believe him. But whatever. Two strangers having a drink in an airport bar didn’t have to share all their ugly baggage. Figurative ugly baggage. She smiled. “What’s so funny?” “Nothing. I just have a weird sense of humor.” “I’ve been told that too. But since you’ve been laughing at my jokes, maybe we have the same weird sense of humor.” “Maybe we do.” “Do you like Family Guy?” Her eyes went wide and then she groaned. “Yes,” she whispered. “But don’t tell anyone else. It’s so…wrong. But so funny.” “Exactly.” “What other guilty pleasures do you keep secret?” Joe asked. “Oh no. I’m not revealing my secrets to a total stranger.” “Hey, sometimes that’s the best person to tell. And what fun are secrets if you’re

not tempted to tell them?” She tipped her head to one side. He had a point there. “Okay,” she said. “I like to read sexy romance novels.” “You don’t tell people that?” “The people I work with would not approve of such ‘low brow’ reading material. But I like them.” They talked about movies and television shows, and funnily enough found they did share some favorites. Mallory had to draw the line at Hot Tub Time Machine. “I’m a sucker for anything with time travel,” Joe itted. “Maybe that’s why I liked it.” “Doctor Who?” “Big fan,” he said seriously. “Wouldn’t you rather dematerialize in Chicago and rematerialize in L.A. than do this?” He waved a hand. “Although…on second thought, having a drink with a pretty lady is more fun.” She smiled. He pulled out his cell phone and glanced at it. “We should head to the gate, I guess. We’re supposed to start boarding in five minutes.” “I want to use the ladies’ room first,” she said. She finished her wine and placed the empty glass on the bar as Joe pulled out some bills. “Thank you for the drink. It was much more fun than sitting by myself.” “My pleasure.” They separated to go to their respective bathrooms and met up again moments later on the concourse, walking together to the gate. Through the windows, they could see tiny snowflakes falling, the late afternoon skies gray and overcast. “Sunshine,” Mallory said. “Palm trees. Beaches. We’re on our way.”

Joe smiled his agreement. Soon they were separating again to board the plane and Mallory felt a pang of disappointment. She sent him a quick smile as she made her way down the aisle and he stayed at the front again. She went through her familiar routine settling into her seat, although she didn’t fasten her seatbelt as there was still an empty seat beside her. Eventually, an older woman arrived and claimed the window seat, and then Mallory fastened her seatbelt and flipped through her magazine. This time her difficulty concentrating on the magazine wasn’t because of work, but because she kept replaying her conversation with Joe, ing his easy smile and the way he made her laugh. Clearly, he didn’t take things too seriously. And yet…he was a police officer. That was a pretty serious profession. She had to ire someone who could have such a serious, life-or-death job and yet still have such a sense of fun and adventure. ire, and even…envy. She also kept ing the way he looked at her, attraction evident in his smile and his eyes. He had a glint in those eyes that hinted he might like to do wicked things… She gazed out the window, her view not that great from the aisle seat, but she could still see equipment moving around on the tarmac. She tried again to read her magazine and actually got into an article when the flight captain came on the sound system to apologize for the delay. Mallory glanced at her watch. They were fifteen minutes late leaving. “We need to de-ice the wings,” the captain announced. “So we’re going to be a little longer here before we get you up in the air and on our way to Los Angeles. We were actually hoping to get away before we needed to do that, but unfortunately that didn’t work out. So we’re waiting our turn with the de-icer. Thank you for your patience.” Huh. De-ice the wings. Okay. Better safe than sorry. The snow was still light, but apparently it was cold enough that they needed to do that. The woman beside her shifted and murmured, “Oh dear.” Mallory wasn’t a nervous flyer. Whatever they had to do, they’d do, and a little snow was no big deal. Planes flew through worse all the time, and a short delay

was annoying but not as much as when she was on a business trip and had tight time frames. If her flight was delayed, her parents would just have to wait a little longer at the airport. Before they were told to turn off their electronics, she pulled out her BlackBerry and sent her mom a quick message to tell her they were late leaving. Then she turned her attention to the magazine article about how to talk dirty in bed. And then another about a young woman who had breast cancer. It was heart wrenching, but she forced herself to read it because she wanted to make herself feel fortunate for everything she had. Eventually she became aware that they’d been sitting in the airplane for quite a while. People around her were getting restless and starting to complain loudly. It was warm and stuffy in the aircraft, and Mallory reached up to adjust the air vent above her, sending a cool blast toward her. Better. But she was getting antsy too. What was going on? The pilot came back on to make another announcement, again apologizing for the delay. “There’s a long line of planes waiting to get to the de-icing equipment,” he said. “The snow hit about four hours before it was supposed to arrive and unfortunately the de-icing solution wasn’t warmed up yet. The ground crew was planning to take care of it before the morning flights but it’s obviously too late now.” What the fuck? The de-icing solution wasn’t warmed up? Mallory sighed. It was late October, so she supposed it was a little early for them to need it, but shouldn’t it be ready any time? Jeez. The lady beside her fidgeted and sighed and bit her lips. Mallory wanted to go talk to Joe. She leaned into the aisle and looked to the front of the plane. Others had gotten up and moved around. She could do that too. But that was crazy. She didn’t even know him. She tried to focus on her magazine again—“What real guys think about commitment”. She wrinkled her nose. They’d been sitting on the plane for about an hour when the pilot came back on.

“Well, folks…” he said. “We’re going to let you deplane while they get the deicing equipment going. We apologize for the inconvenience. Hopefully we’ll be on our way shortly.” A collective groan filled the plane, people mumbling with annoyance as they began to rise and move about, collecting their belongings. Mallory shot a smile at the lady beside her as she stuffed her magazine and tablet computer back into her big purse then rose to haul her bag out of the overhead compartment. Inside the airport, the flight attendants handed out cans of soda and little pretzel packets, discussing amongst themselves how they were getting close to their cutoff time when they’d have to leave the airport to sleep before they could travel again. Great. Mallory took her soda and pretzels and looked around. What were they supposed to do? How long was this going to be? She probably shouldn’t go very far in case they got things fixed soon and were able to take off. “So,” Joe spoke beside her. “Looks like we get to spend a little more time together.”

Chapter Two

Joe smiled down at Mallory. The airport had to be the most unsexy place in the world, grumpy people complaining about the flight delay, harsh lights, uncomfortable seating. But Mallory…she was sexy. “Another drink?” he said. Her eyes shifted. “I don’t know. We should probably stay close in case they make announcements about what’s happening.” “We’ll hear them in the bar. And I’d rather have another beer than that warm soda and tiny little bag of pretzels.” “I guess.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “Okay.” She let out a heartfelt sigh. “What’s wrong?” He set his hand on the small of her back to guide her through the people in the concourse. “You have to ask? I just want to get home to see my folks. This is frustrating.” “Yeah. It is. But hey, they’ll get the de-icing solution warmed up and get those wings de-iced and we’ll be good to go in no time.” “So optimistic,” she murmured. “Can’t do anything about it.” He shrugged. “Gotta make the best of it. Right?” “Right.” They walked down the concourse back to the bar they’d been at earlier. Now all the seats at the bar were taken, but they found a small table for two and took a seat. He watched her across the table as she arranged her carry-on and her purse, and hung her jacket on the back of her chair. She sat and folded her hands on the table and gave him a bright smile. “Okay! Here we are again.”

Her hair shone under the lights of the bar, multi shades of gold and caramel and honey, sweeping from a right-sided part across her forehead and curving under her chin in a smooth, sleek style. A little sleeker than his usual preference, which leaned more toward long dark hair. Her clothes were classy and conservative too: black pants, an ivory sweater under a black jacket, with a black, ivory and taupe-colored scarf around her neck. The only thing she wore that even hinted at sexy were the pointy-toed, high-heeled black boots that barely peeked out from beneath the hem of her black pants. But something in her eyes hinted at sexy too, and her smile…the way she recognized his cracked sense of humor. Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part, but it also seemed she recognized something else inside him. Despite the conservative, buttoned-up appearance. “Don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll get home to see your parents in no time.” “Sure.” She rolled her eyes. “Times like this I really hate traveling. You were right about the time travel thing.” “Absolutely. I’ve been thinking that in my spare time I should start working on a time machine or something.” She grinned and relaxed a bit back into her chair. “Good idea.” They ordered drinks and Joe added an order of nachos. “I’m not gonna make it to L.A. without some food,” he said. He looked at the big screen TV. “I guess the game’s over. Wonder who won.” “Let’s check.” She pulled out her cell phone and did some fast moves with her thumbs. She bit her lip as she waited. “Hey! Blackhawks won, four-two.” “Awesome.” She did a few more clicks, checked something else then set down her phone. “We need the TARDIS. This sucks.” He grinned. “Right?” Then he shrugged. “It happens. I’m looking on the bright side. I get to have another drink with a beautiful woman.” He winked. Her cheeks got pink and her eyelashes fluttered. “Well. Yeah. There is that.”

He chuckled then leaned back in his seat as the waiter set his beer in front of him. “So, how long have you lived in Chicago?” he asked her. “Only about two years. I moved there to take a promotion.” “You’re pretty young to be…what did you say your title was? Senior Marketing Manager?” “Senior Marketing Development Manager.” She made a face. “And I’m thirtyone.” He grinned. “Thanks. It’s rude to ask. I’m thirty. So still, thirty-one is young for that kind of position. Right?” She shrugged. “I’ve worked hard. I’ve been with the company since I graduated with my MBA. I started as a junior manager.” She looked down at her glass of wine, her mouth going tight. “What company is it? Did you say you sell drugs?” She gave a tense laugh. “Yeah. Zafir Pharmaceuticals.” “So what does a Senior Marketing Development Manager do?” “Basically my job is to expand potential markets for our products.” “Drugs.” “Yes.” Her face tightened a little more. “That’s right. We produce drugs that are used to treat cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma…serious diseases.” “That sounds very worthy.” She nodded. “Yes. It should be.” “Should be? You mean it’s not?” She sighed. “I’m going through a rough time at work right now. We should talk

about something more fun.” “Okay. Sure. But if you want to talk about work, sometimes that helps.” She nodded glumly. “Yeah. I know. Thanks. Maybe we could talk about your work. Being a police officer is also a worthy career.” “Worthy. Did I really say that?” He laughed. “That sounds a little sanctimonious.” “You did say that. And it’s not sanctimonious. I think it’s important to feel like you’re doing something good in your career. Like you’re contributing. Where’s the satisfaction if you’re not?” “I suppose.” He shrugged. “It’s a job.” Her eyebrows lifted. “Just a job? I’d think to be a police officer you have to be pretty committed. Why are you in that job if you don’t like it?” He lowered his eyebrows. “Did I say I didn’t like it?” “Not in so many words.” “It’s not that I don’t like it. I do. Just don’t think I’m some kind of hero out saving lives every day. Because it’s not like that.” He was certainly no hero. She studied him with a discerning look that made him shift in his seat, but fortunately she let that go. “What do you plan to do in Los Angeles?” she asked. “Whereabouts does your dad live?” “Long Beach, actually.” “Hey, really? My parents are in Anaheim.” “Is that close? I don’t know that area very well.” “Yeah, pretty close. So did your father recently move there?” “No. He’s…ah…always lived there.” “But you haven’t visited him much?” Warm curiosity shone in her blue eyes.

“Not much, no.” Wow, this conversation was stumbling from one uncomfortable topic to the next. “Of course, I want to go to the beach and see the ocean.” “Go to Disneyland.” He laughed. “Yeah, I guess that’s what you’re supposed to do in California. We’ll see about that. My parents took us to Disney World a couple of times when we were young, but not Disneyland.” “Us? You have a sibling?” “I have two older brothers.” “So you’re the baby of the family.” “Yes. I am.” He rolled his eyes. “So, when did your parents separate?” “They’re…not.” Then he realized what he’d let slip. She frowned. “Oh. Sorry. I’m confused. You were talking about your dad like he lives apart from your mom.” Hell. “It’s a long story,” he said. “Families. They’re complicated.” And that was a serious understatement. His stomach clenched. “True enough,” she said with a sigh. “I love my folks, but we’ve had our challenges too.” “Doesn’t everyone.” The waiter reappeared with a big plate of nachos that he set in the middle of the table, along with a couple of smaller plates and a pile of napkins. “So.” She gave Joe a bright smile. “I was just reading an article in a magazine about how to talk dirty in bed. Do guys like that?” He blinked. “Wow. That change of subject just about gave me whiplash.” She laughed. “Sorry.” She picked up a chip loaded with cheese.

“Um. Talk dirty in bed. Yeah. Sure. I like it. But not if it sounds fake.” “Like what?” “I mean, if she’s spouting off stuff that sounds like something she would never, ever say…like maybe it came from a bad porn movie…that would feel awkward.” “Like ‘Fill me up, Daddy, fuck my tight cunt. Make me scream with that big dick of yours.’” He choked on his beer, laughing. “Okay, yeah.” But damn if his dick didn’t thicken a little at the dirty words. “I don’t ever want to hear the word ‘Daddy’ in bed.” She grinned. “It doesn’t have to be vulgar to be sexy,” he said. “It could actually be something like, ‘make me come’ or ‘you’re so good with your tongue’.” “You’ve heard that one?” “Maybe once or twice.” He smiled modestly. “If you’re going to talk dirty, you have to feel comfortable saying it, otherwise it’s just going to make things tense.” “I agree.” She nodded. “How about when guys talk dirty? Do girls like that?” “I can’t speak for all girls. I like it. To a point.” “What don’t you like?” “I don’t like being called a bitch or a whore or a cunt.” Amusement mingled with iration inside him. “Don’t blame you. I’d never call a woman those names during sex.” “But outside of sex maybe?”

“I never said that! Not outside of sex either. Wait. I did call my buddy Kevin’s ex a bitch when she dumped him for no reason.” “To her face?” “God no! Just to him.” “Okay.” She nodded. Joe’s ears perked at the announcement coming over the sound system. They both listened as it was announced that they would be reboarding the plane shortly. Their eyes met. Damn. He was kind of disappointed actually. Things had gotten fun. They exchanged a wry smile as they finished off their drinks and ate a last couple of nachos. Mallory pulled her wallet from her big purse. “Let me buy this time,” she said. “No. I’m buying.” He was firm on that and gave her a level look that had her putting her wallet away. “Thank you. You really have made this ordeal more fun.” “Likewise, gorgeous.” Once more they headed back to the gate and waited in line to board the plane. For the third time since they’d spoken to each other in O’Hare, they separated to go to their own seats, and dammit, this time it really felt like a downer. If the plane wasn’t so full, he would’ve asked about moving seats so they could sit together, but he did like sitting in the bulkhead seat so he had extra legroom. Darkness had fallen by now, and snow was continuing to come down. Not a fullfledged blizzard by any means, but enough to pose a problem with snow on the wings. Equipment moved around outside on the tarmac, visible only by lights in the dark. Flight attendants moved through the cabin, patiently answering questions and trying hard to pacify all the unhappy customers. Joe laughed inside, realizing that the delay hadn’t bothered him one bit. Not only was he not in a big rush to get to L.A. and see his biological father—he’d gotten to spend more time with Mallory. Pretty. Sexy. Smart. And not all that happy. What was going on with her job that was making her so tense? That sucked.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen, Captain Kirk here again.” Captain Kirk? Seriously? Why hadn’t he noticed that last time he’d spoken? Joe wanted to laugh. “So the news we’re getting from the ground crew is that the planes are so icy, as soon as they’re done with the back of the plane the front has to be de-iced again. That’s why it’s taking so long for us to get our turn there.” Joe sighed. Where in Chicago did Mallory live? Damn, he should have gotten her phone number. Just because their flight was leaving and they were going their separate ways for the next week or so, didn’t mean he couldn’t look her up once they were home… What the hell was he thinking? She looked like the kind of woman who was ready to settle down in a long-term relationship, and he was so not that guy. Especially not now, with his head all fucked up from the news he’d just been smacked with. Although the truth was, his head had been fucked up for a while. Most of his life, in fact. He sighed. But damn, he liked her. There was a definite attraction there, a nice zing of heat and excitement. They were similar ages. Both single. Whatever. He flipped open the airline’s travel magazine that was tucked in the pocket on the wall in front of him and studied pictures of Thailand. Then an article about London, England. Hadn’t Mallory said she’d traveled there? That would be cool. And then he was back to thinking about Mallory. Thinking about talking dirty to her in bed. Christ. Images filled his head of rumpling her professional clothes and mes her sleek hair, and he had to shift in his seat as his cock swelled a little against his fly. Nearly an hour later, the captain announced that they were still waiting and could get off the plan again. “We apologize again for the inconvenience.” Oh, for Chrissake. They were getting off the fucking plane again? This was turning into a nightmare.

But he couldn’t help but seek out Mallory as he rose to deplane again. He spotted her shiny hair as she stood in the aisle, once more wrestling her bag out of the overhead compartment. This time he didn’t pretend that he’d run into her by accident. He waited for her right outside the plane. “Hey, gorgeous,” he said with a smile. “Let me take that for you.” He reached for her small suitcase. “That’s okay, I’ve got it.” But he took it anyway and they walked up the gently sloping carpeted gangway. Inside the terminal he moved away from the gate and stopped to face her. “So here we are again,” he said. “Sounds like this bird might not be taking off tonight.” “Yeah.” She bit her lip. “This sucks. Oh, I better text my mom.” “Yeah, go ahead.” She pulled her cell phone out of her purse. “Is your dad picking you up at the airport? You might want to let him know about the delay.” “He’s not picking me up. So it’s okay.” She thumbed in a message, eyes on her phone. “There. I just wish I knew what to tell them. This is so annoying!” “Yeah. It is.” “I hate things that are out of my control.” “Really?” He gave her a look. “What? Don’t look at me like that.” “Like what?” She blinked rapidly and his smile widened.

“Like I wanted to make you lose control?” He bent closer to murmur the words in her ear. “Um…” “That’s because I do.” He straightened. “Come on. Let’s find somewhere we can get comfortable for the next while… Wait.” “What?” “Before you put your phone away, give me your number.” “Why?” She frowned at him. “So I can send you a text message on the plane.” Now it was her turn to give him a look, a side-eye, tight-lipped look. He beamed his most charming smile and she shook her head but gave him the number. He entered it into his s. The airline crew were handing out pillows and blankets to anyone who wanted them; he accepted two for him and Mallory and led the way to the far corner of the gate area, where an empty row of seats faced out the windows into darkness. The bar and restaurants in the concourse were all now dark and closed up. He parked Mallory’s case and they dumped purse, backpack, jackets, pillows and blankets onto a couple of seats. “Do you want to lie down?” he asked. She gave him another wary look. “I’ll just sit, thanks.” “Sure.” They both took a seat and he stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his hands over his abdomen. “So, where were we? Oh yeah. Talking dirty in bed.” She giggled. “Back to that, huh?” “I was thinking more about it while we were sitting on the plane.” Thinking about talking dirty to her, both of them naked in bed—but he didn’t add that.

“Sometimes it’s not so much the actual words as the tone of voice.” “True.” “Even when you say something innocent like, ‘Do you want more?’ if you say it in the right tone of voice, it can sound dirty.” He demonstrated, lowering his voice to a husky rasp and leaning closer. “Do you want more?” She shivered. He smiled. “’Cause I’ve got more. How would you like it? Are you having fun?” “You’re a very bad boy,” she said in a throaty tone that made his dick harden. “You know it. Let’s be bad together.” “I’m not a bad girl though.” “Oh yeah? The way you were talking dirty in the bar earlier sounded pretty bad.” He held her gaze, smiling a bit, and then he touched his fingertips to her cheek. Soft. He sensed a bit a tussle going on inside her. “Hey,” he said softly. “We’re in an airport with hundreds of people around. We’re just playing around. Right?” “Right.” She was gorgeous. Smooth and polished, perfect shiny hair and satiny skin, sky blue eyes that he could now see were flecked with tiny shards of mauve and silver. “I wanna kiss you.” Her lips parted and her long eyelashes fluttered down. And that was enough for him. He leaned closer to her and found her mouth with his. Fuck yeah. Her soft lips clung to his. Her scent rose around them, warm and feminine and faintly floral. His fingertips caressed her cheek, his thumb on her chin in the gentlest touch. She lifted a hand and laid it on his arm, but she wasn’t pushing him away. She was holding on.

He deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth a little more, opening his mouth over hers, pushing her lips open too, and his tongue traced over her plush bottom lip. She tasted sweet, fruity, faintly like wine, and when the tip of her tongue rubbed against his, his blood surged hotly through his veins, straight to his dick. “How’s this?” he murmured, now cupping her face. “You are so sexy. I wanna take your clothes off and lick you all over. Wanna make you come.” “That’s pretty good,” she replied breathlessly. “You’ve got a knack for talking dirty, I think.” “Thank you. Maybe we should work at it some more.” Their eyes met as she peered up at him through her long eyelashes.

Chapter Three

This was crazy. She didn’t do things like this. Kissing a stranger in an airport. God! This was like the old her, the wild child who’d gotten into trouble and let people down. She didn’t do that anymore. But damn, he was a good kisser. She tried to breathe but her lungs felt constricted. Her pulse jumped and her mouth dried up. She stared at him and caught that glint, that sparkle in his eyes that dared her to do this. And as always, that challenge provoked her, playing to the wild streak she kept buried deep inside her. “You want to do this,” he whispered. “Don’t you?” She’d worked so hard not to be that girl, that reckless, hormone-driven girl. She now had so much more to lose. But here they were, trapped by circumstance, a few hours out of her life when she could have a taste of the forbidden. Why not, indeed? She hesitated only a few more seconds before her eyelashes fluttered closed and she leaned in. His mouth slanted over hers, firm and warm and masterful. She liked to be in charge, but he was melting her and she loved it. They were in a public place. And strangely, that just added to the hotness of it. “Sexy mouth,” he whispered against her lips. “Somehow the talking dirty isn’t quite the same when you’re not in bed.” He smiled. “It’s working for me. Damn, I like kissing you.” They moved together again, hands gripping each other, mouths meeting, tongues sliding. It was like an explosion, lust flaring inside her, burning hot. Consuming her. Shocking her. The fact that there were people nearby, that they were sitting in front of an expanse of window, didn’t matter. She didn’t care. She just wanted his mouth on hers. His hands on her.

Goddamn, he was a good kisser. They shifted in their seats, getting closer still, kissing ravenously. He turned slightly to move over her and she slid one hand behind his back, the other onto his waist. His tongue was strong and sleek against hers, with the faint bitter taste of beer lingering along with his singular male taste. Her skin ached to feel his against her. Her fingers wanted to test the warmth of his flesh and grip those muscles with nothing between them. A moan climbed her throat as she sank into his kiss, her bones turning liquid. He slid a hand around her neck, then up into her hair where he twisted his fingers and tugged on her scalp. Shivers cascaded over her body. His other hand slipped around her waist, over her hip and then—God—down inside her pants, fingertips brushing over the top curve of her butt. So sexy. And anyone looking at them from behind wouldn’t see a thing. The exhibitionism part of this added a dark little thrill to it all. The fact that the windows in front of them were dark, only revealing lights out on the runways, gave a feeling that nothing was there. The other engers sitting in the rows of seats behind them could see them kissing, but nothing else. And so she let her hand drift from his waist, over his flat, hard abs, and then lower to the thick ridge behind the fly of his jeans. He groaned. “Mallory.” His fingers dug into her ass, inside her pants. Okay. Okay. She panted for a few seconds as he released her mouth. Her mind whirled. This was not her. This was so not her. But holy hotness, she wanted this. “I can’t do this.” “Sure you can.” His voice was seduction all by itself. “I dare you.” Oh jeez. Did he know what that did to her? She’d tried to lock away that part of herself, the part that always had to respond to a challenge, but now it came screaming back to life. And what the hell? She was in an airport in a strange city, with nobody she knew anywhere near her. Why couldn’t she indulge in a little sexy fun for once? She kept it all so pushed way down inside her, all the time, now it came bubbling up almost uncontrollably. Okay, she could put a stop to it. She thought about it. But she didn’t want to. The only ones who would ever know about this were her and Joe.

Joe. God. He was sexy. Charming. Uninhibited. Relaxed. She freakin’ envied that. She wanted that. She was having that. Even if it was for a short time in an airport between flights. She dove into his kiss again. His mouth ate at hers. His teeth nibbled. His tongue swept inside her mouth. Their bodies pressed together and his hand in her hair made her dizzy with lust. Her nipples tightened into painful points, her breasts aching for more. A hot pressure built low down inside her. Their kiss was raw and ferocious. Her brain went hazy and her heartbeat accelerated to the point of breathlessness. Holy hell, this guy could kiss. She loved it. This wasn’t tentative or cautious. This was carnal and hot and wet. Hungry. They breathed in each other’s breath and she tasted him on her tongue, male and delicious. Every nerve ending in her body sizzled as their mouths met again and again, tongue licking, teeth nipping. He sucked on her tongue and heat stabbed right to her core, making her shift in her seat, eager to get closer to him. She found the hem of his sweater and delved beneath, searching for skin and when she found it, she breathed a sigh into his mouth. “Mmm, yeah,” he groaned. She stroked her tongue along his and his hands tightened on hers, his breathing hitched and he murmured her name into her mouth. “Mallory.” That was so fucking sexy. He shifted again, pressing her back into the seat, his ferocity startling her. Thrilling her. His mouth moved on hers, his tongue licking inside, and a moan escaped her. He took charge of the kiss, something she wasn’t familiar with. She liked to be in control. But his aggression excited her. Comforted her, actually. She wanted to think more about that, but thoughts spun away from her as sensation took over. His tongue slid between her teeth yet again, and she clutched his big torso, fingers digging into smooth skin beneath his sweater. God! Heat flowed through

her veins and her skin tightened. She forgot to breathe, her focus only on where their mouths ed and their bodies touched. His hot skin beneath her hands. His mouth on her. His tongue in her mouth. A fierce ache grew behind her clit, and she longed to be touched there. Her hips shifted in the hard seat. They needed to be closer. Closer. Body to body. Sitting in these seats wasn’t good enough, wasn’t close enough. She wanted to climb onto his lap and devour him, but a tiny voice of reason in the back of her head reminded her where they were. Shockingly, she didn’t even care if people saw them kissing. But she knew there was a limit to how far they could go sitting in an airport. She paused, panting, heart thudding. “What?” he murmured against her ear. “Airport,” she mumbled. “People can see…” “They can’t see much. And who cares? Will we ever see them again?” “Um. Probably not.” She sucked in air, her entire body pulsing with need. “But…but…we can only go so far, and this is…torture.” “I know. For me too. Torture. But sweet.” “Mmm.” “Okay.” His hands swept over her hips, her waist. “Let’s take a break.” They drew apart. Heat suffused her body, every nerve ending pulsing with need. She blinked and glanced around. Nobody was looking at them. Some people slouched in chairs, eyes closed. Others sprawled on the floor, heads on backpacks, blankets spread over them, feet sticking out. “Okay,” she breathed. “Apparently we’re not that exciting.” “We are to me,” he vowed, and she smiled. “Oh, me too.” Her hands swept up and down the sleek skin of his back beneath his sweater and T-shirt.

“Come back here,” he murmured and captured her mouth again. She surrendered to another long, narcotic kiss of intense pleasure. Hard to resist. Impossible to resist. His hands moved over her, sliding up her waist, over her ribs. Her breasts ached and throbbed, and her body quivered with anticipation of his touch. And then he cupped one breast through her sweater. So delicious. So achingly sweet. Her breast swelled into his palm and a small noise escaped her throat. “Seriously. We have to stop,” she gasped. She covered his strong wrist with one of her hands, panting. “I can’t…it’s just too much. Torture. When we can’t do anything.” He gave a low groan. “I hear you.” “I don’t think I’ve ever in my life been so turned on by kissing,” she whispered. “Huh. Me either.” They sat there, faces still touching, noses side by side, breathing in the same air, fighting for control. “Okay,” he said finally. “Let’s just talk.” She went to move away, but he stopped her. “Uh-uh. Still wanna touch you.” “Oh.” She hesitated then curled under his arm, tucking her feet up onto the seat under her. He picked up one of the blankets and gave it a shake, then draped it over them, tucking it behind her shoulder on one side, and his shoulder on the other. “Warm enough?” “Yes. You give off a lot of heat.” “I do my best.” She smiled. This was pretty crazy, sitting here curled up with a total stranger in an airport after sucking face like wild. “This place is depressing at night.” “No kidding.”

“We’re not going to be leaving tonight, are we?” “I’d say it’s looking doubtful.” “There were other planes taking off. I could see them. Why couldn’t they get to our plane?” “That is a mystery. Or maybe, it’s just fate.” She tilted her head to look up at him. “What do you mean?” “I mean, maybe this is the way we were meant to meet.” “Oh my God.” She caught the glint in his eye and the twitch of his lips. “You’re bullshitting me.” “Hey. It could be true.” “Well. Sometimes I do think things happen for a reason. Like, what happened to this guy at work. He was rushing to get home to his family from a business trip in New York but he missed his flight. He was all pissed off, but then the plane that he was supposed to be on crashed.” “Wow.” Joe shook his head. “Stuff like that can freak you out.” “He totally was. He got all choked up when he was telling the story. So maybe it’s a good thing if our plane doesn’t leave. For some reason. Or…” She sighed. “Maybe it’s fate trying to piss me off, not save my life.” He chuckled and smoothed back her hair. Oh, that felt so good, tiny shivers working their way from her scalp down her spine. “You sound like fate’s been pissing you off a lot lately.” “Yeah. I guess.” She gave a heartfelt sigh. “But the thing is, I’m not sure I believe in fate. I like to think I’m in control of my life.” “And you hate it when you’re not. Like right now, when you can’t get that plane up in the air.” She pursed her lips. “You’re good.”

“Thank you.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t you like to be in control?” His lips curved into a sexy smirk. “In bed, yeah.” “Not otherwise?” “Sure I like to be in control. But I’m not a control freak. And I’m a cop. I had to learn how to take orders.” “Interesting.” She shifted more to look at him. “Tell me about your job. What do you like about it?” “I get to play with cool toys.” She rolled her eyes. “Such a guy.” “Yes, ma’am. Glad you noticed.” “Seriously.” He didn’t answer for a long moment. “I like helping people,” he finally said. “I guess that’s why I went into the profession. I’m actually a lieutenant in the SWAT unit.” She blinked. “Whoa. You didn’t mention that earlier. SWAT team, huh? That’s impressive. Isn’t that an elite team? Like a Navy SEAL or something?” “You bet. I am elite.” He sounded confident, but she sensed cockiness that hinted at an underlying sense that maybe he didn’t actually believe he was the best. “But that can be dangerous. Right?” He shrugged. “It can be. There’s a lot of training that goes into it though. We all know exactly what we’re doing.” “Kicking down doors, using machine guns.”

“Throwing flash bangs. We have all the good toys.” “Lieutenant. Aren’t you pretty young to be a lieutenant?” He grinned as she repeated his words to him. “I’ve worked hard too. But you have to put in your time. I started as an officer after I got my degree in criminal justice and worked my way up. I actually just got promoted a few months ago.” “Congratulations.” “Thanks.” She tipped her head. “You don’t seem too happy about it.” “Sure, I’m happy. Like I said, I worked my ass off. But it’s just a job.” Just a job. His casual dismissal rang false and once again, she sensed something else lurking beneath the surface. “Are your brothers police officers too?” “Nah. Jamie’s a doctor. Mitch is a computer geek. He works for Microsoft.” “What do your parents think of your career choice? Do they worry about you?” “I think my mom does, yeah. But she’s good with it.” The lack of mention of his dad, and the odd comments he’d made earlier about visiting his dad yet his parents weren’t separated, triggered her intuition and even more, she sensed there was a lot that Joe didn’t want to talk about. But since they barely knew each other, and he seemed so determined to keep things light and easy, she wasn’t about to dig deeper. But jeez. This guy was seriously making her hot for him. Brains, brawn and a wicked sense of fun were a potent combination. Her attraction to him was growing, a powerful tug at something deep inside her, a warming anticipation. A need. It was sexual, yeah. Because he was sexy as hell. But as they talked, it was more than that. “So, you grew up in California,” he said. “And you’re an only child. Did you have any pets?”

“We had a dog. A Jack Russell terrier named Harry.” She smiled wistfully ing her little dog. “Why are you asking that?” “It’s called making conversation. So, you’re a dog person then.” “I suppose. I don’t have one myself, but I like dogs. Harry was a little nutso but we loved him. What about you?” “We had big dogs. A golden lab when I was little and then a black lab. He was nutso too, actually. He could not stay out of trouble. One time we were all out and Ace—that was his name—found a big sack of flour in the kitchen. He ripped it open and chowed down on it, probably ate about five pounds of flour, then drank all the water in his bowl.” “Oh my God.” Her lips curved up. “Yeah. You can imagine the dough ball in his gut. It gets better though. Then he rolled around in the flour, which somehow got wet from his water dish, maybe dripping off his face, I don’t know, and then he was covered in glue. He was stuck to the leather couch when we got home.” Mallory burst out laughing and he chuckled with her. “You grew up in Chicago?” “Just outside, actually. What did you do last weekend?” She gave him a look. “Last weekend? Um. I went out with friends Saturday night to a blues club. Sunday I went for a run.” “You run? Cool. Me too. How far’d you go?” “What is this, twenty questions?” He grinned. “Con. Ver. Sation.” “I run about five miles, a few times a week.” “Awesome. Ever done a marathon?” “No. No desire to. I run to stay healthy. I don’t need to kill myself.”

“So in your spare time you run, go out with friends… You like music?” “I love music. All kinds. And dancing. My friend Paige and I take hip hop lessons.” “Now that I’d like to see. What else?” “I work a lot.” “That’s not fun.” “For me it is. Or, it used to be.” She grimaced. “I go shopping with my friends, and I volunteer once every two weeks at a seniors’ home near my place.” “Really. What do you do there with the old folks?” “I dance with them.” She hitched a shoulder. “There’s a group of musicians who go every two weeks. They play some old songs that the seniors know. There are a few of us who volunteer and we get some of them up dancing. The ones who aren’t in wheelchairs. It’s sweet to see how much pleasure they get from something so simple.” “Yeah. That’s really nice. Okay. What’s your favorite day of the week?” “Definitely Saturday. I love my job, but I love sleeping in and going shopping, or for a mani-pedi and lunch, and then out Saturday night. You’re not answering any of these questions.” “I like Saturdays too. Although my work hours can be a little irregular, depending what’s going on. Are you a saver or a spender?” She paused and looked at him. She blew out a short breath and shook her head. “A saver. Definitely.” She gave a firm nod. “I’m a spender. But I’m working on learning how to save better. I’m not in debt or anything,” he assured her. “I just like to have good toys. And I have to have good equipment for my job.” “You have to pay for it yourself?”

“Some of it, yeah.” He shrugged. “So, your life sounds pretty settled.” She nodded slowly. “Yes. Settled. That would describe my life.” He smoothed back some hair that had fallen in her face. “Why don’t you sound happy about that?” “I’m happy. My life is exactly how I want it. My career is important. I have some good friends.” “You didn’t mention skydiving as a hobby. Or zip lining.” She choked. “Um. No.” A thrill ran through her at the thought of zip lining. But that would be crazy. “Or sex, drugs, and rock and roll.” She tried not to wince. “Oh wait, you did say you like all kinds of music.” Their eyes met. “And I get the feeling you like sex.” She blinked slowly. “What gives you that idea?” “Babe.” He slid his hand around the nape of her neck and into her hair. “Nobody kisses like that who doesn’t enjoy sex. You are sex on wheels.” She swallowed, her tummy doing a little flip of lust. Again. His fingers in her hair had sensation rippling down her body. And the way he looked at her… Their gazes caught and held. Temptation. Heat rippled through her when his gaze lowered to her mouth as if he was thinking about more kissing. And her lips parted in unconscious invitation. He bent his head and their mouths met again. Oh yeah. She did like sex. She liked it a lot. And she had a feeling she’d like it even more with him. His mouth moved on hers, slow and sensual. His fingers trailed down the side of her neck to her shoulder, pausing to stroke over her throat. And then his hand

moved lower still, beneath the blanket he’d tossed over them, excruciatingly slowly. Her breast swelled and ached, longing for his touch, and finally his hand closed over it and squeezed, so gently. She let out of a long moan of pleasure, conscious of the need to keep it quiet. “Sssh,” he whispered against her lips. “Mallory, you feel so good.” He gently kneaded one breast then the other as he kissed her again, kisses that grew hotter, more urgent, demanding. Their tongues tangled. He bit gently on her bottom lip then drew his tongue over the sting. The ache between her legs deepened into sharp need, pulsing with the same beat of her heart. She lifted a hand and laid it on his shoulder, holding on to him as desire swept her away. It was as if he had some sexual power that enthralled her, making her do this when she knew it was so depraved, so wanton, sitting here making out in the airport. And again, so torturous, since they couldn’t do much more than make out. His hand on her breast wickedly caressed her, arousal building inside her like a wildfire. His mouth brushed one corner of her mouth, her cheek, laid a series of open-mouthed kisses along her jaw then nuzzled the side of her neck. Tension coiled deep inside her, wild and fiery. His mouth opened on the skin of her neck and gently sucked while his hand found its way beneath her sweater, up to her breast where his fingertips found bare skin at the lacy edge of her bra. Delving into the low-cut lace cup, he found her nipple. She drew in a sharp breath as she felt the tug of his fingers on her nipple as if he’d touched her pussy. She clenched her inner thighs on the throbbing there and whimpered. She couldn’t resist a glance over his shoulder at the rest of the waiting area. And caught the eye of a woman sitting near the concourse. The woman quickly dropped her gaze. She’d been watching them. She knew what they were doing.

“No one can see,” he murmured. “We’re under the blanket. They only know we’re kissing, if they’re even looking.” “Someone’s looking. Watching us.” “Ignore them. If they want to watch us kiss, let them. Nothing wrong with kissing.” “This is so bad.” She gripped his big shoulder and moaned again. “Don’t make me do this.” “Make you?” He smiled against her throat. “Seriously?” He shifted their positions and then his hand left her breast and slid down between her legs. He cupped her pussy through her pants and even she could feel the pulsing there against his palm. “You want to come, don’t you?” She let her head fall back onto his shoulder and bit her lip. God, yes. She wanted to come. She could cry with the need to come. How far was she willing to let this go?

Chapter Four

What the hell was he doing? Joe didn’t bother to answer his own question, because his mind was pretty much empty, all the blood in his body surging to his groin. The feel of Mallory’s breasts in his hands made his dick so hard he hurt. And now he sat there, people all around them, shrouded in a thin airline blanket, with his hand on her pussy. Even through her pants, she felt hot and damp. The way she parted her thighs slightly told him how much she wanted his touch there. Her soft sigh contained frustration and longing. “Wanna make you come,” he whispered. “Yes,” she whispered back. “Please.” With her sitting almost in front of him, his arms around her, he found the buckle of the narrow belt she wore and unfastened it, then the button and zipper. The pants loosened helpfully and with his hand flat on her stomach, he slid it down inside her panties. His other hand returned to cup her breast beneath her shirt. “God, I wish you were naked. But this’ll work.” His fingers between her legs delved lower, over skin as soft as a powder puff, and he brushed her plump folds back and forth before dipping between them. “Oh yeah,” he murmured softly. “You’re wet, Mallory.” She moaned her agreement and parted her thighs wider still to give him access. His fingers slicked through liquid heat, up and down, his movements constrained a little by her panties, but he found the tight little entrance and rimmed it with his long finger, then returned up to her protruding clit. She jerked in his arms and gasped at his touch there, and he circled it tenderly. “How’s that?” She made an unintelligible little sound. Her hands came to rest on his forearms, not stopping him from touching her, just holding on to him. The blanket slipped off her shoulder and she quickly tucked it back behind her. Her breathing grew quicker and her back arched a little, pushing her breast

deeper against his palm. He squeezed gently, her flesh soft but firm, the nipple hard beneath her thin lace bra. Pressure built deep in his balls as he kept up the circular rhythm on her clit. Her hips moved against his hand and arm in a pulsing motion, riding his fingers. He sensed her body tightening from her ass to her upper body and her fingers on his arms. Tiny whimpers rose to her lips and he rubbed his face against her hair. She turned into him, her nose pressing against the side of his neck, her panting breaths more audible, but only to him. “Joe,” she gasped. “Oh my God–” And then her hips lifted right off the seat and a slow, almost-painful sounding breath escaped her. She shuddered in his arms, her swollen clit pulsing under his fingertips. Her hands gripped his arms, pressing his left hand to her breast, holding his right hand in place at her pussy as she came in waves. “Beautiful,” he murmured. “So sweet, Mallory.” She trembled against him, her breathing still fast and harsh, and she pressed her lips to his neck in a long kiss. When her panting slowed, she lifted her lips from his skin in a gentle suck and whispered, “Wow.” He smiled. “Wow is right.” “So wicked,” she murmured. “I can’t believe we just did that.” “It’s fine.” He glanced around. The concourse was darkened now and people had all hunkered down until they knew more about what was happening. Speaking of which, what was happening? Was the flight in fact cancelled? Were they stuck in this airport for the night until the next flight? And when the hell would that be? God, he wanted to get Mallory in a bed. Alone. Wanted to do dirty things to her. “I’m going to go talk to the people at the gate,” he said to her, shifting her out of his arms. She sank limply back into her seat, and he made sure the blanket still covered her as she moved to do up her pants.

He was still stiff as a post though and needed a minute. He swallowed hard and gritted his teeth. She rolled her head toward him and he met her eyes. “You…?” “I’ll be okay.” He managed a grim smile then rose to go to the gate. Other people were standing there, everyone apparently with the same questions. “We should know more shortly,” the gate agent told everyone. “At this point we’re still hoping the plane can be de-iced.” Great. He sucked in a breath and let it out as he returned to where Mallory reclined in the seat, her head leaning back, eyes closed, a smile on her mouth. A smile he’d put there. Warmth filled his chest along with a renewed rush of blood to his dick. Fuck, she was sexy. “Hey,” he said softly, dropping into the seat beside her. “They’re still hoping we’re going to leave tonight.” He shook his head. “I kinda have my doubts though.” She opened her eyes and looked at him, and it felt like he’d taken a shove to the chest. Her eyes were glowy and warm, her pretty mouth a bit swollen, her cheeks pink. “If I didn’t feel so good right now, I’d be really annoyed.” A grin tugged at his lips. “Yeah. I know.” “C’mere.” She moved her arms beneath the blanket to push it off her and then she snuggled into him and draped the blanket over both of them. His body went rigid when one of her hands found his dick and rubbed it through his jeans. He’d already been semi-hard, but now his dick filled and lengthened almost painfully. His arm went around her as her fingers began working on his button and then unzipping his fly. “Mallory…” “It’s your turn,” she murmured, concentrating. She found the ridge of his cock beneath his boxer briefs and rubbed him again, now only a thin layer of cotton between them. “I want to do this for you too…” He grunted and lifted his hips slightly so she could work his jeans open and lower on his hips. Then she reached into his underwear and pulled his cock out, shoving the underwear down beneath his tight balls. Christ! He had to bite his lip when her fingers brushed over his sensitive sac and closed around his aching

shaft. “Hold on,” he muttered. “If we’re going to do this…” He groped for his backpack and pulled out the paper napkins he’d shoved into a pocket earlier, gripping them in his fist. His other hand rested on her lower back then ventured lower to cup one butt cheek. So firm and resilient, filling his hand nicely. With her cheek on his chest, her hands busy beneath the blanket, he let his eyes drift closed. From behind, it would look like they were hugging. A tingling began in his lower spine as her hand stroked him up and down in firm pulls. His heart thudded where her cheek rested and his testicles drew up even tighter to his body. Fever raced over his skin and he felt sweat break out on his forehead and upper lip. His thighs tensed and eased in the same rhythm as her hand, his ass clenching on the hard seat as pressure built. He gulped for air, his hand now splayed on her ass, holding her tight. She paused in her stroking and her thumb whisked over the head, slicking up some moisture. “I wish I could suck you,” she whispered. He nearly growled at the surge of lust that whipped through him, and he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Her hand went back to stroking him and the tension in his spine became painful. His balls tightened and he sucked in a harsh breath as he exploded with exquisite heat, pulsing into her hand. “Oh yeah,” she whispered. Her hand grew slick on his shaft with his semen, and he shoved the hand holding the napkins under the blanket, still blind and nearly deaf with his heartbeat pounding in his ears. She stayed in that position for long, lush moments, her hold on his dick now gentle and slippery, and then she fumbled around for the napkins. They somehow did a half-assed job of wiping him up and tucking him back inside his underwear and jeans. The napkins were crumpled and stuffed into the outside pocket of his backpack for disposal, and then he wrapped both arms around her and squeezed her to his body. Her face tipped up and he found her mouth in a deep, reaching kiss that attempted to show her his appreciation for the hottest hand job he’d ever had in his life.

