Say You’re Mine

Sarah J. Brooks
 Copyright and Disclaimer
Copyright © 2021 by Sarah J. Brooks

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this

document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this
publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not
allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights
reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or

dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses,
organizations, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously.
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Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright and Disclaimer

Special Invitation

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Preview: “Say You’ll Stay”

More books by Sarah

About the Author

 Prologue
Robert

Eight years ago

I was in a rush. I was always in a rush. I lived my life scrambling from

one thing to the next. I was in my second year of college at one of the best
undergraduate programs in the country and I was top of my class. I was pre-
law and planned to go to law school when I graduated in two years. I was
nineteen years old and knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I had it
all mapped out.

I was smart. I was capable. I had a bright future ahead of me.

And I was going to drown if I wasn’t careful.

I checked the time. I was already running late. That wouldn’t do.
Robert Jenkins didn’t do “late.” I grabbed my duffle bag with my work
‘uniform’ and tried to find my keys somewhere in the mess that I called a
dorm. I had been lucky to secure campus accommodation, otherwise, I’d
never been able to afford to live in Philadelphia.
 I was also lucky that I had been able to get enough financial aid to
cover my costs. Sure, I’d have a mountain of loans to pay off once I

graduated but I’d have to worry about that later.

My phone rang and I thought about not answering it. If I were more
than ten minutes late my boss Darla would give my shift to someone else.
And I couldn’t afford that. But I also knew it could be my mom. I didn’t want

her to worry if she couldn't get hold of me.

“Hello?”

“Rob, you’re home!” It was my mom and she sounded relieved to hear
my voice. My guts twisted into uncomfortable knots of concern. I braced
myself for whatever storm approached.

“Hey, Ma. I was just heading off to work,” I told her, making it clear I
couldn’t talk long. It’s not that I didn’t want to talk to my mother. I loved her.

More than anything. She had always been my loudest cheerleader. She
couldn’t be prouder of her eldest son graduating top of his class from high
school and going pre-law at one of the best colleges in the country. She
bragged to everyone about her genius kid. She had spent the last five years
caring for my dad as he slowly wasted away from bowel cancer. When he
died last year I hated how relieved I had been. Mostly that he was no longer
in pain, but also so that my mother could have some semblance of her life
back.

“I won’t keep you. I just wanted to make sure you’re still able to visit
Sam on Saturday. He’s very excited to see you.”

My guts twisted tighter. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. I’ll take the bus
to the house and we can head over together.”

“I’m going to make him some of his favorite peanut butter bars. He so
loves them.” I could hear the guilt in her voice. I could feel it like a physical
thing. My mom had made the painful decision to put my younger brother,
Sam, in residential care six months ago. It was a great facility and he was
getting the absolute best care. The truth was my mother couldn’t care for Sam
on her own. My brother, older by eighteen months, was born with Downs
Syndrome. He had never been able to attend a regular school setting,
requiring my mother to homeschool him to the best of her ability. Sam was

also born with congenital heart disease that required frequent medical
attention. Between my father’s cancer and my brother’s increasing demands,
my mother was ill-equipped to handle the pressure. My brother’s social
worker suggested residential care, which my mother was adamantly against at
first. She wouldn’t have it. Her son belonged at home with her. She’d figure
it out. But as my brother grew bigger and his fits became increasingly more
violent, his needs increased to the point where she had to admit it was more
than she could deal with. But there was the problem of cost. She wouldn’t
ever allow Sam to live in a less than the amazing center. But my family

wasn’t wealthy. My dad and brother’s continuous healthcare costs had eaten
up what little money they had.

So that’s where I stepped in. Riding to the rescue like I always did.

My grandmother used to joke that I had been born wearing a superhero

cape. From an early age, I took the role of a familial hero seriously. Whether
it was sticking up for my brother against the neighborhood bullies or doing
the laundry so my mom could get a few hours of sleep while my dad was
resting and my brother was watching Aladdin, his favorite movie, for the
thousandth time.

It was a hard role to have, but it was one I embraced wholeheartedly. I

had no other choice but to be the guy they all counted on. It was ingrained in

my DNA.

“I hope you can save some for me. I’ll fight Sam for them, if I have
to,” I teased, finally finding my keys beneath a pile of clothes. I was a total
slob and my tiny space was littered with so much debris it made walking to
the door difficult. The dorms were shit. I was one of the lucky ones not to be
saddled with a random roommate. I had secured a single room, but it was still
awful especially with the thumping base from my neighbor’s techno music at
all hours of the night; I freaking hated it. I fantasized about the day I could

have a nice, big house with walls that weren’t paper-thin. I had grown up

with barely enough and I longed for the days I didn’t have to worry about
money all the time. Which is why I was working my ass off to be something
better. Something more.

“I’m making lemon bars for you, don’t worry,” Mom laughed and my

chest tightened. She may not have much, but she gave her kids everything she
had. My mother was the best person I had ever known and I wanted nothing
more than to make her faith in me justified.

“You’re the best, Ma.” I closed the door behind me and headed down
the stairs, saying hello to a few people I passed on the way.

“I just want you and Sam to always know I love you. He knows that,
doesn’t he? I don’t want Sam to think I’ve abandoned him. Do you think he

thinks that?” I could hear Mom’s voice wobble and I knew she was close to
tears. Being separated from Sam was hard for her. Harder now Dad was gone
and I lived thirty minutes away. But I knew Sam was in the best place he
could be and lately my phone calls with Mom had been a lot of reassurances
about it.

“Lakewood House is one of the best facilities in the country. Sam’s

getting top-notch care. He’s happy. Don’t you remember how excited he was
about the picture he made in art class?” What I was saying was true. I had

never seen my brother as happy as he had been since moving to Lakewood

House. The staff was well-trained and compassionate. There were tons of
activities and classes for Sam to take. He was learning a modicum of
independence and he was making friends. In truth, he was getting more out of
life now that he was living away from my mother than he would ever have if

he stayed home. But of course, I’d never say that. I would never do anything
to make my mother feel worse. It was better to hide and lie than tell her all
the truth.

I heard Mom’s heavy sigh. “You’re right. He’s happy. I need to

remember that.” She sniffed a little but she hadn’t devolved into tears, which
I considered a victory. Growing up, my mother was the strongest woman I
had ever known. I could remember the times she cried on one hand. Since
Dad had died and Sam had gone to live at Lakewood House she was still

strong, but she was also more prone to sobbing and emotional outbursts. She
had lost so much; she was entitled to her tears. But it still broke my heart and
made me feel helpless.

That’s why she would never, ever know what it took to keep Sam in
his fancy residential home and her mortgage paid. She couldn’t know. It
would kill off the last of her.
 “I can’t believe what this job of yours is paying you. All that money to
do a little filing? And it’s not interfering with your school work, right?

Because I could figure out how to pay for everything. I’m sure there’s some
financial aid—”

“I’ve got it covered, Ma, don’t worry. I’d tell you if it was too much,” I
reassured her, once again lying through my teeth. I checked the time. Shit. I

was officially late. “But I really have to go. I’ll see you this weekend.”

“Ok, my sweet. I love you.” Words that twisted like a knife.

“I love you too,” I replied, hanging up the phone.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and ran out the door, hoping I could
make it in time to keep my shift.

**

The Landing Strip was busy even though it was a Wednesday night.
But it was half off cocktails before ten, so it usually brought a lot of people
through the door. The music was loud and the air was thick with the smell of
sweat and aftershave. Strobe lights flashed and the smoke machine was going

while my buddy, Franklin—otherwise known as Officer Spank—was

gyrating his hips in his tiny G-string, wearing a British-style police cap on his
head. I could see from my spot at the back of the stage that he had overdone
it with the baby oil. He was going to fall on his ass if he wasn’t careful.

“You’re late, Rob,” Darla Tiedwich snapped once she caught sight of

me in the dressing room.

“Sorry. Won’t happen again.” I didn’t bother to give her excuses, she
wouldn’t care. Instead, I dug out my costume, a tight-fitting suit that I could
easily rip off when the time was right. Once Darla had found out I was in
school to become a lawyer she had dubbed me “Billy the Sexy Barrister” as
my stage name. The ladies—and some of the men—definitely seemed to like
it. I made money hand over fist. Recently Darla had started putting me on for
the shower shows. There were three showers installed in the back of the club,

encased in clear glass, where people could pay me 300 bucks to watch me
take a shower. It sounded crazy but women went nuts for it. It was funny
what a little soap and water could do to turn people on.

“I’ve given your shower spot to Jeremy,” she informed me and my

stomach dropped. The showers were where I made most of my money. I
could do up to twelve showers in a shift, which was a good chunk of change
even after the club took its cut.

“Darla, please. I need that money tonight—” I started to say but she
held up her hand, cutting me off.

“Someone’s hired you for a private dance. Paid a g for the privilege,”
she said, practically licking her lips. Private dances had to be requested and

were reserved for certain high-paying clients. I had never been requested
before. My stomach flipped over. It was common knowledge that the private
dances usually involved...other things. There were no cameras or bouncers in
the secluded rooms and the usual rules of “no touching” weren’t adhered to.

Was I expected to have sex with this person?

I couldn’t do that.

Stripping was one thing. I actually enjoyed that part. It was sexy and
hot and made me feel alive. I had always been a dweeb in high school.

Growing up, I was the runt, not hitting a growth spurt until I turned sixteen. I
didn’t go on a date until I was seventeen and about to graduate. I was the shy,
smart kid who kept to himself. Not much changed when I went off to college
either. It was hard for me to break out of my shell and meet people. I didn’t
do parties or bar crawls because I wasn’t a drinker—never had a head for the
stuff. I was definitely an outlier when it came to the whole college
experience. I was awkward and small talk didn’t come naturally to me. I was
the guy either friend-zoned or overlooked completely.

Not much changed for me in college. Not at first anyway. I was still the
quiet, smart guy. Sure I got the attention of women—I knew I was good-
looking in my way—but once my natural awkwardness took over, they
typically lost any interest. Looks only get you so far.

I didn’t know what made me go to the open call for exotic dancers at
The Landing Strip. The online ad promised it had the potential to make you
lots of money. Mom and I were looking into residential facilities for Sam and
the decent ones were way more than my mother could afford. Insurance
would only cover so much, so the cash drew me in. The unexpected buzz of
being on stage, transforming into someone completely different, was what
kept me there.

Darla had seen something in me. She said I had a nice face but it was
my “aura” that made her hire me. I hadn’t known what she meant, but
apparently, I had a sexy, mysterious thing about me that you couldn’t teach.
She told me to start working on my body. She had another stripper named
Mike to share with me his high-intensity workout meant to bulk me up.
“Women don’t want scrawny. We want to see your muscles,” Darla stated in
her usual gruff way.
 I started working out five times a week. I lifted weights and started
running. Over time I developed a nice set of abs. I would never have a body

builder’s physique—I wasn’t made that way—but I was toned and hard. The
first night on stage was both the worst and best experience of my life. I had
moved like there was a steel rod shoved up my ass, but the women loved me.
They shoved so many bills down my tiny G-string that it looked ridiculous. I

made three hundred and fifty dollars that night. I started putting half of my
nightly tips aside to pay for my brother and mother’s care. And once I had
been dancing long enough, I even developed a bit of a following. Despite
this, I had never been requested for a private dance.

Until now.

“Okay,” I said, my voice a little high pitched.

Darla raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on my very obvious

nerves. She expected us to do our job and not bitch about it. “She’s waiting in
the 70’s room.” She shooed me and I quickly made my way to the narrow
hallway at the back of the club. There were three rooms, doors all closed.
Each had a “theme,” if you could call it that. The 70’s room was complete
with shag carpet and tacky wallpaper. It looked like the set of a bad porno.
Which, I guess was the point.

I braced myself before opening the door.

 I could do this. It’s a thousand dollars! That was a lot of money. It was
for one hour of my time. That was it.

I’d worry about the shame later.

I opened the door.

“Hi there,” I said, affecting a sultry tone. I slipped into my role

seamlessly. I was a sex god. I was the alpha hero of their smutty fantasies.

The woman was sitting casually in a two-person velvet-lined chair

sipping dark liquor from a highball glass, her long legs crossed. “Hi,” she
greeted, her voice smokey and deep.

She was older, but she wore her age well. If I was a betting man, I’d
say she was at least forty. And she was hot, with a body that was curvy but
toned. She wore tight-fitting jeans and a low-cut blouse. Her boobs were
massive and practically spilled out of her shirt. Her dark hair was piled on top

of her head. She wore quite a bit of makeup, but it looked good on her.

I walked further into the room, unsure of how this was supposed to go.
Was I meant to start dancing right away? Talk to her first? It would have
been nice if Darla would have given me some pointers.

The woman watched me, her eyes sizing me up. She had paid well for
my time so she clearly wasn’t going to hide her interest. She licked her lips.
“You’re prettier up close,” she rasped, giving me a steamy smile.

“Thanks,” I said lamely. What do you say to something like that?

The woman crooked her finger, beckoning me closer. “Come here.”

Shit. Okay.

I strolled over, trying to act unaffected, even though I had started

sweating like a pig. I stopped in front of her. She tilted her head back and
took me in. “You’re positively yummy.”

I licked my lips and gave her a slow, seductive smile. “Would you like
to eat me?” Ugh. I felt so cheesy saying it but figured I had a part to play,
might as well go all out.

The woman cocked her head and then after a beat started laughing. I
blinked, unsure what to do. Was she laughing at me? When she was finally

able to get herself under control she patted the cushion beside her. “You’re
nervous. That’s cute. Sit down. Talk to me a little bit.”

“Don’t you want me to dance for you?” I asked, confused.

She smiled, the expression was full of promise. “Eventually. But not
yet. I’m a firm believer in delaying gratification. It makes things so much
more...tantalizing.”
 Alright then.

I sat down beside her. The chair, while deep and wide, still had me
pressed up against her. I towered over her. I wasn’t a big guy but she was a
small woman. I liked that about her. And she smelled good. Like
honeysuckle. From my position, I could see straight down her shirt and she
had one fine set of tits.

She took another slow drink of what I could now smell was whiskey.
“I’ve seen you dance many times, Billy is it?”

I chuckled. “Oh yeah? I’m guessing you like what you saw otherwise
we wouldn’t be here.”

She laughed too. I liked the sound of it. Rich and low. Like her
speaking voice. She really was hot. “I liked what I saw. More than that, I
loved it.” She looked up at me. “I’m assuming Billy isn’t your actual name.”

She held out her hand for me to shake, which I did so a little awkwardly. “My
name is Tiffany.” She withdrew her palm delicately. “If you don’t want to tell
me your real name, that’s fine, but it’s also okay if you want to tell me.”

Our stage names were our stage names for a reason. The dancers
needed a level of distance between what they do on stage and their actual
lives. It was a safety measure first and a privacy measure last. Darla had been
clear never to reveal your real name. “These people aren’t here to know the
real you. They want the fantasy you create for them,” she had said to me on

my first night of work and I had been careful to remember that.

Tiffany’s eyes were a pretty blue. Her skin was remarkably unlined,
but I could tell she had had work done. Botox probably from the smoothness
of her forehead. “You’re a person first, Billy. Remember that.”

“Robert. My name is Robert,” I found myself saying, inwardly

cringing at breaking Darla’s number one rule.

Tiffany’s answering smile wasn’t steamy or sexy or sultry. It was

simply lovely. “Robert. It suits you. But can I call you Robbie?”

Ugh. I hated the nickname Robbie, but she was the one paying for this
whole exchange, so I guess what the customer wanted the customer got. I
nodded. “Sure.”

She took another long drink of her whiskey then handed the glass to
me. “Here, have some. You must be thirsty. They sure do keep it hot in here.”
She fanned her face with her hand. “I guess it makes it more comfortable
when you take your clothes off.” She lifted an eyebrow and I found myself
relaxing. There was something easy about Tiffany. Despite the weird
situation, it almost felt like we were just two people hanging out.
 I took a drink of the whiskey, enjoying the way it warmed my belly. I
handed the glass back to her but she waved it off. “You take the rest. It’s

already gone right to my head.”