They were sitting like that, just holding each other, when the announcement came that their flight was cancelled. Mallory lifted her head and looked at him, and they both listened. The airline was giving out hotel vouchers so they could leave the airport for the night. “Great,” she said with a crooked smile, pushing herself slowly away from him. “I guess that’s it then.” “Stay here,” he said. “I’ll go get us a voucher before they run out.” He headed back to the gate, trying to adjust himself inconspicuously. Luckily most people were focused on the airline staff, and some of them weren’t holding back their anger and frustration. Joe winced. The morning flights were all full and they were put on the noon flight the next day. He took one hotel voucher. Deliberately. Mallory had slipped her jacket and scarf back on and was running a tube of lip gloss over her lips. Holy hell, look at her now. A few hours ago she’d been all classy sleek perfection, with smooth shiny hair precisely cut to curve under her chin, subtle makeup and professional clothes. Now she had smudgy eyes, swollen lips, and her hair was tousled into a sexy mess around her pretty face. She was even more gorgeous. He had to give his head a shake and focus. “Let’s move quickly,” he said. “Before everyone else gets out there and grabs all the taxis.” She grabbed her purse, he slung the backpack over his shoulder and reached for her carry-on bag at the same time she did. They exchanged a look, and then with a wry smile she let him take it. They hit the concourse and headed to the nearest exit. “It’s spooky here at night,” Mallory said as they strode past darkened businesses. People had curled up in corners and against walls, their heads on backpacks or makeshift pillows, airline blankets covering them. “It kinda is.” When they stepped outside the terminal, it was still snowing, small icy flakes that were hurled into their faces by gusts of wind. There were several people

waiting for taxis so as they stood there, Mallory buttoned her jacket and wound the big scarf around her neck. She pulled leather gloves out of her pockets. “What hotel is it?” she asked. “Holiday Inn. Nothing fancy. But hey.” He grinned. “There’s a bed.” “Most hotels have them,” she agreed, eyes sparkling. They stood looking at each other, snow flying around them, and his body got all hot and his mind went blurry. Yeah, they’d had kind of perverted almost-sex in public, and yeah, that was hot, but whoa, he enjoyed being with her. “So we’re on the noon flight tomorrow,” he said. “You don’t seem too upset about not getting to L.A. tonight.” She shrugged. “I’ll get there tomorrow. Unless this turns into some kind of major blizzard.” “It’s not supposed to. I checked the forecast on my phone last time we were on the plane. It’s a small storm, the problem is they just weren’t ready for it.” “It is only the end of October.” Their turn for a taxi arrived and they climbed into the backseat. The driver wanted to make conversation, so they had to tell him the story about their delayed and cancelled flight as he drove them to the nearby hotel. The lobby was busy, as engers from affected flights made the trip from airport to hotel, and they had to wait in a line to get a room. Voices echoed off the tile floor and walls. “Want to go sit down?” Joe asked, nodding at a nearby armchair. “I’m okay.” When they went to check in, Joe handed over the single voucher. He felt Mallory’s eyes on him and turned. She lifted an eyebrow. “One room?” “One room. One bed.” He held her gaze steadily. If she really protested, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

“That was a little presumptuous,” she said, her voice even. “Yeah.” He nodded. “Probably.” He glanced across the desk at the clerk who’d stepped away for a moment, then bent lower to whisper in Mallory’s ear. “We just gave each other mutual orgasms. And we’re about to do more than that. Repeatedly. Throughout the night.” Her mouth tightened at the corners, her eyes regarding him with a shuttered look. “In a bed,” he added. Her mouth softened but she still looked at him. “Joe, I don’t know…” Joe accepted the room key from the desk clerk, and they turned to move to the elevator. “Come on.” They rode up in silence and he led the way into the room. It was spacious, more or less typical hotel-style but clean and newly decorated with yellow walls, bright framed prints, and a funky chair and ottoman in the corner. The king-size bed dominated the room. “I like a big bed,” Joe said with satisfaction. He helped Mallory out of her jacket and hung it in the closet then did the same with his. “God, I want to lie down. What a fucking long day this turned out to be.” “I know.” He threw himself facedown onto the bed and stretched out, releasing a long groan. He toed off his shoes and let them thunk to the floor. After a moment, he lifted his head. Mallory hovered near the window. “C’mere.” He held out an arm. She didn’t move. Okay. They were going to have to talk. “What’s wrong?” “You scare me.” His heart jolted. “I scare you?” He pushed up onto his knees and stared at her. “Why, honey?” Was she afraid of being alone with him? Maybe she’d been

brave in the airport with people all around them and now she was regretting being alone with him. “Okay, I don’t really have to ask that. You should be scared, alone in a hotel with a stranger. Except…it’s me.” Her smile spread slowly across her face. “It’s not like that, exactly. It’s more that I’m afraid of what you’re going to make me do.” He flattened his palms on his thighs, kneeling on the bed. “I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. I promise.” She nodded. “I know. That’s the problem. You make me want to do things I shouldn’t do.” He tried to work through in his mind what she meant. “You don’t exactly seem like a prudish virgin,” he said slowly. “But maybe I’m wrong about that.” She sighed. “You’re right. I’m not a prudish virgin. But I don’t want to be the opposite either.” He slowly shook his head. “I’m not sure what you mean by that. Hell, Mallory, there’s nothing wrong with liking sex. There’s nothing wrong with liking a little kinky sex.” “Like sex in public.” “Yeah.” He rubbed his palms along the denim on his thighs. “We weren’t hurting anyone.” “But God, what did people think?” “Who cares?” He held her gaze. “We didn’t know a soul there. We’ll never see them again. After tomorrow, there’s a good chance we’ll never see each other again either.” Eh. Those words didn’t sit well with him. He frowned a little but pushed the discomfort away. “If anyone even noticed, they were probably jealous.” She closed her eyes and tipped her head back. “I don’t want to do something I’ll regret. I…may have done that in the past. I live my life trying to avoid doing things I’ll regret.”

“That sounds like a pretty cautious way to live.” “Exactly. It’s sensible. Responsible.” “Boring.” She opened her eyes and the connection between them as their eyes met set off a storm of sparks inside him. Jesus. “We’re attracted to each other,” he said quietly. “We have this one night. Nobody knows we’re here. Nobody knows what we’re doing but us. Why shouldn’t we enjoy it? What would there be to regret?” “I don’t know.” She bit her bottom lip. He watched thoughts and emotions flicker across her face. Finally she said, “You’re right. Nobody knows. Why not?”

Chapter Five

What would there be to regret? Mallory’s gaze moved over Joe, crouched there with his hands spread on his big thighs. Something in his eyes both reassured her and excited her, a steady calmness there but also that glint of wicked daring. Heat fluttered deep inside her at the thought of what they might do. Somehow she had a feeling that she’d regret it more if she didn’t do this. If she didn’t take this one night to be with this man who made her feel sexy and wild and free. Yet it was hard to get past the way she’d shaped her life all these years, the careful, responsible way she’d lived. She’d made mistakes in the past that she didn’t want to repeat. Maybe this was a mistake. But if it was, she and Joe would be the only ones who knew about it. She sat on the side of the bed to unzip her boots and pull them off. She tucked her socks inside the boots, then climbed onto the bed and also knelt, facing him, her butt on her heels and hands on her thighs. They looked at each other. Silence swelled in the room, until she picked up the barely audible sound of his breathing. She watched his chest rise and fall with subtle movement and felt hers matching it. Heat burned over her skin beneath her clothes. He lifted his hands and reached for hers, twining their fingers together. He looked down where they were connected and she followed his gaze. Her fingers looked pale and slender between his thicker digits, tufts of dark hair on his, his nails short and neat, hers shiny with French-manicured pink and perfect white tips. Then he lifted her hands and brought them to his lips, one, then the other. Their eyes met again and her heart quivered in her chest, stealing her breath. “I won’t hurt you,” he murmured. He kissed her hand again. “Unless you want me to.”

Electricity sizzled through her veins and her eyes widened. She caught the flash of recognition in his eyes. She moved her head from side to side in denial, but he’d seen her involuntary response to his words. “Let’s go have a shower,” he suggested. “No, a bath.” “A bath.” She blinked. That sounded delicious and decadent. “Sure.” He moved first, straightening his legs and climbing off the bed. He helped her too, and, fingers still entwined, led the way into the bathroom. Like the room itself, the bathroom was large, newly tiled with matte stone in shades of beige and taupe. Joe experimented with the lights, finding the infrared warming light and leaving it on while he turned the other light off. A warm glow filled the room. Then he cranked on the water and adjusted the stopper so the tub would fill. “We need bubbles,” she said. He lifted one eyebrow and reached for one of the small bottles sitting on the marble counter. He dumped the contents into the tub beneath the running water, and foam appeared along with an herbal-citrusy scent. Mallory rubbed a hand across her upper chest, over her shoulder, then her throat. Joe smiled. “Let me,” he murmured, reaching for her sweater. He drew it up and over her head. She dragged her tongue over her bottom lip as he gazed at her, appreciation warming his eyes. “Pretty.” Her ivory lace bra was sheer and her nipples tingled inside the cups. Her abdominal muscles tightened as he reached out to trace his fingertips from her collarbone down between her breasts and then over her stomach. He paused at her navel, fingering the golden and crystal barbell that pierced her there. “This is…unexpected.” She lifted one shoulder. “Pierced navels are pretty common these days.” “True. I just didn’t think…” His fingers moved lower to undo her pants. For the second time that day. She couldn’t help but smile as he helped her out of them. He set his hands on her hips and his gaze moved up and down her body, now wearing only the lace bra and matching thong panties. “Holy mother of fuck,

Mallory,” he breathed. “You are stunning.” Heat washed into her cheeks and down her chest. She lowered her eyes, glad that he liked what he saw. “I want to see you too,” she said softly. Steam began to curl around them as the tub filled. She slid her hands beneath his sweater and Tshirt, finding hot, smooth skin. He took a step back, crossed his arms and brought the sweater and T-shirt up over his head together. Their clothes began to pile up on the floor. Mallory’s chest tightened at the sight of his naked torso. She gulped. She’d known he was big and muscular, but seeing those bare muscles covered with sleek skin made her jaw go loose. She reached out and traced a hand over the black tattoo on his right deltoid, a tribal style that followed the curve of his shoulder, then tapered down toward his elbow in four black trails. “This is nice.” “Thanks.” Her gaze tracked down from his strong pecs to rippled abs, then lower to where his jeans rested on his hipbones. He worked the button and zipper open and shoved them down along with a pair of black cotton boxer briefs. While she was still in her underwear, he was suddenly naked. And she couldn’t help but look at his cock. Dear God, it was beautiful, swollen and curved out from the thatch of brown hair at his groin, almost arrow-shaped with a defined ridge around the head. Veins twisted around it, and she reached for it, unable to resist touching. He groaned as she wrapped her fingers around it, and once more she got to touch that velvety skin, that stone-hard shaft beneath. “Fuck, that’s good,” he said. “It was so good earlier, when you jacked me off in the airport, Mal.” The way he shortened her name made her pause a fraction of a second, warmth spreading through her. She liked it. She liked it too much. “I loved it too,” she said. “It was so…taboo. A little exhibitionist. Yet not really.” She stroked him and he sucked in a sharp breath. “I still think that woman knew what we were doing.” “So?” The word came out between his teeth.

“I’m not an exhibitionist.” “Neither am I. But it was hot as fuck.” She couldn’t argue with that. She wanted to drop to her knees and taste him, but he reached over to the tap and turned the water off. He lifted one leg and stepped in, waiting for a few seconds. “It’s good,” he said, voice husky. “Need to get you out of that sexy lingerie.” “It’s not that sexy.” She reached behind her to unfasten the bra. “I sort of pictured you in basic beige,” he said with a smile that teased. “From the way you dress on the outside. Who knew such sexy undies were beneath those clothes.” He stepped into the tub. She bent to remove the panties. “I have way sexier stuff than this.” God. Why did she say that? “Christ.” Her lips curved as she straightened. The red light sculpted Joe’s skin into highlights and shadows, emphasizing all the muscles rippling beneath his skin. Then his gaze drifted to the mirror behind her. His lips parted. “Whoa,” he murmured. He held out a hand and helped her step over the side of the tub and into the water. Tendrils of steam rose around them, and she breathed in the warm humid air. He turned her so that her back was to him. “This is beautiful.” Her tattoo. She closed her eyes. Of course she’d known he would see it when she undressed. One of her mistakes. Her skin tightened and tingled when his lips touched the nape of her neck where it started. Stylized black hearts trailed down her spine. His tongue traced the line from nape down between her shoulder blades, lower, all the way to the very base of her spine. She shivered as his tongue and lips caressed her there. “Another surprise underneath your clothes,” he murmured. His hands held her hips and then he brushed a kiss over one of her butt cheeks. Heat flashed through

her veins. “Sit down.” He lowered himself all the way down into the water and helped her to do the same, guiding her between his outstretched long legs so her back was against his chest. The hot water closed around her and she sank into it and into his embrace. His chest was warm and hard behind her. Bubbles obscured their legs from view but she felt the hair on his legs rub against hers. She let out a long slow breath, her heart thudding lightly and a little faster than usual. “This is nice.” “Mmm. Very nice.” He rubbed his jaw against her shoulder then nudged his way under her hair to kiss the side of her neck. His hands moved over her belly, her thighs, and then up to cover a one breast. She sucked in a sharp breath. “So nice.” His hand gently squeezed and molded her flesh and her nipple stiffened against his palm. “Just wanna relax here for a while and hold you.” “Yes.” Arousal curled low inside her, but languor slid through her as well, the warm water, the soft light and Joe’s gentle caresses combining to ease the tension out of her muscles. She slid a little lower into the water, bubbles frothing around her breasts. “So you’re a bubble bath kind of girl,” Joe murmured at her ear. “That surprises me too. I would’ve pegged you for a shower person.” “I’m just full of surprises.” “Yeah. You are.” His hands glided over wet skin, the water shifting and swirling around them. “I like that.” “I was kidding. I’m pretty predictable and boring, actually.” “Huh. I have to disagree with you there. Someone predictable and boring would not have given me the best hand job of my life in an airport.” A small groan escaped her. “Don’t remind me.” “Why not? It was amazing.” She sighed. “So was what you did for me.”

“I want to do it again.” He kissed her shoulder. His hand on her stomach shifted lower and she parted her legs to let it slide between them. He held her pussy, cupping it gently, his other hand now toying with one of her nipples, tugging it and rolling it between thumb and finger. Delicious heat spiraled from her nipple to her pussy and a moan rose in her throat. Her hips lifted and the water in the tub sloshed gently around them. Then he went still. “Whoa.” “What?” “Your feet.” She blinked and regarded her toes poking out of the bubbles at the end of the tub. “What’s wrong with my feet?” “Nothing,” he breathed. “They’re sexy.” “Thank you.” She wiggled her toes with the scarlet-painted nails. “I…uh…kind of have a thing for feet.” Heat zapped to her core. “A foot fetish? Seriously?” “It’s not a fetish. Okay, maybe it is.” A pause. “Your red toenails are really hot.” “Thank you.” What did he like to do with feet? Curiosity zoomed inside her. “Maybe we can explore that later.” “Maybe we can.” His fingers petted and explored her more between her legs, in that most sensitive and intimate place, tracing her folds and furrows, dipping inside her, then finding her clit. She jolted, again sending water rippling to the end of the tub and back. He settled his fingertips there and stroked in tiny, firm circles. “Really?” she gasped, pleasure pouring through her. “Again?” “Sure.” His mouth moved on her shoulder, her neck, her jaw, his stubble excitingly abrasive. Her skin was sensitized, every nerve ending prickling, her clit burning. Her womb tightened and her hands sought something to grip. She found his thighs, big and thick, and gripped him tightly. “I like making you

come.” “You say it like you do it all the time.” Her voice came out in breathy little pants. He chuckled. He was generous. A generous lover. There were many guys who wouldn’t have even done this once, let alone again, who would have demanded something first. In this case, she’d be only too happy to give him something first, because… whoa, that was a little weird, but she felt the same way he did–she liked making him come. Giving him that pleasure. There in the airport, it had been wicked and dirty and exciting for her, but it had also been so gratifying to do that for him. And so she let him stroke her up and up and up, taking what he gave because there was pleasure in receiving, but there was pleasure in giving, and there was pleasure in giving the opportunity to give. She almost giggled at her muddled thoughts. It made sense to her. Maybe. Her fingers dug into his thighs as the coil of heat inside her tightened, a corkscrew of sensation rising higher and higher. Soft whimpers and gasps rose helplessly to her lips, her hips thrashed in the water until it churned and then she gave a wail as sensation peaked in a sharp point of ecstasy. She twisted against Joe’s body and he kept up his tender friction against the knot of nerve endings until she cried out again and went limp. She turned into him, slipping through the water, suds sloshing over the side of the tub onto the stone tiles. She pressed her face against his wet chest, her lungs straining, her heart thumping. His arms went around her and held her there. The water in the tub calmed as did her pulse and breathing. “Whoa,” she mumbled. “I think we made a mess of this bathroom.” He laughed softly, dragged a hand over her damp hair. “Luckily we don’t have to worry about that. And there are lots of towels.” He paused. “Do you want your hair washed?” “Oh God.” The idea made weakness slide down her legs. “That would be nice.” He shifted her forward, stood and stepped out to retrieve shampoo and conditioner from the counter. Back in the tub, he lowered her head into the water

and then lifted her back up. Soon his hands were massaging her scalp, sud. She groaned as pleasure trickled down her spine. “God, that’s good.” His fingers dug firmly into her scalp, then he lowered her again. Water sloshed but he made sure her face didn’t get splashed as he scrubbed the shampoo out. “We might need a rinse in the shower,” he mumbled. “It’s hard to get all the soap out in the tub.” She did not care. Not at all. He smoothed conditioner onto her hair and stroked his fingers through the strands again and again. “I might have another orgasm just from that,” she said drowsily. His laugh rumbled in his chest. “Fine with me.” A slow smile pulled at her lips, eyes closed. And then the light clicked out. They sat in the dark for a few seconds. “It’s on a timer,” Joe murmured. “It’s okay. The dark is nice too.” Some light filtered in from the lamps in the other room. Joe rinsed the conditioner and then they lounged back, her lying against his chest again. With her eyes closed, Joe’s chest rising and falling behind her and his hands warm and strong on her body, water lapping gently around them, she started to float away into sleep. Long day. Early to get to the airport. All those delays. A few glasses of wine. A couple of orgasms. And now this. Half-formed dreams filled her head, fragments of conversations she’d had with Joe, his beautiful mouth and sexy eyes smiling at her, his lovely hands and fingers on her body. “Generous,” she slurred. “Hmm, what?” “You’re a generous lover.” And then she drifted back up closer to consciousness, suddenly aware of his erection at her hip. “Very generous. And it should be your turn.” “I can be patient,” he said, amusement shading his voice. “You’re half asleep

right now.” “Yeah.” She sighed with pleasure. “It’s so lovely. But I’m waking up.” “The water’s starting to cool off.” “Is it? Mmm. I suppose it is.” “I’ll turn on the shower and we can rinse off and get into bed.” He squeezed her breasts. “You know I’ve been waiting for that bed.” “Me too.” “You know what else I’ve been waiting for?” He rose behind her then lifted her to her feet. “What?” “Room service. I’m starving.” She paid some attention to her stomach. “Um. Yeah. Me too.” Once more he turned on the water and fiddled with the lever that turned the shower on and opened the drain. He held her back from the spray for a minute, holding his hand under it until it ran warm. “There we go.” In the semi-darkness, he shifted them under the water, combing his fingers through her hair. He picked up the little bar of soap he’d set on the edge of the tub and ripped it open, then soaped up his hands and ran them over her. When he knelt in front of her and lifted one foot with both hands she blinked down at him, reaching a hand out to the wall for balance. “Pretty feet,” he murmured. He soaped up her foot, around the heel and over the sensitive sole, making her shiver. When his fingers slipped between her toes, a surprise heat flashed through her. She swallowed as he carefully washed and rinsed that foot and then picked up the other, and when he dug his thumbs into the arch of her foot, she almost dissolved into the water. Jeez. He stood and went to set the soap down but she took it from him, eyes on his face, and rubbed it between her own palms. “Want to wash you too.”

“Okay.” He slicked his palms over her body–her shoulders and arms, her waist, her breasts. He lingered there. “You feel fucking amazing,” he groaned. She couldn’t argue. She set down the soap and ran her hands over his chest and abs and then lower to his thick cock. It wasn’t fully erect, but whoa, it was impressive, as she’d noticed earlier. She dragged her fingers through the coarse curls there, then down his shaft and around his balls. He drew in a sharp breath. “Turn around,” she said. He did as she asked slowly, giving her his back, and she picked up the soap again and rubbed it over his shoulders and back. She ired all the muscles around his shoulder blades and spine, detailed the contours of them down to the small of his back and dipped into two hollows just above his ass. She made an appreciative noise then hesitated. She sucked in a long slow breath then dragged the small bar of soap down between his ass cheeks. “Your ass is spectacular,” she murmured. “Um. Thanks.” “Seriously. Some guys have no ass. But I don’t like a big butt either. Yours is perfect. Round and tight.” Then she bit her lip and daringly pushed the bar of soap deeper between his cheeks. He made a strangled noise and his body went tight. He slapped his hands on the wall, his ass muscles going rigid. “Christ…what’re you doing…?” “Just washing you,” she said, rubbing the soap around his anus. Her voice came out thick. “You have your foot fetish. I-I have this thing…for guys’ asses…I like them.” “Good to know.” The words were choppy. “When we get out of here and into bed, I want to play more here,” she whispered, hands full of resilient flesh. God, that was hot. A shudder worked over her body. “Um. Okay.” Her fingers teased and slipped and rubbed, and then she slid her hands around

his waist, and, pressing her front to his back, she found his cock, now straining and fully erect. “Mmm. Nice.” “Now?” he grunted. “I get my turn now?”

Chapter Six

Joe’s balls were torturously tight, his cock throbbing. The touch of her slick wet hands was excruciatingly lovely, tugging on him in a slow rhythm that had heat rushing through his body. “No.” Her hands dropped away and the shock of it had him pulsing into nothingness for a few seconds. “I want you inside me.” He sucked in air. “Fuck yeah.” He whirled around and reached for her. Warm water rained down on them, bouncing off his back and spraying around. He pushed her up against the wall, lifting one of her legs up to his hip. “Hold on, gorgeous.” “Wait. You need…a condom.” He dropped his forehead briefly against the tiled wall. “Yeah. Right.” Shit. He never forgot protection. Too bad he hadn’t had the foresight to bring condoms into the bathroom with them. Swallowing a groan, he grabbed a towel off the rack above the toilet, cursorily dried off then strode out to the main room. His backpack sat on the desk and he dug into a small side pocket. Thank Christ they were still there. He pulled out the condoms and returned to the bathroom, ripping one open as he walked. He rolled it on before climbing back in the shower, hotly aware of Mallory’s gaze fixed on his hands and his dick as he did so. Then he was back skin-to-skin with her, under the spray again, fisting his cock and directing it up into her pussy. Even through the condom he could feel how slick and hot she was, and he lifted her leg again to ease the way. She grabbed onto his shoulders and tipped her pelvis for him and he slid up high inside her. She cried out, head thunking back on the wall. “Okay?” He paused, his entire body pulsing, heat pumping through his veins. “Yes. God, yes.” She began to move on him and sensation poured through him, his dick swelling even more.

“You’re so fucking tight,” he muttered, holding her thigh with one hand, her ass with the other, lifting her to him. “Christ, that feels good.” “Uhhuh.” He found her wet mouth with his, water streaming over both of them, and bent his legs so he could thrust up into her. Again. And again. This was insane. Excitement pounded through him. “Jesus, Mallory. My dick feels like it’s on fire.” Her body tightened around him and a groan rose in his chest. “Oh yeah. Squeeze me like that. Holy fuck, you’ve got a hot little pussy.” “You are good at talking dirty,” she gasped. He choked on a laugh and touched his forehead to hers. Jesus. She made him laugh. While they were having sex. His brain spun around in circles. “I want it deeper,” she moaned. “Harder.” “You’re good too.” Their eyes met with a sizzle and a slow smile. “You like my cock inside you?” “Oh yeah.” He lunged up into her again and the base of his spine prickled. They moved together, adjusting the angle of their bodies so his pelvis rocked over her clit. The tingles climbed up his back to the nape of his neck, his scalp even tightening. Amazing how he already knew the sounds she made when she was about to come, the way her breathing changed, the soft little noises that sprang from her throat almost as if she was in pain but rife with pleasure. “Yeah,” he groaned. “Come, baby. Come hard. This time with me inside you.” He sensed his words sent her over as her fingers dug into his shoulders and a long, low wail escaped her throat. “You like not having to be quiet, don’t you? When we were in the airport it was hard to keep all that inside, wasn’t it?” She couldn’t answer, her body quivering, eyes closed, lips parted. Beautiful.

His thighs flexed, his ass clenched and pressure built, fast and hard and dark. He squeezed his eyes closed, finding Mallory’s soft mouth with his as heat built in his balls and then streaked out of him in heavy pulses. He pressed her up against the wall, mouths fused, bodies reverberating together with their climaxes. His legs quivered. Jesus, they better not give out on him. Not now, with a naked woman nailed to the wall in the tub. A sweet, hot, naked woman. He moved his mouth, rubbed his cheek against hers and dragged in a long, steam-laden breath. “Holy fuck.” He felt her smile. “I was thinking the same thing.” Slowly he lowered her leg, his cock still semi-hard inside her, his knees bent. He caught the base of his dick between index and middle finger, holding the condom in place as he eased out of her clinging warmth. She hissed. “Okay?” He glanced at her face. Her mouth pouted. “Yeah.” He dropped a kiss onto her nose as he removed the condom. “Don’t worry, babe. I have lots more of these.” He tossed the condom into the wastebasket then turned off the shower. Once more he grabbed a towel and shook it out, then reached for her with it. He caught the surprised flicker in her eyes as he began to dry her off, rubbing her hair then toweling off her body. Then he wrapped it around her and tucked the end in. He grabbed the towel he’d used earlier, dragging it over his short hair then rapidly drying off. He tossed the towel on the floor then stepped out of the tub and helped her out. Her eyes watched him with heated anticipation. She looked younger with her face washed clean of makeup and her hair slicked back. Beautiful. Her skin was glowy smooth, her eyes big with long lashes, her lips full. Then her teeth sank into that plush bottom lip as she glanced around the room. Water puddled everywhere and dripped down the steamy mirror. He lifted one shoulder and smiled. “Hey. We had fun.”

She rolled her lips in and nodded, eyes sparkling. “Didn’t you say something about room service?” “Hell yeah. I’m starving now. I’m not sure I have enough strength to make it to the bed.” “Poor baby. Let me help you.” They did make it to the bed, where fortunately the phone and room service menu were close at hand on the bedside table. Mallory burrowed beneath the puffy bedcover while he lounged back against the stack of pillows and flipped through the menu. “Okay. I’m having a burger and fries. And onion rings. And a couple of beers. How about you?” He handed her the menu. She gaped at him. “You’re going to eat all that?” “I said I’m starving. Those nachos were a helluva long time ago.” She dropped her gaze to the pages in front of her. “Um. I guess I’ll have a hamburger too. No, a chicken burger.” She peeked at him through her eyelashes. “D’you think I could have a few of your fries?” He lowered his brows. “You’re not one of those girls, are you?” She blinked. “One of those girls who steals all a guy’s fries because she thinks if she didn’t order them, they don’t have any calories?” A smile broke free on her pretty face. “But that’s the way it works. They don’t have calories if someone else orders them.” He grinned too. “I guess I could share a few. But I’m warning you. I like my food. Take too many of my fries and you might find yourself being punished.” Her eyebrows rose in a sexy challenge that made his heart leap. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she murmured. And his dick throbbed. “What do you want to drink?” He reached for the phone.

“What the hell. I’ll have a couple of beers too.” He looked at her over his shoulder. “You’re really going wild tonight, huh?” Pink tinted her cheeks but her eyes pinched. She didn’t really like being reminded of that. “Yes. Yes, I am.” She’d been wild all right. He was still recovering. Although he had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before he’d be ready to go again. As he waited for hotel staff to answer the phone, he ed their earlier conversation. She’d been hesitant about staying in this room with him, let alone about doing anything more. She fascinated him, with the wild streak inside her that she kept carefully covered up in a silky sweater and tailored pants and neat hairdo. What was that all about? He ordered their food and drinks then turned back to her, his mouth softening when he saw her eyes drifting closed, her mouth lax. He brushed her damp hair back off her face. Her eyelashes fluttered open. “Sleepy?” “I guess I am.” “You wanna sleep until the food comes? I’ll wake you up.” Her eyelids drooped again. “Mmm. Okay.” He found the remote for the television and turned it on, his gaze moving back and forth from the TV to her sleeping face as he adjusted the volume to very low and started channel surfing. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. His gaze roved over her face, falling on the diamond studs in her earlobes. He ed the surprising navel piercing. That was sexy. And that tattoo…he’d followed it with his mouth from her nape to her ass. She had the covers so bunched up around her chin he couldn’t see an inch of her lovely body, but now he knew how stunning she was up close and naked. Smooth, pale gold skin, lush breasts, slim hips that had just enough curve to be feminine, and an ass that filled his palms perfectly. And those sexy feet with hot red toenails—his dick throbbed at the memory of washing her feet.

His palms itched with a need to touch her, to lay a little spank on each cheek. His dick swelled. He swallowed a groan and tried to focus on the TV, the remote control in a death grip. He found an episode of Family Guy, which made him smile, but it was nearly over. Then he tossed the remote onto the bed and frowned. It occurred to him that the bathroom was a disaster, and he climbed off the bed naked to investigate. With no luggage, they didn’t have a change of clothes. Well, he didn’t. Who knew what Mallory had in that little carry-on suitcase. Sure enough, the clothes they’d left in a heap were damp from their vigorous bathing activities. He shook them out and found hangers in the closet to hang things on to dry. He pulled his jeans on, since he needed something to wear to answer the door for room service, grimacing at their sticky dampness. He picked up Mallory’s carryon and set it on the luggage stand. He walked over to the window to peer into the night. The snow seemed to have tapered off. Their flight should be okay in the morning. Then he returned to the bed and stared at Mallory. This was nuts. Picking up a girl in an airport. Doing dirty things with her—still in the airport. And ending up in a hotel room with her. One corner of his mouth kicked up. His buddies were gonna love this story. Thinking about his buddies reminded him of work and home, which inevitably led to thoughts about the recent conversation he’d had with his mom. His gut cramped and his smile turned to a scowl. The knock at the door was a welcome diversion. He legged it across the room. After a quick check through the peephole, he opened the door. “Room service.” “Come on in.” The kid wheeled a cart in with their dinners and the four beers thoughtfully jammed into a bucket of ice. Joe pulled some bills from his pocket and gave the guy a tip, then closed the door and flipped the security latch.

Mallory was waking up, pushing hair off her face and sitting. “Is the food here?” she mumbled. “It is. God, I’m hungry.” He paused. “Where do you want to eat, gorgeous? In bed, or at the table?” She eyed the table. “The table is fine. I just need to uh…go to the bathroom. And find something to wear.” “I put your suitcase over there on the stand.” “Okay. I have my nightie in there.” “Nightie?” He wasn’t sure if that sounded promising, sexy like a babydoll nightie…or scary like a cotton granny gown nightie. She glanced at him then with a resigned look pushed aside the bed covers and stood, naked. His mouth went dry and his cock pressed against the fly of his jeans as he watched her move to her suitcase and bend over. “Holy…” He sucked in air. His hand automatically went to his aching hard-on and pressed. She unzipped the case and pulled out something pink. His jaw went lax as she stood, her back still to him, raised her arms and slid the garment over her head. As she smoothed it down over her body and covered it, he made a face. She turned and caught him gawking. She blinked. “Nice nightie,” he croaked. It wasn’t a granny nightie by any means, but nor was it sexy or revealing. Basically a long-sleeved T-shirt covered her from neck to just above her knees, pink, with a sparkly cat on the front. Well, the neckline dipped pretty low in front. And the fabric did cling to her curves, including hard little nipples. His heart bumped in his chest. “I’ll just be a minute.” She grabbed a small bag from her suitcase and disappeared into the bathroom. He carried food to the round table in the corner as the whine of the hair dryer in

the bathroom started up. He brought glasses from the desk for their beers, poured himself one and sat and waited for her. She emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later. She’d dried her hair, but it wasn’t as sleek and perfect as it had been earlier. Thank God. He liked it messy and wild. “Okay, let’s eat,” she said. The TV continued to flicker, the volume barely audible, as they picked up their burgers. “How long did I sleep?” she asked. “About half an hour, I guess.” They began to eat, Joe trying to focus on his food instead of his dick, which apparently was eager for more attention. When Mallory’s hand sneaked across the table and fingered a French fry, he gave her a pointed look. “ what I said.” She grinned. “I . But you said I could have some.” He watched her open her mouth, tipping her head back a little and slowly lowering the French fry into it. Fuck, there went his goddamn dick jumping up again. He licked his lips and looked down at his burger. Food. Eat. Right. “How’s your burger?” “Good.” He held it up. “Your meat looks a little pink.” He couldn’t help it. He fell back in his chair, laughter climbing up his throat. “Jesus.” Her lips puckered prettily, her eyes sparkling. “You said that on purpose,” he accused.

She lifted one shoulder and dropped her eyes. “I guess I was hungrier than I realized.” She set down her sandwich and licked her thumb. “This tastes really good. Can I have an onion ring?” He stared at her little tongue coming out and sliding over the tip of her thumb. “Sure.” She helped herself to a golden ring. “Yum.” He picked up his beer and took a few good gulps. The cool fizz worked its way down inside him. She lifted her feet and curled her legs under her on the chair, the T-shirt pulling taut over her breasts, her nipples clearly visible through the soft fabric. “Are you cold?” he managed to say. “A little. I’m okay.” He took another swallow of beer. “Has it stopped snowing?” she asked. “I think so.” “Hopefully there won’t be any problems leaving tomorrow.” He nodded slowly, but his brain was thinking that he wouldn’t mind if they were stuck in this hotel room indefinitely. With few clothes and a king-size bed and room service, he’d be good for…well, quite a while. The fact that he wasn’t exactly eager to get to L.A. might also figure into that a little. He sighed. It had been his own idea to go. Nobody was forcing him. “Do we need a wake-up call for the morning?” she asked. He tried to focus. “I can set the alarm on my cell phone.” “Oh, of course. I can do that too. Good idea. If our flight leaves at noon, we’d better leave here…when? Ten?”

“That would be good, I think.” They were only a few minutes from the airport. He became aware that she had been pilfering more of his fries. Only a few remained. As he finished off the last bite of his hamburger, he certainly wasn’t hungry anymore. He didn’t need the damn fries. But holy hell, he wanted to carry through on his threat of punishment. The thought of her ass beneath his hands made heat simmer over his skin. He gave her a pointed look. “You’ve eaten all my fries.” Her eyelids lowered. “I did not.” She wiped her fingers on the paper napkins provided, her chicken burger also demolished. “Oh yeah, you did. And you know what that means.” She swallowed and her tongue came out to swipe over her bottom lip again. “It means I’m full now.” A smile tugged at his lips. “So you it it.” Her own lips twitched. “I it nothing. I think you ate them all. You just weren’t paying attention. You kept looking at my pussy.” He choked on his beer. She glanced down at her chest and made a motion toward it with her hands. His gaze dropped to the glittery cat on the front of her shirt. “Ah. Well. Actually, it wasn’t your…cat…I was looking at.” Her smile went siren-sultry. “No?”

Chapter Seven

“No,” Joe said. “I was looking at your nipples.” Damn if her nipples didn’t tighten even more, and pink washed up into her cheeks. “And the fact that you ate all my fries means you need to punished.” He pushed back from the table and stood, then plucked her up out of her chair and carried her to the bed. He tossed her down, stripped off his clothes and then ed her amid tangled covers, rolling her beneath him and capturing her mouth with his, his hands fisted in her hair. “If this is your idea of punishment,” she gasped long moments later, “I should’ve eaten your onion rings too.” He choked on a laugh as she pushed him onto his back and wriggled on top of him. His laugh turned to a groan. Tension built as their kisses got deeper and hotter, his dick so hard he hurt. He again rolled her, claiming the dominant position, shoving her nightie up and off over her head so he could taste her nipples, drawing them into his mouth and tugging on them until she writhed. He teased, sucking hard and deep on her breast then nibbling at the very tip, judging what she liked by her response. He moved from one breast to the other, feasting his senses on the taste of her, the feel of her on his tongue, the scent of her skin. His hand smoothed down over her abdomen and then between her legs to cup her pussy, where she was creamy wet. He wanted to taste her there too and began to kiss his way down between her breasts, over her stomach and then shifting so he was between her legs. He lifted one leg and then got distracted by her foot, slender and graceful and tipped with those surprising, shiny, red toenails. He held it carefully and studied it, then brought it to his mouth to kiss. He found her other foot and held them both, kissing her insteps, licking her delicate ankle bones, sucking gently on the soft spot just behind the inside of her ankle. Then he licked her toes and slowly sucked one small toe into his mouth. She quivered and he looked up at her face to find her watching, eyes heavy and

heated, lips parted. “That’s really hot,” she said in a husky voice. “Yeah.” Christ. He paid more attention to her toes, licking and sucking until her hips shifted on the bed with needy appeal. “Who knew my feet were such an erogenous zone.” He so wanted to see her feet on his dick. Watching her face, he slowly lowered her feet, and, shifting again to be in a better position, he brought the soles of her feet together on his jutting cock. Her sharp intake of air had his gaze flicking back to her face, but she was just watching avidly. With her legs spread wide, her pussy was open to him, and so fucking pretty his veins raced with scalding heat. But he returned his focus to her feet, soft on his shaft. “Christ,” he groaned. “That feels so good, and damn, watching your feet on me like that makes me damn near explode.” She took over the movement, her feet caressing his cock, rolling it between her soles, and her top teeth sank into her bottom lip as she concentrated. She lifted a foot and pointed her toes quite amazingly and drew her big toe over his aching balls. Her toe slipped beneath and nudged him gently and sensation poured through him. “You have no idea how much that turns me on,” he groaned. Some girls didn’t get it. He’d been kicked in the face accidentally once or twice when he’d tried to touch girls’ feet, and sucking on toes was something not everyone was into. Experience had taught him that after a bath was a better time, women not so worried about doing it when their feet were clean. Mallory was adventurous enough to go with it and seemed to be enjoying touching him like that. “You can sure point your toes,” he managed to rasp out, watching her again trace her toes along the length of his cock. “That’s from all the ballet lessons I took as a kid.” “Oh. Ballet.” He could only nod as lust coiled inside him. Her toe played with his balls again.

Pressure built, fast and dark inside him and he had to move her feet away from him before he lost it. Holding her ankles, he again kissed one foot, then the other, then set them on his shoulders as he went in to eat her sweet pussy. Her warm scent filled his head. He dragged in a deep breath, his heart pounding, and nuzzled the small patch of dark blonde curls above her slit. He’d touched her there and fucked her there, but now he got to taste her there and he began to lick, drawing his tongue up over smooth, plump lips. “Mmm. Sweet, Mallory.” “Oh God, that’s good.” He kissed her inner thigh, slowly opening his mouth on her skin, then moved to the other thigh before kissing his way back to her center. He nibbled the pretty pink ruffles of her inner lips and then dipped his tongue into her creamy opening. Her soft whimpers and moans filled his head, and her hands came down to thread through his hair and hold him there. He licked around her clit, and again, then finally drew his tongue over the swollen bud. Her entire body jerked and her hands tightened on his head, fingernails scraping over his scalp with a delicious pain. He slipped a finger inside her, palm up, curving his finger to find the sensitive spot inside her, and her sharp intake of air told him when he’d found it. He massaged inside her as his tongue fluttered over her clit. “Like that?” he murmured. “God yes!” Her hips lifted in needy rhythm, hands clutching his head and he backed off a little, drawing it out to again kiss and nibble, lifting his head to look down at his finger inside her. Her hands fell to the bed and gripped the sheets. He added a second finger and worked on thrusting in and out, her plump inner muscles closing around him in tiny pulses. He stared in fascination as he finger fucked her, his gaze dropping to the perfect star of her anus. With his other hand, he slicked up some of her girl lube with his thumb and rubbed around the tiny star. Again, her body twitched. He looked up at her face to gauge her reaction to the back door play. Again, it wasn’t for everyone. But she was trembling, eyes closed, hips lifting to him, and

he daringly pressed his thumb deeper against the puckered entrance. Tension gripped her body but she didn’t stop him and so he lowered his head once more between her thighs and opened his mouth on her while his thumb penetrated her anus. Her low cry sounded both shocked and delighted. He moved his thumb in her, plunged his fingers in and out of her pussy and sucked her clit into his mouth, scraping his teeth over it so gently. Her taste slid over his tongue and down his throat, delicately spicy, making him feel drunk. The room faded away around them, awareness centering on her body spread out for him on the snowy bed. God she was wet, and sweet. Intoxicating. He wanted to eat her forever. But her body had other plans, and she came in a torrent of soft convulsions and indecipherable noises, her pussy clenching around his hand. His fingers became even slicker with her orgasm and he kept them inside her along with the thumb and his mouth on her clit until he’d drawn every last quiver from her sweet body. And still he wanted more, wanted to lick up every sweet drop of cream that eased from her body, his face buried between her legs, wet with her juices. He lifted his head, panting, his heart knocking against his ribs. With a last kiss on her mound, he withdrew and moved up over her. As her eyes fluttered open, he licked the fingers that had been in her pussy clean and then leaned in to kiss her mouth, her lips soft and lax. She tried to form them into a pucker and it made him smile. His eyes met hers and the lost look in hers made him pause. “Whoa,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms. “You look far away.” “I’m okay. That was incredible.” After a quick trip to the bathroom to wash up, they lay there and cuddled for a while, until the throbbing of his dick became hard to ignore. He reached a hand down to give it a few strokes and started when Mallory took over. “Your turn,” she whispered. She rolled over and up onto her knees, pushing him to his back. “Oh wait.” He watched her climb off the bed with a frown tugging his brows. “I have condoms,” he said.

“I know. And I have this.” She turned and held up a little bullet vibrator, a wicked smile tipping up the corners of her mouth. Oh yeah. He swallowed. His gaze raked up and down her naked body as she approached the bed–full breasts on a narrow ribcage, tipped with plump tawny nipples that made heat spear through his balls just looking at them. Fuck. Her torso dipped into a small waist then curved out into less-than-generous hips. He knew her ass cheeks were small but exceedingly firm and round. Slender arms and legs moved gracefully and he could now see the dancer’s training in the way she moved. Back on the bed, she climbed between his legs and he accommodated her by spreading them. His cock lay on his belly, solid and thick. For a moment she looked at his goods, and excitement punched through his system. She licked her lips. “You have a beautiful cock,” she whispered and reached out to him again. It leaped at her touch and her fingers circled him. “Jeez,” she said. “It’s thick as my wrist.” Her eyelashes fluttered as she blinked several times rapidly. “Um. Wow.” She pumped his shaft several times, watching, and then yes, praise the Lord, she leaned down to take him in her mouth. Her lips parted over the tapered head and gave a soft suck. “Mmm.” Heat rushed through his body, his skin prickling all over. His girth stretched her lips wide as she tried to sink lower on him, and she paused to lick him all over, getting him nice and wet. Every stroke of her tongue sent heat shimmering through his body, his balls torturously tight. She lifted his prick to lick the underside and gave his balls a teasing swipe that drew a low groan from him. She looked up at him and their eyes met as her tongue came out again and again, each swipe making him tremble even more. The corners of her mouth tilted up until she opened wide and took him in again. “Yeah,” he growled. “Suck me.”

She wrapped her hand around the base and bobbed her head up and down, each pull and drag assaulting him with pleasure. With each lowering of her head she tried to take him deeper, but he could tell already there wasn’t going to be any deep throating here. She was relaxing her throat as much as she could, but her jaw wouldn’t open wide enough. She let him slide from her mouth. Looking up at him again, lips wet and shiny, she said, “I can’t take you any deeper.” “It’s okay,” he rasped. “It feels incredible.” He covered her hand with his to tighten her grasp a little more. “Yeah, like that.” She began to suck him again, her hand moving in time with her mouth. Her eyes drifted closed and she worked to take him as deep as she could until the tip of his cock nudged the back of her throat. Her gag reflex kicked in and her throat squeezed him. She came up and off him quickly, gasping, and his entire body pulsed with heat. She blinked at him, her eyes wet. “That was so good, baby. But take it easy.” He reached out to push damp strands of hair off her face with one hand then used the other to gather her hair at the back of her head. He held it there for her as she bent again. “Easy.” This time she kissed his shaft, soft open-mouthed kisses up and down the length, then right on the tip. His abs tightened. She lapped at him again, then sucked more, going deep again. “Christ, you look like you love doing that,” he whispered, fingers tightening in her hair. She opened her eyes and looked up at him and gave a little nod, her mouth still full of him. Fuck, that was hot—such a classy, elegant girl all messed up and on her knees, sucking his cock. God, he wanted more, more of her mouth, her wetness, the pressure of her lips and tongue on him. And then her bottom teeth grazed over the rim of his cock and his body gave a hard jerk. “Fuuuck,” he groaned. “Oh yeah, hurt me like that, baby.” His balls warm and tight, the tip of his cock grew even more sensitive as tongue and again teeth brushed over it. He cursed again, a stretching, surging feeling beginning to move along his shaft. A deep ache built inside him, tension gathering in his spine.

Mallory’s body wriggled lower on the bed and she lifted his dick up so she could again tongue his balls. Heat rushed through his veins and when she took one of his testicles into her mouth and gently sucked, the pressure built even higher inside him. “Christ,” he gasped. She released the testicle with a sucking pop and took the other one into the moist heat of her mouth, then licked him all over again, nudging his balls up higher with her fingers to lick beneath them and even lower. Jesus fucking Christ. His body went rigid as she pushed his thighs apart and back so she could nuzzle his perineum. Fire flashed over every nerve ending, his entire body seizing with delicious anticipation. “Hmmm.” She paused to jack his dick again. “You like that, don’t you?” “Uh. Sure.” She nibbled at the tendon of his thigh then his inner thigh muscle, and his skin buzzed everywhere. Then that agile little tongue came out to lick more, the root of his sac, the skin beneath and then circled around his hole. He couldn’t stop the long, low groan that tore from his throat. Holy fuck! No one had ever done that to him. For him. A string of curses ran through his mind as almost unbearable excitement ripped through him. His body shaking, he had to let go of Mallory’s hair and his arms first fell helplessly to the bed beside him as her tongue and lips sent sparks spiraling through him. Then he reached for his knees and pulled them toward his chest, giving her better access. “Yeah,” she whispered. “That’s good.” She nipped one ass cheek, then the other, making him twitch. And then she was wetting the little vibrator in her mouth, swirling it all around. He tensed as she rubbed the slick rounded end over him. He wasn’t sure about this…for a guy who liked some kink, this was new for him. The tip of the vibe penetrated the tight ring of muscle, and fire flashed. Strange noises rose in his throat and he tried to swallow. As she moved the little toy in and out in a rhythm that matched the stroke of her hand on his cock, the vibe hit a spot inside him that had pleasure pouring through him. His thighs quaked, his ass muscles clenched hard. His dick swelled almost painfully, filling up with liquid fire, and his balls contracted as if being squeezed. A sensation of ri

so fast tore through him, unbearably tense yet deliciously blissful. And then the explosion ripped through him, an eruption that shot through him and out his cock, and fuck—into Mallory’s sweet mouth. He tried to gabble out an apology, he hadn’t had time to warn her, or let her pull off, and now it was too late, too late, he was shooting into her mouth in uncontrollable spasms as he came with almost painful intensity. He hung in a suspended state of pulsing bliss for long moments, his breathing ragged. “Motherfucker,” he managed to groan. “Holy shit.” Her mouth still moved on him, little kisses and licks, cleaning him up. She slowly withdrew the vibe. His dick almost unbearably sensitive, he reached for her to drag her up on top of him. He sought her mouth with his, still half-blind, his ears still roaring, and wrapped his arms around her. She stretched out along his body, all warm smooth skin and soft curves and hot kisses that started fast and hard and then slowed into one long, lush melding of their mouths. They breathed together. “Wow,” he managed to say against her lips. “You took me somewhere I’ve never been.” Her lips curved. “It’s Denver.” A laugh rumbled in his chest as he rolled them over so he was on top. “That’s not what I mean, gorgeous, and you know it.” “Yeah.” Their eyes met. “I know what you meant. And backatcha, handsome.”

They slept for a while, then Joe woke Mallory, moving behind her to press his erection into her ass, his hand sliding around to find her breast, his mouth nuzzling at her shoulder and neck. They stayed like that, and he slid into from behind and pushed her thigh up. Spooned together, he fucked her slow and sweet in the dark, quiet hotel room. His cock inside her and his fingers on her clit built her orgasm, and pleasure washed down through her in hard, shuddering waves of bliss. After, lying there together, bodies still ed, Joe’s arms around her and his

breath warming her shoulder, she was inexplicably filled with emotion. She felt so safe and secluded in this hotel room, with this man. She felt so far away from the massive problems that awaited her at home in Chicago. Just thinking about the way she’d tied herself up in knots over it to the point of having her first ever panic attack brought on more emotion, a sick feeling of dread in her stomach and a powerful desire to just disappear and never ever go back to her real life. To stay locked in this hotel room with Joe forever. A soft sob escaped her and she pressed her knuckles to her mouth. “Mallory?” Joe moved against her, his cock withdrawing from her in a disturbing slide, his body heat and strength disappearing. His hand gently tugged her shoulder, nudging her down to her back, then he touched her jaw to turn her face to him. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” He made a gruff noise. “Right. C’mere.” He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her. “Did I hurt you?” “No. God no. It’s not you. I’m just…for some reason I feel like crying.” “That’s not really the reaction a guy wants to hear after sex.” She choked on a small laugh. His arms felt so good, so strong and reassuring. And dammit, the fact that he was trying to comfort her and find out what was wrong instead of withdrawing and distancing himself from an emotional crying woman made her heart swell up and ache. Fuck. She did not need to like this guy. This was one night of kinky hot sex with a stranger in a hotel. “I’m sorry. Really, it’s not you. I just realized…I’ve been under so much stress lately. And this felt so, so good. It made me…shit.” She hiccupped on another little sob. “I’m sorry. You don’t need this. This is just about having fun.” “Well, yeah. Hang on. I gotta get rid of this.” He gestured toward his groin and disappeared into the bathroom. When he returned, he left the light on in the other room, the door open, a wedge of light enough for them to see each other in velvet shadows. He pulled her back into his arms and slid his hand into her hair and massaged her scalp. “Okay. I wanted you to feel good, gorgeous. Not bad.”

“It’s not your fault,” she repeated. “I’m just being stupid.” “Why’ve you been so stressed?” “Oh. God.” She released a long exhalation. “It’s a really long story. And not all that interesting. I just…” “C’mon. Talk about it.” She didn’t want to ruin this by vomiting out all her problems. This wasn’t supposed to be deep and meaningful. This was supposed to be sexy and spontaneous and carefree. She wasn’t going to do that. She sought for the words to put this to bed. Ha. Funny. “My career is really important to me,” she finally said. “I’ve worked so hard at my job. Long hours. I’ve taken courses. I’ve networked. I wanted to be the best at what I do.” He went still against her, his hand cupping the back of her head. “Yeah?” She swallowed. “There are problems at work. I won’t bore you with the details. But it’s been stressing me out. That’s why I’m taking this holiday. To go home and relax with my parents.” “What kind of problems? Downsizing?” “No. The company is doing really well. It’s other stuff.” She hitched a shoulder. She sensed that he waited, that he actually wanted her to tell him more. But no way. Besides, it was all so…icky. And highly confidential. She knew the kind of trouble you could get into by spilling corporate secrets. “So spending time with your parents will help relax you?” he finally said. “Probably not.” Then she wished those words hadn’t escaped her so quickly. “I mean, they’re great. I love my folks. But…” Again she tried to sort through the right words. “I don’t want to disappoint them.” And there was the story of her adult life. Not that Joe would have any idea what that was about.

“I’m sure they’re very proud of you,” he said, his voice taking on a bit of a rough edge. “Yes, they are.” She sighed. “I want to make them proud.” She had a lot of shit to make up for, her poor parents. “Yeah,” he said. He gave a harsh chuckle. “I get that.” She pulled back a little to look at him, lifting a hand to touch his jaw. “Yeah?” “Yeah.” He didn’t meet her eyes but the set of his mouth spoke of pain and frustration. “I spent my whole fucking life trying to make my dad proud of me. It never worked.” Her insides went cold and tight. “Surely not.” “It’s true.” Now he did meet her eyes and a smile tipped the corners of his mouth. “No big deal though.” No big deal. The smirk and the careless lift of one big shoulder didn’t fool her. “Then you know how I feel,” she said slowly. “Did you screw something up?” he asked. “I mean, at work. Is that why you’re stressed?” “No.” She shook her head. “I haven’t screwed up. Yet. But I might have to do something that will disappoint my parents.” “That sucks.” “Why don’t you think your dad is proud of you?”

Chapter Eight

“It was always pretty obvious,” Joe said slowly. He wanted to avoid her question, but he was the one who’d started sharing. “My older brothers can do no wrong in his eyes, but me… Nothing I did ever made him happy. It was as simple as the time they got to spend with him. He’d take them out to ball games and camping. I was the youngest so I was always too young to go with them. It wasn’t until I was about twelve that it clicked in that he’d been taking them to ball games and on camping trips long before they were twelve years old.” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “All three of us are pretty athletic, and we all played sports. He’d go watch their games and cheer them on. When I played football and our team won the state championship, he wasn’t there. And when I got home all excited and proud, to him it was no big deal.” She made a soft sound of sympathy. They lay there looking at each other in the warm lamp light. “That’s not right,” she murmured. “I was also the only one who ever got physically punished when I did something wrong,” he said. “Something else I didn’t realize for years. One time my brothers and I were fooling around in the backyard with a ball and bat, and Mitch hit the ball into the neighbor’s yard and broke a window. I was the one who got my ass paddled.” She drew in a sharp intake of air. “Oh no.” He shrugged and smiled at her, reaching out to move a strand of hair off her cheek. “Don’t get too worked up about it. I survived. That was all a long time ago. I just wanted you to know that I get it,” he said softly. “The desire to please and make them proud of you.” Her gaze dropped and she stared a spot on his chest. “Yes. I guess you do get it.” He ran his palm over her shoulder and down her upper arm. So soft. “So why are you going to visit your dad?” she asked softly. “If you two don’t get along.”

His insides tightened. Hell. He tried for a carefree smile. “Doing my duty.” Their evening had taken a turn into the personal, with her getting all emotional like that, which then made him talk about stuff he’d really rather not. When she’d said how hard she’d worked, how she wanted to be the best, he knew exactly what she was talking about, because that was just how he felt. But all for fucking nothing. He’d been ecstatic when he’d been made lieutenant, thrilled to his core to be at that level at his age. Something he was good at. Something he was the best at. Something he loved. Only to have his accomplishment dismissed by his dad with an absent acknowledgement and abrupt change of subject. He’d gotten really good at ignoring the pain, but that one had really stung. “Duty,” she repeated. “Yeah, I get that.” They both fell silent, thinking. The mood had gone from blazing lust to quiet intimacy. He felt connected to the woman in his arms in a way that had nothing to do with the red-hot sex they’d just had. Or maybe it had something to do with it, because he sensed her inner streak of kinky fun that matched his own. He didn’t like the idea that she was so deeply unhappy. He wanted to make it better. But the only way he could think of to do that was…more sex. He wasn’t quite up for that yet though, so he just pulled her closer so their bodies were pressed together along their entire length, her soft breasts pillowed against his chest, and his hand stroked up and down her back. She sighed into his mouth as he kissed her. Their tongues met and rubbed again, and once more heat centered in his groin. “Forget that stuff,” he murmured against her lips. “Just for tonight.”

Mallory awoke to a repetitive chiming noise. She struggled to open her eyes but saw only darkness. It took a few groggy minutes to figure out what the noise was. As Joe moved beside her and turned off the alarm on his cell phone, memories flooded back with a rush of heat. Had that really happened? God, the things they’d done to each other last night!

And now they had to get up and go to the airport and…go their separate ways. She closed her eyes against the faint ache in her chest brought on by thinking about that. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, turning her head to look at Joe. He was awake, his head on the pillow beside her. The stubble on his face was even heavier now, his face dark against the white pillow, eyes shadowy in the dim room. The heavy curtains kept out almost all the light. His lips curved. “Hey.” “Hey. I guess we have to get up.” He sighed and stretched his big, long body, the duvet falling away from his bare chest. God, he was gorgeous, so ripped with muscle. Her pussy pulsed with renewed interest, ing his cock. She wanted to see it again, touch it, taste it, have it inside her. Cripes, it was like an addiction, and she had to stop herself from pulling back the covers just to look. “Didn’t get much sleep,” he yawned. “Kind of amazing how good I feel.” She smiled. “Yeah.” Her body felt alive, sensitized, and she too stretched out her legs, the sheets sliding over her skin like a caress. Damn. She did not want to get out of that bed. She let out a long exhalation. “Okay if I shower?” “No.” She paused and looked at him over her shoulder. “No?” He kicked off the covers, revealing the rest of his amazing body and bounded out of bed. “Not without me, you’re not.” “Oh.” Her heart stuttered. He kissed the tip of her nose. “We don’t have much time left. Let’s make the most of it.” Happiness bubbled up inside her as she padded along after him into the bathroom. “More shower sex?” “You can never have too much shower sex.” He turned and eyed her. “I don’t

suppose you have an extra toothbrush?” “No. Lucky I even have one toothbrush.” She pursed her lips. “I suppose I could share it with you. Seeing as you’ve had your tongue down my throat, not to mention a whole lot of other places.” He grinned. “You rock.” They took turns brushing their teeth and Joe cranked on the water. When she’d finished cleaning her teeth, she said, “Um. I need a minute…” She glanced at the toilet. “Ah.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Don’t mind me.” He stepped into the shower and yanked the curtain closed. She stared open-mouthed at the white expanse of fabric. “Seriously?” she muttered. She heard a soft laugh. Dragging in a breath, she sat on the toilet and emptied her bladder, nerves twitching at having someone else in there with her as she did so. The curtain shielded her from his view, and the pouring water drowned out the sounds, but still…it was shockingly personal and intimate. Then she ed him in the shower and he immediately surrounded her with his wet body, strong arms and legs wrapping around her, pulling her beneath the flow of blissfully hot water. He kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth, hands cupping her ass. “No wonder you wanted to brush your teeth,” she panted a long moment later. “Morning breath isn’t sexy.” He rubbed his nose against hers. “We don’t have much time.” “True. Let’s get at ’er.” And his hand slipped down between her legs. She was pleasantly sore there, extra sensitive, her thigh muscles aching, and it didn’t take much for him to get her off while sucking at her nipples. And then he thrust up inside her, inciting more sweet pains. Her body heated and melted around him. It felt so, so good. Her eyes drifted closed and she felt like she was floating on the steam that surrounded him. So it startled her when he suddenly

pulled out. Her eyes flew open and he grunted, “No condom.” His face tightened, chin lifting as he jacked himself the last few strokes to orgasm, coming in jets on her belly that dripped and washed away beneath the shower spray. She watched in fascination, holding his hips. “Sorry,” he gasped. “It’s okay.” She used birth control so she wasn’t worried about that. “I think it was okay.” “I’m clean.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “Totally. Fuck. Sorry.” “Me too. I mean, I’m good. And I think you pulled out in time…” “But still…” It was a risk. She knew that. She was doing crazy, reckless things and this was just one more. But it didn’t feel scary. It felt…amazing. Although that creeping feeling of sadness lurked in the recesses of her mind. They washed each other more efficiently than they had the day before. Mallory spent more time drying her hair and applying what little makeup she had while Joe went down to the coffee shop, returning with two big take-out cups of coffee and bagels. Mallory gratefully ate the bagel and sipped the coffee as she dressed and packed up the few things she had. She repressed a sigh as she washed up the little vibrator and replaced it in her bag. They carried their cups as they left the room and headed down to the lobby to find a taxi. As the door swung closed behind them, Mallory cast one more longing, regretful look at the room. They’d only been there a few hours, but it felt much longer than that, and she again wistfully wished they could stay there. Forever. But that was silly. Today the skies were blue and the sun glinted off the new-fallen snow that was already starting to melt. A freak little snowfall that had caused so much havoc.

They were soon at the airport and then at their gate again. “Hang on,” Joe murmured, once they’d found seats. “Give me your boarding .” She sat and sipped what was left of her coffee as he went up to the counter. She watched him talking to the girl working there, who gave him a flirty smile as she typed on her computer keyboard. Then Joe returned. “I moved your seat,” he said, taking the seat beside her. She handed him his coffee. “So we’re together.” “Oh.” She blinked, not sure what to say to that. Should she thank him? He paused. “Is that okay?” “Sure.” She didn’t want this to end. But she knew it had to, and there was no point in dragging things on. But okay, another couple of hours in Joe’s company on the plane would be…nice. It was also very nice having someone looking after her– bringing her coffee, carrying her suitcase, changing her seat. He just did it, and she had no doubt that any woman in his life would be looked after. Her heart squeezed. “Tired?” he asked. She smiled. “Oh yeah.” Their eyes met with a little burst of heat. “Well, let’s hope there aren’t any more delays. The weather sure shouldn’t be a problem.” “Just bad timing,” she murmured. “That early storm.” “Or good timing. Depending on your point of view.” He arched an eyebrow. “True. There were some very good things about it.” “Did you let your parents know your new arrival time?” “Oh God. No. I totally forgot.” She set her coffee on the floor at her feet and dug into her purse for her cell phone. “What time is it we arrive?” He told her the time and flight number and she thumbed the text message into

her phone. “There. How about your dad?” He shrugged and reached for her coffee to hand it to her. “I’ll call him when I get there.” She studied him. “He doesn’t know you’re coming, does he?” His eyes flew up to meet hers. One corner of his mouth deepened into a crooked smile. “Why do you say that?” “You’ve been evasive about him every time he comes up in conversation. You said he wasn’t picking you up, but you haven’t called or texted him to let him know you’re going to be a whole day late.” He took a big swallow of his coffee. “True. Okay, yeah, he doesn’t know.” Curiosity tickled her insides. “You two don’t have the best relationship and you’re going to surprise him by dropping in on him?” “Yep.” He leaned back in his seat and lifted on ankle over the other knee. She had a million more unformed questions, but clearly he wasn’t going to say anything more. So she just nodded. Pre-boarding for their flight was soon announced and they gave each other wry looks as people rushed the gate. “Déjà vu,” Joe murmured. “What’s the rush?” “It’s not as if they’re not going to get on the plane.” “It would go a lot faster if everyone waited their turn.” They shared a grin and waited until their boarding group was called, then filed onto the plane. “Here we go again,” she said, settling into her seat. Joe had offered her the choice of window or aisle. Usually she took the aisle seat but she suspected he liked the extra space of the aisle seat, being such a big guy, so she sat in the window seat. Joe lifted her carry-on into the overhead compartment for her and

she felt like a pampered princess. This time nothing stopped them from taking off and they were soon airborne and heading to Los Angeles. The flight attendants served them more coffee and cookies. After the bagel earlier, she wasn’t hungry, but Joe eyed her cookie package with greedy eyes. Amused, she said, “Still hungry, big guy?” “Yeah.” “Here.” She gave him the cookies and he devoured all of them. “You don’t get enough food on planes these days,” he said, crumpling the wrappers. “True.” Normally she’d pull out her e-reader and read a book, but she didn’t want to do that when she had such little time left with Joe. She wished he’d tell her more about his dad and some of the enigmatic comments he’d made about his family. “So tell me about the ballet lessons,” Joe said. “You have very…uh…flexible feet.” She gave him a slow smile. “Yes. I do. My ballet teachers used my feet to demonstrate the proper way to point your toes. I can’t do it anymore, but I used to be able to sit on the floor with my legs stretched out in front of me and touch the floor with my toes. My teachers used to push my toes all the way to the floor to increase my flexibility.” “You’re getting me all hot,” he murmured close to her ear. “Did you pack sandals for your trip to California?” She eyed the pointy toes of her boots. “Yeah. In my checked baggage. Which I hope is on this plane with us.” She paused. “Flip-flops.” “Ah.” He cleared his throat. “Excellent. How long did you take ballet?” “Long time. I started when I was about five and stopped in my junior year of high school.”

“You must have been really good.” She shrugged. “I suppose. When I got to be a teenager, I kind of blew it off. I was doing a couple of ballet classes and a jazz class every week, plus I was in an elite dance team that entered competitions and we practiced every week. Then I kind of got into dating and partying, and the ballet fell by the wayside.” She grimaced. “So why take hip hop classes now? Why not go back to ballet?” “I don’t know. Ballet doesn’t seem very practical. It’s not like I’m going to be a professional ballerina.” Also it brought back memories of high school she’d rather forget. “Hip hop is just for fun. And I can do it with my friend.” “Oh yeah…what was her name?” “Paige.” “Have you known her long? Or just since you moved to Chicago?” “Just since I moved there. She’s new to Chicago too.” “Eh. I guess my two best buddies outside of work are Kevin and Beamer.” “Beamer?” “His name is Brock Montgomery Woolton.” “Holy crap.” He laughed. “I know, right? Family’s filthy rich. You’d never know it though. He looks like Rupert Grint with horn-rimmed glasses. His initials are BMW so we’ve called him Beamer forever. He’s a doctor, except he doesn’t practice medicine, he does high-level research, and Kevin’s an architect. We’ve known each other since college. I hang out with some of the guys at work sometimes too. It’s good to have someone who gets the job to debrief with when things are stressful.” She shifted and studied him. “Stressful as in dangerous?”

He shrugged. “Sometimes. Sometimes it’s just stressful seeing the crap that goes on in the world.” “Yeah, I guess it is important to have people to talk to about that.” “Like you have Paige to talk about work with.” He eyed her. “Have you talked to her about being so stressed?” Mallory edged back into her seat at mention of her job. “A little.” “Tell me more about what you do.” “I’m responsible for the oversight and creation of strategic plans and P-and-Ls— I mean, profit and losses—for my division, and I oversee the marketing plans for the therapeutic brands that fall in my division. We develop direct advertising campaigns and promotional activities, and keep an eye on our competitors to see what they’re doing. We monitor the marketing plans and measure how effective our strategies are to make sure we’re meeting our objectives and improving the competitive position of our products in the market. Basically, I lead and coach the whole marketing team.” “What did you study in college?” “I have an MBA.” “Smart girl.” She smiled. “Yes, I am.” “I’m picturing you in business suits and sensible heels giving PowerPoint presentations.” She choked on a laugh. “Well, um, yeah, that would be pretty accurate.” He leaned in to nuzzle her hair. “I prefer you messed up and naked.” Lust did a little flip in her belly. “Really. And here I am imagining you in your police uniform…I’m thinking all black, with bulletproof vest and carrying a big…gun.”

“That turns you on?” “Hell yeah.” “Damn.” He brushed his lips over her cheek. “And here I am with only my civvies.” Her eyes drifted closed as he kissed her cheek, her jaw, then rubbed his face gently against hers. Shivers cascaded down her spine. His hand came to rest on her thigh, and with a soft sigh, she turned her face toward him so their mouths met. And she got lost in the kiss at thirty-two thousand feet. Long moments later they drew apart, their breathing choppy. Their eyes met. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he whispered. Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “Mile high club.” He lifted an eyebrow. She giggled and swatted his chest. “As if!” He grinned, dimples appearing in his stubbled cheeks. “I think we could sneak into one of those washrooms without the flight attendant noticing.” “Right.” He sighed. “Damn. And here I thought you were adventurous.” Her heart skipped a beat and excitement slinked through her. “Don’t do that to me,” she begged. His expression innocent, he said, “Do what?” “You know damn well what.” She closed her eyes against the gleam of challenge in his. “Seriously. We can’t do that.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek again. “You know you want to.” She wanted him. And…yeah. The idea of doing something so illicit sent her

pulse into a frenzy. What was wrong with her? There was something about this man that was like lighter fluid tossed onto the smoldering remnants of fiery wildness inside her, bringing it flaming back to dangerous life. This had to stop. There was no way she was going to try to sneak into one of those tiny bathrooms. “They’re really not sexy at all,” she murmured. “Cramped and kind of smelly… and you’re a big guy.” His mouth pursed. “Yeah. That’s true. Okay, we’ll do it here.” “What!” Her head whipped around wildly, checking out the whereabouts of the flight crew and the people across the aisle from them. He reached for the blanket tucked under his arm that he’d accepted from the flight attendant earlier and shook it out. “This worked fine in the airport.” “We can’t!” Her insides tightened. “We…we have to keep our seatbelts on.” He sighed. “Okay. Fine.” She licked her lips. “We could…make out.” “And torture ourselves because that’s all we can do? Okay. I’m in.” He tossed the blanket over them. The armrest between them was already up. Even with seatbelts on, they managed to snuggle up to each other and then his hand was on her breast, gently squeezing, and his mouth was on hers in a slow, sexy kiss. The kiss went on…and on…deeper…wetter. He licked into her mouth, his tongue strong and sleek. She sucked on it, bit his bottom lip so gently, kissed the corners of his mouth. Her nipples pinched into hard points that he toyed with beneath her sweater, her breasts heavy and aching. And heat and pressure grew in her pelvis until it was almost unbearable. “Okay,” she gasped. “I’m ready to try that bathroom.” He leaned his forehead against hers, fighting for breath. “Holy hotness, Mallory. You make me crazy.” He turned and glanced to the back of the plane then faced her again. “They’re

way back there. You go first. I’ll wait a few minutes. When I knock once, let me in.” “Oh God.” Her stomach clenched. “What if they catch us? Will they arrest us?” “I’m not sure.” “You’re a police officer! If you get arrested, isn’t that…bad?” “They won’t arrest us. Go.” With shaky hands, she unfastened her seatbelt and climbed over Joe into the aisle. She carefully didn’t look at him as she entered the lavatory. She clicked the lock on the door and sat on the closed toilet seat, waiting.

Chapter Nine

Joe sat and waited, his body tight, nerves electrified. He shifted in his seat, the fly of his jeans pressing uncomfortably into his dick. The plane shuddered through an air pocket. He rose to his feet and glanced at the people across the aisle. Eyes closed. Good. He tapped on the door and heard the sharp click of the lock sliding open. He opened the door, stepped inside and quickly shut the door behind him. “The other people in the first row are sleeping,” he said. “I don’t think they noticed anything.” “Quick. Make this quick. I’m dying.” She began to undo her pants. “I’m dying, as in ‘I need you, baby’, or ‘I’m dying of fear we’ll get caught’?” He unzipped his jeans. “Both! Hurry!” He pulled out his swollen cock and she paused to stare at it then reached to touch. Male pride swelled inside him at the look of wonder on her face. Damn! She really loved his dick. He groaned and yanked her pants down, then shoved aside her panties and thrust his fingers into her pussy. “Hell, Mal. You’re drenched.” “God, I know. I could feel it when we were making out, my panties are soaked. Okay, how do we do this?” There wasn’t much room to maneuver. “Uh…” He eyed the small sink and shook his head. “Turn around. Put your hands on the wall.” She kicked one foot free of her pants so she could spread her legs wider and did as he said, their bodies bumping together in the small space. The plane hit another few bumps and it matched the uneven rhythm of his heart and the blood pulsing hotly in his groin.

He gripped the base of his shaft and slid the head through the wet folds of her pussy. She arched her back and thrust her butt back at him. “Beautiful,” he murmured and couldn’t resist laying a sharp little tap on one firm cheek. “That’s it, baby.” He found her entrance and pushed inside. “I can’t believe this,” she moaned. “I know.” He bent his knees, slipped a hand around her and drove up high inside her. She pressed her mouth against her arm to muffle the noises escaping her. One hand flat on her belly, the other delved lower and found her clit. This wasn’t exactly pretty, but it was hot as hell. He pumped into her, balls smacking her, flesh slapping, and she pushed back with every stroke, impatient and greedy. He fingered her clit and the tempo of the soft noises in her throat increased. “Yes, yes, yes,” she whimpered. “Do it. Fuck me. Harder.” Driving hard, his balls contracted. Tingles zoomed up his spine then back down, excitement pounding through him. He was so close, but damn, she needed to come. He flicked over her clit and then she came apart, shuddering through a series of spasms that gripped his cock. His bare cock. Dreadful realization crashed through him at the same time his orgasm became unstoppable and he was spurting before he could pull out. But he did manage to jerk back, falling against the door with a thud. Semen jetted out of him and onto Mallory’s lower back and the floor. He gasped, his lungs burning, every nerve electrified. She stayed where she was, hands against the wall, her head hanging, her narrow rib cage expanding and contracting with each shallow breath she took. “Okay,” she whispered. “We did it. Now we need to get out of here.” Fucking insane. They were both fucking insane. He managed to stagger upright and grab some paper towels. He ran some water over them, first gently wiped off Mallory’s smooth skin, then bent and swiped the floor. She managed to get her pants pulled up, but was still fumbling with the zipper and fastener and belt. He tucked himself back in and zipped up. “I’ll go out first,” he said and kissed her mouth. “Wait a few minutes again.” Hopefully there was no one waiting for the bathroom. He cracked open the door and peered out. Nobody, thank God.

He slipped out and dropped back into his seat, muscles still lax and quivering. He dropped his head into one hand and focused on breathing. Jesus. Mallory slipped into her seat moments later. She looked at him. When their eyes met and he saw the way hers glinted and the smirk on her lips, they both burst out laughing, leaning into each other. “I can’t believe we did that,” Mallory gasped. “Believe it, babe.” They sat holding each other and shaking with laughter for a moment, but then he sobered. “I did it again,” he said near her ear. “Forgot the condom. I’m sorry.” “Oh.” She let out a shuddery breath, face pressed against him. “We keep taking crazy chances, don’t we?” “Yep.” “I am on the pill,” she whispered. “I didn’t say that earlier, when I said I’m good, but I meant that, and that I don’t have anything you need to be worried about.” “Okay, birth control is good. And Mallory, me too, I swear, I always use protection. I don’t know what happened to my head. I can show you test results if you want.” “Right now?” He felt her smile against his chest. “No. Back in Chicago.” She went very still against him and then pulled back to sit fully in her seat. “We need to talk about that.” The hairs on the back of his neck stirred. “About my test results?” “No. About back in Chicago.” Her eyes met him, all the laughter now vanished. “We aren’t going to see each other back in Chicago.” His insides went cold and tight. She was right. He knew that. This was some kind of crazy travel fling. He tried to smile but it didn’t quite work. He tried harder. “I just meant, if you want to see the test results in black and white, that’s

where it’ll have to be.” “Right.” She nodded quickly. “I…” Her gaze skittered sideways and then back. “I trust you, Joe. And…I don’t even know your last name.” Holy fuck. And he didn’t know hers. He felt like the top of his head might pop off. “Not to be a dickhead or anything, but maybe we should share that information…just in case. And I have your number, but let me give you mine. Joe Mason. I’ll put my number in your phone when we land and we can turn them on.” “Mallory Hurst.” He kept the smile glued in place. “Nice name.” “You too.” Something had slipped between them, an invisible barrier, a thin curtain of tension that hadn’t been there before. Her face had gone stiff even though she too smiled. She glanced at her watch. “I think I’ll read for a while. Still about forty minutes until we land.” She bent and pulled a device from her purse. He wasn’t much of a reader. Magazines mostly. He pulled the airline magazine from the pouch on the wall in front of him and began to flip through it. He couldn’t help but glance at Mallory, head bent, shiny hair curving forward over her cheek, legs crossed. His insides cramped a little. Shit. He had to talk himself out of this mood, whatever it was. He should be thinking about the stories he was going to tell Kevin and Beamer the next time they got together for poker, about the hot chick he’d picked up in the airport, taken back to his hotel room and banged her brains out. How they’d ed the mile high club. He should be feeling all triumphant, conquering male. Whatever. He’d already read this magazine. Crap. He kept flipping the pages without really seeing anything. He should also be thinking about his plan for when he got to Los Angeles. The

idea for this trip had been a spur of the moment thing, crazy and not well thought out. He’d been a little fucked up in the head, not really thinking straight. Apparently it was still affecting him—Christ! Sex in the airplane lavatory! Who did that? Once again he tried to redirect his thoughts. His father in Los Angeles. What was he going to say when he saw him? Aw, fuck it, he was just gonna to wing it, because thinking about that scared the shit out of him. He’d rather think about Mallory. The rest of the flight ed with mostly silence between them. Once they’d been given the okay to turn on electronics, he reminded Mallory that he wanted to give her his number and she pulled out her cell phone. Her obvious reluctance irked him. “It’s just in case,” he said a little shortly. “I know you’re on birth control, but accidents can happen, and you need to be able to reach me.” He gave her his number and she entered it into her s. “I’m not pregnant.” “Probably not,” he agreed. “But I’d hate to think that if it somehow happened, I’d have a kid in the world that I didn’t even know about…” His throat squeezed suddenly, painfully shut. He couldn’t talk. Mallory looked at him. Heat washed up into his face. He tried to swallow the golf ball lodged in his throat. He coughed. “I’m just saying,” he managed to choke out. “If it happens— you call me. Right?” She blinked. “Um. Right. But it’s not going to.” He gritted his teeth. “Like I said, probably not.” The plane was slowing now, almost at the terminal, and then came to a halt. The sound of seatbelts clicking open filled the air and people surged into the aisle. Joe unfastened his own and rose to pull Mallory’s carry-on out for her. Her thank you and smile were carefully polite.

It took several more minutes before they could deplane, but soon they were entering the terminal. He still pulled her suitcase for her down the long concourse, then down the escalator to the baggage claim area. “There are my parents,” Mallory murmured about halfway down the escalator. She waved vigorously. Joe found the couple who spotted her and waved in return, the man and woman both tall and slender, and…whoa. Her dad wore a dark shirt, and the center of the buttoned-up collar was white. A clergy collar… He glanced at Mallory. “Your dad’s a minister?” “Yes.” She shot him a wry smile. Once off the escalator, she and her parents found each other and exchanged big hugs. Joe stood there awkwardly, still with Mallory’s bag. “You’re finally here!” her mother said. She had Mallory’s bone structure and smile, her dark blonde hair cut in a short, tousled style. “What on earth happened? What did you do last night?” “Give her a minute, Donna.” Her dad smiled and pulled Mallory in for a hug too. “You look a little tired, honey.” She grimaced. “Long trip.” “Yeah, I guess so.” “But you made it!” her mom said. “And it’s so good to see you.” Joe cleared his throat. “Here’s your suitcase, Mallory.” She turned to him and a wash of hot pink flooded her cheeks. “Oh. Thank you.” They faced each other, tension vibrating between them. She didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Thanks. For everything. You know.” She didn’t even try to introduce him, made no move toward him for a hug, a kiss on the cheek or even a handshake. With a stone in his gut, he flashed a smile and nodded. “No problem. Have a good trip.” He moved away, toward the baggage carousel. His legs felt stiff. Why the hell was it so hard to leave her?

The conveyor belt started to move and people crowded in closer to the carousel. Joe found a spot and started watching for his bag. But his gaze kept drifting back to Mallory standing on the other side with her parents, talking to them. When their gazes collided, he felt it like a fist to his gut. They both looked away. She could have at least introduced him to her parents. No, she couldn’t have. What would she have said? And it didn’t matter anyway. His bag rode the belt toward him, and he grabbed it and hauled it off. He forced himself not to look back at Mallory as he swung his backpack over his shoulder and headed toward the exit. He stood outside on the sidewalk, the warm humid air brushing over him. Horns honked and engines roared and echoed off concrete. For a moment, he felt a weird sense of not really being there, of standing apart from the bustling activity going on all around him, people pushing past him, cars and buses and limos driving by. An emptiness expanded inside him. Fucking weird. He gave his head a shake. He needed to rent a car so he had to find a shuttle to the Budget lot. Or whatever bus showed up first.

Mallory tried to focus on what her parents were saying, tried to answer their questions, but she was completely distracted, ing Joe and the smile he’d flashed and how he’d walked away without a backward glance. Until she’d caught his eye while they stood beside the luggage carousel, caught him staring at her, and heat had flashed under her skin. “Who was that?” Dad asked, taking the small carry-on Joe had released. She swallowed. “He sat beside me on the plane. He helped with my carry-on.” “So what on earth happened yesterday in Denver?” Mom asked. Oh God. A lot had happened in Denver yesterday. Mallory’s chest tightened. She lifted her chin and smiled at her mom and explained about the storm and the deicing equipment not being ready and all the waiting.

“What a nightmare!” Mom said. “It was okay,” Mallory said. “I got a hotel room, and here I am.” Joe had taken his suitcase and was walking out of the terminal. Every muscle in her body urged her to run after him, and she stared at his back with a hollow feeling expanding in her chest. Wow. She’d really screwed up. She should have known she would regret doing that. But how could she have known she’d feel this crappy about them going their separate ways once they’d reached their destination? And why did she feel so crappy? She’d known the guy a little over twenty-four hours and how could you really know someone in that short a time? You couldn’t. She was just coming down off the adrenaline rush of doing something so wild and spontaneous and dirty, all those things she’d locked away so long ago. Now she had real life to contend with, real problems, and her parents standing in front of her casting her slightly worried glances. “Let’s get you home,” Mom said. “Looks like you could use a nap.” She nodded. “Yeah. That would be really good.” She hadn’t been sleeping well for months, so she couldn’t really blame only a few hours of sleep last night on the fact that she was bone-deep exhausted. But after the sensations Joe had aroused in her, she realized how dead and empty she felt now, and had felt even before she’d left Chicago. Tension crept across her shoulder muscles and up the back of her neck, which she recognized as the beginning of a killer headache. Chronic headaches that she hadn’t even realized had disappeared for a while when she’d been with Joe. She hadn’t realized the pain had been gone until it started to return. As did the too-familiar tightening of her stomach. “That’s my suitcase,” she said, pointing to the basic black case that she’d tied a bright purple ribbon to. Dad hauled it off the belt and led the way out to the parking garage. Outside, she breathed in gentle air, scented with exhaust fumes, so different than the sharp wind in Denver and the crisp fall air in Chicago. Brakes screeched as a shuttle bus came to a halt and she blinked as she watched Joe climb on. Her bottom lip pushed out as she followed her parents through the crosswalk, and she bumped against a man coming the other way because her

head was turned to watch where Joe had gone. Forget him. God! Her dad navigated the way out of LAX and the freeway system to Anaheim. Mallory sat in the back seat, blindly staring out at the familiar sights, still struggling to pay attention as her mom chattered on with news of family and friends and what was happening at the church. Inside the home she’d grown up in, the bungalow near the church her father had been minister of for nearly fifteen years, she gratefully accepted her mom’s offer to lie down for a while. She stripped out of the clothes she’d worn too long and happily slipped on clean underwear, a pair of knee-length fleece shorts and a Tshirt. And she did lie down on the bed. She looked around the room that hadn’t been hers since she’d left for college at age eighteen. Thankfully, her mother had completely redecorated it, maybe somehow understanding that Mallory didn’t want to be reminded of what a clusterfuck her teenage years had been. This wasn’t the room of a young girl, but rather a comfortable adult guest room with taupe walls, clean white trim and hardwood floors. White wooden blinds on the window kept out the bright sunshine. A duvet patterned in shades of cream, mocha and sand covered the queen-size bed and a beige armchair sat in the corner with a floor lamp beside it. A simple dark wood dresser sat against one wall, with a matching end table beside the bed. A small basket of potpourri on the dresser gave off a subtle scent of berries, with a few magazines stacked beside it. Okay. She’d come here to relax, to spend time with her parents, to have time to think over the problems that awaited her back in Chicago and hopefully make a decision about what she was going to do. She needed to start relaxing now. But Joe’s image drifted in front of her and she closed her eyes, letting memories of his touch fill her head, and when she drifted off to sleep her dreams were full of him.

Chapter Ten

Joe hadn’t planned much for this trip beyond booking the flight. He had his father’s address and that was as far as he’d gotten. Once he had the rental car and a map, he started driving to the address entered in his phone, Santa Ana Avenue in the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach. Even though it was Sunday afternoon, traffic was heavy on the freeways. Joe had to discipline his mind to pay attention to his driving and block out everything else, something he was well trained to do in crisis situations. He kept an eye out for the exit he needed to take and left the 405 for the quieter streets of Long Beach. He’d been to Los Angeles a few times on vacation trips, but never to Long Beach, so it was all new to him. He studied his surroundings with interest, pulling over once to check his GPS on his phone to make sure he was going the right way. Soon he was driving down Santa Ana looking for the house. He slowed as he ed it, a modest-looking bungalow covered with vines, fronted by a small yard. The street itself was quiet and well kept, cars parked along the curb on one side. He found a spot and parked, then sat there. Maybe it would be better to find a hotel and a meal first. Yeah. He was totally procrastinating, but whatever. He put the Chevrolet Malibu in gear and headed back toward a commercial district. Maybe down by the water would be a good place to stay. There’d probably be hotels there and if he’d come all the way to California, he wanted to see the ocean. He cruised around and found a funky-looking place right by the harbor and when he went in to ask about a room, they had one for the next week. The price was a little steeper than he’d hoped, but he liked the look of it and wasn’t in a mood for checking out twenty different places. So his Visa card would get a little spanking. Although he liked to spend his money, he did have a decent savings .

His room overlooked the boats in the bay and even had a small balcony. He couldn’t help but checking into another hotel room last night—with Mallory. He dropped to sit on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor. He was bummed about leaving her, which was fucking stupid. He was also antsy about seeing his father. Christ. He tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling. What the hell was he doing here? Well, he’d come this far. He glanced at the time on the small clock next to the bed. He’d find dinner somewhere and then get his shit together and go back to his father’s place and see if he was home. He changed into a clean pair of jeans and a blue-and-white checked shirt that he left loose, the cuffs turned back a couple of times, then grabbed wallet and phone and keys and headed back out. The restaurant in the hotel looked nice but he didn’t feel like sitting all alone in a formal dining room, so he left the hotel and wandered to the waterfront. He found a little burger place called Blue’s Beach House and stepped inside. It was surfer cool and casual, with long boards on the wall and lots of marine artifacts. A big screen television blasted MTV. He ordered a burger and fries and a Coke, and took the little numbered sign they gave him to a wooden table in a back corner. He watched the music videos while he waited, trying to keep his mind from going back to Mallory. Her dad was a minister? Holy fuck. He had no idea why that freaked him out, but it kinda did when he thought about the kinky things they’d done. Although seriously, it had all been pretty mild kink. But it still made him gulp. And still made him hard. Jesus. A teenage girl brought him his Coke, and he flashed a smile as he reached for it, grateful for the icy beverage. She gave him a flirty smile back. God. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She was, like, sixteen. When his food arrived and he started to eat, he paused in amazement. Holy shit, this was the best burger he’d ever had. He’d totally lucked out finding this place, but for sure he’d be back. He devoured the thick, juicy burger and crisp fries, and sucked back his Coke.

Time to roll. He paused outside. The sun was setting now, lights coming on over the water. He could see the hulking shape of the Queen Mary lit up. Maybe he’d go check that out while he was here. Hell, maybe he’d go to Disneyland. He had no fucking clue what he was going to do there all week. His life felt all tossed up in the air and he wasn’t sure where all the pieces were going to land. He’d tried not to think too much about what it all meant, but he knew he was going to have to. Wasn’t that why he was there? He slid into the car and lowered the window, the evening air fresh and cooler now, carrying the briny scent of the ocean. And once again he drove to Santa Ana Avenue and found his father’s house. He parked on the street beneath a big palm tree. His palms grew damp and the food he’d just eaten turned to a rock in his gut. He swallowed. Okay. This was it. He walked up the short sidewalk, climbed the three shallow cement steps to the front door and rang the bell. He heard it inside the house. A dog immediately began barking ferociously, the sound getting louder as the dog apparently charged at the door. His eyebrows rose. He wasn’t afraid, he loved dogs, but this one was definitely loud. “Quiet, Kenny!” A male voice spoke with authority. “Sit!” The door opened and Joe stared at the man he’d never before seen.

It was nice being home. Mallory had managed to sleep for a little while, then dragged herself out to the kitchen where her mom was making dinner. “You’re awake,” Mom said, busy slicing up chicken breasts. “Feel better?” “Sort of.” Mom gave her a sideways look. “Have a seat.” She gestured at the stools beside

the island. Mallory slid onto one. “Can I help with something?” “Sure. I’m making a stir fry. You can cut up some of the veggies.” She pushed a cutting board toward Mallory with a red pepper, a few large carrots and an onion on it. Mallory reached for a big knife. “Have these been washed?” “Yes, they have.” Mallory began to work on the pepper. “Where’s Dad?” “In his office. He got a call from one of the elders at the church.” “Ah.” “So,” Mom said. “When are you going to tell us what’s wrong?” Mallory gave her mom a crooked smile. “What makes you think something’s wrong?” Mom paused and smiled too. “You look like hell, sweetie. And you haven’t been to visit for quite a while. What’s prompted this?” Her eyes shadowed and her eyebrows pulled down. “Is this about a man?” The question made Mallory’s insides cramp. Of course her mom would jump to that conclusion. After what she’d been like in high school and what had happened. The funny thing was, it wasn’t about a man. At all. Except when Mom asked that question, Mallory’s thoughts of course flew immediately to Joe. She swallowed a sigh. “No, Mom, it’s not about a man.” She tried to keep her voice from sounding snappish and defensive. “I’ve been kind of stressed at work, and I decided to take a week off and come home and relax a little. In sunny California.” “Stressed at work.” Her mom’s eyes studied her face. “And it’s not…it’s got nothing to do with a man.”

“Jesus. Do you think I had an affair with my boss or something?” “You’re taking the Lord’s name in vain.” Mallory shook her head, smiling. Her mom could swear like a sailor, but somehow managed to control herself when she was talking to of the church who wouldn’t appreciate that. Funnily enough, there were a lot of who actually liked it that her parents were so down to earth—swearing, making dirty jokes and talking about sex. They were just people, after all. Her dad had spent half his life not even believing in God. “And that’s not what I was thinking,” Mom added. “Sure it was. It totally was.” Now Mallory did let the sigh escape her. “But that’s not it.” “So no man in your life?” “No.” Besides Joe. But he wasn’t in her life. He was just a crazy stuck-in-theairport-when-your-flight-is-delayed fling. “What happened with Michael? I thought you really liked him. He seemed perfect for you.” They’d met him once. “I did like him. But…” It was hard to explain to her mother what had gone wrong with Michael when she wasn’t even sure herself. All she knew was that she was bored but she couldn’t even say why. “It just wasn’t working.” “A lawyer would be a good husband.” “Mom! How can you say something like that? A lawyer could also be a wife beater.” Mom made a face. “True. Sorry. I just meant…never mind.” “I know what you meant. I’m sorry too.” Her parents wanted a nice, stable relationship for her, and she knew that they’d been disappointed when she broke up with Michael.

Mallory pushed aside the strips of red pepper she’d sliced up and reached for the onion. “How should I cut this? Rings?” “Half rings.” They chatted as they cooked, until dinner was nearly ready and Dad made an appearance in the kitchen. He’d changed into a pair of black sweat pants and gray sweatshirt, and Mallory smiled to think that earlier that day he’d been wearing a robe and standing in front of the congregation of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church delivering a sermon. Indeed, her father was just a man—a husband, a father, a man who had a job that involved looking after a lot of people. That was how it had always seemed to her. Like every father, he’d helped her with homework, come to her ballet and piano recitals and taken her to the beach. His job was his job and although he definitely felt a calling, he didn’t preach that to everyone in the world. He was smart and had a sense of humor and was known to tell the odd dirty joke. She loved him and when she thought about what she’d put him through as a teenager, her heart ached. “I’m starving,” he said, opening the fridge. “Who wants a glass of wine?” “I do,” Mallory said fervently. “I’ll have one too, hon,” Mom said. Dad found a bottle of wine and busied himself with a corkscrew opening it. “Did you sleep, sweetie?” he asked. “I did.” Mallory accepted the glass of wine from him. “I’m still tired though.” “She has problems at work,” Mom interjected. “We were waiting for you so she can tell us both.” Dad nodded, unperturbed. While Mom was a worrier and let her mind jump ahead to worst-case scenarios, Dad was laid back and easygoing. What was beyond his control was not something he was going to get his ecclesiastical robes in a knot over. “She can tell us over dinner,” he said. “Or later, if she wants.” He shot her a shrewd but warm look, and she sent him a grateful smile. “It’s nice to be home,” she murmured. “Maybe later, if that’s okay.”

Or maybe never. She still wasn’t sure if she was going to ask her parents for advice…or forgiveness.

Joe shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and strove for a casual smile when what he really wanted to do was turn and run. What the fuck was he doing there? “Hi,” he said. “Tim Hayden?” “Yes.” The older man gave him a quizzical look. He was about the same height as Joe, maybe an inch shorter, with thinning, close-cropped gray hair and rectangular glasses. He wore a sweatshirt and cargo shorts. Joe sucked in a breath. “I’m Joe Mason.” He waited. Tim’s head tilted and his eyebrows pinched as he obviously tried to figure out what that meant. “I’m sorry…” he began. Joe tightened his jaw. “I’m Jennifer Mason’s son.” Tim’s eyes widened. “Jennifer’s…son.” He blinked. His eyes went narrow. Time stretched out into something thin and brittle, and Joe watched him processing. “What are you doing here? Is something…is Jennifer okay?” “Yeah.” So Tim knew who he was talking about. “She’s fine. More or less.” “I don’t understand…” “Maybe I could come in?” Joe asked, still trying for casual, not liking how his voice was low and a little rough. “Uh…sure. I guess.” Tim stepped aside. Joe walked into the house. Inside it was much bigger than it appeared from the front. Hardwood floors reflected sun pouring in the windows. A cream leather couch sat in front of a fireplace flanked by built-in bookcases. The room was neat and clean, but through a set of French doors Joe could see another room where newspapers were spread out on a low table. To the right of the living room was a small dining room with a table and chairs, again tidy.

“Have a seat.” Tim gestured at the couch and Joe took a seat. He studied Tim, helplessly looking for anything that resembled…him. “Thanks. I’m sorry to drop in on you out of the blue like this. I…” He cleared his throat. “You’ll excuse me if I’m a little confused,” Tim said slowly. “I haven’t seen Jennifer for a long time.” He squinted a little as he sat on one of the chairs, not relaxing into it but remaining on the edge. “So you’re her son…she had two boys, right?” “Three, actually. Mitch and Jamie are my two older brothers.” Joe watched Tim’s face carefully. “Jamie’s thirty-two, Mitch nearly thirty-four.” Tim nodded, forehead still creased. “Did your mom tell you we were friends? Is that why you’re here?” “Yeah. She told me.” Joe swallowed. “About a week ago. She actually told me you were…more than friends.” Tim drew back. His mouth tightened a little. “Oh.” Joe slicked his tongue over his bottom lip. “She told me…you two had an affair. Thirty years ago. A little over thirty years ago, I guess.” Tim shook his head slowly, staring at Joe. “It wasn’t an affair.” Joe’s jaw tightened. “No?” Was this guy going to deny it? Tim looked down at his hands. “No. It wasn’t just an affair. I loved your mother.” “She was married.” Joe’s tone went hard. “Yes.” Joe caught the flicker of what might have been pain in the other man’s eyes. “How much did she tell you?” Joe bent his head. He cleared his throat to ease the constriction. “She said the same thing. That you were the love of her life. That she married…” His esophagus closed up. “She married my dad because she thought things wouldn’t

work between you two. You had some kind of falling out. But she never got over you. She said she came here to visit you once. That was when the affair happened.” Tim nodded. “Well. Yeah.” “She got pregnant right after that trip. With me.” Again Joe waited. He knew the exact moment when Tim got it. He watched Tim’s face, felt time slow and bend. He watched Tim’s eyes move, flickering, widening, then going out of focus as he stared into space. Then his gaze snapped back to Joe’s face. “Fuck no,” he whispered. Joe gave a terse nod. His heart thudded so heavily he almost couldn’t breathe and his fingers trembled where they rested on his jeans-covered knees. More silence expanded around them and Joe felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. This moment. This was what he’d come there for. To know his real father. He waited for his reaction, trepidation a hard knot in his chest. “That can’t be,” Tim said harshly. “She would have told me.” Joe swallowed again. “She didn’t.” Tim’s head moved from side to side, his mouth a grim line. “No.” “I just found out myself,” Joe said in a low voice. “Like I said, a week ago. My grandmother was actually the one who spilled it, and then my mom had to tell me. My dad…I mean…well, you know what I mean…has always known.” “Fuck,” Tim said again. He ed a hand over his face. “I don’t…” He gave Joe another hard stare. “What are you doing here? You live here? In California?” “No.” Joe shook his head. “I live in Chicago. I came here…to see you.” “I think you should go.” Joe froze. He gaped at the older man. “What?” “I think you should go.” Tim stood. “Do your parents know you’re here?”