I knocked back the rest of the drink and put the glass on the table
against the wall. “Should I start—?”

“So tell me, Robbie, what do you do when you’re not taking your
clothes off?” Tiffany interrupted, putting her hand on my thigh. I would have
thought it an innocent gesture if not for the way she curled her fingers into
my flesh. Or how close her thumb rested to my ball sack.

“I’m pre-law. I plan to go to law school when I graduate,” I found

myself telling her. She had started rubbing her thumb in gentle, persistent
circles. The tip of her nail brushed against the material over my balls. My
groin tightened in response. I couldn’t help it. The whiskey had gone to my

head and I was definitely buzzed. I had never been much of a drinker.

Tiffany’s face brightened. “Law school? Wow! You must be so smart.”

She angled her body toward me, her hand inching further up my thigh until
she was practically cupping my junk. This wasn’t going at all how I expected
it to, but I found myself going with it. Enjoying it even. I like the way she
made me feel like the most amazing, interesting man in the world. Men are
egotistical creatures by nature. Get a guy talking about himself and act like
it’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever heard and we’re eating out of the

palm of your hand.

No one said males were particularly deep.

“I guess so,” I shrugged, enjoying her attention.

“What kind of law do you want to practice?” Tiffany asked, seeming to

genuinely care about what I had to say.

“I’m not sure yet. I have time to figure it out. But I love the law. I just
want to make the world a better place.” God, I sounded like a moron.

Tiffany pressed herself closer to me. “I can see that. I knew as soon as
I saw you up on that stage that you were different. You were special.” She
lifted her hand from my thigh and placed her fingers on my arm. A soft
touch. Intimate even. “Do you want to come back to my place?”

I swallowed thickly.

“I thought you paid for me to dance,” I questioned.

Tiffany smiled. “I paid for your time. What we do with it is our

business.”

I started to shake my head. “I can’t just leave. My boss will be pissed

—”
 “What if I paid for the rest of your shift?” she countered.

“Um…”

“Let me talk to your boss.” Tiffany got to her feet and left me alone in
the seventies porn room.

What the hell was going on? Where was this going?

Tiffany seemed like a nice lady. She seemed into me and not just for
my body. This entire exchange had thrown me off.

Tiffany returned ten minutes later and motioned for me to follow her.
“Darla says it’s fine. Come on. My car’s out front.”

I looked down at the tight-fitting suit with the Velcro seams I was
wearing. “I should change.”

Tiffany’s eyes heated. “Don’t. I like it.” Her voice became husky and I

knew, without a doubt, where this evening was going.

**
 “Ahh, Robbie, oh my god!” Tiffany screamed as I pounded away, my
cock thrusting so deeply into her pussy I wondered if she could feel me in her

throat.

We had gone back to her apartment—a massive space in the middle of

the city. It used to be a warehouse and had been gentrified in the last few
years. It was one giant room separated by plants and thin, gauzy dividers.

Tiffany had opened a bottle of wine. We talked a little more. I found

myself telling her about my brother. About my financial responsibilities.
About how much I wanted to take care of my family. She had a way of
getting me to open up. She didn’t prod. She asked me questions. She let me
speak without filling the silence. She wasn’t expectant. And because she
wasn’t pushy, I found it easy to talk to her. I unloaded on Tiffany in a way I
hadn’t spoken to anyone. Ever.

Tiffany had honed the art of active listening and she wielded it like a
super power.

I was raw. I was vulnerable. And then she made her move.

She kissed me.

And the next thing I knew, we were in her king-sized bed, our clothes
on the floor, and I was balls-deep inside her. Her skin was smooth and I liked
the feel of her. I had had sex a total of one other time in my life, but my
inexperience didn’t seem to matter to Tiffany.

“Pinch my nipples. Hard,” she barked, arching her back. I did as I was
told and she screamed again. I wondered what her neighbors must think.

“Flip me over. I want you to fuck my ass,” she commanded.

“What?” I panted, not sure I heard her correctly. I was starting to feel a
little lightheaded. This woman could go for hours.

She sat up and wrapped her legs around my waist, causing me to stop
thrusting. She kissed my jaw. “Oh baby, you're so sweet and innocent. Have
you ever stuck your dick in a woman’s ass before?”

“Um, no,” I muttered.

She took my bottom lip between her teeth. “Trust me, you’ll like it,”

she purred. “Now flip me over. Don’t be gentle about it. I like it rough.”

She bit down on my lip hard enough to draw blood. I gripped her hips
and pulled out. Then I lifted her and dropped her on her stomach, pressing
her face into the pillow. She lifted her ass into the air and I dug my fingers
into her flesh as I pushed into her tight, tight asshole. It was weird. I wasn’t
sure what I was supposed to do. Did it hurt her?
 Then I started moving and the grip on my cock was unlike anything I
had ever felt before. She seemed to like it. She squirmed beneath me, her

screams muffled by the pillow. I kept one hand on the back of her neck, the
other digging into the flesh of her firm ass as I pummeled it. Only a few
minutes went by before I had to come. I started to pull out but Tiffany
stopped me.

“Cum in my ass, Robbie,” she begged.

Not needing any further encouragement, I came so hard I saw spots

behind my eyelids. When I was finished I fell onto the bed, pulling her close
to me. I figured she’d want to cuddle now. Isn’t that what women wanted?

Tiffany lifted one of my hands and kissed my knuckles before laughing

breathlessly. “You’re good at that, sweetheart. Better than most.”

“Thanks,” I said, not knowing how else to respond.

“Now go clean up, we’re not done yet.” She raised her eyebrow
provocatively. “Bathroom’s over there.” She pointed across the room to
another door.

I did as I was asked, making quick work of washing off. It felt strange
using her fancy hand towels that probably cost more than my entire
wardrobe. When I was finished I went back to her, finding she had rolled
onto her back. She looked at me and beckoned me over with a crook of her
finger.

I laid back on the bed beside her, draping an arm over her flat stomach.
I looked down into her face. Most of her makeup had been rubbed off and she
looked much older now. Maybe older than I originally thought. I wasn’t
about to ask her age. My mother had raised me not to be rude. “You haven’t

had much experience though, have you? Were you a virgin?”

I felt myself get defensive. “No. I wasn’t a virgin!” I exclaimed

indignantly.

She laughed again and kissed my rigid mouth. “You’re so damn cute
when you’re offended. I’m just saying there’s an innocence about you that’s
sexy as hell. It makes me want to do very, very naughty things to you.” She
ran her hand down my front and took my cock in her hand. I felt myself start

to harden again. She giggled. “You’re so responsive. That’s a good thing.”

She licked the underside of my jaw. “I’ve been with a lot of men in my life,
but none have tasted quite as good as you, Robbie baby.”

I pushed her onto her back and fit myself between her legs. “I’m ready
if you’re ready.” I started to lean down and kiss her, but she pressed a finger
to my mouth, stopping me.
 “Do you like working at the strip club?” she asked.

I was taken aback by the question. It was a strange one given what we
were currently doing. “Yeah. I do,” I told her, confused.

“Why? What do you like about it?” Her hand was still around my dick,
her thumb rubbing the tip in slow, lazy circles. It made it hard to concentrate.

“I like the money. I told you why I need it,” I said.

“Any other reasons?” she murmured, still rubbing the head of my cock
with the pad of her thumb.

“I like that women want me,” I groaned as she squeezed me in her grip
and started to pump me, slow and steady.

“Oh yeah, baby. They want you all right.” She grinned up at me,
watching me closely as she started to jerk me off.

“I like that I can be someone different. I like that it’s an act I get to
play,” I continued, my breath becoming shallow.

“And do you like this?” she asked, her hand moving faster. I was going
to come again.

“Fucking hell, yeah,” I bellowed, closing my eyes

“You like making women feel good?” she kept on.

 “Yes. I do.” I felt the pressure mounting. It was like a hot coil in my
belly.

“What if you could do this again?” she asked, pulling her hand away
just as I was about to blow my load. I opened my eyes, blinking in
bewilderment.

“Huh?”

Tiffany sat up, her tits as perky as a twenty-year-old. They weren’t

real, but I didn’t care. She reached for a glass of water on her bedside table
and took a sip. “You’re a sweet boy and it’s obvious you need a hand up in
the world. What if I could give you that hand up?”

I frowned. “I can take care of myself just fine.”

Tiffany turned to me, her smile tender, if not a little condescending.

“I’m not saying you can’t. Perhaps I should have said it another way.” She

put her hand on my knee. “What if we can help each other.”

I grinned and put my hand between her legs. “I thought that’s what we
were doing.” I wiggled my eyebrows and she chuckled.

“It’s hard to have a conversation when you do things like that,

Robbie.”
 My grin grew wider. “Why do we need to talk?”

Tiffany spread her legs a little wider, giving me access. But even as I
started fingering her, she still wanted to talk. “Stripping makes you good
money, right?” I nodded. “Well, there are ways to make double—triple even
— while making other women feel as good as you’ve made me feel tonight.”
She gasped as I pressed her clit.

Her words gave me pause. I was a smart guy, but for some reason, it
was taking me a while to catch on to what she was insinuating. I withdrew
my fingers and sat back on my haunches, “What are you suggesting?”

Tiffany laughed again, sitting up. “You’re so naive. I love it.” She ran
her other hand down the side of my face. “Robbie, I’m a businesswoman. A
successful one too. I earned my first million at the age of thirty. I was able to
do that because I have an eye for quality. And Robbie, you’re quality.” She

seemed to regard me like someone buying a painting. “Would you like to

hear about how I can help you get a slice of that very lucrative pie?”

I was intrigued. She had a way of pulling me in. She was a hell of a
saleswoman. “Sure. Tell me.”

Tiffany closed her legs and leaned against the headboard. “I run a very
successful business that pairs gorgeous young men, like yourself, with very
wealthy, very lonely women.” She watched me as I digested the information.
“I find men who need a way to make a lot of money and I help them. But it’s

not just about the men, it’s about the women too. There are a lot of women
out there that need to feel good about themselves and you’d do that for them.
And they’ll love you for it. And pay you handsomely for the privilege of your
company. Just as I have.”

She took a cigarette from the drawer and lit it. I watched her draw in a
lungful of smoke and slowly exhale. I’d always hated smoking. I thought it
made a person look trashy. Not Tiffany Hardwell. She made it look seductive
and erotic. Like an old-school Hollywood star.

“You’re saying you run an escort business?” I asked, finally putting the
pieces together. I was a smart guy. Smarter than most. But my lack of actual
real-world experience was putting me at a disadvantage in this situation. I
came across as a total moron.

“Escort sounds so seedy.” She waved her hand. “This is about

companionship. Relationship building. You spend time with these women—”

“And have sex with them,” I interrupted.

“If that’s where it goes, then yes,” she agreed. “But it’s not something I
push my boys to do. I leave it up to them. Many of them see it as a way of
using their...natural gifts...as a way to make others happy. All of my boys
enjoy themselves. I make sure of it.” She extinguished the cigarette in the

ashtray and took my hands in hers. “You’re special, Robbie. So special. You
made me feel alive tonight. I haven’t had an orgasm like that since I was a
teenager.” Her eyes flashed. “I want other women to feel the way you made
me feel. You have a gift, baby. An incredible gift. And you should be sharing

that with the world.”

I ran my hand down my face. “I don’t know—” I started to say.

Stripping was one thing, prostitution was another.

“My boys charge a thousand dollars an hour, Robbie,” she interjected,

shutting me up.

My mouth went dry.

“A thousand dollars? An hour?”

“I take ten percent, of course. A procurement fee, if you will.”

“Of course,” I croaked, feeling like I had been doused with cold water.
One thousand dollars? An hour? That was crazy money!

I could pay for my brother’s fees with only a few nights of work...

Tiffany grinned and nodded. “My clients are very selective. And I only
hire the most desirable men.” She ran her fingers up my arm. “And Robbie,
my Darling, you are very, very desirable.”

She started kissing my jaw again, her tongue running over my skin. “I
don’t know if I can have sex with strangers,” I breathed as she straddled me
again, her pussy pressing against my cock.

“Oh sweetheart, I’m a stranger and you fucked me so, so well.” She
leaned down and kissed my chest. “You’re a natural. And you can make a lot
of money for your family.”

She was incredibly persuasive. Between her words and the way she
was moving her body against mine, I couldn’t come up with a decent
argument against her suggestion. I was young and out of my depth. But I
liked sex and I wanted to take care of my mom and brother. They depended
on me. One day I was going to be a successful lawyer. I would fight the good

fight.

But for now, I could do this and enjoy the hell out of it.

I lifted Tiffany and settled her back down on my aching cock and we
moaned in unison as I filled her. “As long as it always feels like this, I’m in,”
I pledged as I started screwing the woman I barely knew.

“You’re going to make us a lot of money, Robbie. You’ll be a god and

women will worship you,” she promised as I let her convince me all night
long.
 Chapter One

Skylar

Present Day

I stretched my arms over my head and rotated my head, trying to

relieve the kink in my neck. I needed to get a new desk chair but finances
were tight at the moment, so I was having to make do with the incredibly
uncomfortable chair that came with my kitchen table.

At least the view out my window was nice.

I gazed through the open sash, breathing in the crisp autumn air. The
leaves had started to change and I watched them drift lazily from their

branches. I wasn’t the kind of person to wax poetic about fall foliage, but I
could appreciate the blissful quiet of my home, nestled on the outskirts of
Southport, Pennsylvania. It was tucked into a valley between two hills and
surrounded by nothing but fields and forests.

It was a far cry from my cramped one-bedroom apartment I had shared

with my ex, Mac ‘the ass’ Stevens, in Philadelphia.
 My computer dinged with an incoming message. I tore my eyes from
the sun and flowers and all that hunky-dory shit and opened it. It was an

email from my latest client asking a few questions about the timeline I sent to
him for the work I was contracted. The guy was a nitpicker, which I wouldn’t
have the patience for in the long run. I was upfront about costs and time
estimates, so there wasn’t much this guy could argue about—but clearly, he

wanted to.

He’d learn quickly how far that got him.

Taking the jump to work for myself as a freelance graphic designer had
been full of hiccups, but it was liberating. I had spent more than enough time
making other people money, toeing someone else’s line. When I thought of
the woman I was for those few years after college, I wanted to scream.
Somehow I had turned into the type of person I had always loathed—
oblivious and spineless.

My ex-fiancé had a large hand in molding that temporary Skylar

Murphy into someone who had allowed herself to be made a fool of. I still
couldn’t believe how long it took me to realize he had squandered away most
of our nest egg on watching underage girls take their clothes off on the
internet. He hadn’t even tried to hide his duplicity, I simply hadn’t been
looking. Because at some point I had become the sort of woman who
willfully took whatever bullshit she was spoon-fed.

I hated that Skylar and was happy to kick her butt into the sun.

So I came back to my hometown—the one place I had sworn to stay far

away from. Mostly because it was my only option. I didn’t have much
money. I had been laid off from my job. My heart had been battered and

bruised beyond all recognition. Moving in with my emotionally stunted

parents had seemed the lesser of all kinds of evils.

I really should have been questioning my decision-making abilities.

Eventually, I waded through all the shit and ended up here—in my

little slice of heaven—or something close to it. The house had been a fixer-
upper, which was real estate speak for an absolute money pit. But I hadn’t
cared. I took one look at the hand-crafted spindles on the wooden staircase
and the gigantic backyard, and I threw my money at it. Well, I made an offer,

and since I was the only one interested in a dilapidated property ten miles
from town, mine was also the only offer. I got the place dirt cheap, which
was good because most of what little savings I had left went into making it
livable.