“No.” “Christ. Jesus Christ.” Joe rose to his feet too, legs stiff. “I-I’m sorry. I know this is a shock.” “Fuck yeah, it is.” Strain etched Tim’s face. “This is a bad idea. Seriously. You need to leave. Go back to Chicago.” Pain crashed in on Joe. Tightness crawled up his spine and coldness slithered over his skin. He nodded and began to walk to the door, every step disted and creaky. But he was used to this. He could deal with this. Every disappointment and rejection he’d ever felt from the man he’d thought was his father had prepared him for this. So he flashed a plastic smile and tried to relax his shoulders. “Sorry to bother you, man. I thought you might want to know you have a son. But hey, I don’t want to cramp your style at all. Not my intention.” He held out a business card. “Here. Throw it away if you want. If you ever want to get in touch—” And then he couldn’t do it. Words deserted him. He had to get the hell out of there. “I’m staying at the Aztec for the next few days.” He legged it out of there before his biological father could further reject him.

Chapter Eleven

He sat in the car for a few minutes, eyes burning, chest aching, chaos clamoring inside him. What the fuck had he expected? Seriously. What sixty-year-old guy wanted a thirty-year-old son showing up out of the blue, a son he never knew he had? Of course he’d reject him. Joe had no idea why he’d thought there was any other possibility. That was his life. He’d dealt with this before. He’d deal with it again. He was just so fucking pissed at himself, for even coming here and doing this and opening himself up to this. He slammed a hand on the steering wheel and bent his head. He started the car and drove to the hotel. Once more he needed to focus to keep from blasting blindly through red lights or driving over a curb. He ed by a liquor store, neon lights flashing in the now dark evening, and slammed on the brakes. Booze was an excellent idea. He grabbed a bottle of Grey Goose and a case of beer then tossed a couple of bags of potato chips on the counter. He had no idea why—he wasn’t even close to hungry. In fact, he vaguely felt like he might upchuck the burger and fries he’d eaten earlier. Back in the room, he opened a beer and downed it like a frat boy on spring break. He swiped the back of his hand across his mouth and moved across the room to stare out at the bay. The Queen Mary was all lit up like Christmas, lights winking off other boats bobbing on the water, everything else velvety black. It was actually kind of pretty. His lips twisted. Whatever. So he got a week off work in sunny California. Nothing wrong with that. He stretched out on the bed and picked up the remote for the big flat screen television. Another sense of déjà vu swept over him and he actually glanced at the empty spot on the bed beside him, the spot where Mallory had slept last night in that other hotel room. Mallory.

He flicked through channels, looking for something to distract him, finally finding Die Hard. He’d only seen it about ten times, but hey, it was some action he could get into. He downed another beer and then went for the vodka.

Somehow Mallory hadn’t told her parents about what was going on at work. She’d talked about the new drug for treating bipolar disorder and how hard she’d been working on developing the marketing plan, long hours, yada yada yada blah blah blah. It just hadn’t seemed the right timing. And…she was afraid. After dinner they’d watched a little television and then Mallory’d gone to bed early. But she didn’t feel sleepy so she read. She’d been lying there for a while reading on her e-reader when her phone started chiming on the dresser where she’d plugged it in to charge. It was funny, she didn’t often actually talk on her phone but used it more for e-mails and texting, so an actual call was weird. Curious, she pushed back the covers and crossed to the dresser. Staring at the screen she saw “Joe” on the call display. Her heart gave a bump against her breastbone. Joe. Then she blinked and stabbed the button to answer it. “Hello?” “Hey. Mallory?” “Yeah.” “Whatshup?” She blinked again. “Um…what’s up with you? Why are you calling me?” “I dunno, ackshly.” Jesus. “Are you…drunk?” He made a rude noise. “Drunk? No! I am shit-faced.” And then he laughed. Mallory unplugged her phone and moved to sit on the side of the bed. “I figured so. What’s going on?”

“Not much. Wanna come drink with me?” “Um. Well…” “Come on, Mal. I got a nice hotel room again. Party for two. I have booze.” “Great. But I was already in bed.” “Perfect. Come as you are.” She wanted to smile, but for some reason she was worried about him. “I can’t, Joe.” “Why not? You bin drinkin’ too?” “No.” The glass of wine she’d had earlier had been a long time ago. “Aren’t you in Long Beach?” “Yeah.” “I can’t come all the way there at this time of night.” “Oh.” He sighed. “Yeah. I guess. Shit.” “Are you okay?” “Sure, sure. I’m always okay.” “Why are you drunk all by yourself in a hotel room? Did you go see your dad?” Silence. Then she heard a faint noise and realized he was swallowing. She frowned. “Yeah. I dropped by his place. Don’t wanna talk about that. It’s not really that late, you know. You were already in bed?” “Yes.” It was only a little after ten o’clock. “I was still tired.” She paused. “You kept me awake all last night.” Then she closed her eyes. Why had she said that? Reminding them both of the time they’d spent together served no good purpose. He gave a low laugh. “I .” Then he sighed again. “Damn. Sorry to bug

you. Just…didn’t wanna be alone right now.” Her heart squeezed. “Why not, Joe?” More silence. “Just…stuff.” “With your dad. Tell me. What’s going on with that?” “Long story.” “Will you tell me…if I come see you?” After a short pause, he said, “Maybe.” She pressed her lips together. How was she going to tell her parents she wanted to go out? At ten o’clock on a Sunday night, when she’d just gotten there and had already gone to bed because she was so tired, she was going to tell them she was going to visit a guy in a hotel room, a guy she’d just met yesterday at the airport? The thought was enough to have a nearly hysterical laugh bubbling up inside her. She nibbled her bottom lip, trying to figure out what to do. Joe was drunk and sad. He’d called her for a reason, even though he wasn’t really saying much other than he didn’t want to be alone. And that was like a hand reaching out and squeezing her heart. What if he wasn’t okay, like he said he was? What was going on with him? But she couldn’t be that girl again—doing something crazy like going to see him right now. What would her parents think? And she’d need to use one of their cars, since she didn’t have one of her own. Shit. She sighed and rose to her feet. “I’m not sure if I can come, Joe. Hang on.” She opened her bedroom door and peered out into the hall. Her parents’ door was shut and no light showed beneath it. They were already in bed. She hesitated, one foot stacked on top of the other. Okay. She wouldn’t bother them. She’d borrow one of their cars, go see Joe and she’d be back in a few hours. They’d never even know.

“Okay,” she whispered, backing into her bedroom and closing the door. “Hang on. I’ll be there in a little while. Where are you exactly?” “The Aztec. On Queensh…Queensway Drive.” “I think I know it. Don’t out on me, okay?” “I’m good. Thanks, babe. See you soon.” She ended the call and dropped the phone on the bed while she changed. She’d unpacked earlier, and she pulled on a clean pair of jeans, a tank top and a hoodie. She paused as she slid her feet into flip-flops, looking down at her bright red toenails, ing Joe’s appreciation of her feet. She swallowed hard. The keys for the cars were still kept on the rack by the back door. Her mom’s car was parked in the driveway, so she took it, slipping quietly out the door and locking it behind her. Her parents’ bedroom at the back of the house was far enough away that they wouldn’t hear, as she well knew from past experience. Her stomach knotted. This was a great way to repay her parents for all the grief she’d caused them—sneaking out to meet a man, just like she had in high school, and the fallout from that had been spectacular. Epic. Tragic. She pushed those memories away. This wasn’t the same. She was concerned about Joe. Sure, she barely knew him, but they’d gotten to be…friends…in the last two days. Lovers. But still, friends. She hit the freeway and traffic was light, so she made good time to Long Beach. She ed which exit to take and soon cruised along Queensway Drive. There was a parking lot and she only hesitated a few seconds before driving in, pulling a ticket from the dispenser. It’d probably cost a few bucks for an hour or so, but she didn’t want to drive around trying to find a spot on a street. She texted Joe as she walked into the hotel. What room number? His response came seconds later. 522. She rode the empty elevator to the fifth floor, found his room and knocked. The door opened and Joe stood there shirtless, wearing low-slung jeans with the button undone and bare feet. She gulped as her gaze rose from his toes up over

long legs and the ridged abdominal muscles and pecs to his tousled hair and crooked smile. He seemed to have sobered up a little since their phone call. “Hi,” he said. “Am I ever glad to see you.” Argh. How could a girl resist that body, that smile and those words? She paused before walking into his room, with a sinking feeling that she was getting herself into big trouble here. She eyed the empty beer bottles and the half-full bottle of vodka. “Party for one, it looks like,” she said dryly. “Wanna drink? Beer or Grey Goose?” “No thanks. Do you have any pop?” He frowned. “No. But there’s a vending machine down the hall. I’ll go get you one.” He shoved a hand into his jeans pocket. She pushed him down to sit on the bed. “Never mind. I don’t need anything.” “Sure? I’ve got beer.” “We’ll see. I can’t stay long. I didn’t tell my parents I was coming so I have to be back in a while.” “What?” His mouth dipped at the corners. “You’re not staying all night?” “No.” “Well, damn. That’s not fair.” She sat beside him and picked up one of his big hands in hers. His hands were strong and masculine, with long fingers and neat nails. “I came because I was worried about you. Tell me what happened.” He stared down at their ed hands and said nothing for a long moment. Then, “Fuck.” “That good, huh?” “Oh man, Mallory. I don’t know why I came here.”

“You said your dad didn’t know you were coming.” “Yeah. That’s right. The truth is…he didn’t know he’s my dad.” Her mouth fell open. She didn’t want to get in the way of what he had to say, didn’t want to judge or ask too many questions, even though her head immediately filled with them, so she kept quiet. “Okay, here’s the whole pathetic story. Told you my dad hates me.” Is that what he’d said? She searched back through her memory for that conversation. “You said you could never please him.” “Yeah. That was it. I always thought…I mean, I never really understood why that was. Why he liked Mitch and Jamie more than me. I was the youngest, so I thought maybe that was it. Maybe the first two kids took up all his time and all his love. Maybe there wasn’t enough left for me. My mom always tried to make it better, but I knew…I could always see that she got it. She knew something was wrong but she pretended there wasn’t. Made excuses for him. Tried to protect me. But I knew what was going on. I mean…” He snorted. “I thought I knew. Turns out I didn’t have a hot clue.” She nodded and shifted on the bed so she could face him. He did the same and they sat cross-legged, holding hands. She watched the emotions across his face, saw the pain in his eyes, and her heart hurt for him. “About a week ago, went to visit my grandma at the nursing home. She has Alzheimer’s. It’s not good. She still knows who we are, but she says a lot of things that don’t make sense. She can’t what she had for breakfast, but she re stuff from thirty years ago. Thirty years ago when I was born. And she told me the story about how my mom had an affair and got pregnant with another man’s baby. She had no idea she was telling me something I shouldn’t hear, because she didn’t connect that baby with me, who I am now, who I was, sitting there in front of her. At first I was barely paying attention.” “Oh God,” she breathed. “And then my mind sort of clicked and everything made sense. Every. Fucking. Thing.” He closed his eyes. “I went to see my mom and asked her if it was true and she itted it. She and Dad—the man I thought was my dad—were having

some problems. On some kind of crazy whim, she decided to go visit…Tim. They’d been together before that. I don’t know what happened between them, but they broke up and she married my dad and had two kids. Tim moved to California. She went to see him and…” His voice cracked. “And she got pregnant.” Mallory’s entire body pulsed with the pain she could see etched on Joe’s face. “My dad knew,” he continued quietly. “He’s always known I’m not his son. Nobody ever said anything. Don’t know if he and my mom ever talked about it. Don’t think so. It was always something that lurked in the background, just a weird ugly feeling. I didn’t know what it was…but now I do.” “Oh, Joe.” Her fingers tightened on his, her throat aching. “Tried so hard to be what he wanted. Tried everything I could. It was never enough. Fuck!” He closed his eyes and tipped his head back. Then he gave it a shake and she watched him trying to put that mask back on, the one where he pretended he didn’t care. But it didn’t quite work. “My mom told me who he was. Who he is. My real father. And I got this idea that I had to come meet him.” He paused again and his Adam’s apple jerked and his jaw clenched. “So yeah. I didn’t tell him I was coming. It was a stupid idea. Don’t know what I thought was going to happen. But he told me to get lost.” She sucked in air through her teeth. “Oh no.” “Yeah.” He shrugged. “Guess I can’t blame him. Some guy shows up out of the blue and says he’s your long lost son you never even knew you had—that’s hard to deal with.” “He didn’t have to be rude.” Joe laughed, a harsh mirthless sound that made her flinch. “Rude. Yeah. I’m so offended by his rudeness. What the fuck ever. I need another drink.” He made to get off the bed, but she wouldn’t let go of his hands and held him back. “No, you don’t. You’ve had enough.” “Uh. No. I haven’t.” But he stayed on the bed.

She released his hands and scooted forward, climbing onto his lap and twining her arms around his neck. She pressed her cheek to his. His arms came around her too, tightening more and more until she almost couldn’t breathe he was squeezing her so hard. But she didn’t mind. She wanted to hold him, didn’t know any other way to comfort him. What could she say? What could anyone say? There was more to it than that, of course. Lots more. But at least she knew a little bit. And her imagination could fill in some of the rest. Like how much he was hurting. How much he’d been hurt as a little boy. How he’d come there to see his real dad, maybe thinking he’d find a dad who cared about him and instead, he’d been hurt again. She squeezed her eyes against the tears that stung the corners. Sheesh. She didn’t need to get all weepy. It wasn’t her story. It wasn’t her pain. And yet…she felt it. “Mallory.” He whispered her name against her hair. “Thank you for coming.” She nodded, throat too thick to speak. His hands gentled on her, moving over her body, up and down her back. Awareness filtered through her of his naked upper body pressed against her, the smooth hot skin of his shoulders beneath her hands. She petted over them, toyed with the short hair at the nape of his neck and breathed in his scent, warm and male. “Stay with me,” he murmured. “Please.” She nodded. “For a while.” They sat like that for a long time, and then Joe turned her and lowered her to the bed, coming down beside her. He pulled her up against his chest and their legs twined together and again they stayed there, wrapped up in each other in the hushed room. “Thank you for coming,” he whispered, kissing her temple. Languor stole over her, relaxing her muscles, pushing her down into the soft mattress. Joe’s warmth surrounded her and the sleep that had eluded her earlier

crept up on her. She shouldn’t go to sleep. But just for a few minutes… Joe’s breathing had slowed and deepened. He was asleep. Or maybe ed out. She would lie there for a little while with him and then sneak out… She awoke sharply and had no idea how much later it was until she managed to get her watch in front of her face. God! Four in the morning! She had to get out of there. Joe still held her, hands firm on her body. They were both a little sweaty from being plastered against each other like that for hours. She wriggled herself free, watching a notch form between Joe’s eyebrows, hearing his mumbled protest. But he didn’t awaken. She stood there for a moment, looking at him. He threw one arm up over his head, revealing the soft inside of his arm beneath the curve of his biceps and the dark tuft of hair there. Leaving him once again wrenched at her heart. Hopefully he’d be okay. He probably wouldn’t feel so good in the morning. But at least he’d stopped drinking when she got there. She reached out a hand to touch his thick hair and trace her fingertips over his forehead. With a soft sigh, she found her purse and her flip-flops and let herself out of the hotel room, holding the door so it closed quietly.

Chapter Twelve

Mallory had the car in the driveway, the keys on the hook and was back in her bed before her parents woke that morning. Somehow she managed to get a few more hours sleep, but when she awoke, her pelvis felt full and achy and she was disappointed to realize she was alone in her bed. She’d been dreaming of Joe. Dreaming she was still in bed with Joe. She exhaled heavily. Joe. Worry assailed her and she rolled over and reached for her phone which she’d set on the table beside the bed. No calls or messages for him. Probably still sleeping. Or maybe he was fine and was busy. But doing what? His trip hadn’t gone exactly as he’d probably hoped. She showered and dressed and found her mom in the kitchen drinking coffee and flipping through cookbooks. “You’re up,” Mom said with a smile. “Feel better today?” And then guilt smacked her in the back of the head at what she’d done last night. “I do,” she said. Even though her sleep had been interrupted, those few hours with Joe had been wonderfully restorative. “Have some breakfast,” Mom continued. “And then we can go out.” “Where are we going?” “Wherever you want. It’s your vacation.” Mallory nodded as she poured coffee into a mug. “I didn’t really have anything in mind.” “We could go shopping. Or the beach.” “Shopping sounds fun.” She tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice. So after she’d eaten some cereal and drank her coffee, they went shopping at a

nearby mall then stopped for a late lunch at a restaurant that had an attractive outdoor patio. Sitting in the warm sun, drinking more coffee, Mallory let some of the tension ease out of her. Until her phone buzzed. She picked it up and glanced at the text message. It was from Joe. Hey gorgeous. Sorry about last night. But thanks. She hesitated then thumbed in a response. No problem. Feel okay today? “I hope that’s not business,” Mom said, eyeing the phone. Mallory smiled. “No. A friend.” Her phone buzzed again. “Sorry, Mom.” She read Joe’s next message. Feel like shit. Serves me right. What r u doing today? She set the phone down and tapped her fingers on the table as the server listed off the day’s specials. She didn’t hear a word. Why was he asking that? Did he want to see her? Did she want to see him? Of course she did. The question was, should she see him? And how would she explain him to her parents? “I’ll give you a few minutes to decide,” the young waiter said with a smile. “That salad sounds really good,” Mom said. “Mmm. Yeah.” She had no idea what it was. She picked up her menu. Joe was all alone here. After his crushing disappointment yesterday, what was he going to do all by himself in California for a week? She didn’t know if he knew anyone else here. He hadn’t mentioned it, so she didn’t think so. Why did this make her heart go all soft and warm and make her want to go to him? His confession last night had been at odds with the image he’d portrayed the rest of their time together–easygoing, not taking life too seriously, spontaneous and looking for fun. Instead she’d seen a man in pain. She still suspected most of his feelings had been hidden behind the facade of I-don’t-give-a-shit, but the alcohol

he’d consumed had lowered some of those walls and given her a glimpse of the hurt he’d been feeling for a long time. “I’m going to have that seafood salad,” Mom announced, closing her menu. “How about you?” Mallory blinked. Lunch. Right. She focused on the menu. She didn’t really care what she ate. “I think I’ll have the bacon, tomato and avocado sandwich,” she said, zeroing in on something. “Avocado is always good in California.” “True.” Mallory’s gaze returned to her phone. An image of Joe as a little boy slipped into her mind, and she pictured the disappointment on his face as his dad left him at home while he took his two older brothers out somewhere. The imagined hurt became a real ache behind her breastbone. God. He’d really gotten to her. This was crazy. Now he was probably wondering why she wasn’t answering. Thinking she was ignoring him. “I need to quickly send a text,” she said apologetically to her mom, picking up her phone. Having lunch with my mom right now. And she waited while her mom chatted about the pots of flowers near them and what a pretty combination the pink and coral impatiens were with similarcolored petunia and blue lobelia. Mom had always been an avid gardener. Her phone buzzed. Nice. How about dinner later? Why? Was it because he was lonely? Still upset about his biological father? Was it because she was the only person here he knew? This wasn’t supposed to go beyond that crazy interlude in the airport because of their flight being delayed. And yet…her heart reached out to him, and some kind of powerful tug of something pulled at her. Attraction? Yes. Lust? Definitely. Sympathy? That too. But it was more than those things, an indefinable feeling of liking him. Affection. Caring. Who knew? She looked at her mom. “Would it be okay with you guys if I went out for dinner

with a friend tonight?” Mom’s eyes widened. “Oh. Well. Sure. I guess you do have friends here you’ve kept in touch with. Who is it?” “It’s… I don’t think you know him. His name is Joe. Joe Mason.” “Ah.” Mom’s eyebrows lifted. “A man.” Then her head tipped and she tapped a finger on her chin. “Is that why you’re here? Is there something else you were going to tell us?” Ack! Mom had put two and two together and gotten five, or maybe ten, clearly leaping to some hugely erroneous conclusions. “No! No, it’s not like that. He’s more of an acquaintance, visiting here, and he doesn’t know anyone else, so…he asked if I’d have dinner with him. I…” She swallowed and stretched her lips into a smile. “I kind of feel sorry for him.” “It’s fine, hon, go ahead.” But Mom didn’t look convinced. Jeez. She didn’t want her parents thinking she’d come there to visit some guy. And she still hadn’t talked to them about the real reason she was there. Which she wouldn’t be able to do if she went out with Joe. “I probably should stay home with you guys,” she said, with a pinch of regret inside her. “You have all week with us!” Mom said. “It’s fine, really.” Mallory stared at her phone again. She’d lived her adult life trying not to let people down, especially her parents. She’d tried to avoid doing things she’d regret. She had enough regrets. Already with Joe she’d thrown all that out the window, even last night, sneaking out of the house without telling her parents. She was a grown woman who certainly didn’t need to ask their permission to go out, and it shouldn’t matter where she was going. If she really wanted to act like a grown woman, she should have been honest with them instead of sneaking around. But there was no denying the rush of excitement that sneaking out had given her. What did that say about her? God, she was acting just like she had when she’d been seventeen, sneaking out, staying out all night, dating and yes, having sex with boys, and then that most catastrophic relationship that had very nearly

destroyed several people’s lives. The guilt and regret from that would be with her always, coloring her worldview and influencing her choices in life. And yet the thrill of doing something forbidden teased her, like an addict tempted by one more hit after being clean for years. But…Joe. He meant something to her, more than just the rush from risky sex and naughty adventure. She’d been concerned about him, and his confession last night had opened something in her heart, something that made her want to be with him, a strange feeling of longing for something she wasn’t even sure she could name. Her choice at that moment wasn’t really between Joe and her parents. Her choice was between honesty and deceit. They both carried a risk–the risk of letting people down, the risk of disappointing them, the risk that they might not love her anymore. She wasn’t sure if Joe was worth that risk, but she did know that she couldn’t lie to her parents and sneak around behind their backs. She took a deep breath. “I met Joe on the plane,” she said to her mom. “He was the guy who was helping me with my suitcase at the airport yesterday. He just got some bad news and wants to see me again.” Mom’s forehead creased. “You just met him on the plane? And he wants to have dinner with you?” “Yes.” “Do you think that’s wise? To go out with a man you don’t even know?” Mallory sipped her coffee. “I’ve been asking myself that question too. I don’t know if it’s wise or not, Mom. But I want to go.” She met her mother’s eyes and held her gaze. This was her, being an adult. Being honest. Mom’s eyes widened a little, then she nodded. “Well. You know best. I know he’s not likely a serial killer, but you do need to be careful these days.” Mallory nodded. “I know. I date guys all the time in Chicago, Mom. I’m not stupid about it.” “I know you’re not stupid.” Mom made a face.

“He’s a police officer,” Mallory added. “A lieutenant in the SWAT team.” “Oh.” Mom’s face relaxed a little. “Will you be disappointed…if I go out tonight?” It was hard to even ask that question because if Mom said she would, Mallory wasn’t sure what she was going to do about that. “No, no, of course not. I already said that. You have all week with us. And we have the rest of the afternoon together.” Mallory nodded and picked up her phone. “Okay. I’ll let him know.” She texted Joe back one word. Okay.

Despite several aspirin, Joe’s temples still throbbed. Thank God for sunglasses, or he would have spent the day in his room with the blinds drawn. Instead, after sleeping all morning, he was managing to get some fresh air into his lungs, venturing outside and finding the beach. He sat on a bench looking out at the ocean, blue and silver and cream, the breeze ruffling his hair and cooling his heated face. He closed his eyes. The cries of seagulls mingled with the whoosh of waves onto the shore. He felt lost. Didn’t know what to do with himself. He debated calling the airline to see if he could change his flight and go back to Chicago sooner than the weekend. But he’d booked his vacation in California and he was going to stay and enjoy it. He’d go tour the Queen Mary, maybe later, maybe tomorrow. He’d go to Knott’s Berry Farm. He’d even go to effing Disneyland. Why the hell not. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Mallory. About how she’d come to the hotel last night to see him and how he’d spilled his guts. Fuck! Embarrassing or what? The only other person who had any idea how rejected he’d felt by his dad—the man he’d grown up thinking of as his dad—was Kevin, and that was only because he was good at figuring things out. That alone should be enough to make him head back to Chicago with his tail tucked firmly down the crack of his ass. He really didn’t ever have to see her again, if he was embarrassed by the fact that she knew such excruciating details of his personal life.

But he wanted to see her again. And he had to it, part of the reason he didn’t want to leave California was because she was there. So he texted her. They messaged back and forth and then he totally lost it and asked her to have dinner with him. Christ. He couldn’t take it back. But she wasn’t answering. He stared at the phone. His chest tightened. For fuck’s sake, it wasn’t that big a deal. She’d come to visit her parents, not hang out with him because he was a sad lonely fuck. Whatever. He gazed out at the ocean. His phone pinged. He jerked and glanced at her response. Okay. She’d agreed to have dinner with him. A big smile crashed across his face and he slumped back on the bench. Okay. Good. He sent another quick text telling her he’d call her later, then energized, he surged to his feet and started to walk. He’d seen a nice restaurant not far from the hotel. Italian. Or maybe if he went to pick her up they should eat somewhere in Anaheim. But if that was the case he had no idea where they’d go. He could ask Mallory, of course. He ed the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the harbor, watching boats and doing the tour of the Queen Mary, trying not to think about his visit to his biological father last night. All that alcohol hadn’t been enough to blur the memory of it, so he tried to push it away and ignore it. Back in his hotel room, he sat on the bed and called Mallory’s cell number. She answered right away. “Hey,” he said. “How was your day?” “Good. Went shopping and had lunch with my mom. It was nice.” “What time should I pick you up?” “You don’t have to come all the way here,” she protested. “My mom says I can use her car. I’ll meet you somewhere.” He frowned. But it made sense. “Okay. But do you want me to come to

Anaheim? I don’t know any restaurants there.” “It doesn’t matter. I don’t mind driving there.” “I saw a nice place today near here, and the travel magazine in the room says it’s really good. Emilio’s.” “Oh, it is really good. I’ve heard of it. It’s expensive though.” “Eh. What’s money for. Okay, we’ll go there. Why don’t you come meet me at the hotel then, and we can walk there from here?” “Okay.” “I’ll make a reservation for seven, if I can. Can you be here by then?” “Sure. Sounds good.” She paused. “See you in a while.” He ended the call and smiled. Awesome.

When the knock came on his door about fifteen minutes before seven, his heart bumped against his ribs. She was here. He opened the door for her and smiled. “Hi.” “Hi.” Her answering smile was wry. “How’re you feeling, lieutenant?” He grinned. “Better now. Sorry about last night. Come on in.” She walked in past him, a drift of sexy floral scent following in her wake and teasing his nose. He shut the door and followed her. “You look amazing,” he said. She looked down at the short black skirt and sparkly tank top she wore. “Thanks. I didn’t have much to wear to a fancy restaurant.” His gaze wandered down her bare legs. Holy shit, she had great legs. And…bare feet in flip-flops, narrow metallic black straps crossing the top of her elegant feet, those red toenails perfect and sexy. And…a silver toe ring. He swallowed.

“Good thing I had a pedicure last week,” she said dryly, dropping to sit on the edge of the bed. She extended her legs straight out in front of her and studied her feet. “I’ve never been all that fond of how my feet look. They used to be kind of gnarly from dancing, especially when I started en pointe.” “Your feet are sexy as hell,” he said hoarsely. “And the rest of you is pretty hot too.” She smiled. “Thanks.” “Okay.” He cleared his throat. “We should go.” “By the way, you look nice too.” She rose and trailed her fingers over his blackand-white striped button down shirt. “Thanks.” “So, what did you do today?” He told her about his day as they rode the elevator and walked to the restaurant. Not that there was much to tell. “I think I’ll go to Disneyland,” he finished as they arrived at the restaurant. “Since I’m here.” “The happiest place on earth,” she murmured. Their eyes met in a moment of shared understanding. They were soon seated in dark wicker chairs at their small table. Flames flickered nearby in a sleek black fireplace. Silver and glass sparkled on the snowy tablecloth and a small bamboo candleholder glowed in the middle of the table. Piano music floated above the chatter of voices and clink of cutlery on glass, and delicious smells emanated from the kitchen. “This is lovely,” she said, smiling at the server who handed her the crisp serviette that had been folded into a goblet. “It is. Do you like trying out new restaurants in Chicago?” “Yeah, I do.” She leaned in and smiled, her teeth white, her lips shiny pink in the candlelight. “How about you?”

They talked about some of the places they’d eaten back home, discovering some shared favorites. When Joe offered to order a bottle of wine, Mallory shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ll have a glass of wine, but I have to drive back to Anaheim tonight.” He lowered his chin and gave her a look. “No, you don’t.” Her pretty lips plumped outward. “Joe.” “What?” “I came to have dinner with you.” He heard the unspoken words. Not to sleep with you. “And that’s what I invited you for,” he said evenly. “Dinner. I’m just saying, if you want to have some wine, you don’t have to drive all the way back. I have a hotel room and you can stay.” She looked down at the table. “I’m staying with my parents.” He blinked. “How old did you say you are?” She gave him a look up through her eyelashes. “Fine,” she said. “I did tell them I might stay rather than drive home tonight.” “Good girl. All grown up.” But when her eyes dropped to the table and the corners of her mouth tensed, he had a feeling he’d pushed a button of some sort. “What?” he asked. She sighed. “It’s a long story. I did some crazy things when I was younger. I am trying to show them I’m grown up. They still worry.” He wanted to know more, but the waiter appeared. Joe ordered a bottle of red wine, and then they both began to look at their menus. “Will you share a starter with me?” he asked. “Sure.”

They agreed to share the grilled house-made fennel sausage with baked polenta and Amatriciana sauce. Joe decided on ossobuco with saffron risotto for his meal, and Mallory chose a seafood soup with clams, black mussels, shrimp, octopus and sea bass. “The menu is amazing,” she said. She tipped her head to one side. “So. What are you going to do about your father? Anything?” “Nah.” He shrugged. “I’m not going to beg him to talk to me.” Her mouth went soft. “Well, you don’t have to beg him. But you could try one more time to talk to him.” His smile felt tight. “It’s not that big a deal. I thought he might want to know he had a son.” He shrugged. “He doesn’t want to know, no problem. Makes no difference in my life. I’ll just go on doing what I’ve always done.” He caught the shadow in her pretty blue eyes. She didn’t look entirely convinced. Damn. Last night was a little hazy for him. How much had he confessed? Hopefully he hadn’t broken down and sobbed like a girl in front of her. Nah. He’d that. “Really,” he said, trying for a brighter smile. “It was a crazy idea but I’m fine. I thought about trying to change my flight and just go home. Still might, but what the hell, I’m here in sunny California for a week, might as well enjoy it.” “Disneyland.” He grinned. “Yeah.” “I haven’t been to Disneyland in years,” she said. “Come with me.” Christ, there he went again. What the hell was he doing? “Maybe I will,” she said, smiling. “If you go later in the week.” The waiter arrived with their wine, removing the cork and pouring it for him to taste, then filling Mallory’s glass and topping up his. They both reached for their glasses and sipped. “Nice,” she approved.

“What does your mom do?” “She’s a lab tech at the hospital.” “Oh. And your dad…” He ed his surprise at seeing the white collar at the airport. “He’s a minister?” “Yes.” “That kind of shocked me.” “Why?” Amusement tipped up the corners of her lips. “Because I was so crazy and kinky in Denver?” “Huh. I don’t know why I was surprised, but maybe that was it. I guess you figure a minister’s family is going to be very…good.” “I thought I was good,” she murmured. His body heated. “Oh, you were. Definitely. But you know what I mean.” “Yeah. Well. There’s also the cliché about the minister’s daughters being the wildest troublemakers. So you know.” She hitched a shoulder. “You can’t judge people based on their father’s careers.” “True enough.” He eyed her. “So you’re a bit of a mystery then. Sweet and innocent minister’s daughter who doesn’t want to tell her parents she’s staying overnight with a man even though she’s thirty-one years old…or wild child who did crazy things as a kid, gives hand jobs in public and likes ass play?” She choked on her wine and abruptly set her glass down, glancing wildly around as if to see who could hear them. “Joe!” He grinned. “Well? Which is it?” She coughed. “Um. I guess I’m a little more complicated than just either-or.” “My point exactly. That’s okay. You fascinate me.” She picked up her wine glass again. “I’m not really very fascinating. But I have to say…you kind of fascinate me too.”

Their eyes met across the table, the glow of the candle flickering between them, giving her skin a lovely golden luster. Gorgeous. Sexy. And yeah, fascinating.

Chapter Thirteen

She was getting that tingle again, that heat in her veins, the sizzle up and down her spine. Flirting with Joe was…exciting. Mallory sipped her wine, a medium-bodied zinfandel, cherry and raspberry flavors accented with spicy pepper and clove notes, watching him over the rim of her glass. His eyes went dark, and his sexy mouth quirked. They were getting back to where they were both comfortable–sexy teasing, light and superficial, nothing deep or real. Except the heat was real. The attraction was real. Which made it all a little scary. A little risky. And even more exciting, dammit. She was dealing with feelings and impulses she hadn’t had for years. They made some small talk until their food arrived. Everything was delicious, from the spicy homemade sausage they shared, to the elegant seafood dish she’d ordered, to the dessert they also shared, a decadent flourless chocolate cake with salted caramel and surprisingly, crispy prosciutto. With the food removed, they sat there drinking the last of the wine. Mallory held her glass in both hands and crossed her legs beneath the table. Her flip-flop dangled from the top foot then fell off. She leaned down and peeked under the table for it. “What?” Joe asked. She paused, staring right at his crotch. At the heavy bulge at his crotch. She straightened. “I dropped a shoe,” she said. “Oh.” She shifted her chair closer to the table and stretched her legs out in front of her. Feeling around with her bare toes, she located Joe’s leg and rubbed her foot over his calf.

His eyebrows rose. She managed to dip her toe beneath the hem of his pants and find bare skin, rough with hair, and again used her toes to caress his leg. Keeping her eyes fastened on his face, she slid her foot up the outside of his pants, over the inside of his knee and then along his inner thigh. His lips parted on a sharply indrawn breath. She needed to scoot a little closer… she snugged the chair right up to the table and…there. Her toes traced over the thick ridge of his cock lying along his thigh. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered. “Mallory…” “The table cloth is hiding us.” “I know. But…” She gave him an innocent blink. “What’s wrong, Mr. Exhibitionist?” She glanced around and leaned forward, lowering her voice. “You didn’t mind a little mutual masturbation in the airport under a blanket.” She curled her toes over the solid length. “And,” she added in a throaty voice. “I’m using my foot.” He made a small noise that sounded like a groan. She rubbed up and down his shaft then probed lower with her toes, finding his balls. His crotch was hot against her bare skin, even through the fabric of his pants. His eyelids lowered over a sexy gleam in those brown eyes, and he sipped his wine, holding her gaze. Color rose in his cheeks. She played there longer, using the sole of her foot to rub his swollen cock, teasing the tip with her toes, gently nudging his balls until he was breathing fast. The fact that he was so turned on by it aroused her too, her pussy squeezing and warming. She shifted in her chair, clenching her thighs together against the ache there. She was playing with fire. She knew it. And she loved it. “Careful,” Joe breathed and with a jerky movement, he shoved his chair back. Her foot dropped to the floor. She smiled and tipped up her wine glass to drain the last drops. As she set the glass down she slicked her tongue over her bottom

lip. Her entire pelvic area pulsing with lust, she studied Joe, his chest rising and falling, cheeks flushed, eyes glittering. He looked around and caught the waiter’s eye, who immediately approached the table. “The check, please,” Joe said, his voice raspy. Mallory drew in a long breath and leaned on the table. The wait was excruciating. Finally, Joe paid the bill and they were free to leave. Mallory felt around the floor beneath the table for her missing flip-flop and worked her foot into it, then picked up her purse. Joe rose and paused beside her chair, helping as she pushed it back. Her stretchy skirt had ridden up her thighs and she hesitated for only one heartbeat, then shifted and lifted one leg off the chair. This spread her thighs, and she drew out the motion long enough for Joe to look down. Nobody else in the restaurant could see anything with Joe standing there, which was why she was doing it, and she wasn’t sure what he saw from his vantage point–possibly the crotch of her pink panties. Or maybe just her inner thighs. But his mouth fell open as he focused his hot gaze between her legs. Smoothly lifting her other leg, she pressed them together and stood. She used both hands to push the skirt a little lower on her thighs and then preceded Joe out of the restaurant. His intense gaze on her ass and thighs burned as she walked out into the cool night air. Joe followed right behind her, close enough that she could feel his warmth. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along the sidewalk and around the corner of the building. In the dark parking lot, he pushed her up against the brick wall and slammed his mouth down over hers. She moaned as she reached for him, draping her arms over his shoulders. His hips pressed into her, his erection still huge. He flattened her against the wall, and damn, it felt good. She opened her mouth to him, let him lick inside, sucked on his tongue a little. They both groaned. “Fuck,” he muttered. “It’s like a fucking explosion between us. I really didn’t invite you here for this, Mal.” “I believe you,” she gasped as his mouth opened on her jaw. “It’s just crazy.”

“Yeah.” He dragged his tongue along the side of her neck and shivers trickled down her spine. “Crazy. You make me crazy. What the hell was that in there with your foot on my dick?” “Foreplay.” He gave a squeezed-sounding chuckle. “All right then. Glad to hear it.” He kissed her again, a demanding, bruising kiss, and she got a little dizzy in it. “Jesus. Get a room, would ya?” Mallory dragged her eyes open and saw two guys walking past them on the sidewalk. Heat flooded her cheeks and Joe drew back to look in her eyes. Then they both burst out laughing. “An excellent idea,” Joe murmured. “Let’s go.” Once again he took her hand and they began down the sidewalk at a near-run toward his hotel. “Slow down!” she said on a breathless laugh. “I can’t keep up with you.” “Want me to carry you? I can throw you over my shoulder.” “That wouldn’t attract any attention at all as we walk through the lobby.” He laughed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Luckily, they weren’t far from the hotel. They got in the elevator with three other people. Mallory leaned up against one side wall and Joe the other, and they stared at each other across the car. Heat built almost unbearably beneath her skin. The doors opened on the fifth floor and Joe held out hand for her to exit before him. Such a gentleman. A gentleman who wanted to get her naked and do dirty things to her. Her tummy did a little flip. Inside his room, he shut the door and flipped the privacy lock then turned to face her.

She let out a sharp exhalation. “Wow. Here we are again. You and me in a hotel room. This is getting to be a thing.” “Tonight I won’t out on you.” “Actually…I think I ed out last night too. Not that I’d been drinking. But it took me about five seconds to fall asleep. I woke up at four in the morning and panicked that my parents would realize I wasn’t home.” “You didn’t tell them you were going out.” She shook her head slowly. “No. I know, it was stupid. Tonight I told them.” “Good.” He moved purposefully toward her. “Now you don’t have to feel guilty.” “And yet…I do,” she itted as he set his hands on her hips and pulled her against him. “Even though I really, really want this.” “You are one helluva complicated woman,” he muttered. “Let’s just do this.” “Yes. Please.” She surrendered to his touch, letting him mold her body to his as he kissed her again, and again, bending her over his arm, one hand buried in her hair. She rubbed herself against his erection. Yes. They could just do this. She could lose herself in hot, sweaty sex, getting her fix of the rush she seemed to need, forgetting that she had big problems in her life and she should be spending time with her parents who she’d come all this way to see and talk to. Forgetting that she wasn’t supposed to be like this anymore. “Make me forget,” she whispered against his mouth. “Okay.” He kissed her again. “But after, you’re going to tell me what it is you’re trying to forget.” Sure she would. Whatever. Her mind spun, her senses on high alert as he began to kiss the side of her neck. Her head fell back as his mouth opened on her skin and his tongue licked her. Heat flowed like sweet honey through her veins. One of his hands slid down over her hip, and then he curled his fingers into her skirt and hitched it up, up her thighs until his hand was on her bare ass. His fingertips brushed the narrow band of fabric that disappeared between her

cheeks. “Thong,” he murmured. “Pink, right?” So he had seen. Heat slid over her skin, up into her face. “Right.” “That was a sexy little bit of exhibitionism in the restaurant.” “Very little.” He huffed out a laugh as his hands molded to her butt and squeezed, bringing her even tighter against his body. “God, your skin is soft.” She wedged her hands between them to find his belt buckle and began to work at it, kissing his throat in the open collar of his shirt. She breathed in the scent of his skin, something already familiar to her, spicy and woodsy, then abandoned his pants for the buttons of his shirt so she could reveal his chest. She kissed the smooth skin of his pecs, the roughness of hair, as his hands gently squeezed and petted her ass. Delicious shivers worked down the back of her thighs. Then he lowered himself to his knees in front of her. Shock zipped through her. He shoved her skirt right up to her waist and hooked his fingers into her panties. She let her hands rest lightly on his shoulders, her body quivering with his face so near her pussy. He leaned in and pressed his mouth to the pink lace triangle. His eyes fell closed and he went very still. “Christ, you smell good,” he whispered. “I want to taste you.” She licked her lips. He rasped his face over the sheer fabric, kissed each hipbone, then drew the panties down her thighs, until they were low enough that they dropped to the floor. “So pretty,” he said hoarsely. He leaned in and pressed his tongue to her center and electricity jolted her. He licked and sucked, and her hips moved against his mouth. “Joe.” She sighed his name, her fingers tightening on his shoulders, her thighs parting for him. He slipped his fingers up inside her and she gasped.

“Oh yeah. Hot and juicy,” he murmured. His fingers pumped up into her, igniting nerve endings. A hot ache developed around his fingers. “Wanna make you come, gorgeous. Wanna make you feel good.” “It does…feel good. So good.” Her breath hitched. He found her clit with his tongue and her body jerked. She gave a soft cry and one hand lifted to his head, fingers gripping his thick hair. He grunted at the tug on his scalp but kept going, fingers thrusting up into her, his tongue licking and teasing her. Her soft sounds grew harsher, louder, quicker. Her thighs quivered and he held onto her with his free arm to her, his tongue flicking over her sensitive clit. Molten sensation pooled right there, right where his mouth was, growing, spreading through her body. She tightened her inner muscles on the plunging fingers and the contraction set off her orgasm. Pleasure surged through her body in hot waves, and he opened his mouth and sucked on her clit, drawing out the orgasm almost painfully. She almost wanted to cry, and her body trembled so hard she collapsed to the floor along with him. His hands caught her and eased the way, and then he was shoving his undone pants off and stretching her out beneath him on the carpet. Another gasp escaped her at the urgency, the rawness. She loved it. She loved making him that desperate for her. Her body still pulsing, her pussy ached for more, ached to be filled with his body. “Need a condom,” he gasped, fumbling around for his pants. “No! Just do it. We already went over this.” “Fuck, Mallory. Do you really trust me that much?” Their eyes met. She tried to swallow, her throat thick. She touched his hair. She knew the risk. But she did trust him. “Yes. Do you trust me?” He closed his eyes briefly. “Yeah. I do. This is crazy, Mal.” “I know. I know. Fuck me! Please.” He moved over her and began to work his cock into her with small thrusts. “So hot and wet,” he groaned, his mouth nearly touching hers. Their bodies moved together. “Feels so fucking good. Unbelievable.”

They were as close as two humans could be. Nothing separated them and it was exquisite. Sublime. The friction of his cock sliding in and out, stretching her, abrading nerve endings inside her, made tension begin to climb again, a sweet coil of taut heat. She reached for it with her entire body, wrapping her legs around his hips and lifting up to him as he fucked up into her with forceful strokes. The floor was hard beneath her, but she enjoyed the roughness of the act, his hips powering against her. It hurt, but she loved it, absorbing the sensation, taking it into her and letting herself feel it with every cell in her body. He set a hand on her forehead, pushing her hair back, and kissed her mouth with bruising force, punishing her with pleasure, pleasuring her with pain. This time her orgasm came fast and hard, crashing over her with stunning force, leaving her breathless and dazed. She held onto him and stared up at him. “Fuck yeah,” he groaned. “That was gorgeous.” He pushed up high inside her again, almost painfully deep. “Seeing you come like that…feeling your pussy squeeze my cock…fuck yeah.” And with a long, guttural sound, his eyes closed, his teeth bared and he went still against her, his cock pulsing deep inside her. The feel of him changed, a flood of liquid heat, all hot and silky. She reveled in it, absorbing every sensation, riveted by the expressions on his face. Her hands petted over his shoulders, still wearing the unbuttoned shirt, then slipped inside to stroke the damp skin of his back. “Wow,” she managed to croak. “That was pretty fierce.” The violence of their need for each other was almost scary. Her heart knocked against her ribs and Joe’s weight on top of her made her breathing shallow. He dropped his head for a few moments, breathing hard. “Yeah,” he finally agreed. “Fierce. Holy shit.” She couldn’t help but smile. “Sorry, the floor’s probably hard.” He moved off her and she let air fill her lungs. “I’m okay.”

He went onto his knees and helped her sit up, then stood and pulled her to her feet. He helped her get her clothes off then said, “Into the bed. Christ.” She staggered on wobbly legs to the bed and pulled the covers down. Slipping between the cool sheets, she sighed with pleasure as she watched Joe strip off his shirt and toss it on the chair. He stood there naked, beautiful, his penis thick and semi-hard, resting on his heavy testicles and surrounded by dark curly hair. Her gaze wandered down his legs, thighs thick with muscle and hard calves, then back up over tight abs and heavy shoulders. Her chest warmed. And then he was in the bed with her, his body heat enveloping her along with the sheets and duvet. He took a moment to adjust the pillows, then pulled her into him, his rough leg going over hers, his foot nudging her knee up. She pressed her fact to his chest and sank into the toasty embrace. “Okay,” he murmured. “Now you tell me. What are you trying to forget?”