I was lucky that one of my best friends also happened to be a stellar

handyman. Kyle Webber—aka, Web— and I had been friends since he
moved to Southport in middle school. He had his own landscaping business
and knew his way around a hammer. I was no slouch either when it came to

project initiative, but YouTube only got you so far when it came to home
DIY. Together we sanded and sealed the hardwood floors and built a pretty
new deck off the back of the house. I painted the living room and kitchen all
by myself though, and it turned out pretty great if you ask me. I had help

installing the new kitchen appliances, but that is another story…

“Oof, what is it, buddy?” My massive blood hound mix, Edgar came
barreling full speed into my office, knocking over the potted plant and
heaving himself into my lap. He pressed his body against me and nuzzled my
chin. Even though the dog was easily over a hundred and forty pounds, he
had been a lap dog in a previous life. One of my first acts as a new
homeowner had been to adopt Mr. Least Likely to Find a Home from the
local animal shelter. Edgar was a mess of drool and shedding fur, but was

fiercely protective of me, which is all you could ask for from man’s—I mean,
woman’s best friend.

I scratched behind his ears and his jowls parted, his tongue lolling out.
A drop of drool landed on my jeans, but I didn’t cringe or push him off. Who
cares about a little dog drool?

“You really are a needy thing,” I cooed, kissing the top of his head and
heaving him gently onto the floor so I could stand up. “Come on, we need to
get ready for company anyway.” I turned off my laptop and left my office,

closing the door behind me. Edgar followed me out to the living room,
panting loudly. I had only just reached the front of the house when the
doorbell rang, sending Edgar into fits of howling. He was loud, his bark more
than a little intimidating. He may be a gentle monster, but between his size

and the implied viciousness of his bark, he’d keep away any would-be
burglars. He was the best home defense a single gal could want.

The doorbell chimed again, followed by impatient knocking. I looked

at the time on my phone, surprised that it was already seven. I had a bad habit
of losing track of time when I was working. I looked down at my torn jeans
and paint-stained Foo Fighters T-shirt and figured getting dolled up was out
of the question at this point. Good thing my plans for the evening didn’t
involve leaving the house.

“Skylar, I know you’re in there!” A muffled voice called out.

“Keep your pants on,” I grumbled, but without ire. I tapped my turtle,
Morla’s terrarium as I moved, unhurriedly, to the door.

“You’re borderline rude, you know that, right?” I asked my dearest

friend in the whole wide world as I let her and the two other women on my
porch inside.
 Meg Galloway, now Decate, rolled her eyes, shoving a heavy strand of
dark red hair out of her eyes. There were flecks of paint on her chin, which

wasn’t unusual for the professional artist. “We had been out there for five
minutes already, my arms were getting tired,” she quipped with a grin.

“She bought enough alcohol to knock out an army regiment,” Whitney

Webber, Meg’s older sister and Kyle Webber’s wife snarked, lifting a cloth

bag, glass bottles clanged tellingly.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t get out of my grunge gear then. No sense in
getting sloppy drunk in nice clothes,” I deadpanned, leading the way to the
kitchen.

“This is the first time I’ve been out of leggings in weeks, I wanted to
make the most of not being covered in spit-up for once,” Lena Wyatt stated,
dropping her purse on the table while Meg started filling the refrigerator with

wine and beer.

“You’re telling me! I thought we’d be out of the waking up three and
four times a night thing now that Tyler is eighteen months. We had to put
him in his toddler bed already because he started climbing out of the crib and
Adam was worried he’d hurt himself,” Meg sighed and I could see how tired
she was.
 “Katie wakes up every morning at five on the dot and climbs into our
bed. She thinks if she’s up, we should all be up,” Whitney grumbled good-

naturedly. I knew there was no bite to her complaint. She loved her
stepdaughter as much as any mother could love a child. I had been on the
fence when she and Web had decided to fake a marriage for Kyle to get full
custody of his daughter, Katie. We all knew Web had been batshit crazy in

love with Meg’s older sister for most of his life but it seemed destined to end
in heartbreak and tragedy.

It was one of the very few times that I was happy to be proven wrong.

My three closest friends started talking in animated hand waving about

the travails of motherhood while I stood awkwardly off to the side, absently
scratching the back of Edgar’s head.

It seemed the conversations among us had become more and more

about their kids and their marriages and less about anything else. And I
understood why. They were at the changing diapers, packing lunches, and
bitching about their husbands leaving the toilet seat up stage of their lives.
Me? I was the quirky single friend living with her behemoth of a dog and ten-
year-old turtle she had stolen from her evil ex. I couldn’t add anything to the
debate about which daycare was best or the signs of lactose intolerance in
babies.
 And I was okay with that.

The last thing I wanted was marriage and babies. I liked my space. I
liked my privacy. I liked being able to focus on myself and not worry about
the wants and needs of anyone else.

I was an independent woman, damn it!

Meg glanced my way and grimaced. “Sorry, Sky. You don’t care about
our kids’ sleep schedule.” She handed me a bottle of my favorite microbrew
beer. “Just tell us to shut up.”

I waved away her comment. “It’s fine. You know I love all of your
kids. Your husbands not as much,” I teased. I would never be that single
friend who they had to tiptoe around. I had made my life choices and I was
happy with them. If they wanted to talk about their kids and marriages, then I
was happy to lend them a listening ear.

Even if it bored me to fucking tears.

Whitney, always the classy one of the bunch, poured herself a glass of
white wine. “God, I love this space, Skylar. It’s absolutely beautiful,” she
breathed, walking into the glass conservatory that I used as a breakfast nook.

“It really is stunning,” Lena added, following her.

 “Yeah, it turned out nice,” I agreed. The glass conservatory was one of
my favorite additions to the house with its vaulted glass ceilings and floor-to-

ceiling windows that overlooked the forest behind the house. In the morning
it was bright with the morning sun that warmed the space. I had filled the
room off the kitchen with house plants and it now resembled something like a
tropical greenhouse. The flooring was the mosaic stone that was cool under

your feet, which contrasted nicely with the heat during the day. The back of
the conservatory consisted of massive pocket doors that I had opened to let in
the chilled evening air.

“I’d kill for something like this in my house,” Meg said, standing in the
open doorway looking out into my backyard. “The light would be perfect for
painting.”

“This must have cost a fortune to build,” Whitney commented, sitting

down at the farm-style table I had in the middle of the room.

“Not really. I got a great deal on it,” I told her, my stomach doing that
annoying somersault thing.

Lena snorted. “Good deal meaning you only had to pay for it with your
company.” She gave me a saucy wink and I narrowed my eyes in warning. A
warning she of course wouldn't take.
 “Oh that’s right, Rob’s friends built it, didn’t they?” Meg asked, sitting
down beside her sister.

“It was a contractor out of Philly. They came highly recommended,” I

replied vaguely.

“That was a friend of Rob’s,” Lena interjected. “I remember him

telling Jeremy they owed him a favor and were doing the work for next to
nothing.” Lena raised an eyebrow. “Funny how he went to so much trouble
given you weren’t even together or anything.”

Lena Decate Wyatt was like a dog with a bone when she wanted
information. Which is what made her a fantastic attorney. But it was more
than a little annoying when that particular talent was turned on you. It was a
good thing I had learned the art of the poker face from an early age.

“We were friends. He was helping me out.” I shrugged. I could do

blasé with the best of them.

If Lena’s eyebrows went up any higher, they’d disappear altogether. “I

don’t think I’ve ever had a friend that called in pricey favors on my behalf
unless we were sleeping together.” Now those eyebrows were wiggling. “Or
they wanted to sleep with me. So which is it, Murphy?”

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to respond.

 “You guys seemed close there for a while. What happened?” Whitney
asked.

I glanced at Meg and she gave me a sympathetic smile. She knew what
happened. There wasn’t a single thing in my life that Meg Galloway Decate
wasn’t aware of. It was both the blessing and curse of best friendship.

“I hate to disappoint you, but there’s nothing sordid or dramatic to

report. We were sort of friends for a while. Now we’re not. End of story,” I
brushed off. I really didn’t want to talk about my almost...whatever...with
Robert Jenkins, attorney extraordinaire.

“Sort of friends?” Lena prodded. “There was nothing ‘sort of’ about it.
You guys were up against each other’s asses for months. I have never seen
that man on the phone so much. Everyone knows Jenkins is allergic to all
social activity.” She gave me a loaded look. “But for you, he seemed to make

all kinds of exceptions.”

I felt stiff. I didn’t want to talk about Robert, Lena’s law partner. I
didn’t want to talk about how I found myself liking the shy but incredibly
intelligent man. How I hadn’t been swayed by his sexy good looks, but by his
thoughtfulness and his huge...brain.