Chapter Fourteen

Mallory was so relaxed and tingly, snuggled in against Joe, when she thought about work she felt only a faint tightening of her stomach. Maybe she should tell him. Just to get it out. She still hadn’t told her parents, and she was worried about how they were going to take it. But Joe…Joe wasn’t all tangled up with what had happened in the past, all those disappointments and regrets. “Okay,” she said, exhaling softly. “I have a problem at work. A really big problem.” “Yeah.” “When I transferred to Chicago, one of the portfolios I assumed includes a drug we produce for treating depression. It’s a wonderful drug. Felisse.” “I’ve heard of it.” She nodded and her fingers slid over the smooth skin of one shoulder. “Yeah. It’s gotten very popular.” “Is that one that you’re responsible for marketing?” “Yes.” “So that’s good, right? You did a good job.” “I did a great job,” she said. “And we helped a lot of people. But there are side effects to the drug as well. Of course, we always make sure a drug is completely safe and it has to be approved by the FDA before we can even begin to market it. But some of the side effects are actually…desirable.” “Such as?” “Well, aside from possible insomnia, anxiety, headaches, dry mouth, nausea and dizziness, some patients report weight loss and increased sexual desire.” “Ah.” He huffed out a breath. “Is that why it’s so popular?”

“You got it. Like I said, it is a very effective drug for treating depression. But…” She paused, a little surprised at how hard it was to talk about this. “I discovered a while back that our sales team has been marketing the drug for those desirable side effects. They’ve been promoting the off-label uses.” After a brief pause, Joe said, “So they’re marketing it as a drug that will help people lose weight and have more sex.” “In a nutshell–yeah.” “But it’s already FDA approved, so it’s safe, right? Is it bad to use it for those things?” “It can be.” Her muscles were starting to tense up again, but Joe’s hand smoothing up and down her back helped a little. She swallowed. “Recently, a girl who’d been taking Felisse died. She was anorexic and somehow she convinced a doctor to prescribe Felisse for her for depression. She had a seizure and died.” “Jesus.” “I know.” She took in a deep breath and let it out, trying to release some of the tension that crept over her again. “The autopsy didn’t implicate the drug, but I don’t have a good feeling about it.” “God.” “So. I talked to my sales team about it. They’d been doing this for a while, under the direction of my predecessor. I was shocked. Of course, I assumed that my superiors didn’t know anything about that. I assumed that if they knew, they would want to put a stop to it right away.” Joe stroked her back again soothingly. “Not the case?” “No.” Her voice fragmented on the word and she paused for a few seconds to relax her throat. “I went to Steve–my boss, a man I ire and respect–and told him about it. He thanked me and said he’d look into it. Silly me, I felt good that I’d brought the problem to his attention and that it would be fixed. Then months went by and I never heard another word about it. I talked to him again. He told me that direction for this came from above him, and they were all fine with it.

They ed it. He told me I needed to be a team player on this.” Her voice took on an edge of bitterness. “I talked to my sales team about it again, thinking that they would see things my way. That we shouldn’t be marketing it for offlabel use. But they didn’t. If they didn’t get different orders from people above me, they were going to keep doing what they’d been told to do. Because it’s making us tons of money.” Joe made a noise like a low growl in his throat. “I had to think about what to do. The next thing I knew, my superiors took my sales staff and a bunch of doctors to the Bahamas for a weekend at a luxury resort. Without me.” “I’m guessing the reason you’re upset isn’t because you missed out on a trip to the Bahamas.” “You’re guessing right. I think they were bribing those doctors with a luxury trip to prescribe Felisse. And they didn’t include me because I wasn’t on board with it. Then I had my performance review with Steve and he criticized me for not being a ‘team player’. I am a team player.” She had to pause again. “Nobody ever said that about me before. I always put the team first. I’d never in my life had anything negative come up on a performance evaluation. I suspected this was retaliation for being opposed to the whole marketing plan for the drug, but of course I can’t prove it.” “Oh man.” “I talked to a few other people at work about it, trying to be very vague, and the general feeling was that if you don’t go along with what they want, they’ll punish you. Poor performance reviews. Demotions. Or life made so miserable at work you can’t stand it. Eventually you’re out of a job. And when I say you, I mean me.” She paused. “Have you heard of Dr. Jude?” “The TV guy? Yeah.” “On one of his shows, he talked about Felisse and told everyone it would make them lose weight and want more sex. We’ve never claimed that. What our marketing really says is that Felisse is less likely to cause weight gain or sexual side effects than SSRIs.”

“SSRIs?” “Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. They work by blocking a receptor in the brain that absorbs the chemical serotonin, which influences mood. There are a lot of different ones used to treat depression. Some of them can cause weight gain and loss of libido.” “But not Felisse.” “No, it might have the opposite side effects.” “You could make millions off a drug like that.” She pressed her lips together. “Yes, you could. Billions, actually. And yes, Zafir is trying to. Dr. Jude has a huge following, and the whole thing went viral, the fact that this little yellow pill can make you horny and skinny. Nobody ever stepped up to correct that. And the sales reps are using that to sell the drug to doctors. I think they’re bribing and paying doctors to prescribe it to their patients for those reasons. But that’s not what it’s intended for and that’s not what it’s approved for.” “And people might be dying because of it.” “Yes.” Her insides contracted painfully. She rolled back a little so she could see Joe’s face. “I’m really struggling, Joe. I love my job. I love Zafir. I’ve worked there for a long time, worked my way up. I feel loyal to them, and now I feel guilty about being so angry about this. I feel disloyal, but I can’t believe they’re doing this. I feel…really, really confused.” “I can see that, sweetheart.” His hand stroked her hair, coming under her chin to cup her jaw, and his thumb rubbed over her lip. “I have so much respect for Steve,” she whispered. “Or I used to. But how can I do what he’s telling me to, when deep inside I feel it’s wrong?” “That sucks.” She nodded. “And whatever I do could be bad. If I go along with what they want me to do, then I’m as bad as they are. If someone dies, it’s because of me. If there were ever criminal charges, I’d be implicated. The thought of that makes

me want to puke.” She paused again. “But if I don’t go along with what they want, I can probably kiss my job goodbye. Probably my entire career.” “Jesus.” “Well, some companies make life really difficult for people who blow the whistle. And if you get blackballed in the entire business world, you can forget ever getting a job anywhere again.” “This is serious shit. I think you should talk to a lawyer.” “I did. Sort of. A friend of mine from dance class is a lawyer and I ran it past her very theoretically. She talked about some kind of qui tam suit and the False Claims Act. I don’t want to sue the company. I don’t want money. I just want them to stop marketing Felisse for off-label purposes that could be harmful to people.” “Quit. Quit your job.” “It’s not that simple.” “Get out before you get involved even more.” “You have no idea how much I want to do that.” She blew out a breath. “I would love nothing more than to just leave. Find another job and pretend I don’t know anything about it. Just disappear. But I keep thinking about that girl who died. How can I live with myself, knowing that’s going on?” She gazed at him and watched his forehead crease then his eyebrows draw together above his nose. “Fuck, Mallory.” “I know. Exactly.” She closed her eyes briefly then leaned forward and kissed his mouth. “I don’t expect you to solve my problem, Joe. I came home to talk to my parents about it, but I don’t expect them to solve it either. I know I have to make a decision about what to do, and I have to make it soon. Nobody else can make it for me. But God, I don’t want…” She closed her eyes, thinking about her parents’ possible reaction. “My parents are so proud of my career and how I’ve…how my life has turned out. I don’t want to let them down.” He squinted at her. “Well, I get that, but hell, Mallory, I’m sure they want what’s

best for you. If they love you, they’ll whatever you do.” She wanted to believe that. She really did. “I probably shouldn’t have told you this. Please promise you’ll never tell anyone else. As part of Zafir management, I should not be talking about confidential things like this. Especially negative things.” “Of course I won’t say anything. But let’s talk about your options.” “There are a few options. Like I said, one is that I hire a lawyer and sue them.” “That could potentially cost you money, I’m guessing. Lawyers aren’t cheap, especially ones that would take on a high-profile case against a big corporation like that.” “True. Also, I could try to go to the people above my boss, to the executive management. But he says they know about it and it. So that probably wouldn’t do any good, and would only damage my reputation in the company even more.” She sighed. “What else?” “Well, there’s always the option of doing nothing. If I stay, maybe I can eventually make a difference. Or maybe…maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it is okay.” “You don’t believe that.” “No.” She bent her head. “I don’t. Unless we were to do actual trials of using the drug and getting approval for those kinds of uses, it’s wrong to promote it for those off-label uses. And if people die… God.” “What about going to the media? Maybe anonymously.” She looked at him. “That would be…risky.” “Yeah. I guess. If you want to keep your job. If they found out, you’d probably be fired.” “I’d definitely be fired.”

“I really think you should look for another job. You need to look after yourself first.” She nodded. “I understand that. And believe me, just walking away is very appealing. That’s another option.” And another way to let her parents down. “I know you have a problem with just letting it go though.” “Yes.” “There’s a chance you could blow the whistle anonymously and stay anonymous.” She pressed her lips together. “Honestly, I think the chances of that are pretty slim. At some point I think it would have to come out.” “What if you transferred to another department? Or whatever you call it, in the company. A different division that manufactures different drugs. Maybe antibiotics, or something safe.” She smiled at him. “That’s cute. That is another possibility, except I’d still be ignoring the problem. And I don’t know if I want to work for a company that would do something so unethical, even if I’m not directly involved. And there’s still risk. If things went really bad, say a bunch of people died and there was an investigation, if it showed that I knew about it and did nothing, I’d be implicated too.” His mouth hardened and his eyes went out of focus for a moment as he thought. “You’re right,” he finally said. “You’re pretty much fucked whatever you do.” And she laughed, even though she felt like crying. “Pretty much, yeah. Now you know why I’ve been stressed.” “Ah, sweetheart.” He sighed. “Goddamn. Now I know why you’ve been trying to forget. Hell, I hate it that you’re in such a mess.” “You hardly know me.” They stared at each other for a long moment. Pressure built inside her, ri into her chest and her throat. “Really,” she whispered. “You hardly know me.”

“I think I do,” he said quietly. A scary feeling crawled through her insides. Because she had a feeling he did know her, the real her, better than maybe anyone else in the world. The real her she’d kept buried deep inside. He didn’t know everything about her. He didn’t know why it was so important to live her life carefully, responsibly, without scandal or attention. But he did know that wild streak that lurked inside her, the one she kept hidden from everyone else, the one she actually thought she’d eradicated until she’d met Joe in the airport. That should have been scary. Well, it was a little scary. But since this was some kind of holiday fling and they were going to go back to Chicago to their separate lives, it wasn’t so bad. After this she’d never see him again, and so it didn’t matter if he saw things she didn’t let other people see. Maybe she’d seen things in him that he didn’t let other people see. And maybe that was okay with him for the same reason—they’d never see each other again after this. Or maybe it was just because he’d been drunk. A smile tugged at her lips and Joe’s eyebrows lifted. She shook her head slowly. “This is crazy.” “What is?” “This.” She waved a hand between them. “You and me.” “Okay, yeah, it is. But that…” He rolled them so she was on her back and pinned beneath him. “…is what you like about it.” He was right. Mostly right. “Yeah,” she agreed, winding her arms around his neck. “It is. Make me forget more.”

Joe couldn’t solve her problem for her. She was right. And he fucking hated that.

He liked to solve problems. He liked to save people. Yeah, he’d learned the hard way that he couldn’t save everyone. A hostage taking gone bad that had ended in a murder-suicide had taught him that. But it was his nature to find solutions, to make bad situations work out for the best. He didn’t know much about the business world, but even he could see that Mallory was facing a hopeless situation. Whatever she did was not going to be easy. But since he couldn’t fix it for her, especially not right at that moment, he could look after her the only way he could. So he pressed her into the bed and covered her mouth with his in a fierce, heartfelt kiss. He loved the taste of her mouth, the sweep of her little tongue against his, the soft pleasure sounds she made. He loved her body, softly curved and smoothskinned, her breasts full and firm, nipples plump and tawny, and between her legs the sweetest heat and softest heaven. He settled between her spread thighs, kissing her mouth, her cheek, her jaw. He caught her ear lobe between his lips and gently tugged. Her hands moved over his back then down to his ass, where they grabbed on. Heat rushed through him. Even more than her body, he was attracted to what was inside her–intelligence, humor and a desire for adventure that matched his own. He felt a connection with her that was more than just carnal. Now she’d unloaded the deplorable dilemma she faced, he was even more drawn to her. Clearly she was a person with a strong sense of honor and ethics. She wanted to do the right thing–except she didn’t know what that was. And neither did he, goddammit. It was still a problem to be solved, but it couldn’t be solved at that moment. At the moment the problem that could be solved was getting inside her and making her come. He could do that. He was the man for that. He kissed his way down her body, lingering on the soft curves of her breasts, licking over them, tugging gently on her nipples with his lips. Her soft sounds encouraged him, and he licked and nuzzled his way down over her stomach, pausing to take the little barbell that pierced her navel between his teeth and gently tug.

“I want to suck you,” she whispered. He lifted his head. “Yeah?” She gave a tiny nod. He was down with that, no question, so he moved up over her, straddling her, his cock lengthening and thickening. He took it in his hand and rubbed the head over her lips. Her eyes gazed back at him, dark and hazy, and her top lip separated from the plump bottom one invitingly. The engorged crest of his dick throbbed and excitement raced through him. He pushed into her mouth, so soft and warm, not too far, taking care to go slowly. Her tongue swirled around him with delicious friction, and her lips closed over his flesh and sucked. So beautiful. He reached out with his other hand and touched her cheek. He began to thrust into her mouth. She tipped her chin up to take him deeper, all the while watching him with hot eyes. Her hands came up to his thighs, spread wide on either side of her, and he fucked her mouth with careful strokes, going deeper little by little. “Goddamn, that’s hot,” he whispered, watching his cock disappear into her wet mouth. Tingles simmered at the base of his spine and he slowly withdrew all the way, lifting his shaft up and presenting his balls. “Mmm.” Her little tongue came out to lick over his swollen testicles. “Sweet Jesus,” he groaned as they tightened even more at her delicate touch. She sucked one testicle into her mouth and released it, then the other. His seed began to boil there, heat racing up his spine and exploding his brain. She licked all around the heavy sac, down to his perineum. He ed her playing there, how fucking unbelievable that had felt, and his cock jerked in his hand. “Here, baby,” he muttered, tapping her lips with the head. “Suck my dick again. That feels so good.” He pushed into her mouth and she eagerly drew him in as if hungry for him. “You like that, don’t you?” She gave another little nod, sucking on his cock. Her hands slid around to grip his ass. “So good.” He let out a long groan. “Oh yeah.” He urged his cock farther into her mouth, then out again and when her teeth caught the rim he hissed. Electric sensation zapped over his nerve endings. The prickling at the base of his spine

built and his movements quickened. “Love fucking your mouth…like this… fucking love it.” She made a sound of agreement that vibrated deep into his balls. Her fingers slipped between his ass cheeks to rub and Christ, as one finger pushed inside him, fire spread and he couldn’t stop the orgasm that slammed into him. His cock jerked with each spasm and he had to fight hard to keep from ramming himself right down her throat, somewhere way back in his consciousness aware that her small jaw and mouth couldn’t take that much. Pleasure wracked him, spreading through his body, muscles jumping and tensing as he came hard in her mouth. Eventually he slid out, his heart thundering and his breathing uneven. “Whoa,” he managed to say. “I did not plan for that to happen. That was supposed to be about making you feel better.” He collapsed onto the bed beside her. “Oh you did,” she murmured, reaching for him. “You totally did.”

Chapter Fifteen

Mallory felt the tension when she arrived home the next morning. Her mom was in the kitchen cleaning up. Dad had already left for work. Mom shot her a quick sideways glance, not making eye as she wiped the counter. “You’re back.” “I am.” The air thickened a little as silence stretched out. “Any coffee?” Mallory asked. “Yes. There’s some in the pot. Help yourself.” “We had a nice dinner,” Mallory said. “At Emilio’s. The food was amazing.” “Yes, I’ve heard of it.” And now what? The sex was amazing? Nah. Probably not. “So. What’s up today?” Mallory leaned against the counter and cupped her hands around the mug of coffee. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be back. I haven’t got anything planned. I have some work to do in the yard, but I can do that some other time if you want to go out somewhere.” Mallory shook her head. “I’d just like to hang out here. I could help you in the yard.” “That would be nice. It’s a beautiful day.” The stilted conversation was becoming painful. “Mom. Are you angry because I went out last night? You said it was okay.” Mom sighed. “I’m not angry, honey. I guess I’m…concerned.” “I’m an adult now, ? And…” They didn’t talk about the past much. “I

don’t know what you’re concerned about.” “It just doesn’t seem like you…to spend the night with a man you hardly know.” Mallory nodded. “It’s not that big a deal, Mom.” She took a breath. “Look. I know you’re worried that I’m going to get into trouble again. But that was a long time ago. I was a kid.” “I’m not…” Mom stopped then grimaced. “Okay, maybe I am.” She met Mallory’s eyes. “I’m sorry, honey.” “It’s okay.” Mallory was a little worried about herself and why she was doing the things she’d done the last few days. But she wasn’t going to it that to her mother. Maybe she could distract her mother by really giving her something to worry about. “I have a problem at work.” “Oh.” Mom’s forehead creased. “That’s right. You mentioned that the other night.” She knew she’d have to tell the whole story to her dad later, but she told her mom anyway, repeating most of the same things she’d told Joe and finishing, “So I don’t know what to do.” “Holy shit,” Mom said. “I know.” “Do you want advice?” Mom asked carefully. “Or do you just want to talk about it?” “I’m not sure,” she said honestly. “But I do know that I don’t want you to tell me what to do.” “We wouldn’t do that.” Mom gave her a hurt look. Mallory smiled. “Okay, sorry.”

“Why don’t we talk to your dad about it later?” Mom said slowly. “People come to him for guidance all the time, and he helps them work through things, but he doesn’t tell people what to do.” “He’s going to ask me if I’ve prayed.” Mom laughed. “True. But prayer never does any harm.” Mallory wished God could solve her problem for her. But somehow she knew that wasn’t going to happen. She spent the day doing things around the house with her mom, catching up on news about friends and family, and then when Dad got home that evening they decided to go out for dinner. It wasn’t elegant cuisine like last night, just a fun casual place, but it was nice. Over dinner Mallory and her mother together related her work story. “And I know I don’t have to tell you this,” Mallory said. “But this is all confidential, right?” Her father looked pained. “Mallory. People come to me with the most personal, confidential problems you can imagine. How can you even think I would talk about this to someone else?” She bit her lip. “Sorry, Dad. I know that. It’s just…I shouldn’t be revealing confidential information from the company to anyone. They could fire me for that alone.” And she’d also told Joe. But even though she’d mentioned confidentiality, she knew deep inside that the three people she’d told were completely trustworthy. How she knew that so certainly about Joe, who’d she’d only met days ago, she had no idea. But she did trust him. They went over the options, basically the same ones that she and Joe had talked about, and yeah, Dad did ask if she’d prayed for guidance, and it was true that sharing the problem with others did make it seem less terrifying. Still a huge fucking mess though. “So you can see why I don’t know what to do,” she finished with a sigh. “People might be dying,” Dad said, meeting her eyes.

“Yes. Although…I have no proof of that. I know of one death and the autopsy did not conclude that Felisse was what caused her death. I’m worried there may be others that we don’t even know about, or other deaths that could happen.” Dad nodded slowly. Sure, Dad wasn’t telling her what to do, but from his questions and where his focus had been, she knew exactly what he wanted her to do. Always do the right thing. But in this case, what was right? He clearly thought she should blow the whistle, but there were so many different ways people could be impacted by this. “Thanks for listening,” she said to her parents as they left the restaurant a long time later. “It helps to talk it out. I know I have to figure it out on my own. I really just wanted to come here and get away from it all for a week and see if I gain some perspective on things.” “Well, then that’s what you do,” Mom said, giving her a quick one-armed hug. “You relax and have fun for the rest of the week and let your subconscious work on things.” “If there’s anything at all we can do though, we will,” Dad said. “We can help find you a good lawyer.” “You can pray for me,” she suggested with a smile. He smiled back, the lines around his eyes fanning out. “Yeah. We can do that.”

Mallory’s mom went back to work on Wednesday. “I feel bad leaving you all on your own,” she said. “We only had a couple of days together.” “I know. Partly because I should have been here Saturday and didn’t get here until Sunday. But don’t worry, Mom, I’m fine on my own. I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Maybe lie out in the sun with a book or a magazine.” Which was what she did. After taking her mom’s bike for a ride, stopping at a

Starbucks and sitting in the sun drinking coffee, she returned home. She made herself a sandwich for lunch then carried her e-reader and her cell phone and some sunscreen outside. Mom’s love of gardening had created a lovely backyard oasis, with the pool and patio and lots of pretty flowers and shrubs. But her mind kept drifting from her book to Joe. And the things they’d done in bed. They were extremely sexually compatible, there was no denying that. He was kinky and made no apologies about it, encouraging her to try new things that she had to it she loved. At least they’d been in a bed, in a private room. But even thinking about the things they’d done in the airport gave her a heated little rush. She had to put that out of her mind though. She was here to mull over a serious matter, something that could affect many people. The potential for this to impact the company’s very existence was real, and that meant thousands of jobs. This was not something to take lightly. She should be focusing on that and what she was going to do once she was back in Chicago. God. She leaned her head back into the lounge chair cushion and closed her eyes against the bright sunshine. She loved Chicago and she was growing to love her life there–her job, her apartment, her new friends and all the city had to offer. But going back filled her with a sense of dread at what she was facing. She wanted Joe. She wanted him there to talk to her, maybe even distract her with sex. Hot, dirty sex. She cracked an eye open and eyed her cell phone on the patio table. She could call him. That would be crazy. She hadn’t heard from him yesterday, after she’d reluctantly left his hotel room mid-morning. What was he doing? He’d talked about doing a bunch of touristy things like amusement parks, including Disneyland, which was practically around the corner from her. Her eyes widened. That could be a reason to call him. She knew Disneyland like the back of her hand, having grown up so close. She could offer to take him there and show him around, maybe tomorrow or Friday. He said he’d been to Disneyworld, but not Disneyland. She reached out and picked up the phone. Biting her lip, she studied the screen. What the hell. Nothing to lose. She was sitting around doing not much and would be for the rest of the week. So she called his number.

He answered right away. “Mallory. Hi.” “Hi yourself. How are you?” “Great.” Except, she knew he wasn’t. Already she could sense the slight edge in his voice that he probably didn’t even realize was there. He was still pissed about what had happened with his dad. Actually, she suspected it was more like hurt. He’d come all this way to see him and then to have the door slammed in his face like that without even a chance to talk or get to know each other a little bit, had to sting. But he’d never it that. She’d ired that carefree attitude when they’d first met, but as she spent more time with him, she suspected there was a lot more beneath the surface than he liked to let on. The night he’d gotten drunk, some of that had come out and she knew he’d hated that. Although he’d still invited her out for dinner. He could have been so embarrassed he never wanted to see her again, and he never would have had to. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I’m in Hollywood.” “Cool. So listen. I know you said you wanted to go to Disneyland while you’re here. And I practically live next door to it. I was thinking I could take you there and show you around.” After a beat of silence, he said, “That would be awesome. Today?” “I was thinking tomorrow.” Regret pinched that she wouldn’t see him today. “We could make an early start and spend the day there. If you don’t have other plans.” He gave a dry laugh. “Nah, I don’t have other plans.” “You haven’t decided to go home sooner?” “Not yet. So tomorrow, then?”

She smiled. “Okay. I’ll give you my address and you can come pick me up.” “Hopefully I can find my way there. Good thing I have GPS.” She laughed. “It’s not hard to find.” She gave him the address and a few simple directions. “Great. The park opens at ten, so maybe get here around nine.” “Sure. Sounds good.” He paused. “See you tomorrow.” “Yeah.” But neither of them said goodbye or hung up. “How’s your visit with your parents going?” he asked. “Okay.” She sighed. “I told them about my work problem last night.” “That’s good.” “Eh.” “And how did they take that?” His voice gentled. “I know you were worried about it.” She twisted a piece of hair between her fingers. “They were okay. I mean, they’re concerned about it. They didn’t try to tell me what to do.” He laughed softly. “That’s good.” “Maybe. I’m pretty sure I know what they think I should do. Not sure if I agree. They did say they’ll do whatever they can to help me.” “You know you have to figure this out yourself.” “I know.” She sighed again. “I’ll do whatever I can to help too,” he said quietly. “I know there really isn’t anything, but even if you want to talk more about it, I’m here, babe.” Her heart warmed. “Thank you. I was trying to go over it in my head lying here…”

“Where are you?” he interrupted. “At home. Outside, by the pool.” “Ah.” After a short pause he said, “In a bikini?” “No.” Her lips curved. “Shorts and a tank top.” “Oh.” She heard his long exhalation. “That sounds good too. Sorry, I interrupted. Just needed a visual.” She licked her bottom lip. “That’s okay. I was trying to sort things out. I was thinking about potentially how many people could be affected if this went wrong. Like, if the company went under because of it. Thousands of people could be out of jobs. People could be without all the good, helpful drugs we manufacture. I wouldn’t want that to happen.” “No. That would be a disaster.” “And that could happen whether I do something or not. So then I was thinking, maybe it’s better to blow the whistle sooner rather than later, and maybe it wouldn’t be so huge.” “Uh-huh.” “But I still don’t know. And honestly…I was having trouble concentrating. I kept thinking about…you.” “Oh yeah?” His voice deepened. “Well, that’s funny because I keep thinking about you. I keep thinking about fucking your mouth and how hot that was and how sexy your feet are wrapped around my dick.” “You are a dirty man,” she whispered. “Yep. Never even tried to deny that.” “True. And I like that about you.” “You do, huh? Damn, babe, you’re getting me hard again. And we’re too far apart to do anything about it.”

“Well, I could do something about it.” She cast her eyes around the yard. She was in a private area, shielded from the neighbors’ view by a lattice and some palm trees. “Know what?” he drawled. “You’re a dirty girl.” “I most certainly am not.” He snorted. “Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, gorgeous. Right now you’re thinking about slipping your hand inside your shorts, aren’t you?” “Maybe.” Her voice went breathy and heat pooled between her thighs. “But you’re in a public place.” “I can be in my car in two minutes.” “Oh that’s a nice image. You jerking off in a parking lot somewhere. You could get arrested for that.” “I think we’ve done a few things we could get arrested for.” She laughed, heat flushing over her skin from head to toe, and not from the sun. “True.” “I like that about you,” he said deliberately. She drew in a shaky breath. “This is crazy, Joe.” “Yeah. But we’ll see each other tomorrow. Can’t wait.” “Me either.” She hesitated to it it to him, but hell, she was the one who’d picked up the phone and invited him. “You have a computer?” he asked abruptly. “Yeah. My laptop.” “Internet access?” “Yes.”

“How about I come over and we do some research into whistleblower cases?” She went silent to think about that. “Is this the law enforcement officer side of you? Investigating?” He laughed softly. “Maybe. That’s not the kind of job I have, but yeah, I’m trained in investigation. I just thought the more information you have, the more of an informed decision you can make about what to do.” “That’s a very good idea. But…” She hesitated to have him come to her parents’ place. Oh why not? He wasn’t an axe murderer. “Okay. It’ll probably take you about an hour to get here.” “On my way.” This time they did end the call and she dropped her cell phone back on the table and stared across the pool. She was still a little turned on from that conversation, had almost been ready for some phone sex in the back yard. She bit her lip. What was happening to her? She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Shit. She had no makeup on and her hair was held off her face in a narrow headband. There was no way she could tame it into her usual smooth style now, unless she wanted to shower and shampoo, and that was just crazy. She did swing her legs over the lounge chair and head into the house though, to add a little mascara and concealer, and touch up the hair. She looked twelve years old with it pulled back off her face like that. She grimaced at herself in the mirror. Joe’d seen her all wet and makeup free in the shower, also smudgy-eyed in bed, so this probably wasn’t going to shock him. Whatever. As she walked through the kitchen, she opened the fridge door to see what she could offer him to drink when he arrived. Her eyes narrowed at the meager selection. Mom had a few bottles of wine in there, but that was about it. She yanked open the freezer and found a can of frozen lemonade. That would work. She made lemonade, checked the cupboard for snacks, then stopped and rolled her eyes at herself. What was she all worked up about? The fluttery sensation down low inside her she recognized as…excitement. She

was excited to see Joe again. Craziness. They were going to do research. Oh yeah. Computer. She returned to her bedroom to get it and the cable. Hmmm. Would they sit outside? It was nice there by the pool, but the laptop screen was hard to see in the sun. Shade would work. Or they could sit at the kitchen table. Good God, she was like a teenager expecting her crush over to do homework with. She’d play it by ear when he got there. She returned outside to try and read more of her book while she waited his arrival. It was less than an hour until she heard the doorbell. With a little leap of her heart, she set down her book and headed through the house to the front door. He stood on the front step, and he looked so good, hair ruffled, face more tanned than the last time she’d seen him, sunglasses hiding his eyes but only emphasizing the strength of his jaw and the beauty of his mouth. He wore a black golf shirt that hugged thick biceps and stretched across his wide chest, and a pair of loose gray cargo shorts. Pleasure rushed through her at seeing him right there and she smiled.

Chapter Sixteen

Since Mallory had left him in bed yesterday morning, Joe’d felt…abandoned. Nah. Not abandoned. Just…at loose ends. But he’d found stuff to do to keep himself busy. The weather was great, the sun was out, a couple of hot chicks had tried to pick him up at the beach. It was all good. He’d found himself thinking about her problem and strangely enough it helped him forget the stupid reason he’d come to California. He didn’t like thinking about Mallory being upset and he wanted to do something about it. That wasn’t unusual—that was just him. Rescuer. He smiled at her now, standing in the doorway. Her hair was held back off her face with a headband, which gave her a completely different look than the polished professional he’d met in the airport. The rumpled cotton shorts and ribbed tank top were also different. His gaze dipped down to take in long, smooth legs and pretty bare feet. “Hey, gorgeous,” he said. She returned his smile and he liked the way her eyes lit up. “Come in.” He stepped into the house, nothing fancy but very nice. Cool and quiet greeted him. “So this is where you grew up.” “Yes. My parents are at work.” She paused. “Do you want to go sit by the pool? Or should we stay inside to look at the computer?” “Hell yeah, let’s sit by the pool. It’s California.” She scooped her laptop off the kitchen table as they ed through that room and out a set of double French doors onto a patio. “Nice,” he said.

“I hope we can see the screen. We’ll have to move the table and chairs back into the shade.” “No problem.” They arranged themselves and the computer and then Joe went to sit. “Wait,” he said as Mallory reached for a chair. And he hauled her into his arms and kissed her. “Mmm.” She kissed him back, hands on his shoulders, and Christ, she tasted good. “Fuck, you know how to kiss,” he murmured long moments later, breathing a bit hard and feeling a lot hotter. “Oh God, so do you.” She sounded as out of breath as he was. He set his hands on her waist. Tempting as she was, he hadn’t come there for sex by the pool. Although that did sound hot. He smiled down at her. “What time do your parents get home from work?” Her expression shifted to knowing. “Mom gets home around six. Dad, you never know.” He nodded. “Good to know. Let’s get started with our research.” “Heh. You know what kind of research I’d like to do.” He grinned. “Me too, babe. But I have a feeling you’re probably not up for sex in your parents’ pool.” Her eyes shadowed. “Yeah, probably not.” She broke away from him and he felt the shift in her mood. Damn. They spent a few hours looking at articles about similar cases and what had happened to the companies involved. None of it was good, but… “I can see that the one thing you don’t want to do is go public with this to the media,” Joe said. “Once you do that, the gloves are off. They know it’s you and they would likely feel threatened. What happened to that woman who worked

for the big investment company…” “Martha Haynes.” “Yeah. She went public and the company immediately counter-attacked in the media. They pretty much came right and said she was mentally unstable. There were hints that the only reason she was doing that was because she had some kind of grudge against the company.” “It’s possible she did.” “Sure it is. But I read enough to convince me it wasn’t likely. And they made it bad for her. Really bad. They have all the credibility of a big successful company, and she’s one person who might be trying to retaliate for a bad performance review, in the eyes of the world anyway. At that point, she had to rely on the media and holy crap, you don’t want to be in that position. They’re only out for their story, not to try to help anyone on either side.” “I see your point.” She didn’t look happy. “Plus, people would see the act of giving information to the media as unprofessional.” “Or illegal. The company could take legal action against the whistleblower for doing that.” “Shit.” “From what we’ve read, this takes a huge toll on a whistleblower. Financially, emotionally. The whole legal process, court appearances… Anyone who doesn’t have a union or a professional association to help them is screwed.” “I’m out of scope; I’m management,” she murmured. “No union, no professional association.” “Well, I don’t think you were seriously considering going to the media anyway, were you?” She gave him a look, lips pursed. “I’ve thought about doing it anonymously.” “Risky. But less so.”

“I know eventually it would come out. Eventually I’d lose my job.” “You already said you don’t know if you want to keep working for a company that could do that.” He paused. “The advantage of doing it anonymously is that you could stay working there for a while, anyway, while you gather more information. The more you have, the better.” “You mean…feed the media? From inside the company?” She sat back in her wicker patio chair. “That really makes me feel uncomfortable.” “I know. It was just one option. I guess it depends on what kind of outcome you want. Do you want this to be publicly known? Do you want the company to be punished? Do you want them to stop doing what they’re doing?” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “All I’ve thought about is that I want them to stop.” She thought more. “I don’t necessarily want them out of business. Like I said before, all those jobs…the good drugs they make that help people…that would be a disaster. I don’t feel vindictive enough yet that I want them to pay. You mean, like a fine, right?” “Yes. Or a legal settlement.” “Well, I’m not going to sue. Unless the family of the girl who died decides to do that…” Her eyes went round. “Oh. What if they did that?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you thinking of talking to them?” She swallowed. “I don’t know. No. I couldn’t do that.” “Very possibly they don’t have the resources to sue a big company. If there were more of them, maybe a class action suit…” “I don’t want more people to die!” “Of course not,” he said gently. “But what if there were others? Others you don’t know about.” She closed her eyes and color seeped out of her cheeks. “Jesus Christ. I hope not.”

Joe nodded. The picture was bleak. He’d seen the way Mallory’s face had changed when they’d read some of the stories, outcomes where even whistleblowers who seemed to have been successful in their mission ended up losing. They might be called to testify in court, they might save their reputation or even be recognized for the good they did, but not many of them ever got their jobs back, and many never found any kind of employment. In fact, many never led any kind of normal life again, some plagued with anxiety and depression. Some even ended up committing suicide. “That’s so scary,” she whispered, then bit her lip and met his eyes. “You know, Mallory,” he said slowly, sliding his chair closer to her over the stone patio. “Nobody would blame you for walking away from this. The personal consequences are…huge.” She met his eyes and he fucking hated the wetness he saw there. Her lower lip quivered. “My parents would blame me.” He frowned. “Really?” “I’m pretty sure my dad wants me to blow the whistle. Do the right thing. You have no idea how much I just want to run and hide.” “I can imagine. C’mere.” He pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap. He slid a hand into her hair and the other over her hip. He pressed her face against his shoulder. “This is so fucking shitty.” “Oh Joe. You don’t need to get upset about it. It’s not your problem.” True. It wasn’t. And he barely knew her. But goddammit, he did care. “I know it isn’t,” he said. “But I want to help. I wish there was something I could do.” She moved her head against him in a negative motion. “You are helping me.” “Shit. I just want to make it go away.” “You can run away with me. We could move to…Fiji and start a new life.” He laughed softly, fingers moving in her hair. So silky. So sweet. “Yeah. We could do that. We could start some kind of business…maybe a little bed-and-

breakfast place. Can you cook?” Her body shook against his and he hoped it was laughter. “I hate cooking.” “Well. There goes that plan. Maybe we could open a brothel. Or a sex shop.” She shook with laughter again and lifted her head to look at him. “There’s a good idea.” “Aw, babe.” Emotion rose in him, hot and unfamiliar. “You know I’d run away to Fiji with you if I could.” “Thanks.” They shared a smile and a long, warm look that made something ache in his chest. He leaned in to kiss her pretty mouth. She opened for him immediately and the kiss zoomed straight to scorching. He slid a hand around her neck, his thumb rubbing along her jaw as their mouths clung and tongues slid together. “Let’s move to that lounger,” he murmured against her lips. “Mmm.” It took seconds for them to get up out of their chairs and stretch out on the lounge chair, the back lowered to almost flat. They fit together perfectly, her bare legs twining with his, one of his hands in her hair, the other on her back. He pushed her down into the thick cushion and kissed her again and again, until they were both panting and hot and she was practically riding his thigh. “Jesus,” he muttered. “Hot little thing, aren’t you?” She groaned. “God, Joe.” He popped the button of her shorts, dragged down the zipper then slid his hand inside to cup her pussy. “Oh yeah,” she whispered. And her hand found his erection through his jeans. When she rubbed him, sensation shot right to the top of his head. “Wanna do this,” he murmured, kissing her cheek, her temple. His fingers

slicked through soft, wet flesh between her legs. “Right here.” “We can’t,” she gasped as he found her clit, and her hips jerked. “You want it. So do I.” “I do.” She sighed, her head falling back as he dragged his tongue up the side of her neck. “I do…so much…” He shifted, grasped her shorts in both hands and gave a yank. They easily slid down her thighs and he tugged a tiny black thong along with them. Then she was naked from the waist down, lying on the bright colored cushion, and he unbuttoned and unzipped his own fly as he moved between her thighs. “Joe.” Her heavy lidded eyes met his then dropped as he pulled his throbbing dick out and fisted it. He gave a few strokes and her lips parted as she watched him. Her tongue came out to swipe across her plump bottom lip and his dick swelled even more. He shifted closer on his knees and she automatically raised her own knees higher, giving him access, and reached for him. He took himself in hand and slicked the head of his dick up and down through her wet channel, then found her entrance and pushed inside. They both groaned together as he drew back a little, thrust in deeper again, and again, until he was balls-deep inside her. “What time is it?” she asked, her voice throaty. Fuck! Who the hell cared? “Dunno,” he managed to say, reaching for her thighs and pushing them back as he slid in and out of her slick heat. “Why?” “My…mom…home soon…” Again, fuck! “Lots of time,” he muttered, although he had no fucking clue what time it was. She’d said her mom got home around six… Shit, it had to be close to that. But this felt so fucking good, amazing, and he did another long, slow pull out then slid back in.

“Oh,” she panted. “Oh my God.” Her fingers slipped down over her belly, over the dark curls, and found her clit. “That’s hot.” He watched her fingers move, brushing the base of his cock as she rubbed her clit. Hot little whimpers came from her throat. Her eyes closed and he let his gaze rove over her body, then reached for her tits. She still wore her bra and tank top but he wanted to feel them anyway. He’d strip her out of them if they had more time, but he had a feeling they were cutting it close and… She gripped his wrist. “What time is it?” And then they both heard it and went very still…a car pulling into the driveway. Their eyes met, hers going wide even though she was a little dazed. “Omigod!” she squeaked. She started swatting at him. “Stop, stop! It’s my mom!” “Fuck no,” he groaned, too close to stop. There it was… “Do it, gorgeous. Make yourself come too…” She gave a low cry, bit her lip, her fingers moving furiously on her clit as he pumped hard into her sweet pussy. “God,” she whispered. “Oh my God.” Then her chin lifted and her pussy rippled around him as she came, and he came too, his orgasm roaring through him like a flash bang, hot and hard and fast. He gritted his teeth to keep from shouting. They heard a car door close, then moments later the faint sound of the door into the kitchen opening and closing. “Get off, get off,” she whispered, once again pushing at him with her small hands. He’d barely finished, but he withdrew and yanked up his shorts. Mallory was struggling into her panties and shorts, shifting her weight from foot to foot, wriggling her hips. That would be really sexy if he wasn’t freaking out that her mother was going to walk out that door onto the patio any moment.

Zipped and buttoned, he ran his hands over his hair, smiling as Mallory did the same, then adjusted her bra and tugged her tank top down. Their eyes met. She bit her lip, and then they both grinned. “Mallory?” a voice called from inside. “Oh you’re out here—” Mallory’s mom appeared in the door just as Joe sat in the chair at the small table in front of Mallory’s computer. He tapped a button to bring the screen to life. “Oh. Hello.” “Hi, Mom.” Mallory sounded nearly normal. “Um, this is Joe. Joe Mason, my mom, Donna Hurst.” Joe rose and took the few steps toward Mrs. Hurst to shake her hand, giving her his best smile. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hurst.” “You too,” she murmured, shaking his hand, giving him an assessing look, one he’d seen before on mothers’ faces. Moms always liked him though. He had nothing to worry about. Although he was pretty sure he’d never been introduced to a mom seconds after he’d banged her daughter. “Joe and I were doing some research about whistle blowing,” Mallory continued. “To see if I got any ideas about what to do.” “Oh.” Mrs. Hurst’s face tightened and her eyebrows sloped down. “Oh, that’s good.” She sighed. “That’s such a mess, Mallory.” “I know.” Mallory made a face. She pulled her headband off, ran her hands through her hair then replaced the headband. She looked so cute like that. “It’s a disaster. Still not sure what the answer is, but we found some things for me to think about.” “I better get going,” Joe said. Mrs. Hurst’s gaze fell on him again. She tipped her head to one side. “Would you like to stay for dinner, Joe?” Joe sought out Mallory’s eyes. She probably didn’t want him meeting her parents and having dinner with them, as if this was something…usual. This was…fuck, he had no words to describe what was happening between them. Other than hot, sexy, and…um…maybe debauched.

The idea that her dad was a minister was enough to make his nuts shrivel. “Thanks, but no,” he finally managed to say, though he kept his smile in place. “I’ve got plans tonight. But tomorrow…Disneyland, right?” He pointed at Mallory and winked. “Yeah. Disneyland.” What mother could object to her daughter going on a date to the happiest place on earth? “I’ll see you out,” Mallory said, moving around the chairs. “Thanks for coming. You were really helpful.” He followed her, with one more, “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hurst,” for her mom. He watched Mallory’s cute ass in the little shorts as she led him through the kitchen, to the hall then the front entrance. They paused there, alone. Their eyes met. “Close,” he murmured, sliding a hand under her hair. He pulled her closer, up against him, and she set her hands on his chest, her eyes fastened on his. “Yeah.” “It was fucking hot.” “Yeah,” she said again, her eyes going dark. “Christ, Joe. We have to stop this.” “Stop what?” He touched his lips to hers in a light kiss. “Stop having fun?” She closed her eyes and did a face plant into his shoulder. “Stop taking risks.” “You love it.” She groaned. “Yeah.” “D’you think we can have sex at Disneyland?” Her head jerked up, eyes open wide, and she smacked his chest. “No!” He grinned. “No?”

Then she laughed too. “People have tried, believe me. But it’s impossible. Too many cameras and people.” One eyebrow lifted. “That sounds like a challenge.” “No! No challenge. We are not doing that. No no no.” He gave her another quick soft kiss, both of them still smiling, then he left.

Chapter Seventeen

“He seems like a nice young man.” Mallory’s eyes nearly bugged out at her mother’s comment about Joe while they were eating dinner later. Nice? Frack, if she knew what they’d been doing seconds before she’d walked out that door…if she knew what they’d done in the airport, and on the plane, not to mention the hotel rooms…her stomach clenched hard. “Yeah,” she said, dropping her gaze to the lasagna on her plate. “He’s nice.” “He was helping her do some research about whistleblowers,” Mom explained to Dad. “Like what?” Dad asked, frowning. “We went on the Internet and found other cases where people blew the whistle on their employer. How they went about it, how it affected them, what the result was.” She set down her fork and met Dad’s eyes. “None of it was good.” His eyes shadowed. “You’d think that doing the right thing would be rewarded.” “Yeah.” A bitter taste rose up the back of her throat. “You’d think. But that’s not the way the world works.” “Sometimes our reward doesn’t come in this world,” he said softly. “Or sometimes it does, but we don’t see it right away as a reward.” “Oh, Daddy.” She blinked hard. She knew his intentions were good, but hearing that she’d be rewarded in another life didn’t exactly make her feel any better about her situation. “Thank you.” “I know you won’t let us down,” he continued. “You’ll do the right thing.” No pressure at all. No fucking pressure. “It’s too bad you broke up with Michael,” Mom said, her eyebrows slanted

anxiously. “He would be able to give you advice and help you.” “Maybe.” “You could call him,” she suggested. “Couldn’t you? He’d still be willing to help you. Maybe give you some legal advice.” “I don’t think so, Mom. I have talked to a lawyer, unofficially, but still. If I need to go that route, I’ll hire someone.” “That will cost a lot of money.” “Yeah.” “If you need help…” Mom’s voice trailed off and she looked at Dad. “Of course we can help out,” he said immediately. She knew they didn’t have tons of extra money lying around. Ministers didn’t make a lot of money, although Mom and Dad lived a pretty simple life and weren’t extravagant, there was no way they could save up the kind of money she would need. “I’ll keep it in mind,” she said. “Although I think if I was going to sue the company, a lawyer takes a cut of the settlement as his fee.” She had no intention of launching a suit against the company. She wished she knew what she was going to do. After dinner, they took a walk to the park. They watched a black lab playing Frisbee with his owner, which reminded her of Joe’s story about his dog and made her smile. When she was alone in bed later, of course she started thinking about Joe. She actually got angry at him for making her do stuff that was so risky, like having sex on her parents’ patio just when her mom was supposed to come home. Holy jeez, what if she’d walked out there and caught them? Oh my God! Her eyes closed as hot mortification washed over her body. She was angry enough that she considered calling him and cancelling their trip to Disneyland the next day. Then she decided she’d call in the morning.

But in the morning her anger had faded, and she found herself anxious to see Joe, waiting for him to arrive at the house. Mom and Dad were at work and she’d told them she’d be gone all day and not home for dinner and had even bravely told them she’d probably be gone all night. She had no idea if Joe wanted to spend the night with her, but—wait. That was stupid. Of course he did. She didn’t know how she could even doubt that. But if they were going to spend the night together, it sure wasn’t going to be at her parents’ house. And when she saw his rental car pull up and park at the curb in front of the house, her heart gave a happy little bump. Shit. This was crazy. She let him in the front door and he walked in, smiling, tanned, so damn gorgeous. “Hey,” he said. “All set?” And he slid an arm around her waist, pulled her up against him and kissed her. Her heart went all soft and melty and she sighed against his lips. “Mmm,” she said. She drew back. “I’m ready.” “Good. Let’s go have fun.” And the faint shadow in his eyes reminded her that his trip hadn’t turned out the way he’d wanted it to. He hadn’t said a word about it yesterday. Which she got meant that he didn’t want to talk about it. She would let him have that, since there were things she didn’t want to talk about either. There were clouds lurking in both their lives, but they were both apparently determined to ignore those and have some fun together, and surprisingly, it was actually pretty easy to let go and just have fun. Maybe because Disneyland was the happiest place on earth. Or maybe because Joe was fun to be around. He made her go on Space Mountain and California Screamin’, which she normally did not do because they scared the crap out of her. But he convinced her that these rides were a safe way to get a little adrenaline rush, as if he understood that every once in a while she needed a little adrenaline rush. She wasn’t an adrenaline junkie, like some people who took up extreme sports or went sky diving, although she suspected Joe might be. But she had to it that since she’d met Joe, she’d rediscovered the feeling of excitement and how good it was. They ate junk food and people-watched, inventing stories about them. They went

on silly rides like It’s a Small World and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. They got their pictures taken with Mickey Mouse and Goofy. Joe even rescued a little girl who was sitting outside Toon Town sobbing, lost, giving up an hour out of their day to get her to security and wait until her parents showed up, completely freaked out and then abjectly thankful to him. That kind of gave her a funny feeling in her chest. They stayed at the park until late so they could watch the fireworks, standing in the dark, in the middle of a crowd of people, her arms around his waist, his around her shoulders, like they were a real couple, and Joe even kissed her with a fountain of blue and red and white sparks cascading in the sky above them. “Come back to my hotel room?” he asked in her ear. She only hesitated for two seconds before nodding her agreement. Because she wanted to be with him again and she’d already allowed for this possibility. She even had a backpack with a change of clothes and a toothbrush sitting in the trunk of Joe’s rental car. Also, tomorrow was Friday, which was her last day there. Her flight left Saturday morning. They didn’t have much time left. The weird thing was, they were both so tired from walking around all day in the fresh air, they got back to Joe’s room, undressed and slid between the sheets of the bed, and started kissing a little, but they both fell asleep before they even got to the good stuff. Mallory woke up in the morning with a big, warm body pressed against her back, her ass in his groin, his arm around her middle. She lay there for a while, absorbing the feeling, the roughness of the hair on his legs against hers, the slow steadiness of his breathing, the scent of him all around her. She wanted to memorize it and keep it all inside her forever because this was going to be the last time she ever had this. She felt as if her heart was being squeezed by a big fist, and she dragged in a big breath of air, dismayed when it came out all shaky. Joe’s arm tightened around her and she sensed his breathing change. Then his lips hit her shoulder and he murmured, “You awake?” “Yeah.”

“Can’t believe we both crashed like that last night.” “I know.” She lifted her lips into a smile and turned her head to look at him. “So much for our wild times.” He gave her a lazy grin, eyes still heavy-lidded, so sexy it made her pussy squeeze. “We can still have wild times,” he muttered. “Spend the day with me?” She nodded. It was their last day. “But I’ll have to go home tonight. My flight leaves early tomorrow morning.” “What time?” “Ten after eight.” He nodded then rolled her to her back and moved over her, his big thigh sliding between hers, his hand cupping her breast and gently squeezing. “Okay. We’ve got all day then. Let’s get our freak on.” She couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her. “Okay. But first I have to brush my teeth.”

Chapter Eighteen

Mallory’s parents dropped her at the airport the next morning. She convinced them not to park and come in, and they said their goodbyes on the sidewalk in front of the terminal while cars and buses roared around them. She and her mom got a little teary and she promised to let them know what was happening with her job. Then she headed into the terminal, pulling her suitcases behind her. She was barely inside the door when someone said, “Need some help with that?” and took her big suitcase from her. She stared at Joe. He grinned. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “Same thing as you. Let’s go check in.” She followed behind him as he led the way with their luggage, now pulling only her carry-on. “Are we on the same flight again?” “We are now. I called and changed mine. I was supposed to be on a later flight.” “Oh.” This actually gave her a soft, swelling feeling in her chest. No wonder he hadn’t made a big deal when they’d said goodbye yesterday. He must have known. They checked in together and got seats together, went through security then found their gate. “Déjà vu,” Joe murmured as they took seats. She huffed out a laugh. “Yeah. Again.” She looked around. “I need coffee.” “Great idea. We ed a Starbucks. I’ll go get us one.” “Thank you.” That was sweet. “Milk, no sugar, right?” “Right.”

“Anything else? Bagel? Muffin?” “I’m good, thanks. Mom made me eat some toast and peanut butter before we left.” He winked and took off toward Starbucks. She sank back in the seat, all softened and smiling, while a hot guy went to get her coffee. She sighed and leaned her head back. It must have been busy at Starbucks, because it took Joe a while and she felt guilty for sending him on a mission that involved waiting in a big line, but he was unfazed when he returned carrying two large cups of coffee. He handed her one and took the seat next to her. “Thank you.” She popped the plastic lid off and breathed in the rich dark scent. “Sorry that took so long.” “Not your fault.” “I know, but you were getting me a coffee.” “Babe.” He leaned over and touched his lips to hers. “I was getting myself one too.” They shared a smile. Crap. Crap, crap, crap. She really liked this guy. Now she felt a little spasm in her heart. “I just want you to know,” she said, looking at her coffee. “There will be no mile high sex on this flight.” He bumped her shoulder with his. “Well, damn. I changed my flight for nothing.” She couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t look at his teasing smile or glinty eyes.

“Will you at least talk dirty to me?” he asked. Crap! “No,” she whispered, but she couldn’t help the tug of a smile at the corners of her mouth. “Absolutely not. I’m on my way home now and this crazy kinky vacation stuff has to stop.” She felt him lean back in his seat. He lifted his leg and rested one ankle on the opposite knee. She kept staring at her coffee. “Mallory,” he said finally. “What?” “What does that mean?” “What do you mean, what does that mean?” Ack, this was a stupid conversation. She knew what he meant. “So you go back to Chicago, back to your job which I’m guessing is in a big high rise office tower downtown, probably on the eightieth floor of the John Hancock Center, wearing tidy little suits with your hair all smooth. You probably live in an apartment like that too…neat and perfect and safe. You’ll go out for manicures with your friends, go to hip hop class, and probably date some boring lawyer or ant.” She gasped. “Are you dating some lawyer or ant?” he asked, leaning forward. “No. I told you I don’t have a boyfriend.” “But you were.” She paused then whispered, “Yes.” “Fuck.” “There’s nothing wrong with my life,” she told her coffee. “Other than a huge fucking problem I have.” “It’s messing your perfect life up, isn’t it?”

“Yes!” She nearly shouted the word and she took a chance and glanced at him. “Yes, it is! Of course it is.” “And so am I.” Her eyes closed and her shoulders slumped a little. She gripped her cup in both hands. “No.” “You just want me to go away, don’t you?” It was sort of true. But not really. “This was supposed to be temporary. It is temporary.” “Maybe I don’t want it to be temporary.” Maybe she didn’t either. But how could it be anything but? This had been a crazy fling. Not like her at all. She wasn’t going to be so foolish as to think it could continue back home in Chicago. Back in the real world where she had an important, monumental decision to make that could change her life. Joe’s cell phone rang. She glanced up at him. He frowned and pulled it out, giving her a raised eyebrow look that said he didn’t know who it was. She was more than a little relieved at the interruption in their conversation, which had veered into uncomfortable and was heading toward painful. “Mason,” he said into the phone. “Yeah.” Mallory watched his face change, watched him draw back, his eyes shutter, his jaw tense. “I’m at the airport,” he said. “Ready to board a plane in about…ten minutes.” Silence. “Yeah, I’m going home.” Mallory suddenly knew he was talking to his dad. Her mouth fell open and her body tightened as she shifted to the edge of the seat, watching him wide-eyed. “Shit,” Joe muttered then set down his coffee on the floor at his feet. He covered his eyes. “I was here all week. You couldn’t have figured this out a few days ago?” His mouth tightened. “No, I stayed. I had vacation time booked; I decided to take it. I went to Disneyland.” He gave a short laugh.

Mallory set her hand on his knee and gave a gentle squeeze. He lowered the hand from his face and covered hers, meeting her eyes. She saw the confusion and pain there. She tried to offer him encouragement with her own eyes, wordlessly, and with her hand on his leg. “Yeah, I get it,” he said. He listened. “Really? Don’t—” More silence. He gave a short nod. “Sure. Yeah. Whatever you want. Uh…okay. I won’t if you don’t want me to.” Again a long pause. “Okay.” Joe swallowed. “Okay. Yeah. Let me know. Bye.” He ended the call and slowly lowered the phone. She watched him. “Your dad?” she guessed. He nodded. “Now, he fucking phones me,” he growled. “Fucking great timing. Jesus Christ.” “It is shitty. Are you…still leaving?” “Yeah. I have to get back to work.” His mouth twisted. “He says he’s going to come to Chicago. Now, he decides he wants to see me after all.” “Really? That’s good. Right?” He shrugged. “I guess if he really does it.” She felt her forehead crease. “Why would you think he doesn’t mean it?” He paused at that. “I have no idea. He actually thought I was already back in Chicago. I guess I just…whatever. It doesn’t matter. If he shows, he shows. If not, no big deal.” It did matter. It mattered a lot. Why wouldn’t he it that? She could see how pissed off he was that his dad hadn’t called him sooner, while they still had a chance to meet and maybe get to know each other. It was shitty timing. And he was pissed off because he was disappointed. Like the night he’d gotten drunk because he was disappointed, he just wouldn’t it it. She turned her hand over so their palms were together and curled her fingers around his. He twined his fingers through hers and squeezed. She leaned over

and kissed his jaw. Boarding started then, and they got their stuff together and waited for their row to board. Joe cracked jokes and smiled, their conversation forgotten, at least she assumed that was the case. He again was the perfect gentleman, helping load her case into the overhead compartment, giving her the choice of window or aisle seat, holding her coffee while she settled in and buckled up. But she could tell it was all an act, somehow. She didn’t even know him that well, but maybe doing risky, kinky things with a guy helps get to know him a little quicker than a couple of dinner dates. Which they’d also had. She went along with his act, smiling and laughing at his jokes. Until they were on the ground in Chicago, when they came off the plane and headed to the baggage check where Mallory’s friend Paige was supposed to be waiting to pick her up. She’d texted with her last night to remind Paige of her flight number and time. She and Joe stood by the baggage carousel waiting for their suitcases to make an appearance, and she kept looking around, going on her tiptoes to look over the crowd, trying to find Paige. Maybe she was going to pick her up outside rather than parking in the parking garage and coming into the terminal. Joe hauled her suitcase off the carousel, then his, and they were ready to go. They began to exit the terminal, and she pulled her cell phone out of her purse to check if there was a message from Paige. Nothing. Out on the sidewalk, the weather gave them a fast reality check. “It’s cold!” The overcast sky looked ready to shower rain on them at any minute and the wind gusted around them. “I need my jacket.” She had to pause to open her carry-on and pull out the jacket she’d worn on the trip down there, glad she’d at least worn ballet flats instead of the flip-flops she’d been wearing all week. Joe pulled a jacket out too. Once Mallory had shoved her arms in, she straightened to face him, ready to say goodbye. He was parked in a long-term lot and needed to take a shuttle bus there. “Is your friend here?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’m going to text her and see where she’s at.” “I’ll wait and make sure she shows up.” “You don’t have to do that.” She bit her lip as she thumbed in the text message to Paige. “It’s not a problem.” She held onto her phone as she waited for a reply. “Got plans tonight?” he asked, reaching out to move a strand of hair off her face. “No.” “There’s a hockey game. Rangers are in town.” “Do you have tickets?” “Yeah. Wanna come with me?” She found she did. And not just because she loved hockey. She didn’t want to say goodbye to Joe. God. She had to say goodbye. That was the plan. This was the end. “Okay,” she said. His eyes warmed as he looked at her, and she knew he’d been trying not to show how much he cared about her answer. She was getting pretty good at reading Joe. This was not necessarily a good thing, however. “Jeez,” she said, impatiently glancing at her phone. “Where is she? I’ll try calling.” So she hit Paige’s number in her s and waited while her cell phone rang and rang and then went to voicemail. “Damn.” She frowned. “What the hell? What am I supposed to do?”

“She knew you were coming today?” “Yeah, I texted her last night and she texted back and said she’d be here. This is not like her.” “Well, wait a few more minutes. If she’s driving maybe she doesn’t want to answer her phone.” “Yeah. Possibly.” Mallory shivered and hunched her shoulders. “But you can go, Joe.” “No way. I’m waiting until she’s here. If she doesn’t show, I’ll drive you home.” “You don’t have to do that.” “Mallory.” He gave her a look and she pressed her lips together. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her up against him and his warmth felt nice, so she snuggled in. Paige would freak out if she pulled up and saw her all cuddled up with a hot guy she’d never met. Then Mallory would have to explain how she knew him and…that wasn’t good. But it turned out she didn’t have to worry because fifteen minutes and several more attempts at texting and phoning later, Paige still wasn’t there. “Come on,” Joe said. “Let’s get on the shuttle bus and get my truck and I’ll drive you home.” She agreed but was feeling a little annoyed with Paige. She hadn’t known Paige that long, only about a year. They’d both moved to Chicago around the same time and met at hip hop classes. Paige had just gotten divorced, left her ex-husband, and quit her job in New York and moved to Chicago to start over. She was starting a new business. She was always cheerful and optimistic about her future, but Mallory knew this was all hard for her. Paige had an air of fragility about her that brought out an urge to protect her, even though clearly Paige was a strong and independent woman. It wasn’t like Paige to blow her off. Mallory gave Joe her address and directions to her downtown apartment, which

also had her freaking out a little, because in the last week she’d envisioned this all ending once they left L.A. She did not anticipate seeing him when they were back in Chicago, and here he was driving her home and then taking her to a hockey game later. “Yup,” he said as he parked in the visitor parking area of her building. “Your home is just what I expected.” Her condo was in a modern high rise on South Michigan, within walking distance of her office. “You haven’t even seen it yet,” she chided him. “I can tell from the building.” He came up with her in the elevator, carrying her suitcases for her since he left his in his truck and now had both hands free. They entered her apartment, the air feeling a bit flat and stale, but still faintly scented with “autumn leaves” candles sitting on the coffee table in her living room. “Jesus,” he muttered, walking in. “I don’t even wanna know how much you paid for this.” He paused. “Or how much you make. Christ.” This had never even entered her head as a topic of discussion. Yes, she was well paid at Zafir, but her pay was completely reasonable and in line with others in the profession. Her condo was probably what he expected. Even she found it boring, although it was nice and tastefully decorated. Shiny hardwood floors stretched throughout, gleaming in the light that came from the big wall of windows even though it was an overcast day. She had a squarish sectional sitting on a patterned rug, flanked by a couple of tub chairs and some simple tables. The walls were a deep matte mossy green with white trim but it was open plan so stayed airy and light. “Don’t say it,” she warned him as he took it all in. He grinned, that sexy, charming grin that made her knees wobble a little. “You’re right. It’s very nice.” “I can walk to work,” she said. “It’s got good security and it’s very practical.” “Practical. Yeah.”

“Where do you live?” “Streeterville. North Lake Shore.” Huh. Not actually that far away. And not exactly cheap. She lifted an eyebrow. “It’s okay,” he said a shrug. “A loft near the hospital. Nothing special.” She nodded. “Thanks for the ride. I hope Paige is okay. I’ll keep trying her.” “Game’s at seven,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at five-thirty and we can get there early and grab something to eat before.” She found herself reluctantly agreeing to what was sounding more and more like an actual, serious, normal date. “Fine.” He moved closer, set his hands on her waist and pulled her up against him. For some reason, this was weird. And yet it was so normal. Seeing Joe in her apartment, feeling like she’d known him forever and yet he’d never been there, was weird. Having his hands on her, pulling her in for a sweet, soft kiss on her lips, when they’d been far more intimate than this, felt normal…but weird in this environment. It was messing with her head. “See you in a few hours,” he said after he kissed her. And then he left. She had another bizarre feeling as he walked out the door, an unexpected, irrational rush of fear that he was going to disappear and she’d never see him again. Now, back in her normal surroundings, Joe seemed like a figment of her imagination, a hot sexy dream she’d been living for the last week. Unreal. Shaking her head, she moved into her condo. She had unpacking and laundry to do and should probably go pick up some groceries to get through the rest of the weekend and into the work week. Work. She had to go back to work on Monday morning. She’d been so sure this vacation was going to clear her head and she would see exactly the path she needed to take, what she had to do. But she found herself just as confused as ever and dreading Monday morning. A knot formed in her gut as she opened her

bags and pulled out all her shit, moving her makeup back to the dresser in the bedroom, her flat iron into the small bathroom attached the bedroom, setting shoes and boots neatly in her walk-in closet. As she did all this, she kept her cell phone close at hand, frequently checking for messages from Paige, and she tried calling her again. She couldn’t help but be annoyed that Paige had blown her off like that without even letting her know. Her apartment had a small washer and dryer in a utility room off the kitchen, so she started a load of laundry then grabbed her purse and went out to Trader Joe’s to pick up some things. It was busy on Saturday afternoon. She picked up bread and milk, some fresh pasta and sauce, a bottle of wine, some things for sandwiches. She walked back beneath the leafy canopy of turning leaves above her. Autumn in Chicago could be so beautiful, but this blustery day with spatters of rain beginning to come down made her miss California. What she really missed was the distance that had put between her and her work problems.

Chapter Nineteen

Joe arrived home with an unsettled feeling. Yeah. Back to reality. And reality sucked. The phone call from his dad just as he’d been about to get on the plane pissed him off. But there was something else too, something he didn’t want to examine too much or even it. A faint feeling of hope. Relief. Excitement. He’d put too much hope into going to California and then had gotten kicked in the teeth. He should have known better, because his whole life he’d learned not to get too excited about people giving a shit about him. And then he thought of Mallory. Because maybe he shouldn’t be too excited about her either. He had the tickets to the game, although he’d vaguely talked to Beamer about going with him. Beamer would understand. He found himself with a strange need to hang on to Mallory. His life was all twisted up and somehow she made him feel okay. Better than okay. Great. Now he was back, his reprieve from reality was over and he was going to have to figure out what to do with his family. He hadn’t seen Dad—as in, the dad he’d grown up with—since he’d learned the truth from Grandma, then had it confirmed by Mom. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now. Now he could understand why the guy had hated him his whole life, but even so, that still burned. That was still a crap thing to do to an innocent kid who had no clue. If Dad had been pissed off at Mom for leaving and cheating on him with another guy, her former lover, why had they stayed together all this time? Why take it out on him? There’d also been tension between Mom and Dad for many years. He’d always felt he was the cause of that and now he knew why. This was the stuff he’d been putting off thinking about. While he’d taken off with a wild hair up his ass about meeting his real dad, finding the biological

father he’d somehow thought was going to immediately love him and accept him, unlike the man who’d raised him. That hadn’t worked out so great. Whether Tim would actually come to Chicago remained to be seen, although he’d sounded like he was pretty definite. But Joe knew better than to get his expectations up about something like that. Then there was his relationship with his mom and his brothers. Half brothers. He’d also put off thinking about what his mom had done. Judging her. She’d cheated on her husband. She’d gotten pregnant with another man’s baby. He had no idea whether she’d been upfront with Dad early on or if he’d found out the truth some other way. She’d also let him be raised by a bitter man who hated his guts. His brothers…they’d always gotten along fine, even though he’d resented them for a lot of things when he was younger. When he’d realized how much attention they got from Dad that he didn’t. Now he was older, he’d already accepted that it wasn’t their fault. They hadn’t even seemed to realize what was happening, and in many ways this had created a divide between the two of them and Joe that was subtle, but nonetheless there. Did this change anything? He had no fucking clue. The week away hadn’t helped him get his head on straight at all. But he was seeing Mallory tonight, so things couldn’t be all bad. He had shit to do. Shower, shave, change. Call Beamer and tell him the game was off. Eh. He was coming out of the shower when he heard his cell phone ringing. He’d tossed it on his bed so he hustled across the room and grabbed it. He gritted his teeth when he saw who it was. Ugh. “Hi, Mom,” he said. “Joe. Where are you? Are you home yet?” “Yeah. Just got home.”

“How did it go?” “Shitty.” No point in beating around the shrubs. “If you mean how did it go with Tim. Otherwise, I had a great trip.” “Oh.” More silence. “What happened?” “I went to Disneyland. It was fun. Saw Mickey Mouse—” “Joe. I meant with Tim.” “Yeah. I knew that. He didn’t want anything to do with me. Basically showed me the door. But then…” He sighed. “He did call me this morning, actually. We talked a little bit. He, ah, says he’s gonna come to Chicago to see me.” After a thick pause, Mom said, “Really?” Joe narrowed his eyes. “Yeah. Who knows if he really meant it.” What the fuck? Did Mom still care about him? Christ. He rubbed his forehead. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I understand that it was a shock for me to show up out of the blue like that. You were right, I probably shouldn’t have gone there.” “I’m sorry, Joe.” “No, no, don’t be sorry. It was fine. Like I said, it doesn’t matter.” He shrugged. “I know it was a shock for you too.” “No kidding,” he muttered. “You’re angry with me about it, aren’t you?” He stayed silent for a moment. For years he’d pretended it didn’t bother him that his dad had treated him differently. For some reason, at that moment, he was tired of pretending he didn’t care. “Yeah,” he finally said. “Yeah, Mom, I kind of am.” He could feel her waves of sadness even through the phone. “I’m sorry,” she said. “So sorry.”

“I know.” “How was he?” He paused. “You mean Tim?” “Yes.” His chest got tight. “Do you care, Mom?” Dense silence was the response to his question. “Look, I gotta go. I’m going to the hockey game tonight.” “Will you come for dinner tomorrow night? It’s Sunday, and I’m making roast beef.” Fuck no. “Yeah, sorry, I have plans.” “You’re lying.” He couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, Mom. I’m lying. I need some time.” “Okay. I understand.” But he heard the thickness of her voice and knew she was upset. “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll be fine. I’m always fine. Talk soon.” He ended the call and tossed the phone back on the bed. His head tipped back and he closed his eyes. Fuck. Might as well get the next call over with. He grabbed the phone again and called Beamer. “Hey, dude,” he said. “I’m back.” “’Sup, man? How was L.A.?” “Great.” He hadn’t told his friends what he’d learned and the real reason for his spur of the moment vacation. “You’re not going to believe what happened.” “I’m all ears.” He told him about meeting Mallory, the night in the hotel room in Denver and then seeing her again in California, the story cleaned up out of respect for Mallory. “I’m taking her to the game tonight,” he said.

“Fuck! I thought you were taking me.” Joe cringed. “Sorry.” Beamer laughed. “I’m fucking with ya. It’s cool. I was going to have to tell you to find someone else. I’ve got a hot date too.” “Shaddup.” “Yeah. You know Kevin’s seeing Emma? She introduced me to a friend of hers and she’s pretty sweet. We’re going to a movie.” “Huh. I thought Emma and Kev broke up.” “Yeah, something happened. They broke up then got back together. Honestly, I’m not sure what’s going on with them.” “Well, shit.” Even though he and Kev were good friends, and Kev had clearly been miserable, he hadn’t shared any details about what had transpired between him and Emma. “Okay, so no worries, dude. What’re you doing tomorrow?” “Nothing planned.” “Call me. Football game. Bears are in Washington.” “Yeah. Okay. Later.” Okay. He was set now. He’d go through his mail, chill for a bit then head out to get Mallory. That gave him a bump of pleasure.

He stopped at a bank machine for cash, picked up Mallory at her condo that had probably cost around seven hundred Gs, for fuck’s sake, found not bad parking near the United Center, and then they were sitting in a brew pub ordering beers and sandwiches.

“Happy to be home?” he asked her once they had beers in hand. “No.” “Me either. Cheers.” He lifted his glass and with a smile she did the same. They touched rims with a gentle clink. And both of them feeling the same, sharing that, made it seem somehow better. “Did you get ahold of your friend?” “No.” Her forehead creased. “I don’t know what’s going on with her but I’m kind of pissed off. The least she could do is call me. Of course, if she’s been murdered and is lying dead somewhere, I’m going to feel horribly guilty about being pissed off at her.” “I’m sure she’s fine,” he said. “Wonder what happened though.” They chatted easily about all kinds of stuff as they ate and drank, until it was time to go find their seats for the game. They watched the Rangers and the Blackhawks warm up as the arena filled with spectators, music blasting over the sound system. Mallory impressed him with her hockey knowledge, and he ed when they’d first met and had that drink in the airport bar, her telling him that she liked hockey. Holy shit, it seemed like that was a year ago. At the first intermission they went to get another beer. Standing in the crowded concourse, he spotted a familiar face. “Hey, Sasha.” The pretty blonde stopped and smiled at him, putting a hand on her companion’s arm to stop him too. “Joe! How are you?” “Good.” “I thought you were in Los Angeles.” “I was. Just got back this afternoon. Had tickets to the game.” He smiled at Sasha’s boyfriend. “Hey, Jack. How’s it going?” “Good, thanks.” “Mallory, this is Sasha Bendel and Jack Grenville.”

Greetings were exchanged, then Sasha said, looking at Mallory, “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” Mallory tipped her head to one side, then her eyes widened. “Yes! From hip hop class.” Joe and Jack exchanged a look. “Hip hop?” Jack said, smiling down at Sasha with a raised eyebrow. She elbowed him in the ribs. “Yeah. It’s good exercise. I haven’t gone for a while. But it was fun.” “You should come again. Do you Paige? Paige Nelson? We still go every week.” Sasha nodded. “I her. That’s cool.” They made some small talk about their jobs, Joe’s trip and the game, and then it was time for the second period. “That guy is freakin’ loaded,” Joe said as they took their seats. “Jack Grenville.” “Yeah, yeah, he moved his business here to Chicago a while back—it was all over the news. He’s some kind of wunderkid entrepreneur techie guy. I thought I recognized the name.” Joe laughed. “Yeah, that’s about it.” “How do you know Sasha?” “She lives with my buddy Kevin. They’re roommates.” “Oh. Cool.” When Kev had first introduced him to Sasha, Joe had been mildly interested in her. She was gorgeous and smart and sweet. Kev always said they were just friends, but seeing as she lived with Kevin, Joe had never been sure if there was more to their relationship than just roommates, so he’d never let himself go there with Sasha. But then she’d hooked up with Jack Grenville, so clearly she and Kev were just friends. “Kevin’s actually seeing Jack’s sister, Emma. And…” He

laughed. “This is funny. When I called Beamer to tell him I was taking you to the game tonight, he tells me he already had a date—and it’s with a friend of Emma’s.” He shook his head. “Small world.” “It is.” He looked at her. “Can you believe we met on a plane to L.A. and here we are back home in Chicago?” Her eyes met his and he tried to figure out the expression on her face. She didn’t exactly look as happy as he felt, but then her eyes went soft and the corners of her mouth tipped up. “It is hard to believe.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. “I’m having fun.” “Me too.” It was probably the tamest date they’d ever had, but it was true. He was having fun. “I talked to my mom,” he found himself telling her. “How was that?” “Not great.” “You told her about your dad?” “Yeah. She sounded…sad. And then she asked me how he was.” He gave a short laugh. “Fuck, I can’t believe she still has feelings for him. What the fuck, Mal?” She reached for his hand and squeezed it, both of them with their eyes on the game. “She might not have feelings for him. She stayed married to your dad all this time.” “I know. But she asked. I feel all kinds of fucked up about this.” “I get it.” She nudged his upper arm with her shoulder. “It’s a lot to process.” “I thought going away and meeting my real dad would help me process it. Instead, I think I was just putting it off.”

She sighed. “I thought the same thing about my trip. Maybe I was procrastinating. Now we’re back and we both have shit to deal with.” With her small hand clasped in his, all he could think was that he was glad he had her there. And he wished he could help her with her shit. He’d tried. But she had a tough road ahead. “You’ll figure it out,” she said, and he blinked. She was still thinking about him whereas his thoughts had turned to her problems. “Yeah,” he agreed. “I will.” He paused. “I was just thinking I’m glad you’re here with me while I sort this shit out. And I wish I could help you more.” Now they turned to look at each other and their eyes met. They shared a long, wordless exchange, and then Mallory whispered, “Me too.” He squeezed her hand again and they turned back to the game.

“Fucking hell. Suck me, baby. Oh yeah.” Mallory was already doing what he’d requested, on her knees in her living room in front of floor-to-ceiling windows. Nobody could see in, of course. Well. She hoped nobody could see in. It still felt risky. That little kick of danger that they both liked. They’d already stripped each other out of their clothes during a hot make-out session on her couch, and now he stood, feet apart, hands holding her hair back from her face while she sucked him. Her fingers gripped his hips, then she slipped one hand beneath his balls to fondle them. They were hot and full and tight, and the feel of them in her hand excited her. Wetness grew between her legs. She let him fall from her mouth then circled the tip of his cock with her tongue, exploring the ridge of the crown, then licking up and down the shaft. “Mmm,” she murmured, enjoying the texture of his soft skin over male hardness, enjoying the taste of him on her tongue. With her other hand she lifted his cock up so she could drag her tongue over his testicles, and his groan sent a shiver of delight through her.

His fingers tightened in her hair, teasing her scalp deliciously. Tingles cascaded down her spine. “Your mouth feels so damn good on my dick,” he groaned. “Yeah…do that again…fuck yeah.” Oh yeah, he was good at the dirty talk. She explored his balls and the root of his cock with her tongue, kissed his hard thigh muscles and then the tender skin at his hip bones. She tipped her head back and looked up at him, met his eyes that were blazing down at her watching her pleasure him. “Fuck, that’s hot,” he rasped out. “Hold still, Mal.” One hand cupped her chin. “Wanna fuck your mouth.” And he took control of it, sliding his cock into her mouth. She went very still. Giving up control in a vulnerable position like this was intimidating. But she trusted Joe. God, she had to trust him, after everything they’d done. And when she looked up at him and saw the expression on his face, the wonder and tenderness and holy hell, he was exited too, she felt less vulnerability and more power. She was powerful. The weight of his cock on her tongue felt so good and she opened wide to take him, keeping her gaze fastened on his. He began to move, sliding in deeper, then out, and deeper still until he bumped the back of her throat. She fought not to gag, breathed through her nose, loving the intense look on his face as he held her head still and, yes, fucked her mouth. Yeah, it was hot. She loved it. She had to break eye it was so intense, closing her eyes, which were damp with tears. His cock swelled even larger in her mouth and emotion expanded in her chest, along with the liquid heat that gathered between her legs, the feeling of pressure inside her. But she opened her eyes to look at him again, watching his eyelids lower, his jaw tighten, his beautiful lips part into a near-snarl. “So close…gonna come…” He thrust faster, still taking care with her, his hands firm but gentle on her head. She got lost in the sensation, mesmerized by his gaze, her world narrowing to them,

right there, that most intimate connection between them, his pleasure…there. His cock swelled again and he thrust deep and then filled her mouth. His chin tipped up, his fingers tightened on her jaw and he let out a long, rough groan that filled her head with pleasure. “Fuck, Mallory. Holy fuck.” She let him withdraw slowly, sucking gently, then held him in her hands and licked him all over with lush, reverent strokes of her tongue, swallowing his essence and memorizing his taste. Wow.

Chapter Twenty

Joe stayed over that night. Of course. As if she could kick him out. She was weak even though she knew this wasn’t a good idea. They had a lazy morning in bed, eating streusel-topped blueberry muffins from Trader Joe’s. She might even have been thinking about Joe when she was at Trader Joe’s. Not just because of the same name. She was just thinking about Joe a lot. He left around noon to go home and then he was going to a friend’s place to watch football—Kevin, the roommate of Sasha who she sort of knew from hip hop class. He asked if she wanted to go with them, but she said no, because first of all it was him and his buddies, and second of all she still hadn’t heard from Paige, and she was heading over to her place to see if she was there and give her a piece of her mind. A big, sharp piece. So Joe said he’d call her later and maybe she could them or they could go out for dinner and she agreed. Paige didn’t live that far from her, which made sense since the place they went to hip hop classes was close by both of them. Her apartment was nothing like Mallory’s though—it was tiny and a bit shabby. Mallory could tell the first time she ever went there that Paige was uncomfortable and that was before Paige had ever visited Mallory’s condo, but as Mallory got to know her better and know her story, she knew this was a big step down from what she’d been used to in New York with her husband. They’d both had successful careers, Paige as Public Relations and Social Media Director at Chatelaine Cosmetics, her ex as a hedge fund trader. She had beautiful clothes and shoes and in fact, that was what had prompted her to start her own business, Bisou Style. With her business background and her love of fashion, she figured this was a good thing for her to do, and she had a unique concept that seemed to be taking off. Mallory buzzed at the entrance to the building. Waited. No answer. Buzzed again. Fuck! Where the hell was she? Then Paige answered.

“Paige! It’s me, Mallory.” Silence. “Mallory. Oh.” More silence. Jesus Christ. “Let me in, hon.” After a couple of seconds Paige buzzed her in. She swept in and hurried to the elevator, then impatiently tapped her foot as she waited for it to rise to the sixth floor where she lived. She rapped on her door and Paige must have been waiting because it opened right away. She stepped back to open the door and Mallory cruised in. “Paige. Where have you been? I’ve been trying to get ahold of you since yesterday. And why the hell didn’t you pick me up at the airport?” Mallory paused and turned to look at her friend. She was closing the door and had her back to her, and she paused there. “Paige?” Still she didn’t turn. “What’s wrong?” Mallory’s insides clenched hard and her heart started racing. “Paige.” She turned then, slowly, and Mallory saw the bruise on her right cheekbone. And the cut at the corner of her mouth. But most horrifying of all, she saw the pain and anguish in her eyes. Mallory sucked in a breath, blinked, then rocketed toward Paige. She took hold of her upper arms and held her, studying her face. “Paige. Oh my God. What happened to you?” She closed her eyes and her pretty mouth tightened. “Mallory.” “What? What?” Mallory’s mind was a jumble of thoughts and then all she could think to do was wrap her friend in her arms and hug her. “God, Paige. Are you okay?” She gave a nod, buried her face on Mallory’s shoulder, and Mallory felt her body

tremble. “I’m okay.” “You’re not okay. Clearly. Why did I even ask such a stupid question? God. God. Paige.” Mallory could not figure this out. Had she been attacked on the street? Mugged? Oh God…worse? “Let’s sit down,” Mallory said, leading Paige into her small living room. They sat on the couch, side by side. “Tell me. What happened?” “Yesterday…Delmer showed up.” Mallory blinked rapidly. Delmer was her ex-husband. In New York. “Yeah?” Paige bent her head and clasped her hands on her knees in front of her. She was dressed in gray yoga pants and a baggy gray T-shirt. “He…um…I didn’t want him to know where I am. Where I live. I don’t know how he found me.” Mallory frowned. Her insides got even tighter and her heart beat faster. This didn’t sound good. She knew Paige wasn’t exactly fond of Delmer anymore— duh, they were divorced—but she didn’t know this. “How did he find you? Why did he find you?” Shit. She should be asking one question at a time. Slow. Careful. Paige was obviously having a hard time with this. And something bad had happened. “I don’t know how he found me, but he has his ways.” Paige’s voice took on a bitter age. “As for why, he says he wants me back.” “But you’re divorced.” “Actually, we’re not.” Mallory’s eyebrows drew down. “What? I thought you were.” “He never signed the papers. I tell everyone I’m divorced, because I am, because I feel like I am. I will be. I don’t want to be married to him.” These last words came out in a fierce rush.

“I know. I know.” Mallory rubbed a hand up and down her back, feeling confused and helpless. “Okay, so he found you, he wants you back. Did he…hurt you?” She lifted her hands to cover her face, bending over. “Yes.” Terror seized Mallory in a tight grip, making breathing difficult. She didn’t even want to ask the next question. “Why? What happened, hon?” Fuck! One question at a time, idiot! “He came here in the morning just when I was supposed to leave to pick you up at the airport. I tried to tell him I had to go. He didn’t listen. He wanted to ‘talk’.” She shook her head, still in her hands. “He wouldn’t let me leave. He was begging me to come back to him. Spouting all this bullshit about how much he needs me. Christ.” She stopped and Mallory felt the trembling of her body intensify. She slid her arm right around her friend and leaned her chin on her shoulder. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s okay. I’m here. You’re okay.” She nodded in jerky movements. “You don’t know…everything. About him. About my marriage.” Clearly. Mallory sucked in another burning breath. Paige didn’t continue right away. Then she said, “Delmer likes to be in control. He wanted to control me. He wanted to do things to me…that I didn’t like.” Mallory closed her eyes. Her throat constricted. “Things got worse and worse. That’s why I left him. He was doing things that hurt me…and I didn’t want it. At first…” She stopped. Mallory felt the tension vibrating through her slender body. “Well. I didn’t want it. It was too much. I wanted out. He wouldn’t accept that.” “Is that why you moved here?” Mallory whispered. “Yes. I had to get away from him. Far away. Yesterday he wanted to talk. He tried to convince me to come back. He’s very charming and good looking. He

can be so nice at times. I told him I didn’t want to talk, but he wouldn’t let me leave. I’m sorry I didn’t pick you up.” Mallory gave her head a little shake, and shame filled her at how annoyed she’d been. Fuck! “That’s okay,” she whispered. “No big deal. I got home.” “So he kept talking, kept trying to convince me to go back to New York with him. I kept saying no, we were done, I was staying here. He got angrier and angrier…he got physical.” This wasn’t a surprise given the way her face looked. But still, it made Mallory’s stomach churn. Her arm tightened around Paige. “Oh God.” For some stupid reason she thought of Joe at that moment. He was so big and masculine and strong, and he could be rough—but only in a way she loved, and even then he was always respectful and generous. She thought about the fact that he was a police officer. Would he know what to do? What to say? But he wasn’t there, and she was, and she had to deal with it. Her heart felt like a knife was slicing through it for Paige. They hadn’t been friends for long, but she was the best friend she had in Chicago and Mallory loved her. “Did you call the police?” “No.” “Why not?” Paige sighed. “What are they going to do about it? Arrest him? Not likely.” Mallory bit her lip. “But they need to know. What if he comes back? You should get a restraining order or something.” “He’s gone,” Paige said wearily. “Hopefully I convinced him that we’re not getting back together.” If Mallory ever got near that douchebag, she’d have to restrain herself from ripping his dick and balls off and feeding them to him. Wow. Big talk from a girl who’d never in her life laid a hand on another person.

“Okay,” Mallory finally said. “What can I do for you?” Paige sighed. “I’m going to have to move.” Mallory gazed sadly at her. “Really?” “I don’t want him to find me again.” He’d found her once and according to her he had his ways, but yeah, she needed to move. “You can stay with me until you find a new place.” “I can’t do that.” “Yes, you can. Pack some things. We’ll go back to my place and have some lunch.” “I’m not hungry.” “You need to eat. Come on. I’ll help you pack.” They went into Paige’s room and she got out a small suitcase. She seemed to have a hard time deciding what to pack, standing in front of her dresser looking down at the makeup there. Mallory picked up a cosmetic bag and began dropping things in—BB cream, blush, mascara. Paige added a few more things then moved to her closet. “I need something to wear to work tomorrow,” she murmured, standing there again undecided. “Do you have any meetings?” “I’m not sure.” She paused. “No. I just need some jeans.” They picked out a pair of jeans, a sweater and boots. Underwear. Paige obediently picked out the things Mallory stated then went to the bathroom to grab shampoo. They locked up her apartment and drove to Mallory’s place, where they put together a salad with stuff in her fridge, basically a salad Niçoise, with hardboiled eggs and tomatoes and olives and a can of tuna from the cupboard. She

had some rolls from Trader Joe’s so warmed up two in the oven until they were crusty. Neither of them had much appetite, but they sat at Mallory’s small dining table to eat. Paige asked how Mallory’s trip was and she told her about it. Some of it. For some reason, she didn’t want to mention Joe and how incredible he was and what had happened between them and that she was supposed to see him later. This didn’t seem like good timing. “Now what do you want to do?” Mallory asked after lunch. “I don’t know.” Paige seemed tired and defeated. “How about a bubble bath and a glass of wine?” She smiled. “That sounds nice.” “Come on,” Mallory once more urged her. She started the tub running and tossed in a generous handful of some honeysuckle-scented Chatelaine bath salts Paige had given her. She brought Paige a glass of wine and a magazine and left her there to soak. “Call if you need me.” Mallory busied herself preparing her guest room for Paige, making the bed with clean sheets, unpacking a few of her things, ing last night with Joe and trying not to think about that. Standing in front of her big living room window, she closed her eyes. How had she let him convince her to do things like that in her own home? It was bad enough that they did crazy things in an airport full of strangers, but right in front of her open living room window? Dear God. Partway through all this, she gave a soft knock at the bathroom door. “Paige? Need anything?” “No. I’m good.” Satisfied that she was okay, she continued puttering around until Paige emerged from the bathroom, her hair washed and tousled, her face pink and shiny. “Let me dry your hair,” Mallory said. “Then you can get dressed and we can go for a walk. It’s nice today. Not like yesterday. That was a rude shock coming back from sunny California.”

Paige allowed Mallory to blow dry her short blonde hair, which didn’t take long, but said she didn’t feel like going for a walk. “I think we should,” Mallory coaxed. “We’ll go to the park. I read somewhere that when you’re depressed, being in an open space where you can see the sky is good for you.” She had no idea where she’d read that, but she’d actually tried it herself a few times when things at work were getting to her. And it did help. A little. So Paige got dressed and they went for a walk to a nearby park. Today was one of those spectacular fall days with the leaves turning, the sky a perfect clear blue, the air fresh and crisp. They sat on a bench and looked out over an expanse of green grass and some fiery shrubs glowing in the sunlight. “I’m not going to ask any more questions,” Mallory told Paige. “But I want you to know that if you want to talk about anything…I’m here.” Paige nodded. But she didn’t say much. And that was okay. Mallory had stuff to think about too. Joe. What was happening with them. Work. What she was going to do about that. And even though she was sitting in such a beautiful, peaceful place, everything seemed to rise up and smack her in the face. All she wanted was to be good. She wanted her life to be safe and responsible. She tried to do the right things. She made her parents proud of her by doing this, by working hard at her job, working her way up, trying to make it up to them for the problems she’d caused in her youth when she’d been out of control. And here she was with her life a huge fucking mess. A guy she really didn’t even know who made her do crazy, kinky things with him. A situation at work that was about to blow up in her face in probably a very public way, that was going to embarrass her parents yet again, no matter what she did. And a best friend who’d just been assaulted by her ex-husband, a guy Mallory wanted to kill with her bare hands. An intense feeling of pressure rose up inside her, swelling huge and cutting off her breathing. She closed her eyes and tried to settle it but felt her heart start to race, and she began to feel a little dizzy.

Goddammit! This was one of those stupid panic attacks coming on! Not now! Her best friend had just been beaten, she needed to be there for her, not wallowing in her own damn anxiety issues. She tried to breathe. It wasn’t working so well. Paige hadn’t seemed to notice her agitation as they sat there on the bench, lost in her own thoughts. Mallory’s cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her purse. Joe. Oh God. Oh God. Her breathing stalled again. She stared at the screen of her phone. “Who is it?” Paige asked idly, looking at Mallory. Then Mallory felt the change in Paige, concern radiating off her. “Mallory?” Trying to be casual, she touched the button to talk to Joe. “Hi.” “Hey gorgeous. Where y’at?” “I-I’m in a park.” Her voice sounded weird even to her own ears, tight and high. “In a park?” “Yeah. W-with Paige.” She felt Paige’s curious gaze on her and met her eyes and tried to smile. The park spun around her. Fuck no. This could not happen now. “Oh. Okay. D’you wanna come over here? Sasha’s here too, so you won’t be the only girl. We’re gonna order pizza.” “I can’t.” A beat of silence, then, “You wanna bring your girl Paige too?” “No.” She closed her eyes briefly. She was sounding rude. “You okay, babe?” he asked, his voice deepening. “Um. Yeah.” “You don’t sound okay. Where’d you say you are? What park?”

She looked around. She didn’t even know the name of the park. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. We came for a-a walk. It’s a nice day.” “Fuck, what’s wrong?” he demanded, now alert to the fact that she definitely sounded weird. “Nothing.” Paige’s forehead creased again, watching and listening to Mallory. “This isn’t a good time,” Mallory told him, words still coming out short and rude-sounding. “I’ll…I’ll talk to you some other time.” Or maybe never. This was ridiculous. She couldn’t handle all these complications in her safe little orderly world. She had to help Paige deal. She had to go quit her job. Or something. “Bye,” she added and clicked the phone off. “Who was that?” Paige asked. “Nobody.” Mallory closed her eyes, leaned her head back, slumped on the bench, and tried to stop the waves of dizziness. Her heart felt like it was missing every other beat. “Mallory. What’s going on?” “I met a guy. In the airport.” She sucked in air. “We hooked up. My flight got cancelled on the way to L.A. and I had to spend the night in Denver. I spent it with him.” Mallory sensed Paige’s interest and concern radiating off her in waves. “That was him?” “Yeah.” “Is he bothering you?” She had to huff out a laugh at that. “Oh yeah.” “Jesus, Mallory.”

“Not like that,” she added, knowing what Paige was thinking. “He’s a great guy. But I don’t need complications in my life right now.” “A boyfriend isn’t necessarily a bad complication,” Paige said quietly. Boyfriend. “He’s not a boyfriend. It’s mostly sex. We seemed to, um, hit it off sexually.” Without going into kinky details, which she certainly wasn’t going to share with sweet little Paige. Who also thought Mallory was a sweet little thing. “Oh.” Now Mallory felt her friend’s tension. Then her phone rang again. “Shit,” she muttered. Eyes still closed, she felt Paige take the phone from her then heard her speak. “Hello. This is Paige.” Mallory’s eyes popped open and she sat up straight, making her head spin wildly. With her eyes on Mallory, Paige spoke again, “Yeah, she’s not feeling well.” Mallory frowned and swiped at her sweaty forehead. “I’ll get her back to her place,” Paige said. Mallory tried to snatch the phone away from her but she moved it out of reach, still talking. “I think she’s having a panic attack. Probably my fault,” she added in a low mutter. “Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Bye.” Then she ended the call, shoved Mallory’s phone into her purse sitting on the bench and stood. “Let’s go, Mal.” Mallory wasn’t actually sure if she could move, but she stood, wavering a little. Paige took hold of her arm. “This is not your fault,” Mallory mumbled, still sweating. “I’m just being stupid.” “You can’t help it.” Mallory made a noise. Before she’d had one, she thought panic attacks were

something people should just get over. She’d never realized that the mind could have such a powerful effect on the body. Even so, she still felt she should be able to just “get over it”. “This is not happening,” she grumbled as they headed out of the park. “I’m supposed to be looking after you.” “You did,” Paige said. “And I’m fine. Or, I will be. Now it’s my turn. What’s up, Mal? Why are you freaking out?” They crossed the street and Paige marched her along the sidewalk toward her building. “I want to move to Fiji.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Joe was pretty relaxed after spending the afternoon with Kev and Beamer watching football, drinking beer and eating potato chips. When Sasha arrived home and they started to talk about ordering pizza, he had the idea to call Mallory and invite her over. She could meet his friends. They could meet her. It would be cool. But fuck, she’d sounded rough on the phone. He had no idea what was going on, but he’d knifed up off the couch when Paige answered her phone and told him Mallory wasn’t feeling well and was on his way out the door before she’d finished talking. He shouted back at the guys, “Gotta go. Later.” Now he was in his truck and on his way to Mallory’s apartment. A rock had formed in his gut. What was wrong with Mallory? Why hadn’t she told him something was wrong? Shit. He was soon knocking on her door. A woman opened it with a security chain on and peered out, a small woman, with short blonde hair. “Joe?” “That’s me.” She let him in and he tried not to shove right past her to find Mallory. “Hi,” he said extending a hand. “Nice to meet you, Paige.” She shook his hand, giving him an assessing look and a tight smile. He didn’t usually like short hair on women, but hers was cute, pale blonde, showing off small ears and a delicate neck. Long bangs swept across her forehead, emphasizing big gray-blue eyes and high cheekbones. Then he took in puffy eyes, pink nose, pale face, tension lines around her eyes and mouth, a faint bruise on one cheekbone and a cut at the corner of her mouth. Jesus Christ. “Come in. Mallory’s resting on the couch.” “What the hell happened?” He strode past her into the living room, now even

more concerned about Mallory. She was stretched out on the couch, eyes closed. He dropped to a crouch beside her and touched her face. “Mallory? Babe, you okay?” She opened her eyes and blinked, then frowned. “Joe?” “You must’ve dozed off, Mal,” Paige said from behind him. “Feel any better?” What the fuck? She looked okay, a little pale, maybe. He slid his hand into her hair, his thumb rubbing along her hairline. “What happened, babe?” She closed her eyes again and sighed. “Nothing. I’m fine.” “It was definitely a panic attack,” Paige offered. Mallory’s gorgeous blue eyes flew open to shoot a glare at her friend. Panic attack. Yeah, Paige had said that on the phone. Not life threatening. But why was Paige all battered? “You have them often?” he asked. Mallory shook her head. “No. I just started having them recently. You know…” Yeah. He knew. Shit. She didn’t meet his eyes. “You really didn’t need to come. I’m fine.” “I was worried about you.” She squeezed her eyes closed. “Well, you shouldn’t be. You didn’t need to come.” Joe sensed Paige hovering anxiously nearby and shot her a smile, then said to Mallory, “I’m gonna let it go that you’re being bitchy,” he said quietly. “Since you’re not feeling well.” She glared at him. “What? Did you just call me a bitch?” “You heard right.” His thumb rubbed her hairline again, gently. “What can I do?” “Nothing! Paige is staying with me tonight. You don’t need to be here.”