I had just come out of a too serious, too shitty relationship. I was brittle
and raw and Robert seemed to sense that. He wasn’t a pushy guy. He was so
laid back he was in danger of becoming horizontal. He didn’t speak much,

but when he did, you listened, because it was usually something interesting
that made you think.

For a brief moment, we had spent time together. I couldn’t get enough
of talking to him. We started sliding toward the beginnings of something. But

then I realized that the more we talked, the less Robert actually said.

Sure we had conversations about everything from the death penalty to

our favorite Bruce Lee movies. We talked about all the little stuff but none of
the big stuff. And when I told him about Mac and how torn up I had been
even as I tried to hide it from everyone else, he never shared anything about
himself. When I asked him questions about his past or his family, he
somehow never really answered them.

So, no, I couldn’t call him a friend, because at the end of the day I
knew absolutely nothing about him.

“Look, he’s a nice guy, but I don’t have time for a man who is all
mystery and no substance,” I snapped, picking up my beer and walking into
the living room, hoping my friends would clue in on my not so subtle cue.

“Dude, that’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” Lena called out,
following me. “Sure, he’s kind of boring, but we’re talking about Mr. Morals.
The man who once drove back to the city when he realized the restaurant he

had gone to undercharged him.”

“It’s not about his personality. That wasn’t the problem,” I found
myself saying. I sat down heavily on the couch and put my feet up on the
coffee table. My mother would have screamed her head off if I had dared to

do that when I was younger, so now I found myself putting my feet up on

anything and everything—just because I could.

Whitney sat down in the recliner as Lena and Meg settled on either
side of me. “I can’t imagine there being any problem with Rob. He’s the
nicest person I’ve ever met. It doesn’t hurt that he’s freaking gorgeous too,”
Whitney chimed in.

“Right? When he’s next to Adam and Jeremy he sort of disappears into

the background. But when it’s just him you realize how downright
smoldering he is. You forget that there’s a damn nice face behind the
glasses,” Meg piped up.

All the women nodded in agreement. Even I had to incline my head in

acknowledgment of Robert Jenkins’ level ten hotness. The fact that he
dressed like an accountant and had the social skills of an awkward teenager
made him weirdly more appealing. It was like being in the presence of Clark
Kent. Mild-mannered by day, muscled superhero by night. He had all the

earmarks of a guy with a secret identity. I just didn’t have the patience to

stick around to find out who he was. If a man couldn’t be up-front about who
he was, it led me to believe that there was something about him I didn’t want
to know.

“Was it his obsession with gardening magazines? Jeremy gives him so

much shit for that. I mean who under the age of seventy has not one, but three
subscriptions to gardening magazines? And then there’s the golf. Okay, I
think I get it now. He’s a total snooze-fest,” Lena laughed and Whitney
joined her. But they weren’t laughing at Robert. Everyone liked Robert. It
was impossible not to.

But I was giving it the good ol’ college try.

“What do you know about him though? Except for the gardening

magazines?” I countered, taking a long drink of my beer.

Lena frowned and looked at Meg. “Don’t ask me. Adam has always
joked that if Rob were a book, there’d be three pages. I’m not sure there’s
much to talk about,” my best friend added.

“And that’s the problem. No one knows because the man doesn’t tell.
It’s annoying.” I frowned, expressing my displeasure. “I’ve wasted enough of
my time on men that give me nothing. I’m not going back down that road
again.”

Whitney opened up the bag of popcorn she brought with her and took a
handful. “Maybe he’s just being mysterious.”

Lena laughed. “Robert Jenkins, mysterious? Come on now.”

I let out a sigh. “Well whatever he is, I’m not interested.”

Sure, keep telling yourself that…

I noticed that Lena, Whitney, and Meg shared a look. One that said
they had discussed this among themselves already. There was nothing more
frustrating than realizing your friends were talking about you behind your
back, no matter how well-meaning they were.

“Even if it’s pretty damn obvious he’s still interested in you?” Lena

posed.

My stomach knotted again. I wished it would stop doing that.

I reached for the remote and turned on my massive 50-inch flatscreen.

It had been one of my splurges when I moved in. I wanted to watch my
favorite kung fu movies on a proper television set. No more tiny laptop
screens for me.
 I remembered Robert coming over with wine and my favorite
chocolate cookies to christen the TV with a Bruce Lee marathon. It was one

of the most enjoyable evenings of my life, even though he never laid a hand
on me.

Nope.

I wasn’t going there.

“I think you’re reading too much into things. Besides, Robert Jenkins
is old news. I’m not even sure why we're talking about him at all,” I retorted.

The three shared another look. I was about to throw a pillow at each of
them.

Lena crossed her legs and flipped her hair behind her shoulders. She
had a way of looking effortlessly cool and relaxed at all times. Her feathers
very rarely got ruffled, unless she was with her husband, Jeremy, who

seemed to rile her in a way no one else could. “Okay, so if you’re not
interested in Rob, then how about I set you up with one of my friends—”

“Nope.” I shook my head vehemently. “Not gonna do it. Put the

thought out of your head right this second, Marlena Wyatt.”

Lena’s eyes narrowed at my use of her real name. She hated Marlena
and threatened bodily harm on anyone that dared use it. But she knew better
than to say anything to me. Even though I had known her most of her life, I

was pretty sure she was still a little scared of me since that time when she was

ten and I told her I’d cut the arms off her Barbie dolls if she didn’t stop
asking me a million questions. What can I say? Lena was an annoying kid
and back then I had zero patience.

What am I talking about? I still have zero patience.

“You’re a hot piece of grade-A meat, babe. You shouldn’t be hiding all
that at home,” Lena complained.

“Way to make me feel objectified,” I muttered.

“What our lovely Lena is trying to say is we want you to be happy.

You haven’t really dated since Mac. We thought you and Rob—” Meg
started to say and I threw her a warning glance and she changed her track.
“What I’m trying to say is there are a lot of great guys out there. Don’t shut

yourself off because one of the bad ones wormed his way into your life.”

I let out a long, tortured groan. “Jesus Christ, Meg, this isn’t 1950. I
don’t need a man to feel complete. I’m happy you and Adam finally got your
shit together and are happy. And I’m stoked that Web and Whit are together
and Lena is playing happy family with Jeremy, but that’s just not me. And
that’s okay, guys.” I looked at each of my girlfriends pointedly.
 “Yes, we know you’re a super awesome, empowered woman, but what
about Brad Sawyer? I’ve known him for years. He’s super cute, has a great

job—”

“Brad from Sweet Lila’s?” I asked with a snort.

Lena frowned. “Yes, that Brad. What’s wrong with him? He bought the

bar from Lila last summer with his brother Seb. He’s a catch.”

“Didn’t he used to date Hannah?” I asked her, referring to Hannah

Quinn, Lena’s best friend from high school. Hannah was a handful. She was
loud and brash and drank more than most sailors, which was pretty funny
given that she was an elementary school teacher in town.

Lena flicked her hair again. “That was ages ago. He’s been single for
years, though no one can figure out why. He’s such a great guy.”

“Probably because he’s been too busy sleeping through all the women

in town, which is why Hannah dumped him,” Meg pointed out.

Lena’s frown deepened. “Oh right. Well, what about his brother? Seb
is one tasty-looking man.”

“Aside from the whole scary-biker thing he’s got going on. You aren’t
setting Skylar up with a guy who has neck tattoos,” Whitney insisted.
 “You’re so judgy, Whit. When did you get so judgy? My friend Cat
says he’s a big softy. That whole tough guy thing is just an act. Jenna’s car

broke down outside of town this past winter and Seb stood with her in a near-
blizzard until the tow truck came and then gave her a lift back to Philly,”
Lena said. I was amused at the thought of Seb Sawyer with his massive
muscles and scary tattoos helping out meek and mild Jenna Phelps, Lena’s

college roommate. I imagined Jenna freaking out at the sight of the burly guy
pulling up alongside her.

I held up my hands. “Enough already. No one is setting me up with

anyone. If I want to date a guy, I’m more than capable of finding one myself.
I’m not interested in Brad or his brother. So drop it.”