“Oh.” He turned to look at Paige. Yesterday she hadn’t shown up at the airport… Joe’s mind starting putting things together. “Are you all right?” “I’m fine,” she murmured. “Paige.” Mallory spoke up. “Joe is a police officer.” Paige and Mallory exchanged a long look. “So?” Paige asked, a bit of an edge to her voice. “He could… Maybe he could give us some advice.” “I don’t need advice. I told you.” This was giving him a fucking headache. “You know,” he said to Mallory. “It’s a good thing I know you’re worth all this.” After a moment of heavy silence, she said, “I’m not.” “Fuck yeah, you are. I’m not leaving. Let’s order pizza, I’m hungry.” Both women stared at him, and then, miraculously, they both broke into reluctant smiles. “I like him, Mal,” Paige said. He grinned. Mallory closed her eyes again and he leaned over and brushed his mouth over hers. “I don’t know what’s going on,” he said in a low voice. “But I’m here for you, gorgeous.” Her lips tightened and he saw her throat move as she swallowed. But she gave a little nod. He rose up and moved to the end of the couch, lifting Mallory’s feet and sitting, lowering them into his lap. Her pretty, bare feet with the bright toe polish. He stroked her feet, up over her ankle beneath the hem of her jeans, down around her heel. Yeah, her feet turned him on. But this wasn’t the time or place for that. This was about comforting her.

He looked at her and their eyes met. Hers went wide and then she jerked her feet out of his grasp and scrambled to sit up. Oh for fuck’s sake. “What kind of pizza do you like, Paige?” he asked. Paige had taken a seat in a nearby armchair. “Um. You mean what restaurant? Or what kind?” “Both.” “I’m not…” Then she sighed. “I like Luciano’s. Their Mediterranean special is good.” “And a sausage pizza. We’ll get two. I’ll order.” He pulled his phone out. “The menu’s in my drawer,” Mallory said, starting to get up. “I’ll get it,” Paige said, rising. When Paige returned, he called in the order, adding breadsticks to the two pizzas. Then he started talking about the football game and made them laugh with a funny story about his friend Beamer and the time he’d gone on a date with some girl who wanted to see The Notebook and he’d started crying at the end of the movie. After a while, the pizza arrived, and he got up and answered the door and paid for it. After they’d eaten, both ladies seemed to be more relaxed and then Mallory hinted that he should leave by saying she and Paige both had to work in the morning. As did he. He didn’t want to leave them. He was worried about both of them. “I’m going to bed,” Paige murmured. “It’s early, but I’m exhausted.” She looked at Mallory. “Thanks for this, and I’m sorry you got stressed because of me.” “It wasn’t because of you,” Mallory protested. “It’s just…a lot of stuff. I feel so stupid, trying to comfort you and ending up nearly ed out myself. God.” Then they smiled at each other. The obvious affection they felt for each other was evident on their faces and something about that made Joe’s chest warm. Paige disappeared down the hall and Joe turned back to Mallory. “What’s going

on?” he demanded in a low voice. “Does this have something to do with why she didn’t pick you up yesterday?” “Yes.” She stared at him. “Her ex-husband showed up, trying to convince her to get back together, and when she told him no, he…beat her.” “Fuck,” he said again, hands clenching into fists. “Who is the asshole?” Mallory shook her head. “He lives in New York.” “I’ll fucking find him and fuck him up.” “No, you won’t.” Her lips twitched. “But thank you.” “Seriously, Mallory. What can I do?” She blinked rapidly, her eyes glossy. “I don’t know. She doesn’t want to report it to the police.” “Want me to talk to her? She should report it. If he ever comes back…there needs to be a record of all this. She might need to get an order of protection and that would help.” She nodded. “You could try. I told her she should, but she just wants to forget it ever happened. She thinks maybe she finally convinced him they’re really done.” “Is she really okay?” “Physically, yeah, some bruises. Mentally…I’m not so sure.” “Fuck.” “She has to move to a new place,” Mallory said. “She’s going to stay with me for a while.” “Good idea.” “I told her that. She doesn’t want to.” “Jesus Christ.” The rush of anger still had his entire body on alert. He wanted to

punch something. Someone. He bowed his head for a moment. Then in a rush of some kind of emotion, an urge to comfort and protect, he reached for Mallory and hauled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms tight around her. She tried to resist, going stiff for a few seconds, then softening, her mouth opening beneath his and her hands grabbing on to his shoulders. “Christ,” he muttered against her jaw, long moments later. “Mallory.” He didn’t want to leave. This was nuts. “Joe.” Her tongue touched the skin on the side of his neck. His body was already hard and throbbing. His dick twitched. “Gonna go home now,” he said, voice low. He opened his mouth on her jaw again. “Even though I don’t want to. We’re gonna talk tomorrow.” “No.” “What?” “We can’t do this.” He drew back and frowned at her. “What are you talking about?” She sighed and pushed at his chest but he kept his arms banded around her. “This. I’ve got enough problems in my life. I can’t do this.” “You’re saying I’m a problem.” It wasn’t a question. This was where they’d been that day in the airport on the way home, when he’d asked her if he was one of the things mes her perfect life. “Well…yeah.” His insides tightened, a feeling of pressure building inside him. “Gee, thanks.” “I’m sorry, but you are. For me.” The pressure became heat. “Okay, no way in fuck am I leaving now without talking about this.” “Joe. We both have to work in the morning. Let’s be sensible—”

“Fuck sensible,” he growled. “No!” She almost shouted it at him then lowered her voice with a flick of her eyes toward the bedrooms. “Not ‘fuck sensible’. I need to be sensible!” He stared at her. She closed her eyes.

Mallory placed her fingertips on her throbbing temples and rubbed. “Tell me why I’m a problem,” Joe said in a low voice. She sighed. She didn’t want to talk about this, but maybe this would help him understand why this was so bad for her. “It’s a long story.” “Got all night, babe.” She sucked in a long shaky breath then let it out slowly. “When I was a teenager, I acted out a lot. I discovered at a young age that I liked men,” she told his shoulder. “And when I say men, I mean men. I especially liked older guys. When I was fifteen, I’d pretty much dated the whole football team, who were all seniors. I liked taking risks. I liked the adrenaline rush. I liked pissing my parents off.” She closed her eyes at the wave of remorse that still swamped her every time she ed. “That part was especially fun. I loved the feeling of power I had. The wilder I got, the more I pissed them off and I loved the reaction. I lied about my age and got my tattoo. I got my piercing. I had sex with any guy who looked at me. I snuck out and stayed out all night. Then…I went too far.” She sensed the air in the room change, becoming thick, his body tightening against hers. “In my senior year, I got involved with one of my teachers,” she continued. “Sexually involved. I was failing math. I asked for some extra help. It turned into a…relationship.” “Fuck,” Joe muttered. “Jesus Christ, Mallory.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “It was a terrible thing to do. Especially because he was married. I thought I was in love with him. He was mature and smart. A real adult. And he was interested in me. I was so excited, so thrilled with how wicked it was, so thrilled with how people were going to freak out when they found out. Of course I had no idea the kinds of consequences there would be. I thought I was all mature and worldly and experienced, but really I was just a lost little girl.” “What kind of asshole was he?” Joe bit out. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back. “It wasn’t his fault. I was pretty insistent.” “The fuck it wasn’t his fault!” Her eyes flew open. He stared at her, his jaw rock-hard, eyes flashing. “He was an adult, a married man. What kind of teacher fucks one of his students? He was the adult in that situation, he was the one who should have known better.” “Yeah.” She gave a small smile. “He made a mistake, and he paid the price for it with his job, in fact, his whole career. I destroyed that for him.” The incredible weight of that guilt was still a heavy burden she bore. “The important thing is, I finally learned from my mistake. My parents paid a big price for what I did too. You can imagine the scandal, and my father’s profession makes it even worse. Since then, I’ve done everything I can to make it up to them. I went to college. I worked hard at my studies. I got a great job when I graduated and I’ve stayed out of trouble ever since. Until I met you.” His eyes narrowed. “Me.” “You have to it we did some risky things.” Her heart picked up speed. “Things I never would have done. You made me do all those crazy things. I can’t keep doing that. I can’t let myself slide back into those patterns. I can’t let myself get addicted to that rush again. I don’t want that.” And then she said the words she had to say, even though it tore her up inside. “I don’t want you.” He stared at her for what felt like a year. His expression didn’t change but tension radiated off him in waves. She felt so pressured, by everything, her need to do the right thing, to make the

right decisions, to make her parents proud and happy. He was tempting. So tempting. But she couldn’t give into that recklessness. If she kept going this way, she’d be that girl again, the one who caused so many people pain and anguish and embarrassment. The one who got her heart broken. She’d told him she’d thought she was in love with Mr. Cramer. What had started as another way to assert her sexuality and feel wanted and desired and powerful had turned into an epic teenage crush that she’d thought had been love. But she didn’t mention to Joe the silly idea she’d had that Mr. Cramer had loved her too, and that he would leave his wife. Somehow, in all the rush of the forbidden, she’d fallen into a fairy tale where he loved her too and they were going to live together happily ever after. When the scandal broke and news got out about them, she’d been so sure he would leave his wife and tell the world he wanted to be with her. That didn’t happen, so on top of the scandal of it all, she was also publicly rejected and humiliated. She knew better than to believe in fairy tales now. “We had fun,” she continued, trying to keep her tone gentle, even though she knew each word was a potential knife. “In the airport. In the hotel. In California. But it was just a crazy one-week adventure. That was all I wanted. A chance to feel those things again, to take a risk, feel the rush, knowing that the consequences were pretty minimal. Because we both agreed on it. Once we got back to Chicago, it was supposed to be done. Right?” He continued to gaze at her and as his arms slackened around her, she slid off his lap and stood. Weakness slid down her legs though, and she hoped she could keep standing. Finally, he said, “Right.” He lifted his chin, his mouth a straight line, his eyes dark. “You’re right.” He gave his head a little shake. “Of course you’re right. Wow.” Then he gave a short laugh. “Sorry, Mallory. Didn’t mean to cause you more stress.” He got up and reached for his jacket and slung it on. He paused. “All right then. Sure you’re feeling okay?” No. God no. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever felt worse. “Yeah, I’m fine. Now I know what these panic attacks are, they’re not actually so bad. They . I’m fine.” “Okay. Good.” He moved to the door. “Take care then.”

He paused with his hand on the knob and she swore she felt her heart cracking, like stepping on a frozen puddle, cracks radiating from the center puncture, freezing pain spreading all through her body like shards of ice were streaming through her veins. He turned to look at her. “You think I made you do all those crazy things,” he said, eyes steady on her. “You need to do some serious thinking about that, Mal. Because I did not make you do any damn thing that you didn’t want to do. You loved it all. You need to own that.” Her eyes went wide and she watched him walk out.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Joe left Mallory’s building and blindly got into his truck. He sat there for a long time before he turned the key in the ignition and put it into gear to drive home, trying to think, but really just feeling. He’d gotten good at turning off the feelings, something he’d practiced his whole life. But this time it was nearly impossible. It was also nearly impossible for him to recognize what he was feeling, since he’d never really let himself feel things before. All he knew was, it hurt like a motherfucker. Thinking about the things Mallory’d told him, her crazy guilt over what she’d done in high school, fourteen fucking years ago, for fuck’s sake, the burden she’d carried ever since, made his gut churn and burn. She’d sounded…afraid. So afraid of going back. Of making mistakes. Life wasn’t life unless you made mistakes. She thought he was a mistake. That fucking hurt too. But then his years of practice kicked in and he fought the feelings back. So she didn’t want anything to do with him. So what. He would never beg for love or attention. After years of hoping for that from his father, after years being kicked in the teeth and rejected at every turn, he would never do that again. So he hadn’t been about to stand there in front of Mallory and beg her to let him in. Tell her she was being stupid not to give them a shot. She wasn’t stupid. But she was fucked up. And since he didn’t give a shit about anything, he was going to leave her to her fucked-up life and get on with his own fucked-up life. He found himself driving back to his buddy Kevin’s place. He had no idea if the others were still there, the game long over, probably pizza and beer consumed and gone. But he couldn’t go home and be alone. He parked on the street in front of Kevin’s place. The lights were all on, and he

recognized Beamer’s car. So he at least was still there. He rapped on the door and entered without waiting for someone to answer. Inside, he heard the television and voices and turned to the open living area that occupied one side of the main floor of the house. Yeah, there was Kevin, slouched in an armchair, beer in hand, looking about as happy as Joe felt. Kevin had been moody as hell lately. Beamer was in another chair and on the couch were Kevin’s roommate Sasha and her boyfriend Jack. They all looked up at him as he walked in. “You’re back,” Beamer said. “What the fuck, man?” Joe shrugged off his jacket again and hung it on a coat rack near the door. “Crisis averted.” “Dude. You were gone for hours.” “Yeah, but it’s all good now. The chick I met on the way to Los Angeles was having a little problem, but it’s taken care of.” They all stared at him. “Mallory?” Sasha asked. “Yeah. Got more beer?” “Fridge. Help yourself,” Kevin said. He did so. “There’s pizza too,” Sasha called to him. “If you’re hungry.” “I ate. But thanks.” He popped the top of the bottle and took a long pull as he walked back to the living room and threw himself into the last empty chair. “You met her on the plane to L.A.?” Sasha continued. “Yeah.” “They shared a hotel room when their flight got cancelled,” Beamer said with an

evil grin. “Joe!” Sasha was sitting up straight. “What’s going on with you two?” “Nothing. As of now. We met, we fucked, we’re done.” He saw Sasha’s mouth drop open and her forehead crease, and he felt a pinch in his gut. Now he was being an asshole. “She’s a nice girl,” Sasha said slowly. “You know her?” Beamer asked, eyes wide. “Not that well, but yeah. We went to hip hop classes together. Once, a bunch of us went out for drinks. Then I got too busy to go.” She fixed her gaze on Joe. Joe tried to shake it off. “Sorry, Sash. But that was basically what happened.” He shrugged. “No big deal.” “No,” she murmured. “No big deal. That’s why you just chugged that beer back faster than a kid at his first kegger.” He held up the empty bottle. Huh. She was right. “Also why you rushed out of here because something was wrong with her,” she added. She eyed him appraisingly. “So, how about those Bears?” Joe said. It was a feeble attempt to change the subject but it worked, mainly because the guys didn’t want to dig too deep into his shit, even though they all clearly suspected something was wrong. Sasha, on the other hand, kept looking at him. Chicks always wanted to talk shit out, but that wasn’t how he rolled. “So I’m looking for a new roommate,” Kevin threw out a while later. Joe looked at Sasha and lifted his eyebrows. She smiled and glanced at Jack. “I’m moving in with Jack.” This was about as surprising as a sunrise. “That’s great,” he said with a real smile for them. They were obviously tight and Joe knew Sasha already

practically lived at Jack’s place, from what Kevin said. He looked at Kev. “What are you going to do about that?” Kevin shrugged. “What about Emma?” he asked. Jack made a strangled-sounding noise. Kevin’s mouth tightened and he slumped lower in his chair. “Eh. Not sure we’re ready for that.” Jack apparently wasn’t enthusiastic about his little sister moving in with a guy. Or was it because it was Kevin? There was something odd between Jack and Kevin. Kevin said he liked Jack and was happy for Sasha, but there was always a faint undercurrent of tension when they were both in the same room. It wasn’t as if they hated each other, it was more like…well, Jack apparently was pretty protective, not just of Emma but also Sasha, that was just the way he was. Joe got that, hell yeah, so maybe that’s what it was. Big brother looking out for sis. “Kevin.” Sasha spoke up reprovingly. “You’re crazy about her.” Kevin shifted in his chair, glancing at Jack, then back at the TV. “Uh.” Apparently, he didn’t want to talk about this with Emma’s brother there. Joe was struck with something. “I know someone who needs a new place to live.” “Yeah?” He eyed Kevin. “You up for another female roommate?” Kevin shrugged. “I guess. Not sure if a chick would want to move in with a strange dude she’s never met though.” “A male roommate would be good for her,” Joe said, liking the idea more. “And Sasha can vouch for you. It’s Mallory’s best friend. I can ask her.” Which meant he’d have to Mallory again. Whatever. He could do that. “Okay. Thanks.”

Beamer left soon as he had to work in the morning, then Jack and Sasha went upstairs to her room. “I should go too,” Joe said but didn’t move out of his chair. “Back to work tomorrow.” “You okay, dude?” Kevin asked. Joe eyed him. “You’re asking me? You’re the one sitting there staring into space half the day.” Kevin sighed. “Problem with Emma? I got the feeling you didn’t want to talk about her with her brother there.” “No shit.” Kevin rubbed his forehead. “Things have been kind of up and down with Emma, but if Jack thinks I’m doing anything to hurt her, he’ll beat me to a bloody pulp. You know he’s a black belt in Aikido?” “Yeah. Heard that. But you’re no puny wimp.” Kevin worked out. He was tall and lean but well-muscled. “Yeah, but I’m no black belt. Anyway. Appreciate that he’s trying to let us work through things, but…” “What’s going on?” Kevin stared into space again. “It’s not her. It’s me.” Joe laughed. “At least you’re taking responsibility. Afraid of commitment?” Kevin had no trouble attracting chicks. Good-looking guy, he worked out, dressed well, had a successful career as an architect…and that was the surface stuff. Joe also knew Kevin was a decent guy, loyal as fuck to his buddies, with a great sense of humor. He tended to be a bit reserved, to keep parts of himself very private, with everyone, which Joe had no issues with, but chicks didn’t dig that. When they were into a guy, they wanted into every piece of his life and his head. But his question was serious. Was it a fear of commitment that kept Kev from having any long-term relationships with the women he dated?

Kevin took his time answering. “Yeah. I guess that’s it.” “Sasha seems to think you’re really into Emma.” “She’s amazing.” “Then what’s the issue?” “Fuck.” Kevin tipped his head back. “Do you tell chicks everything about yourself?” “Uh…what do you mean?” “I mean, do you tell them all your dark dirty secrets?” “I don’t have any dark dirty secrets. Oh wait. Apparently I do.” Christ. This news that his father wasn’t really his father would probably count. Kevin frowned at him. “What?” Joe stared at his feet, legs stretched out in front of him. “I just found out a dark dirty secret. Just before I went to California.” Kevin straightened. “What, man?” Joe sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “C’mon, the longer you make me wait, the more my imagination is running wild. You got a kid somewhere you didn’t know about?” Joe choked out a laugh. “No.” “STD?” “No!” Joe paused. “Okay, I guess I’m gonna tell you guys at some point. I found out my mom had an affair with another man and got pregnant by him.” Kevin frowned. “Yeah. Me. The man I grew up calling Dad is not my biological father.”

Kevin’s eyes rounded. “Shit, man. Are you serious?” “Yep.” He exhaled sharply. “My biological father lives in Long Beach. That’s why I went to California. I went to see him.” “Holy shit.” “Yeah. And it didn’t go so well. He wasn’t real thrilled to discover a son he never knew existed.” “He never knew?” Joe heard the incredulity in Kevin’s voice. “Mom never told him.” “Holy shit,” Kev said again. He sank back into the chair, hands on the armrests. “Wow. You okay?” “Hell yeah.” He made a face. “Whatever. Shit happens.” “Sure, man. Sure.” Kev shook his head slowly. “So…that explains a lot about your relationship with your old man.” “Yeah.” “He was always so hard on you. None of us could ever figure it out. Bugged the hell out of me.” Joe nodded slowly, a little astonished at this. He’d never talked a lot about this to his friends. But they’d noticed. And they’d been pissed off on his behalf. “Really?” “Fuck yeah. Your dad’s an asshole. I mean…the dad you thought was your dad…you know what I mean. Fuck.” “I know what you mean.” “No offense, but we could never figure out why he was such a douche to you, and yet your brothers got away with everything.” They had noticed. Joe’s chest tightened. “Yup, that was the way it was. I couldn’t figure it out either. Fucking made me nuts, trying to figure out what I’d done that

had made him hate me so much.” “Not your fault, dude. Holy shit, not your fault.” Kevin was now staring at him as if he’d just realized the secret to world peace. “That’s really messed up.” “Fuck yeah. I know.” Joe sighed. “Haven’t even talked to my dad or my brothers, or even my mom much since I found out.” “How did you find out?” Joe told him the story about his grandma with Alzheimer’s. “Wow.” Kevin shook his head. “That’s unbelievable. The truth comes out.” “Yeah. Mom knew I was going to California. I talked to her when I got back. She wanted to know how Tim was. Tim, my biological father,” he added in explanation. “Like she still cares or something.” There was a long moment of silence, then Kevin said, “Dude. Don’t judge. You can’t judge someone till you’ve been in their shoes.” “So they say.” He shook his head. “I’m trying not to, but fuck, man, she cheated on my dad. And Tim said she was the ‘love of his life’.” Joe emphasized the words. Then he closed his eyes. What the hell did he know about love? “Anyway. As for your question—do I tell chicks about that? Since I just found out, I—” He stopped short. “I—” “What?” “I told Mallory,” he itted. “When we were in California.” “I thought she was just a fuck. And you’re done.” “Ha. Very funny.” He narrowed his eyes at Kev. “What dark dirty secrets are you keeping from Emma?” Kevin’s face shuttered. “Never said I was.” “Yeah, you pretty much did.” “Just stuff. You know. Personal shit you don’t tell everyone.”

“Well.” Joe looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t know if I’m one to give advice. Kind of like that saying—if you can’t be a good example then you’ll have to be a horrible warning. After what happened with Zoe.” “You kept stuff from her?” “Not secrets. Not like that. But she told me when she dumped me that I kept parts of myself closed off. She felt like she couldn’t get inside me. Couldn’t tell what I was really feeling. And…” He shrugged. “She was right. I never wanted to let on when stuff bugged me. Stuff with my dad. Anything, really. She claimed she didn’t know if I even really cared about her.” And then he went very still. He’d just done the same thing with Mallory. Didn’t want to let on how much her words had hurt him. Pretended he didn’t care. And she too would never know how he really felt about her. Shit. He sat for a few minutes pondering that, a sick feeling in his gut, then gave his head a shake. “So…you don’t spill your guts about everything on the first date. Or even the second. But if it’s serious, I guess you both start sharing shit that you wouldn’t tell others.” He returned his gaze to Kevin. “You two have been going out awhile now. What…six months?” “Almost. We broke up for a while.” “Yeah. You never really said what that was about.” “Eh. Stuff with her brother interfering. We got that sorted out, but…” He scrubbed a hand over the top of his head. “I dunno. I’m just spewing bullshit. Look, I gotta hit the hay.” “Yeah. Me too. Shoulda left an hour ago. But, for what it’s worth, I really like Emma. You two seem good together. Like she’s into you too. Maybe it’s worth sharing a couple of dirty secrets.” “What if she can’t handle them?” Joe stood, squinting at his buddy, a straight-up, decent, loyal, hard-working guy. “Dude. There’s no fucking way your secrets can be that bad.” He slapped a hand on Kev’s shoulder and headed for the door. “Just tell her.”

Joe grabbed his jacket, shoved his arms into it and stepped out into the cool darkness. Alone. Just what he didn’t want to be right then. Ah, fuckit, he was used to being alone. Normally, he was good with it. He liked his space. For some reason though, he had a weird feeling in his gut. At least he had his buddies. Although what Kevin was spouting off about, he had no clue. He was happy for Sasha and Jack. Kinda sucked for Kevin to lose his roommate though. But they’d stay friends. Oh yeah—he had to get hold of Mallory and talk about Paige moving in there. Nice place. Decent rent. And built-in security, of sorts. Mallory. As he drove home, thoughts about her started invading his head. He’d been successful at keeping them out, but now, alone in his truck, driving through dark city streets, there she was. Fuck, talk about sharing dark dirty secrets. An affair with a high school teacher. He shook his head, gripping the steering wheel. He had no fucking idea what that had to do with what was going on between them. Somehow in her mind, she’d twisted things up. He wasn’t even close to really understanding it. So she liked kinky shit. What did she think he was going to do, make a sex tape of them and put it on PornTube or something? Embarrass her and her parents, jeopardize her job? Because there was no way that a little consensual kink in the privacy of a hotel room or apartment was going to be anywhere near the same thing. He shook his head. She said she’d done everything she could to make it up to her parents. That made his heart feel like a fist had reached inside his chest and was squeezing. Christ. Now some of the things she’d said in California made sense—her reluctance to sneak out to see him, to spend the night, despite being a thirty-one-year-old woman. Those were probably things she’d done as a wild child and now she didn’t want to go back there. And she blamed him for making her do that. Shit. Stopped at a red light, he slammed his hand on the steering wheel. He

ed the conversation they’d started at the airport, just when Tim had called, when he’d asked her if he was mes her perfect life. How she should be dating an ant or a lawyer. And she had. And that had probably made her parents very happy. And he, as usual, would not. He’d never made his own parents happy. Why the fuck would he make someone else’s parents happy? And now he’d gone right back to thinking about his family and how fucked up all that was. Jesus. He’d gone away to meet his biological father, think about stuff, get his head on straight, and he’d come home more messed up than ever. Great. Just effing great.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Usually when Mallory was away from the office, she kept on top of e-mails with her BlackBerry, but for the past week she’d deliberately not looked at workrelated e-mails. The whole purpose of the trip was to put some distance between her and work and think about what she was going to do about the problem of the off-label use of Felisse. Plus she’d been kind of distracted by Joe, and now, by Paige’s problems. Which meant she had a ton of e-mails to get through Monday morning. Not to mention people at her office door first thing, asking about her vacation and then wanting her to solve all their problems. She had meetings that had been scheduled while she was away that she needed to prep for. She loved her work, loved solving problems, enjoyed creating with her team, but with the whistle-blowing dilemma looming over her, it wasn’t quite as much fun as it usually was. She pushed aside thoughts of Joe, determined that that crazy episode in her life was done. Now she had to focus on being there for Paige and deciding what to do at work, and while she was still working at Zafir, she didn’t have it in her to do anything less than her very best. Getting caught up meant she was still at the office at six o’clock. She called Paige to see where she was and what she was doing. All day she’d also had a vague worry about Paige and whether her ex—she was still considering him her ex despite Paige’s confession that their divorce wasn’t final—had left Chicago or what he was doing. The fact that he’d physically hurt her made Mallory nauseous. “I’m at your place,” Paige answered her question. “Just got here actually.” “Everything okay?” “Yeah. I’m okay, Mallory. Really.” “You went to work today?”

“Of course. I have a business to run.” Paige had recently started her own business, a web-based personal styling service for busy women. Clients answered a questionnaire and then Paige and her—so far one—assistant picked out clothing and accessories based on the client’s fit and wardrobe needs and shipped them to the client’s home each season. Business was really taking off. Mallory herself had signed up as a client. She liked clothes, liked to look professional in her work and had money to spend, but had no time to shop. She’d also referred a number of other people to Bisou Style, women co-workers in upper management positions who had the same needs. Paige wanted to expand so she could have a studio where people could come in for a personal style assessment and to try some things on if they wanted, and Paige was on the hunt for space she could afford in the right area. At the moment, she was operating out of a tiny warehouse-type space where she got in shipments of clothes and put together packages for clients. “Just wanted to check on you,” Mallory said. “I’m still at the office, trying to get caught up. Have you eaten?” “Yeah, I made myself something. Hope that’s okay.” “Of course it is! So you’re okay?” “Yes,” Paige said firmly. “Seriously, Mallory. I’m okay. I’m not going to let that bastard get to me. I moved here to Chicago to start over and things have been going great, and he’s not going to wreck it.” “Is he still in town, do you know?” “He said he was going back to New York. I don’t get why he still wants me. We aren’t right for each other. He didn’t want me before. I really believe he’s giving up now.” She knew him better than Mallory did. She hoped Paige was right. “Okay. I’ll be home in a while. And tomorrow night, hip hop class, right?” “Right.” “Hey. I forgot to tell you. I ran into a girl who used to come to class…Sasha Bendel. her?”

“Oh yeah, pretty blonde. The landscape designer.” “Yes. I saw her at the hockey game on Saturday night. Turns out she lives with a friend of Joe’s. I mean, they’re roommates. She has a boyfriend.” “Joe is awesome, Mal,” Paige said in a soft voice. Ugh. Mallory’s stomach tightened. “Don’t get any ideas. We’re done.” “What? Really? He seems so into you.” She did not want to talk about Joe. “It was just a vacation fling thing,” she said dismissively. “Okay, so I’ll see you later.” “I might be in bed when you get home.” “Sure.” “Thanks for letting me stay here. I appreciate it.” “Any time, hon.” She ended the call and returned to her computer. Outside her window, darkness had fallen and the skyscrapers around her formed glittering columns of blue, yellow and white. She loved the cityscape, during the day and at night. The office was quiet, most people now having left, and she was able to whiz through a lot of work. She prided herself on her efficiency and ability to deal with istrative tasks quickly, which many creative people in the field struggled with. Around eight o’clock, her grumbling stomach told her it was time to stop for the day. She shut down her computer and headed out. She’d stop at Opa Souvlaki, a little Greek restaurant on her way home, to pick up something for her dinner. As she stepped into the warmly lit small restaurant, Petros, the owner of the restaurant, greeted her with a big smile and open arms. “Mallory! You’re back! Where you been, paidaki mou?” She smiled back at him. Standing behind the take-out counter, a white apron

partially covered his bulky body. His smile creased his dark face and his dark eyes sparkled. She was a regular enough customer there that they knew each other by name. “I went home to California to visit my parents for a week,” she told him. “Ah yes, I see you look a little tanned. Did you have a good trip?” “It was very nice.” “What can I get you tonight?” “Chicken souvlaki and a Greek salad, please. Extra olives.” “You got it, beautiful.” He called out the order. “Now, are you ready to date my nephew Damon? You said you needed time after you dumped that loser lawyer.” She laughed. “Petros, I told you, I don’t need to be fixed up with anyone.” Petros had been trying to fix her up with his nephew since she’d started patronizing Opa Souvlaki. She’d never met Damon but pictured a younger Petros. He shook his head, mouth turned down at the corners. “He’s a nice boy. Your age. He has a real man’s job.” She grinned. Apparently Damon was a firefighter. “You’re saying lawyers aren’t real men?” He waved a hand, grinning. “You know what I mean. And a girl like you needs a real man. A strong man.” She gave him a squinty-eyed smile. How the hell did he know what kind of man she needed? “Some would say a woman doesn’t need a man, Petros.” “You young girls and your battery-operated boyfriends,” he muttered, wrapping up her souvlaki. She choked on a laugh. “You need a real man,” he continued, lifting his chin, but his lips twitched. He slid the plastic container of salad into a bag.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” she said with a wink. She handed over the money for her food and accepted the plastic bag from Petros. “But tell Damon not to wait around for me. He needs a real woman.” “Mallory, Mallory. I know you would be perfect for him.” He was totally teasing. He didn’t know her well enough to know that. But he was a sweetheart. “Thanks, Petros!” she called as she walked out. “See you soon.” “I hope so.” She smiled as she walked along the dark city sidewalk toward her building. She snuggled her chin into the big soft scarf she had wrapped around her neck and breathed in the chilled evening air, then let it out. She had to make a decision. Joe had helped her out in California, doing all that research and letting her talk it out. Now she really had to focus on what she wanted to do. There was much to consider. “No one would blame you if you walked away.” She heard his words in her ears. Maybe she shouldn’t rule that out as an option. But what could she do from outside the company? She knew what her parents thought she should do. They wanted her to do the right thing. Even knowing the possible consequences for her, she was pretty sure they would want her to blow the whistle. Hopefully they were praying for her. In her condo, the guest room door was closed, the room dark. She sat at the granite counter of her kitchen and ate the delicious seasoned chicken and tangy salad, loaded with feta and olives and fresh oregano. While she ate she thought again about the things she and Joe had talked about. And one more thing Joe had said kept coming back to her. “You already said you don’t know if you want to keep working for a company that could do that.” She’d thought about going to the media anonymously, even though eventually when it came out she would lose her job. But how valuable was that job, when

she didn’t even want to work for a company that would endanger people’s lives to make money? Why wouldn’t they just listen to her, dammit? If they would stop what they were doing, stop endangering people’s lives, she could stay working there. The company did a lot of good—she believed in the drugs they produced. She’d been proud to work for a company that saved people’s lives, that made people’s lives better with important medical treatments. If they went out of business because of this, it would be horrible on so many levels. That wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want to take them down. She wanted one simple change in how they did business. Frustration swelled up inside her, a hot feeling of pressure and helplessness, and she hated feeling like that. Goddammit! She wished Joe were there. Goddammit again. She closed her eyes, the feeling of missing him so intense she could barely breathe through it. Longing. Not just to see him, to touch him, to let him wrap her up in his arms and make her feel all safe and protected, but to talk to him. Tears burned the edges of her eyes and she squeezed them tighter, her fingers curling into her palms on the counter. How could she feel like this about someone she’d met just over a week ago? Someone so completely inappropriate for her. And yet…someone so perfect for her. Gah! What was she thinking? She slid off the stool, threw out her garbage, tossed her plate and fork into the dishwasher, and headed to the bathroom to wash up for bed. Her phone bleeped in her purse and she detoured to get it. It was Joe. She blinked as she read the text message. Sorry 2 bother U. My buddy Kevin is losing his roommate Sasha—? Would Paige B interested in moving in?

For a moment she couldn’t move. Joe ed Paige needed to move. Sasha lived with Joe’s friend Kevin. But she was dating Jack Grenville. Presumably she was moving in with him…leaving Kevin living alone. She narrowed her eyes. She didn’t know Kevin at all. How would she know Paige would be safe with him? The last thing Paige needed was more man trouble. On the other hand, living with a guy would be great if her ex showed up. Not that Kevin was expected to be, like, a bodyguard or anything. But still. Having someone else around would be awesome. She bit her lip, staring at the screen of her phone. Her heart expanded against her breastbone, stealing her breath. Joe. Oh God. Joe. Pain sliced through her. This was an amazing solution to Paige’s problem, and it had come from him, even though she’d ended things with him. She used her thumbs to type in her reply. Sounds amazing. BUT…we don’t know Kevin at all… She walked slowly down the hall to her bedroom, holding her phone, waiting for his reply. It came quickly. I know. Sasha will vouch 4 him. Paige can meet him if interested. Let me know. She quickly texted back, Will do. I’ll talk to her. She hit send then bit her lip. Looked at her phone. And sent another message. Thank you, Joe. In her room she set the phone on her dresser and headed to the bathroom to wash her face. She kept listening for another bleep to signal a message. When she was clean-faced and ready for bed she checked the phone. Nothing. She plugged her phone in to charge and slid into bed. She picked up her e-reader to read for a few minutes before she fell asleep, as she usually did, but nothing she read was sinking in. She kept glancing at the phone. But no more messages arrived.

Paige had been cautiously interested in meeting Kevin about the possibility of

moving in with him. “Doesn’t that seem crazy?” she asked. “Moving in with a total stranger?” “Well. He’s not a total stranger. We have people in common that we know. He’s…” Mallory cleared her throat. “He’s one of Joe’s best friends.” They were meeting Sasha for lunch on Saturday and then going back to her and Kevin’s place to see it and meet Kevin. Paige had insisted on returning to her own apartment. There’d been no sign of her ex, no from him, but Mallory worried. “If you don’t feel comfortable, you don’t have to do it,” Mallory continued. “Let’s wait and see what he’s like.” Lunch with Sasha was lovely. They didn’t know her extremely well from going to hip hop classes, but as they sat and talked, they all found things in common, and by the end of lunch they were gabbing as if they’d been friends for years. Sasha was down-to-earth, funny, ate like a sumo wrestler, and was so very, very in love with Jack Grenville. “Kev’s a great guy,” she assured them. “We’ve been friends for years. I can talk to him about anything. Also, he’s a great cook.” She smiled. “He’s not perfect, mind you. He’s a little anal about keeping the house neat, but hey, that’s not the worst thing. At least he doesn’t leave his dirty laundry all over the place. He’s busy too, so it’s not like you’d be in each other’s hair all the time. He has a pretty demanding career and he’s really into photography, so he goes out and takes pictures a lot. And now he’s seeing Emma.” Her forehead creased. “Although their relationship seems a little…um…” “Rocky?” Mallory suggested. “Yeah. That might be the word. But I think Kev’s crazy about her, and I’m pretty sure she feels the same. They just need to work out a few things. And I need to keep Jack out of their business.” She grinned. “Will it bother Emma if I move in?” Paige asked, nibbling her bottom lip. Sasha considered that, her lips pouting. “That’s a good question. But she’s coming over this afternoon too, so you can meet her and if you two hate each other…” She held up her hands. “We’ll figure something else out. But I doubt

that. Emma’s great.” They left the restaurant. Sasha had given them directions to her and Kevin’s home. As she drove there, Mallory’s stomach tightened more and more. Joe was also going to meet them at Kevin’s place to help perform introductions and facilitate the getting-to-know-you process for Kevin and Paige, and the idea of seeing him was freaking her out. “You okay?” Paige asked at one point. “You’re awfully fidgety.” Mallory blinked, her palms sweaty on the steering wheel. “I’m fine.” “Mmmhmm.” They met up there with Sasha on the sidewalk in front of the duplex house. “Kevin owns this side,” Sasha told them, leading the way up the sidewalk to the front entrance. The older building had been kept nicely, with fresh paint and nice brickwork. They stepped inside into a small foyer. Hardwood floors gleamed in the afternoon sunlight. Most of the main floor consisted of the living room and kitchen, with a small eating area separated from the cooking area by a granite counter. “So the main floor is all pretty open,” Sasha said, turning in a circle and extending her arms. “Living room.” They looked around the room, nicely furnished with a gray leather sectional, a couple of chairs and a big screen TV arranged on a big black-and-gray rug. A green palm tree in a basket sat next to the big bay window that overlooked the street. “Dining room.” She gestured to the black wood table and chairs. “And kitchen. The kitchen’s all updated. Not huge, but really nice.” Black appliances and sleek dark cupboards were lit with sophisticated halogen lighting. “Kevin!” she shouted. Paige and Mallory exchanged smiles. “Up here,” Kevin yelled from upstairs. “Be right down.” “There’s a back door through here,” Sasha continued, leading them through the kitchen. “There’s a small laundry room here and a powder room.” She unlocked another exterior door, opened it and stepped outside. “There’s a tiny little yard, but it’s nice.”

“It’s gorgeous!” Mallory said, taking in the stunning view. “You must have done this.” “Yeah.” Sasha smiled. “It’s even nicer in the summer when I’ve got all my pots of flowers planted.” A terrace made of lovely tumbled stones led to a set of two wide, shallow steps down to a small patch of grass. The yard was fenced with privacy fencing in cedar wood, about six feet high and topped with lattice. Curved flowerbeds around the perimeter held shrubs and in the back corners, two Japanese maples glowed with fiery autumn red. “Hey, everyone.” They turned to see a man behind them who’d stepped outside onto the patio as well. Mallory’s eyes widened and she cast a quick sideways glance at Paige. Kevin was gorgeous. About six feet tall, broad shouldered, but with a lean build that carried his clothes well, he smiled at them and held out a hand. “Hi. You must be Mallory.” “Yes. Nice to meet you, Kevin.” He gave her an appraising look and heat flooded through her ing this was Joe’s friend and they’d probably talked. Hell. How much had Joe told him? “You too,” he said with a smile that crinkled up his eyes attractively. He turned his attention to Paige and his eyes softened. “You must be Paige.” “That’s me. Pleased to meet you, Kevin.” They shook hands too. So far, so good. “Come in and I’ll show you the upstairs,” Sasha said. “Then we can all have a glass of wine.” “I love all the windows,” Paige said as they climbed dark oak stairs to the second floor. “So much light for an older house.” “That’s true. Kevin’s room has its own ensuite bathroom, which is super nice, so I use this bathroom.” She flicked on a light so they could poke their heads into

the room. “It’s pretty much all mine. And this is my room…or your room, maybe.” She flashed a grin. “And the third room is Kevin’s home office.” “It’s great,” Paige said. “Nice big room.” “Kevin took all the photographs,” Sasha chatted once they were back downstairs. Black and white framed images crowded the walls. “They’re beautiful,” Paige said, wandering around to study them. “Oh, here’s Emma,” Sasha said. “And Jack right behind her.” Kevin put some music on and the condo was soon full of music and talk and laughter as Kevin and Sasha served drinks and set out bowls of munchies. Mallory nibbled a pretzel and tried to focus on the conversation, but her eyes kept straying to the door and window, watching for Joe. Where was he? Then Kevin echoed her thoughts. “Hey, where the hell’s Joe? He was supposed to be here by now.” At that moment, Kevin’s friend Beamer rushed in. “Guys,” he shouted. “Turn on the TV. Channel 5.” “Why?” “There’s some kind of hostage taking going on in West Lawn. Joe’s there.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Mallory’s heart leaped then started pounding. Her eyes went wide. Kevin grabbed the remote and soon the breaking news filled the big screen. The room went quiet as everyone gathered around to watch what was going on. It was like watching a television show but it was real life. The cameras couldn’t get that close to the house, but they could see the SWAT and after listening for a few minutes, they figured out what was happening. “TV5 has learned that Emmanual Zyke and his wife are going through a divorce,” the reporter explained. “Court paperwork showed that his wife filed for divorce this past spring, and there was a hearing dealing with child custody in family court late last week. The couple have three children, ages eight, five and two, and all three children are currently in the home along with Zyke.” “Dear God,” Mallory breathed, watching the screen. “Investigators say Zyke was armed with a gun when he allegedly broke into his estranged wife’s home and assaulted her before tying her up with duct tape and taking their three children.” Mallory turned to Paige and saw that her face had gone ghostly white. Her wide eyes met Mallory’s. She reached for Paige’s hand and they hung on to each other. This tragedy was hitting hard on a number of levels—concern of course for the victims, but also for Joe, oh God, Joe who was there dealing with this, and for Paige who’d just been assaulted by her ex-husband. Tears gathered in Mallory’s eyes and she swiped them away to focus on the TV. “Zyke brought the children to this house on Mapleglen Avenue, believed to belong to a friend of his, and holed up here all night. Police and SWAT converged on the home and spent hours trying to talk him into surrendering. There were two other adults in the home when Zyke arrived, and police helped them escape through a window.” “Jesus fucking Christ,” Kevin muttered, sinking to sit on the edge of the couch.

Everyone seemed stunned and horrified by the story. Then Jack said, “Are you two okay?” and when Mallory glanced at him, he was looking at her and Paige. She nodded. “Christ, sit down,” Kevin said, jumping up. He and someone else, maybe Beamer, pushed Paige and Mallory down to sit on the couch, still holding hands. “He’ll be okay,” Kevin said to Mallory in a gentle voice. “He’s good at his job.” She stared at him. How did he know exactly what she was worried about? She didn’t know what to say. “This is awful,” she whispered. “It’s what he does,” he said. “He loves it. He’s good at it. He’ll get those kids out and it’ll be fine.” “Oh my God.” She knew this was what he did. But she’d never anticipated watching him do his job like this on television. Her skin went icy cold, her stomach queasy, her heart racing so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest. Paige’s fingers tightened around hers. “Police and SWAT officers say they were in periodic communication with Zyke throughout the night, but he refused to surrender. Police believe he is armed and extremely dangerous.” Mallory swallowed a gasp. But frack, of course he was armed and extremely dangerous. Otherwise, she could have walked in there and got those kids. Three little kids. What kind of monster asshole would do that? What kind of guy would make it his job to save them? Oh God. She was suddenly ing the look on his face when she’d last seen him, when she’d told him their crazy week together was done now they were home. The way his jaw had tightened, his eyes had flashed but then he’d lifted his chin and agreed with her. Apologized to her for causing her more stress. What a fucking bitch she was. Did he really think she blamed him for her stress? Probably, yeah, since she’d pretty much said that.