Lena sat back in her chair, none too happy and the other two looked
chagrined. “Sorry, Sky,” Meg apologized.

“Whatever. Can we watch the movie already? I’m more than happy to
spend my evenings with Mr. Swayze.” I turned on the movie and smiled as
the opening credits of Dirty Dancing rolled across the screen.

Whitney chuckled. “One thing’s for sure, our girl has good taste.”

“True,” Lena conceded.

There was nothing like a good movie, booze, and friends to make your
life feel almost full.

Almost.
 Chapter Two

Robert

I had barely come up for air since I got in the office that morning.

Just as I liked it.

It had been back-to-back clients, then an eleven o’clock arraignment

for a new client who had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly and
had parents with very deep pockets. I came back to jump on a call with the
district attorney’s office about discovery for an upcoming case and had only
just stopped to eat lunch—at three-thirty.

“Knock, knock.” My law partner, Jeremy Wyatt, stuck his head into
my office. He wrinkled his nose. “Man, open a window. It smells like stale

coffee and cigarettes in here.”

“Mr. Jones was just here. I think he smoked a pack before he showed
up,” I told him, getting to my feet, and opening the large window that
overlooked the town square. Mr. Jones was an elderly gentleman that
happened to own a third of Southport. He had come to the law firm to get
some title work done for a new property. He usually dealt with either Adam
or Lena, who he knew personally, but both had heavy workloads and young

children, so it came to me—Mr. No Life.

Jeremy waltzed in and sank into one of the two leather chairs on the
opposite side of my desk, stretching his legs out casually. I knew from years
of experience that if Jeremy was in a talkative mood, I’d never get rid of him.
I had known both Jeremy and Adam since law school. I had been friendly

with Adam, who I shared several classes with, but had always found Jeremy
to be obnoxious, even if he was one of the best students in our year. When
Adam approached me about starting our firm, I had been on the fence. I was
working for a firm in the city, but being a junior was only being thrown
scraps. It would take me years to make a name for myself that way.

I had promised myself, for the sake of my family, that I’d find a way to
be a success, no matter the cost—so that’s exactly what I did. I threw my hat
in the ring with two of the best lawyers I had ever met. And sure enough, we

built one of the best firms in the state.

I was proud of what we had accomplished—even if the success felt a

little hollow sometimes.

“Please, make yourself at home,” I remarked dryly. But Jeremy wasn’t

the kind of person to take offense or allow himself to be brushed off. He was
a man who was used to getting what he wanted and taking charge. And I was
the kind of guy happy to operate under the radar. I counted on obliviousness.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Jeremy reached across my desk and took a

handful of mints I kept in a bowl. He opened one and popped it into his
mouth. “I got my check from South River Development today. I came by to
thank you again for that nice six-figure bump in my wallet.” Jeremy sucked
on the mint noisily.

I purposefully didn’t look at him. “You don’t need to thank me. I

didn’t have time for it, you did. It all worked out.”

Last year the firm had received a call from someone interested in
purchasing a large plot of land on the south side of town near the river. They
planned to build a massive development that would mean a lot of new
housing and businesses could come to the area. Southport wasn’t exactly
thriving so the possibility of an influx in revenue was exactly what the town

and surrounding areas needed. The work would be intensive. Lots of

paperwork and meetings. Lots of long hours.

And the retainer was massive. More than any of us had secured on our
own yet.

Jeremy and Adam had been doing flips over the possibility, but then
came the kicker—the new client had requested me specifically. Insisted on it.
 It wasn’t until I saw the name of this new client that I knew why.

And I turned it down without a second’s hesitation.

Both Adam and Jeremy told me I was an idiot. They didn’t understand
why I would give up the chance to earn myself so much money. Sure, the
firm would get a percentage of the retainer, but the majority would be cash in

my pocket.

I couldn’t tell them why I wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.

Jeremy cocked his head as he regarded me. “I still don’t know why she
requested you and why in god’s name you turned it down. It’s not like you’re
Adam with his five million cases.”

Jeremy had been trying to wheedle the truth out of me for over a year.
And getting nowhere fast. He should have known by now that if I didn’t want
to share, I sure as hell wouldn’t. I couldn't be cajoled and coaxed to reveal

more than I wanted to. I didn’t operate that way.

I made keeping secrets an artform.

Something that had ruined more than one thing in my life.

“Did you only come in here to flaunt your paycheck? Because if that’s
the case, I’ve got a deposition to prepare for,” I replied shortly, already
turning back to my computer.

“Of course I did,” Jeremy laughed, getting to his feet. “And I wanted to
make sure you were okay with me taking on more work from Ms. Hardwell.”

I froze. Every inch of me. No sudden movements. A blank expression.

“More work? I thought you were all finished. They broke ground on the plaza

two weeks ago.”

Jeremy grabbed another mint. “Yeah, well she called earlier to set up a
conference call. Says she has plans to buy a house here in Southport. She
seemed pleased with the work I did so she asked me to handle this as well. If
you were still busy, that is.” Jeremy rolled his eyes. He didn’t take being
second-best well. Never had.

I barely paid his bruised ego any mind. “She’s buying a house here?”
My voice sounded weird. Even though I tried to sound normal, I knew I

didn’t. How could I?

What the fuck was she playing at?

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “I guess. She has her eye on the old
Carmichael place on Willow Street. It’s been on the market forever, mostly
because it’s out of most people’s price range. I mean, who has the disposable
income to buy up an old mansion on a half-acre plot in a town with little to
offer?” He watched me closely. “But it seems she saw it online and ‘fell in
love.’” His lips quirked. “Is that a problem?”

Is that a problem?

Yes, it was a fucking problem.

But I was good at pretending things didn’t bother me when they did. I

lifted a shoulder in a laissez-faire fashion. “Why should it be?”

Jeremy scrutinized my reaction. It felt like I was being examined under

a microscope, which was a problem when your only real friends were
attorneys. They were always looking for your dishonesty. “It’ll be nice to
finally put a face with that sexy, smoky voice,” he went on and I felt the urge
to vomit. In all the time Jeremy had been working with Tiffany he had yet to
meet her. She was playing a game. Of course, she was. I expected nothing
less.

“You better not let Lena hear you talking about some woman’s sexy
voice,” I warned, knowing he was only trying to get a rise out of me. The
truth was no woman could ever turn his head. He was slavishly devoted to his
wife, the fourth partner in our law firm. He’d crawl over broken glass for her
and their children. At one time he was a card-carrying manwhore, but those
days were far behind him.
 Jeremy smirked. “Lena was the one who commented on it first. Said
Ms. Hardwell’s voice alone could get her pregnant.”

Of course, she did.

“Okay, well this deposition is in an hour—”

“Are you ever going to tell me how you know this woman?” Jeremy

interjected before leaving.

I swallowed, my dry throat clicking. “There’s nothing to tell,” I lied.

Oh, how I lied.

“Remember, I can bullshit with the best of ‘em.” He wiggled his

fingers. “Toodles.” And then he was gone.

Sometimes talking to Jeremy was like going to war. You ended up

battered and exhausted. I sat back in my chair, staring blankly at my

computer screen, but not seeing it.

What the hell was Tiffany playing at? This wasn’t the first time over
the years that she sought to insert herself into my life. I had learned that she
liked to keep people on their toes, me included. She hadn’t taken the severing
of our...relationship particularly well, but she was first and foremost a
businesswoman. She served her interests. The thoughts and feelings of others
didn’t enter into it. Especially mine.
 In some twisted, dysfunctional way, I respected her tenacity. Her
ability to make situations work out best for her. I had grown tired of her

games a long time ago. But it seemed she wasn’t ready to concede defeat.

So here we were.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I knew by rote. It rang. And

rang. And when her sensual, smokey voice filled my ear it was the automated
tinniness of voicemail. I didn’t leave a message. I knew better. I hung up, not
prepared to hold my breath as to when she’d call me back. She wouldn’t.
She’d make herself known at her own time.

I tried not to be inundated with dread.

I did the only thing I knew how to do when confronted with emotional
panic. I suppressed it. I tamped it so far down that it would take a backhoe to
dig it up again. And I threw myself into my work.