And it wasn’t like him to give up so easily. He’d pursued her all week in California. Not in a creepy, stalker way. In a charming, irresistible way. Kevin sat beside her and set a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and met his eyes. “How much did he tell you ?” He had a pretty good poker face. It didn’t change. And he didn’t say much. “He told me.” She nodded. “Did he tell you about his dad?” “Yeah.” His fingers tensed a little on her shoulder. “Fuck,” he muttered. “I know it was a shock to him, but not to me. That asshole treated him like crap his whole life. I’m glad he’s not really his dad.” She blinked at him and gave a little nod. “Yeah. He told me about that too. Obviously, his dad knew he wasn’t really his son. It pisses me off that he acted like that though.” “No shit.” Kevin shook his head. “I…I told him last weekend we were done,” she whispered to him. “And he just left. And I haven’t seen him since.” Kevin studied he face. “That’s why he was so bummed that night. Sunday night, right?” “Yes.” She bit her lip. “If he was so bummed, why didn’t he stay and try to convince me I was making a mistake?” Kevin’s lips quirked. “Was it a mistake?” She closed her eyes, pain building inside her chest. “I think it might have been.” “After being rejected by his dad his whole life…he’s not one to beg someone to like him,” Kevin said quietly. She stared at him, mouth open. Holy jeez. He was so right. She’d rejected him. And like with the dad he’d

grown up with and the biological father he’d flown to see, he’d made out like it didn’t matter. “He made that mistake with Zoe. His fiancée,” he continued. Mallory flinched. Right. Joe had once mentioned that he’d almost gotten married. “She didn’t believe he loved her so she dumped him. Her loss. She didn’t bother to try hard enough to see past his I-don’t-give-a-shit attitude.” Oh God. Mallory blinked. Joe’d been all “whatever” that night, casually agreeing they were done and walking out. He was always like that. Whatever. Don’t give a shit. It’s cool. His dad had rejected him his whole life. Then he’d discovered his dad wasn’t really his dad. Then he’d been rejected by his “real” dad. He’d shrugged and said, no big deal. But that night he’d gotten hammered and called her to come to his hotel room…that night, she’d seen the pain he’d been feeling. She’d seen glimpses inside him, of the pain he’d felt. She’d seen that he did care. And she’d let him down. Fuck! She slumped against Kevin, who slipped an arm around her shoulder. “Tell me he’s going to be okay,” she whispered. “He’s going to be okay. You’re both going to be okay.” She thought she might love Kevin a little. Not like Joe. But…argh. She squeezed her eyes closed. Did she love Joe? They hadn’t known each other long, but it had been intense. They’d clicked from the first words they’d spoke to each other in the airport. Yeah, it had been hot and sexy and they shared some unique sexual preferences, but it had been more than that. She really liked him. A lot. Fuck. She opened her eyes and sat up and focused on the television. Around them, Joe’s friends and Paige were talking in hushed tones as they watched the drama unfold on the screen. Sasha gave her a warm look, an encouraging smile. Beamer gave her a puzzled look. Not much seemed to be happening, or if it was they didn’t know about it because

all the news people had been moved well away from the house. “I’m following it on Twitter,” Sasha said. “The police are tweeting updates.” Then there was a flurry of activity on television. Apparently the news had a helicopter or something, shooting aerial footage, and everyone fell silent as they watched the swarm of black-uniformed SWAT running to the house. Smoke was coming from the house, and some officers entered. The picture was very blurry and there was no way to tell if one of those officers was Joe. Mallory tried to breathe, holding Kevin’s hand on one side of her and Paige’s on the other. After a few moments, officers emerged from the house, three of them carrying children. “Oh God, the kids,” Mallory breathed. “They’re okay.” “Looks like.” That was good. But still…the father inside was armed… Long moments ed as the news reporters kept talking, speculating wildly about what was happening inside the house, confirming the children were unharmed. And then an officer emerged with a man whose hands were cuffed at his back. Mallory’s heart leaped, and she stared at the screen. “They got the bastard,” Beamer said. A cheer arose in the living room from everyone except Mallory, whose throat was so constricted she could barely breathe, let alone talk. “We’re told SWAT crews used two stun grenades as part of their raid on the house,” a reporter announced. “The suspect Emmanual Zyke is now in custody. We’ll be speaking to Captain Blake Thompson of the Chicago PD in a few moments.” “Thank Christ,” Kevin muttered. “Holy shit.” “Can’t wait to hear all about it from Joe,” Beamer said with a big grin. “He loves using those flash bangs.” Mallory gaped at him. He made it sound like fun and games.

“He does,” Beamer said, catching her look. “He does,” Kevin agreed, smiling. “Mallory. It’s his job.” “I know. I know.” She wasn’t going to freak out about that. She knew what he did for a living. She knew there was danger. His friends were so confident in his abilities, so sure he was going to take care of the situation, and she loved that. Yeah, she’d seen the hints of worry in their eyes. Guys were different, true, what seemed terrifying to her was exciting to them, but she’d gotten that they cared about their friend. They just knew he was good at what he did. “Thanks.” Kevin grinned. “I think we need more beer,” Beamer announced. Everyone laughed and the tension in the room dissolved. People moved to the kitchen, drinks were replenished, more food was served. They kept the television on for updates, and Mallory’s eyes bugged out as she got a glimpse of Joe in the background, working. “There he is!” she yelled, pointing. Everyone rushed over. Yep, there was Joe, looking scary and intense and hot in his black uniform, clearly wearing some kind of body armor. She watched him doing his job, confident, in control, capable. A rush of longing swept over her so fierce she nearly went to her knees. “There, see, he’s okay,” Kevin said, nudging her. She turned to him. “I don’t even know you,” she said. “I don’t know any of you. But I’m so glad I was here with you when this happened.” His eyes went soft and warm, and he hugged her. “Paige, you better move in with this guy,” she said a moment later, wiping tears. Paige grinned. She looked at Kevin. “Seems like a good plan,” she said. A group decision was made to order pizza, and Jack went to buy more beer and some requested tequila, and the meet-and-greet that had been planned turned into

an all-out party. “Text Joe,” Beamer told Kevin. “Tell him to get his ass over here.” “He won’t be able to come for a while,” Kevin said. “They’ll be processing stuff or doing whatever shit they have to do after they arrest someone.” Nonetheless, he tapped a message on the screen of his phone. Mallory felt antsy and tied up in knots, although as the evening progressed she did relax. Joe’s friends were fun. They included her and Paige in their conversations as much as they could, though there were lots of inside jokes she and Paige didn’t get, lots of references to shared history that made her a little envious. She’d had that before, with friends from college, but having moved across the country, she didn’t have that yet in Chicago. Every time someone mentioned Joe, her heart jolted and her ears alerted. Beamer got a text message back from him saying he’d text when he was off and see if things were still going. “He says he hasn’t slept for over thirty hours,” Beamer reported from a message on his phone. “He wants to go home and crash.” Mallory didn’t know what to think of that. She both wanted to see him and didn’t. Yearning mingled with nerves. Eagerness with fear. Probably he wouldn’t come, if he was that tired. But… She turned down another drink and said, “Paige and I should be going.” “Not yet!” They all refused to let them leave. So Mallory drank another beer, which meant she probably shouldn’t drive. But what the hell. This was fun. Paige seemed to be enjoying herself too, and that was important. If she was seriously going to move in with Kevin, she needed to be comfortable with him and his friends. Mallory started watching Kevin with Emma. There was definite heat between them, but also a very subtle tension. She had no doubt about Kevin’s feelings for Emma, but Emma’s were more equivocal. Almost as if Emma felt hurt by something…or maybe Mallory was imagining things. She was often perceptive about people’s feelings, but sometimes wondered if she was just good at making things up. Mallory was in the kitchen, leaning on the counter and talking to Beamer about

the work he was doing at Northwest Cancer Center, which was doing cutting edge research. “I’m not a scientist,” Mallory said. “But I know a bit about cancer drugs. Tell me more.” “This drug could offer advantages over existing treatment for multiple myeloma, like reduced nerve damage,” Beamer said. “It works by selectively inhibiting a protein complex in cells called the proteasome in order to make cancer cells more vulnerable to cell death. Our early data looks really promising.” With his red hair, freckles and horn-rimmed glasses, he did have a vaguely mad scientist look going on, and the work he was doing was amazing. “Finding the cure for cancer,” she said with a teasing smile. “All in a day’s work.” Beamer grinned. Then someone shouted over the music and voices, “Joe! Dude! You made it!” Mallory turned to see Joe walking in the entrance from the front foyer, carrying a case of beer. He wore his black leather jacket, a black T-shirt and jeans. He looked so good her toes curled. He grinned at his friends. “Yep. Made it.” “You’re a hero, dude,” Emma said. “Riiiiight.” Then he turned to the kitchen and his eyes fell on Mallory. He froze, just for a couple of seconds, although it seemed like an hour, as their eyes met. Heat swept from her chest up to her hairline as they looked at each other. He moved toward the counter, stopping on the other side of it from her, and dropped his case of beer onto it. “Mallory. Hey.” “Hi, Joe.” She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but this seemed slightly awkward. Awareness shimmered between them, her heart tripping. She watched as Joe flashed his white smile at his friends. “I got called in around ten last night,” he said. “I’m fucking beat. But first this.” He popped the top of a bottle of beer and held it up. “Cheers.”

He took a few long pulls then looked at Mallory. “Sorry I didn’t show this afternoon.” “God, Joe. Don’t apologize.” Their eyes met and held again. Heat built between them as they eyed each other. Her thighs quivered. “Yeah, I was a little busy,” he added, lips quirking. “How’re things?” Mallory rolled her eyes. “Never mind us. How’re you?” “Good.” Then he closed his eyes briefly and shook his head, even though his lips still smiled. She wanted to talk to him. Needed to talk to him. But not in a house full of people like this. “Hungry, Joe?” Sasha asked. “There’s pizza left. I can heat you up a couple of pieces.” “Yeah. That’d be good. Thanks, Sasha.” Mallory had to move out of the way so Sasha could access fridge and stove, and she shifted to the end of the counter. Joe answered questions and told them what he could about what had gone down. He’d been the one who’d apprehended the suspect and had brought him out of the house. “Just glad those kids are okay,” he said, shaking his head. “Asshole has a record. Served six years for assault and endangerment charges for a drive-by shooting. His supervision ended in August, for Chrissakes.” He shook his head. “Drives me nuts when these wackos get out on the streets. Look what fucking happens.” He ran a hand through his hair. Mallory took in the faint lines around eyes and mouth, the weariness in his face. He needed to sleep. But she also sensed the energy humming off him, no doubt the vestiges of the adrenaline rush that had fueled him during the stand-off. She wanted to hold him, pet him, kiss him everywhere and rock him to sleep in her arms. This intense need surged through her and made her dizzy. Their gazes caught again and shivery sensation cascaded over her body as heat flared in his eyes.

“We were watching on TV,” Kevin told Joe as he related more details. “Mallory here was freaking out.” She shot Kevin a reproving glare. But there was no point in denying it. She didn’t want to deny it. She wanted to be honest. She wanted Joe to know she cared. She looked back at Joe and caught the way his eyes softened as he looked at her. “You okay?” he asked quietly, lifting his beer to his lips again. “I wasn’t having a panic attack,” she answered, holding his gaze. “But yeah. I was scared for you.” Heat smoldered again as they exchanged looks. “Jesus,” Kevin muttered, pushing away from the counter. Mallory blinked at him. “I’ll leave you two alone.” He wandered away. “Now, Paige and I should go,” she murmured, setting her empty glass on the counter. Joe tugged her wrist, circling it with his big, strong hand. “No,” he muttered. He gave a gentle pull until she was close beside him, then released her wrist and slid his arm around her waist. She melted against him, unable to stop herself, needing that . Her arms went around his waist, her front pressed to his side, and he gave her a one-armed squeeze. “Not letting you go again.” She gazed up at him. “We need to talk.” “Damn right we do.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Joe kept Mallory at his side, not letting go of her even to eat the pizza Sasha served him, using one hand to eat and drink his beer. She felt unbelievable— warm and soft, and she fit perfectly against his body. Fuck, he was exhausted. Drained. But at the same time, charged. When he’d seen Mallory there when he walked in, he’d stopped short, almost disbelieving his eyes. It hadn’t even entered his head that she’d still be there now, at nearly midnight. “Did you spend the whole day here?” he murmured to her. Jack and Sasha moved away, into the living room where the others had again converged. “Yes.” Her big eyes met his. “I seriously love your friends. In fact, if Paige doesn’t want to move in with Kevin, I am.” “Like hell,” he growled. She smiled, the corners of her mouth lifting in way that made him crazy. He wanted to crush his mouth against her, lick that sexy smile, taste her tongue. His body hardened. “You wanna go home?” he murmured, staring at her mouth. Her body vibrated against his, melting even more into him. “Yes,” she breathed. “You and Paige come together?” “Yeah.” “You driving?” She slowly shook her head. “I’ve had too much to drink. I was thinking we’d have to take a taxi.” “I’ll drive you.”

“You’re okay?” “Had one beer. I’m good. Think we can drag Paige away?” They both turned to look at her talking to Emma and Sasha, laughing. “I think we can,” she murmured. “Yo, Paige!” Paige looked up and her smile softened as she took them in. “What?” “Joe says he’ll drive us home. You ready?” “Sure. Been a long day.” Hugs were exchanged, goodbyes said, Paige and Kevin entered each other’s cell phone numbers into their phones with promises to be in touch. Then Sasha wanted Paige’s and Mallory’s numbers and more phone numbers were entered. Finally, Joe was leading the two women out to his truck. “I’ll bring you to get your car tomorrow,” he told Mallory. She didn’t put up an argument. That was a good sign. They arrived shortly at Mallory’s building and she directed him to her underground parking spot. They rode the elevator up to her condo in silence. Paige disappeared into the guest room, leaving them alone. Joe turned to Mallory. “She good?” “She’s okay. She’s strong. She’s not going to let that asshole ruin her life.” “Good.” Inside, he turned to her. “Should I take off my jacket?” he asked. “Or will I be leaving again in a few minutes?” He was only half-teasing, ing last time he was there. She held his gaze. “Take off your jacket,” she said softly. Another good sign.

He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it on the same chair she left hers. They stood in her living room, only a floor lamp casting any light, the room cozy with shadows. He moved toward her. “Mallory.” He set his hands on her hips. Her lips parted, her beautiful eyes wide and shiny. “I’m sorry, Joe.” His eyebrows drew down. “Sorry?” “For last weekend. Everything I said was wrong.” Emotion swirled inside him. “Like what exactly? Hell, let’s sit.” He tugged her over to the sofa, sat in the corner and pulled her onto his lap. She snuggled in so sweetly, but he had to adjust her ass a little for comfort over his half-hard dick. “I don’t even what I said,” she murmured, playing with the collar of his T-shirt. “I just know it was all wrong.” He chuckled, even as hope swelled in his chest. “Okay.” “Actually, one thing I said was true. In a way. I said it was supposed to be a fling. You made me feel those things, that rush of the forbidden, of being dirty and crazy. That was true. It was a chance to go there again but have it all end in a week with no harm done.” Unlike the disaster of her teenage relationship. “And I have to apologize for something else I said,” she continued. “You were right.” “About…?” “You never made me do anything I didn’t really want to. I wanted to do all those things. I didn’t want to it I still like the rush of doing something bad.” “Nothing we do together is bad.” “You know what I mean.” One corner of her mouth kicked up. “I’m sorry I said that. I loved everything we did. With you it wasn’t dirty. It was special. And even though it was risky…with you, it felt safe.”

His heart squeezed painfully, robbing him of the ability to breath. “That means a lot,” he managed to choke out. “Christ, Mallory.” “I always felt safe with you, Joe.” She shoved her face into the side of his neck and held on tight. “Always. But this afternoon, I was so scared.” “You’re gonna have to live with that, babe,” he warned her, his voice thick. Her head nodded vigorously against him. “Once we got back to Chicago, it was supposed to be done. But…it wasn’t.” “No. It wasn’t.” “It scared me. I’m still scared. I was so afraid of going back to who I was before, so afraid of letting people down, in the end I actually did let you down. In the worst possible way. My stupid fears got in the way of me doing the right thing.” She lifted her head and he touched his thumb to her quivering bottom lip. “I’m doing the same thing at work. I’m so afraid of letting people down, I’m not doing anything.” “Sometimes it’s impossible to know what the right thing to do is,” he murmured. “Sometimes there’s just the best thing. Or the least bad thing.” “Yeah.” She nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” She paused. “It wasn’t true when I said I don’t want you. Because I do. Because you saw the real me, the one who likes to be dirty, who likes to take risks, and you wanted me anyway. I think.” “Oh yeah. Hell yeah. Mallory. We’re the same. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Whatever we like to explore together is just between you and me. It’s not bad or wrong. It just is.” She swallowed and nodded. “For what it’s worth,” he said, still stroking her soft lip with the pad of his thumb, his fingertip beneath her hair. “I was terrified too.” “You’re itting that?” Her lips curved softly. “You always make out like you don’t give a shit.”

He closed his eyes. “Yeah. That’s what I do. I had to protect myself somehow.” “I’m sorry,” she whispered again. “I knew that. I saw what you were doing after you went to see your dad that night. I saw the act you were putting on, but you got drunk and the mask slipped a little and I saw behind it. And I should have known. I shouldn’t have hurt you, because I should have known. I was blind and stupid.” “Hey, hey.” He kissed her mouth, softly. “I take some responsibility too. I went back to my safe place, pretending I didn’t care. I could have said more. I should have said more. But I was scared to want something so much. Every other time in my life I got my hopes up, I got kicked in the teeth.” He paused. “Had a kinda freaky week this week.” “Oh. Why?” She gave him big eyes. “Well.” He bent his head. “First of all, my parents split up.” Her eyes went even bigger, nearly popping out of her skull. “What! Are you serious?” “Yeah.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “My mom left.” “Oh my God.” She gaped at him. Then she shook her head. “I don’t even know what to say.” “I know. That was me too. She called me and made me meet her for dinner. She’s staying with a friend. She and my dad…her husband…” He faltered. Mallory nodded in understanding. “They argued about me going to see Tim and…me…fuck.” He leaned his head back. “I don’t want to be the cause of them splitting up.” “No.” She caressed his jaw, his face. “No, Joe. You’re not the cause. This all may have precipitated things, but you’re not the cause.” “I have this weird gut feeling that she’s still in love with Tim.” She bit her lip. “Really?” “Yeah. She’s interested in him. Asking questions about him. But she says leaving

Dad is because she realized she couldn’t go on being married to someone she doesn’t love anymore. And she hated the fact that he was so hard on me. He’s apparently really pissed that I went to see Tim.” Mallory closed her eyes, and her lips tightened as if she was in pain. “Joe. I hate that this is happening to you.” “Fuck, me too. Who knew Grandma spilling the beans was gonna make such a wreck of everyone’s lives. On the other hand…” He squeezed her tighter. “It led me to you.” She nodded. “My brothers are pissed at me too. They figure if I hadn’t gone to see Tim, everything would be okay.” “But it wouldn’t.” She laid her palm gently on his cheek again. “No. It wouldn’t. It’s all messed up, but it feels like this shit had to come out. I kind of get how my dad felt. He’d been betrayed. Cheated on. I was there every damn day to remind him that his wife loved another man. My mom didn’t come right out and say it, but I get the feeling she never really got over Tim. That’s some tough fucking shit to live your whole life with.” “Yeah.” Her eyes warmed. “It would be.” “Anyway. The other weird piece of my week was that Tim called the other day. He’s coming to Chicago next week.” After that call, the first thing he’d wanted to do was see her and tell her. She was the one who would most get how big that was. And it had sucked that he couldn’t. Now he was stoked to share that. “Really?” Her luminous eyes glowed at him. And he was jazzed at how happy she was for him. “Yeah. We’re gonna get together. He’s coming next weekend.” Her throat moved and her bottom lip trembled again, but she nodded. “That’s good. That’s so good.” “I have to figure some things out too,” he said. “I don’t know what to tell him

about my parents. Or my mom.” “Yeah.” Her fingertips stroked the side of his neck. “I guess you just tell him the truth. As you know it.” “Yeah. True.” He shrugged. “I’m not pretending I don’t care. ’Cause I do. But I’m an adult now. I have my own life. What’s done is done.” He met her eyes. “And if I have you…it’ll all be okay.” Her eyes glistened and she touched her fingertips to his cheek. “Oh, Joe. I never wanted you to think you were a problem in my life,” she said on a little sob. “You’re the best thing in my life right now.” “Me too. Again.” They sat there for a long moments, holding each other.

“Okay, here’s what I’m going to do.” Mallory rested her chin on her hand on Joe’s chest, stretched out naked on top of him the next morning. “Okay.” His smile was warm and sexy, and he reached out to brush some hair off her face. “You know I like blowjobs.” She laughed and gave his shoulder a swat. “Not that.” He grinned. “I’m going to make one last attempt to convince the company to do the right thing. I have a meeting with the CEO Monday morning.” “Who’s that?” he asked idly, stroking her cheek. She worked to focus, his touch sending tingles sizzling through her veins. Even though they’d had energetic, scorching hot sex last night. Twice. Then Joe had fallen asleep, and she’d dozed off too. It had been late and he’d been up for over thirty hours fighting crime. Now it was ten in the morning and they were both awake and revived. “Sandra Estridge.” “A woman.”

She frowned. “Does that matter?” “Nope.” “Okay. So. It’s going over my boss’s head, which is usually unforgiveable, but if he’s pissed off at me, oh well. I want to at least try once more to resolve this the way I think it should go. But if it doesn’t, I’m done.” His eyes narrowed a little. “Done, as in, how?” “I quit the company.” His eyebrows went up. She bit her lip. “Would you be ashamed of me, if I just walked away?” “Christ no.” One arm wrapped around her back, the other cupped her jaw, holding her face so he could fix his stern gaze on her. “I told you before, Mal, nobody would blame you for walking away.” “I think my parents might.” Her insides tightened at that thought. But she’d lived so long trying to please them, to not let them down, to make up to them for all the grief she’d caused. She couldn’t keep living her life that way. She had to make decisions that were best for her. And for Joe. “Fuck,” he muttered. “You said that before. I find that hard to believe. But we’ll talk to them.” She loved that. We. We’ll talk to them. Her heart expanded and she sucked in a breath. “Okay.” “Tell me more,” he demanded. “If the CEO doesn’t want to listen, or make things right, I don’t want to work there.” “Good.” His response was firm. “I don’t know what else I’ll do. But I’ll find something. I don’t feel good about leaving, knowing that they’re still misusing that drug and potentially harming other people. But I think I’ve sorted it out in my mind that it’s not me who’s

doing it and I can’t stop them myself. If someone else dies…well…” She closed her eyes against a wave of fear and doubt. “I’ll feel horrible.” “You wouldn’t be responsible, Mal.” She nodded. “I know that, in my head. In my gut, I’d feel guilty. But at least I’ve tried to stop them from doing that. I’m not ruling out that I would never come forward. But for me, right now, this is what I have to do.” His head lifted and he kissed her forehead. “I’m with you, babe. Whatever you need. I know there’s no easy answer for this. I just want you to be happy.” “I don’t know if I’ll be happy,” she confessed. “But I’ll be okay. And…” She hesitated. “I’m with you too. You know that, right? Whatever you want to do about your family. Whatever you want to say to them. If you want a relationship with your biological father, or your other dad…whatever you want…I’m there for you.” “I know. Fuck, Mallory, what would I do without you?” He wrapped his arms around her and she slid her arms out from beneath her to hold his head. “You don’t need to find out. I’m here.” A few moments later he asked, “Is Paige going to move in with Kevin?” “I think so. She really liked him. And all your friends. Like I did. They were great yesterday. Kevin is awesome. He made me feel so much better. Helped me understand things.” Joe nodded. “He’s a good guy. And Mal, I’m there for her too. Not sure of all that’s going on for her, but whatever I can do…I’m there.” “I know.” He kissed her mouth. “Tell me about your fiancée.” “Huh?” He frowned. “Where the hell did that come from?”

“Kevin. He told me that she dumped you because she didn’t believe you cared about her.” “Ah. Yeah.” “Stupid bitch,” Mallory said. He choked on a laugh and stroked her hair. “Okay.” “Really. If she didn’t know you well enough to know that hell yeah, you care, you care a lot, then she deserved to lose you.” “Huh,” he said, running his hand over her hair again. “Maybe she wasn’t sure I cared about her because I didn’t.” Her breath caught. His voice was rough, but gentle. “Not like I care about you.” Her heart melted. “Oh, Joe.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Joe sat on a stool at the counter in Mallory’s kitchen the next Friday night while she made them dinner. Actually she was dishing out Greek food she’d picked up —moussaka, Greek salad and bread—onto two plates. Since the meeting she’d had that afternoon she’d been quivering with excitement and dying to get home and tell him what had happened at work. “So tell me,” he urged now. “What happened?” She set a knife and fork on his plate and pushed it across the granite counter toward him, then walked around to take a seat on the stool beside him. She picked up her fork and poked at her food. “Well. About three o’clock this afternoon, Sandra called me into her office,” she began. “They’ve had some meetings this week about Felisse.” She’d met with Sandra on Monday. The CEO had listened to everything Mallory had to say. Sandra hadn’t denied that she’d known about what was going on but hadn’t itted it either. Mallory had been careful to not make any threats, such as going to the media or threatening to quit. She’d been open and honest though, about her concerns and fears for the company. She’d told Sandra that she’d raised these issues with others and felt that she was being punished for it. She was really open about how much that disturbed her, and not just for herself, but that that kind of culture was growing in the company. She’d told Sandra she loved working there and wanted the company to be successful, and then she’d made the suggestion that Zafir should put Felisse through clinical trials to see if it was safe for some of the off-label uses it was being promoted for. Then they could be confident that they were doing the right thing. She’d returned to her own office, unsure of what was going to happen next. Would they walk her out the door? Would she continue to be punished for raising this until she was forced to leave? She and Joe had talked about how long she would give it before she decided on next steps, and had agreed on two weeks.

“They’ve decided to stop promoting the off-label use,” she announced. “Christ.” Joe stared at her. “Really?” She nodded. “It’s not all good,” she itted, though she couldn’t stop smiling. “They know there’s no way to put the toothpaste back in the tube. It’s out there and doctors are doing it. But the company is going to take a stand and come right out and say that’s not what the drug is intended for. They’re going to go back to do more trials and see if it’s safe to use for weight loss and even sexual dysfunction.” “Fuck, Mal. That’s exactly what you wanted.” “Just wait. It gets even better.” She bit her lip and met his eyes. “They fired Steve.” Joe’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. They fired your boss?” She nodded, sucking on her bottom lip. “Yeah. It was all coming from him, this push to get doctors prescribing Felisse for other things. They walked him out this afternoon.” “Jesus Christ.” “I know. I feel…kind of mixed up about that. I didn’t want him to be fired. I’ve worked for him since I moved to Chicago and learned a lot from him. So there’s guilt. But I keep reminding myself of that performance review, and how he was punishing me for speaking up.” She sucked in a long breath. “They offered me his job.” Joe’s jaw dropped, fork halfway to his mouth. “Are you serious?” She grinned and nodded. “Yeah! I’m actually getting a promotion out of this.” Joe just stared at her for long moments while excitement bubbled inside her. Then he laughed, dropped his fork to his plate and reached for her. He hauled her off her stool and up against him, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight squeeze. “Holy shit, Mal! Holy, holy shit!” She laughed and gasped at his embrace.

“That is unbelievable! Christ, what a relief.” “I know. God, I know.” He loosened his hold enough that she could lay her palms on his cheeks. “This is so much better than I could have ever expected. Relief doesn’t even describe it.” “Congratulations, gorgeous. You so deserve that.” “I didn’t know how I was going to be able to continue working for him, even if things did work out. So yeah, I’m relieved, but it’s not going to be easy. There are a lot of people who were on board with Steve’s whole plan. I’m going to have to turn that ship around, and there could be a lot of resistance.” “You can do it.” “Especially if I have the backing of the CEO. That’s the only way I could do it.” “We need to celebrate!” “I actually picked up a bottle of champagne on my way home.” “Fucking awesome.” He gave her big, long smooch on the lips. “Mallory, Christ, can’t even tell you how happy I am for you.” “Thank you.” She beamed up at him. “Thank you for ing me through all this.” “I did fuck all.” She giggled. “You did a lot. Helping me research things and making me think about options. And being there for me no matter what I decided to do.” “You gotta call your parents.” “Yes! After we eat.” Joe released her and she slid back onto her stool. “This moussaka is really great,” Joe said, enthusiastically resuming eating. “Yeah. I often stop at Opa Souvlaki on my way home from work and pick up

food.” She gave him a sideways look, a smile perched on her lips, eyes flirty. “Petros is trying to fix me up with his nephew Damon.” Joe gave her a look. “Like hell he is.” “Why aren’t you eating your olives?” “I hate black olives.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Seriously?” “Yeah.” “I might have to rethink this relationship.” He laughed. “Babe. You like black olives?” “I love them.” “Then this relationship is perfect.” He picked up the three olives on his plate with his fork and fingers and transferred them to hers. “There.” She dissolved into laughter. “You’re right. Perfect.” After they’d eaten, popped the cork on the champagne and toasted Mallory’s new job, she called her parents and told them what had happened. “So proud of you, Mallory,” Dad eventually said, when he’d heard everything. “I know you thought I should blow the whistle. I was so afraid.” “I didn’t think that at all,” he objected. “Only you knew what the right thing to do was, for you. Just wanted you to be safe and happy and satisfied with your choice.” “I thought you wanted me to save people from dying.” She heard his chuckle. “Well, yeah. But I recognized the personal risks to you, honey. Whatever you decided to do, we’d you.” “After I went to the CEO, if nothing happened, I was going to walk away.” She

bit her lip and met Joe’s warm eyes as she talked. “Would you have ed me then?” “Of course.” She closed her eyes as a rush of love flowed through her. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I love you, Dad.” “Love you too, honey. But see? I was right. Doing the right thing is rewarded.” “Oh.” She set a hand on her heart. “Dad.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Okay, you were right.” He laughed and ed the phone to her mom, who also shared her excitement and relief. And it was her mom she told about Joe. “He’s here now,” she said. “We’re, um, together.” Mom’s pause made her edgy. “I just wish I knew him better,” Mom said. “He seemed very nice though.” “You saw him for two minutes.” “I know. Huh. Maybe we’ll have to come visit.” Mallory grinned at Joe. “And check him out?” “Of course.” “You can come any time,” Mallory said. “But first we have to deal with Joe’s dad. He’s coming tomorrow.” That was a whole long story she’d need to tell her parents, but that would be for another time. “Put Joe on the phone,” Mom demanded. Mallory grimaced and handed her phone to Joe. “She wants to talk to you.” His eyes went wide, he put his hands up and shook his head. He actually might have paled a little. “C’mon, lieutenant,” she whispered. “Big tough cop like you can’t be afraid of my mom.”

He nodded vigorously and mouthed, “Oh hell yeah, I can.” But he took the phone and said with hearty cheer, “Hi, Mrs. Hurst.” Mallory leaned back into the couch cushions and sipped her champagne, watching and listening. “Uh-huh,” Joe said. “Yeah. Definitely.” He listened. “Of course.” Then he met her eyes. “Oh yeah. I really do.” More silence. “I’d like that. Yeah, well, my family’s kind of going through some stuff right now. But one day, for sure. Yes. Yes. Okay. Bye.” He handed the phone back to Mallory. Not sure what had been said, she smiled. “Mom, were you interrogating him?” “Certainly not. Just making sure he knows how precious you are.” “Aw.” She looked at Joe, who smiled back at her. “Thanks, Mom. I think he’s pretty precious too.” Joe rolled his eyes but grinned. She ended the call. “There. Now they know. So. What time does your dad arrive tomorrow?” “Eleven. I’m picking him up at the airport.” “Are you nervous?” “Nervous? Nah. More like freaking the fuck out.” She laughed and shifted closer to snuggle into him. “That’s perfectly understandable.” “Last time I saw him I wasn’t impressed. I guess neither of us was.” Joe swallowed. “Not sure how this is going to go.” “It has to be positive that he wants to see you. And he’s coming all this way.” “I guess.” He didn’t sound very convinced of that though.

Joe picked up Tim at the airport. They greeted each other with an awkward handshake that turned into a stiff, one-armed hug. Joe drove Tim to the

downtown hotel he’d elected to stay at. “You sure you don’t want to stay at my place?” Joe asked on the way. “I’ve got lots of room.” “Yeah, this’ll be fine. I don’t wanna impose on you.” “It wouldn’t be imposing.” Tim smiled. “Let’s see how this goes. Maybe next time I’ll take you up on that offer.” Joe nodded. It was true—they were strangers to each other. “You been to Chicago before?” he asked. “Lived here,” Tim said. “Long time ago.” He gazed out the window as Joe sped along I-90. Joe wasn’t sure why he was surprised by that. Obviously, Tim had had to meet Mom somehow, and Joe was pretty sure Mom had never lived in California. He couldn’t help but be curious about their history. “How’s your mom?” Tim asked quietly. Jesus, had he read his mind? Or had their thoughts both followed the same path? “She’s uh, good.” Should he tell Tim Mom had left Dad? Christ. He mulled that over for a few moments and decided the answer was no. “Good,” Tim replied. “Mallory and I want to take you out for dinner tonight,” Joe said. “Mallory?” “My girlfriend.” Whoa. That was the first time he’d said those words for a long time. And the first time he’d ever said those words about Mallory. A strange warmth spread through his chest. “Mallory Hurst. Kinda funny story. We met on the plane when I was coming to California to see you.” “No kidding?” Tim turned to look at him. “Met on the plane? How’d it turn into

her being your girlfriend?” Joe smiled. “We discovered we had a lot in common. I stayed in California that week and we saw each other quite a bit. Neither of us really thought it was going to turn into anything more, but when we got home…it did.” He felt Tim’s assessing stare. “I have a feeling there’s a lot more to that story. Maybe some time you’ll share it.” “Yeah. Maybe.” He shot Tim a glance. “Does that sound like I’m being a jerk? Didn’t mean to. It’s just…you know…personal.” “I know.” Tim’s lips twitched. “Like the story about me and your mom is for me.” “Uh…yeah.” After a few more minutes of silence, Tim said, “I want to talk to your mom.” His voice had gone hard. “What for?” “What for? Seriously?” Tim gave a bark of mirthless laughter. “She kept the fact that I had a son from me for thirty years and you want to know why I want to talk to her?” Joe’s eyes narrowed and his fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “I’m not letting you talk to her if you’re gonna be pissed at her.” Tim sat silent. “Well,” he finally said. “Gotta say I like that you’re protective of your mom. But c’mon, Joe. You know that was a shitty thing to do.” Joe sighed. “Can’t argue that point.” “Give me her number.” “I’ll think about it.” Fuck. If they talked, Tim would find out—maybe—that Mom had left Dad. Then what? His gut tightened into a mass of knots. Wow. He’d thought his life had

been messed up before when he’d run off to California to meet his biological father. Now—holy shit. How much worse could things get? His brothers were pissed off at him and blaming him for his parents splitting. Now Tim was in the picture with the potential to really complicate things. And yet, this was what he’d wanted. A chance to get to know his biological father. Shit. “Tell me about Mallory,” Tim said, changing the subject. This was an easy one to go with, because Joe liked talking about Mallory. That kept conversation going until they were downtown at the Doubletree. Tim checked in, and they decided to walk to a nearby pub for lunch. Surprisingly, after a couple of beers, they kept talking. And talking. Tim wanted to hear about Joe’s police career, asking all kinds of questions. Turned out Tim had worked for the FBI and was now the Director of Security for the Port of Long Beach. Joe was pretty interested in that. “Retired from the FBI after twenty-two years of service,” Tim told him. “But I needed something else to do. This job was a great fit. I now oversee over eighty security personnel, including Harbor Patrol offices, and I also direct the Homeland Security Program for the port.” Wow. Joe blinked at that. He was both impressed and fascinated, and it was his turn to ask all the questions. He learned about new high-tech systems they had in place, how they worked with the Long Beach Police Department, the Port of Los Angeles, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Marine Exchange and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He also learned more about his dad’s FBI career. “My last assignment with the FBI was as the Special Agent in Charge for the Counterterrorism Program in the Los Angeles office. I led three t Terrorism Task Forces.” “When did you the FBI?” “I actually started my law enforcement career as a police officer here in Chicago.” Tim shot him a crooked smile. “Got my degree in Criminal Justice at Loyola. Pretty impressed that you ended up working for Chicago PD.”

Conversation continued to flow easily, the beers flowed easier, and Joe blinked when he realized most of the afternoon had ed. “Holy shit,” he said, checking his smart phone for the time. “We’ve been sitting here for hours.” “Yeah.” Tim smiled, eyes crinkling up and Joe found the sincerity of it grabbing him by the throat. “I’ve enjoyed it.” Joe nodded and met his eyes. “Me too.” “We didn’t get off to a great start. I’m sorry about that.” Joe grimaced. “Sorry I showed up out of the blue like that. Maybe wasn’t the best way to handle that.” A moment stretched out, then Joe said, “Well. I better get home and changed. I’ll pick up Mallory and we’ll come pick you up too.” “Sounds good.” They parted in front of the hotel. Bemused, Joe replayed much of their conversation as he drove home. It had gone a lot better than he’d expected. Or maybe he’d just been too afraid to expect much. The things they hadn’t talked about were Joe’s mom and dad and brothers. Joe sucked in a big breath and let it out. Maybe he’d talk to Tim about them. He’d felt surprisingly comfortable by the end of their long lunch. He found himself antsy to get to Mallory and talk to her, to tell her everything about what had happened and get her take on it. He called her as he rode up the elevator to his loft condo. “Hey, babe,” he said when she answered. “How’s it going?” “Good. You?” “Good. Surprisingly good. I’m just getting home. Gonna change and come over, okay?”

“Sure. What time’s our reservation?” “Seven. Lots of time.” “I have beer in the fridge,” she said. “Excellent. Though I better slow down. Had a few with…” Fuck. He almost said “my dad”. “With Tim. Anyway. See you soon.” “You sound happy.” “Um. Yeah. I guess I am. Sort of. Also confused. But that’s per usual.” He grinned and heard her soft laugh. “I hear you. See you soon.” He ended the call and entered his condo. He dropped his keys onto the kitchen island that separated kitchen from living area and then paused, gripping the counter with both hands. He dropped his head. And all he could think was, thank fuck he had Mallory to help him deal with this fucked-up shit.

Dinner with Mallory and Tim went well. Mallory and Tim hit it off. Turned out Tim had a twisted sense of humor that both he and Mal connected with, and also had a shit load of charm that had Mallory blushing and smiling. Joe thought he should be jealous, but he actually liked the harmless flirting between them. Fuck. No wonder Mom had fallen for this guy. Alpha male, dominant, crime fighter with a fun flirtatious side that women apparently fell for all over the place. He learned more about Tim’s personal life too, thanks to Mallory’s feminine questions. Tim had been married once, it had lasted about ten years, but they’d never had any kids. He had no other kids, besides Joe. And whenever Mom was mentioned in conversation, the tension in Tim vibrated all around them, even though he tried to be casual. He was pissed. There was no doubt about it. But he was also interested in any mention of Mom. “I haven’t even met your mom yet,” Mallory reminded Joe softly over dessert.

“We need to find out how she’s doing since she left your dad.” The air became suddenly electric. “What?” Tim said. “She left Brian?” Joe’s eyes slid from Mallory to Tim and then back again. Mallory’s eyes popped open wide. She put her fingers to her mouth. “Oh,” she murmured. “You didn’t tell him?” Joe gritted his teeth. “No. I didn’t.” Her gaze now whipped back and forth between them. “Um. Oh. Well…” “It’s okay,” Joe sighed. He picked up his wine glass and drained it. “When did that happen?” Tim demanded. “Last week.” Joe looked at him. “I didn’t think you needed to know that.” Tim gazed at him, his face stony and imive. “Yeah,” he finally said. “Makes no difference to me.” He lifted his chin. “Still wanna talk to her though.” Joe’s mouth tightened. “Still thinking about that.” Mallory licked her bottom lip and her eyes flicked around anxiously. “Sorry,” she whispered to Joe. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “S’okay.” Her fingers twined with his and once again he was glad she was there with him, even though she’d just let something slip he hadn’t wanted Tim to know. “You’ve got brothers,” Tim said, voice rough. “Older brothers.” “Yeah.” “How’re they dealing with this?” “Not well,” Joe said honestly. “They were always great when I was growing up, when Dad used to…” His words trailed off. That was another thing he hadn’t

told Tim about—how Dad had treated him as a kid. How he’d never been proud of him. How nothing he’d ever done had been good enough. Not something he was eager to share with anyone, but…fuck. This was his dad. Mallory squeezed his fingers again. “Want me to talk?” she asked quietly. Tim’s eyes narrowed on them. “What’s going on?”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Mallory took over and told Tim about Joe’s childhood. She didn’t dramatize it, just related the facts as she knew them. Joe listened and added the odd comment. “Son of a bitch,” Tim muttered. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. Mallory held Joe’s hand, feeling the tension in him. Then Tim looked at Joe. “Now Jennifer has even more to answer for.” Joe frowned. “Hold on—” “How could she let you grow up in an environment like that? How could she let that asshole treat you like that?” Joe’s fingers tightened on Mallory’s even more. “She did her best.” Mallory’s chest tightened at the way the air around them had gone static. “Fuck,” Tim muttered. He looked away, gazing across the restaurant. Then he took a big breath and turned back. “I gotta process this. All I can say right now is —I’m proud of you, son.” Joe’s hand convulsed against hers. “Things could’ve turned out different,” Tim continued. “Sometimes shit like that can break a person. In your case…it made you. It made you the man you are. Already I can see that. Built strength in you. Built determination. You’ve accomplished a helluva lot in your life. Haven’t even started getting to know you and I can see all that.” Mallory sucked in a shaky breath. “I couldn’t agree more,” she murmured. Joe’s throat worked as he swallowed. “Uh. Thanks.” “It’s late,” Tim said. “We’ll talk more tomorrow. Like I said, I need to sort through all this.” “Yeah.”

They took Tim back to his hotel and returned to Mallory’s place. In the last week, they’d spent almost every night together, either at her place or his. “I don’t blame him for being angry,” Mallory said softly, when they were undressed and in bed. She snuggled up to him. “I was angry too when you told me about that. I still am.” “You gonna be pissy with my mom?” His voice was mild, and she knew he was mostly teasing. “No.” She kissed his chest. “I might be pissy with your dad though. I mean, your other dad.” Joe huffed out a laugh. “I knew who you meant.” “I’m going to work really hard to find a way to understand and forgive your mom. Because…” She paused. The words were there. They’d been there all along, hovering on her lips. She’d been holding them back but now she said them. “Because I love you, Joe.” His arms tightened on her and she felt his indrawn breath. “Mallory.” She tipped her head back to look into his eyes, nerves fluttering inside her. But there she saw her own feelings reflected back—gratitude and wonder and love. Moisture dampened her eyes and she blinked rapidly, her heart expanding fast and hot. “I love you too,” he whispered, his fingers touching her cheek with reverent gentleness, sliding over her jaw to the side of her neck, his thumb rubbing over her cheek. Their mouths met in a long kiss that tasted like the sweetest promise. “Everything I’ve ever wanted,” he murmured against her lips. “Everything I was afraid to hope for. You just gave it to me.” “Oh, Joe. You give me so much too. I lived my life trying to avoid doing things I would regret. But when you got that one hotel room for both of us in Denver, I had a feeling I’d regret it more if I didn’t take that night to be with you. You made me feel so sexy and wild and free, and yet I felt so safe with you. It was hard to get past the way I shaped my life. I made mistakes and I didn’t want to repeat them.”

“I like some of your mistakes.” “What?” He trailed a hand down her back. “Like your tattoo.” He rolled her off him and flipped her onto her belly, and her skin tingled as he began to kiss his way down her spine starting at her nape, letting lips and tongue linger on the hearts inked there. “I love how you’re all prim and proper and professional looking in your neat clothes, with your hair all perfect when you go to work in the morning. I loved discovering this underneath that. I love finding that wild streak inside you. I love it when you talk dirty.” She moaned but smiled. “I’m so fucking wet, just let me suck your dick, baby.” He choked on laughter. “Yeah. Like that. And I love messing you up.” Her belly fluttered at his beautiful words. “I love you messing me up too,” she whispered, head resting on her arms, and turned to the side. Her eyes fell closed as he opened his mouth on the small of her back. “I tried to stay neat and tidy and perfect, and I was just paralyzed. So thank you for messing me up. And setting me free.” “My life’s a mess,” Joe murmured. “So’s mine. I mean, things seem to be working out, but I’ve got a big job ahead of me at work.” “I know.” “Nobody’s life is perfect.” She shivered as his tongue blazed up her spine. “True that,” he agreed. “But no matter how messed up things are, we have each other.” “Yes.” They had each other. They had love. And that was perfect.

Epilogue

Two months later

“This is the weirdest Christmas party ever.” Joe trapped Mallory against the counter in her kitchen where she was opening another bottle of wine. He pressed his front to her back and she loved the feel of his big warm body holding her there. She breathed in his scent as voices and loud laughter mingled with Bruce Springsteen singing Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town in the living room behind them. “It’s fine,” she said. She tipped her head to glance over her shoulder at him. “Can you open this?” “Yeah.” He stepped back and she turned to hand him the bottle. Before he opened it, he bent his head to kiss her mouth. “Thanks, sweetheart.” “For what?” She smiled up at him. “For…everything. The last few months have been crazy. For you and me. Just glad we went through it together.” “Me too. You’ve ed me through everything at work. I know I’ve been really stressed, but you know just how to calm me down.” Her eyelashes lowered. He grinned. “Yeah. I think I got that down.” He dropped another smooch on her lips. “And I’ve been kinda freaked out about things too, with my parents splitting up and Tim being here. Funny how calming you down works for me too.” “What’s going on over there?” a male voice shouted. They both dragged their eyes off each other and looked over at Joe’s brother Jamie. He lifted an empty glass. “Waiting for wine here!”

Joe laughed. “Coming.” “I’m so glad your brothers came,” Mallory said as he began to work the cork out of the bottle. Joe shook his head. “Surprised the hell out of me. But it’s good.” He glanced over at his mother, sitting in an armchair, Tim perched on the arm of it, leaning down to listen to what she was saying. “Not sure what’s happening with Mom and Tim.” “She seems happy,” Mallory said softly. “I’m not sure either. But they’re both adults.” “Weird, watching my mom dating,” Joe muttered. The cork gave a loud pop as he yanked it. “If that’s what they’re doing.” In the last couple of months, Tim had made three trips to Chicago, including this one for Christmas. He and Joe had spent time together, getting to know each other. And Tim had seen Jennifer, without Joe’s help or permission. Strangely, that had amused Joe. On the other hand, Joe hadn’t made things up with the man who’d raised him. Joe had made an attempt to talk to him, but his dad had bitterly refused to see him. On the plus side, Joe’s brothers had come to see that it wasn’t Joe’s fault their parents’ marriage had ended, and they’d had a good talk one night and worked some stuff out. Mallory followed Joe into the room and watched him pour wine into Jamie’s glass. Jamie was flirting up a storm with Paige, who was smiling but definitely distracted. Paige had told Mallory that her ex-husband had showed up at her office yesterday. She’d seen it was him and hadn’t opened the locked door. Eventually he’d stopped pounding on the door and left, but she’d been shaken by it. He’d left her alone since that weekend in October he’d assaulted her and she’d just started to feel safe again, dammit. This worried Mallory, but she tried to push that aside and enjoy the party. She and Joe sat back on the couch, and he picked up her hand and held it on his thigh, smiling down at her. In the New Year, they were moving in together, into a new condo they’d picked out together, something with a little more character than Mallory’s sleek condo, something a little more stylish than Joe’s renovated

warehouse loft. Across from them, Sasha sat on Jack’s lap, talking to Mallory’s mom and dad, who were visiting for Christmas. At first, everyone had been a little intimidated by the fact that her dad was a minister, but when he’d made an off-color joke about the similarity between a priest and a Christmas tree, everyone had burst out laughing and then loosened up. It was definitely an assorted group, but it was their family and their friends all together, all getting to know each other, laughing and having fun. This was their life now, their life together, and even when things were messed up—they were perfect.

About the Author

Kelly Jamieson is a best-selling author of over forty romance novels and novellas. Her writing has been described as “emotionally complex”, “sweet and satisfying” and “blisteringly sexy.” She likes coffee (black), wine (mostly white), shoes (high heels) and hockey!

Visit her website at http://www.kellyjamieson.com.

Table of Contents

ALL MESSED UP Copyright Praise for the Novels of Kelly Jamieson Dedication Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13

Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Epilogue About the Author

Guide

ALL MESSED UP

Cover