Because when everything else in my world let me down, my work was

all I had.

**
 I had just turned the light off on my desk when Adam appeared in the
doorway.

“I heard the judge agreed to dismiss the charges on Gary Milton this
afternoon.” He leaned against the jamb, hands in his pockets.

“Yeah. The DA’s office never really had a case, to begin with.” I
shoved a few files into my already overstuffed briefcase and struggled to
latch it shut. The hinges strained and looked ready to break. I was hard on
briefcases, mostly because I took so much home with me every night. I may
leave the office at six but most days I worked from home as well. I had never
learned how to “leave work at the door.”

“That’s ten for ten in the last three weeks. At this rate, Jeremy, Lena,
and I don’t have a chance keeping up with you,” he joked.

The four partners Lena, Jeremy, Adam, and I had a running monthly
contest to see who could win or close out more cases. I had won the last six
months running.

“I hope you aren’t here to ask me to take a dive so you can catch up,” I
laughed.

Adam held his hands up. “I’d never do that. When you do well—” he
spread his arms out. “We all do well.” He grinned and I rolled my eyes good-

naturedly. Adam and I had always gotten along. He was much easier to deal

with than Jeremy, but both were good guys, otherwise, I would never have
gone into business with them in the first place. He watched me as I finished
gathering my things. “I think you should come to get a drink with Jeremy and
me tonight. Lena’s gone home, so it’ll just be us guys.”

“I’ve got a lot of work to do—” I started to say but Adam stopped me.

“You know you say that every single time right? It’s okay to do
something other than work once in a while. I seem to remember a few times
back in law school that involved too much tequila and a lot of vomiting,” he
chuckled.

Adam and Jeremy had devoted a lot of our friendship to trying to get
me to ‘hang out.’ It hadn’t slowed as we got older and they acquired family

lives. If anything, they’d become more vocal about my need to chill out
more. To cut loose. To get a ‘life.’

I knew how they viewed me. To them, my closest friends, I was a bit of
a snooze. The dependable guy, but not the one you’d call for a spontaneous
trip to Atlantic City. They thought because I didn’t usually have a lot to say
that that meant I didn’t have a lot going on. That I was a “what you see is
what you get” kind of person.
 They had no idea.

“Yeah, that trip down memory lane won’t exactly sway me,” I
commented, giving the room a final sweep of my eyes. It was impeccably
neat. Not a thing out of place. It was a far cry from my shit-hole undergrad
dorm room. Once I had money, I found that I took more pride in my
surroundings. I didn’t want to go back to living in dumps surrounded by junk.

“Okay fine, how about I’d like to spend time with my friend outside
these walls? It’s been at least six months since I’ve coaxed you into an
evening out. Meg’s already given me a hall pass until 10, so come on. Help a
guy out.”

Adam’s hangdog expression had me laughing. “The pouting thing may

work on Meg, but it won’t work on me, buddy,” I chastised, herding him out
of my office.

Adam slung an arm around my shoulders and made kissy faces. “You
know it works on you too.”

I grunted a monosyllabic response and pushed him away good-

naturedly.

Adam laughed, pleased with himself as the two of us walked the two
blocks to Sweet Lila’s, the only decent watering hole in town.
 As usual, the place was busy. It had recently undergone new
management and you could tell. Sweet Lila’s had always been a decent place,

characterized by its old-world charm. Lila had modeled it after an old English
pub, but the interior hadn’t aged well. One could forgive the less than
appealing interior because the cocktails were decently priced, and the food
was palatable.

When Lila decided to sell the bar that she had been running for the past
forty years and move to Florida, I handled the transaction and title work. I
hadn’t been the only one surprised when Brad Sawyer, the bartender, had
ponied up the cash. He and his recently paroled brother, Sebastian had
decided to pitch in and buy the place. Everyone in town had figured the
brothers would run the place into the ground. After all, what could a college
dropout and his ex-convict brother know about running a business?

The two had proven every single person wrong—and I, for one, was

glad to see it. I liked Brad. He was a hard-working guy and Seb, his brother,
while the scary silent type, was cut from the same cloth. They had turned the
tired, worn Sweet Lila’s into a modern sports bar that had definite upmarket
appeal. It was clean and brightly lit with flat screens on the wall and local
microbrews on tap. The food had even gotten an upgrade thanks to the new
chef they hired from Pittsburgh, who turned standard bar food into a classy
affair. Even though you could still find wings and burgers on the menu, they

were interspersed with tastier stuff if you were wanting a nice evening out.

And the citizens of Southport had rewarded the local boys by happily
frequenting the newly renovated bar in droves.

Brad, the new owner, was behind the bar when we arrived. He waved

in our direction and indicated a free booth in the back. There were definite
perks to being the law firm responsible for most of the real estate transactions
in Southport—you were everyone’s best friend.

Adam pulled out his phone once we were seated and tapped out a
message. “Meg says hello. She’s putting Tyler to bed. I want to make sure I
get to say goodnight before he goes down.” I waited while he spoke to his
son. His entire demeanor changed when he talked to Tyler. His voice became
softer, and he said things like “Daddy says goodnight to Billy the

Brontosaurus too.”

I usually felt out of place when Adam and Jeremy started talking about
wives and kids. What could a perpetually single guy offer to the
conversation?

A woman appeared by our table wearing a Sweet Lila’s t-shirt tied into
a knot at her waist, her hair pulled into a high ponytail. She put a hand on her
hip and gave us a saucy smile that let us know she was very aware of how hot
she was.

“Now what can I get two fine-looking men to drink?” She gave us a
wink and Adam chuckled, shaking his head.

“I didn’t know you worked here, Hannah?”

Hannah, Lena’s friend, gave a dainty shrug. “Teachers are paid peanuts
and I’m saving up for a fabulous all-inclusive vacation to Belize. Brad hired
me part-time now that their business has picked up. The man could use the
help.” She glanced over her shoulder at the heaving bar and the harried man
behind it. I noticed the way her eyes lingered for a moment before quickly
looking away.

“It’s a double bonus that I get to see such handsome faces and get paid
for it.” She widened her eyes in my direction. Hannah was a huge flirt—to

the point that it left me feeling more than a little awkward. She was like the
female equivalent of Jeremy during his manwhore days. I had been on the
receiving end of her attention on many occasions, though I never could tell if
she meant the outlandish stuff that came out of her mouth, or if she was
saying it for shock value.

“Two beers, whatever’s the hoppiest,” I interjected, cutting Hannah off

at the pass. I wasn’t really in the mood to fend off her flirty banter.

“Someone’s in a grumpy mood,” Hannah teased, flicking her ponytail.

“Two hoppiest of hoppy beers coming up.” She turned on her heel and
headed toward the bar.

“So, you want to tell your oldest and dearest friend why you’ve been in

a crappy mood all day?” Adam asked.

I debated. I hemmed and I hawed. Part of me wanted to tell him about

Tiffany and her machinations; our fucked up history and the games she was
still playing. But then I thought about what his face would look like once he
knew about me and I quickly swallowed the truth. “Nothing. Just have a lot
on my plate. I’ll get over it.”

Adam’s phone dinged and he glanced at it. “Jeremy just got here. Says
he’ll be right in. He ran into Skylar in the parking lot. She’s joining us.” He

looked up at me, his brow furrowed. “I didn’t know Sky would be here
tonight. Hope that’s okay.”

I felt my heart kick into overdrive. My mouth suddenly dry.

“Why wouldn’t it be okay? Skylar and I are fine.” I asked blandly. I

was a good actor. The best actor. I should get a damn Oscar.

Adam gave me a strange look. “I just meant that I didn’t know if you
were up to it being a group thing. Why would I think there was something

wrong between you and Skylar?”

Well, shit. I was a pretty even-keeled guy. I could handle just about
anything. Except being around the woman I had been dangerously close to
falling for only months before. To Adam and the rest of our Southport
friends, we had simply been two people spending time together. On the

outside, it didn’t look like much more than a platonic acquaintance. They had
no idea how much I had wanted more than that. How I berated myself daily
for screwing things up with her. How I fantasized…

I was saved from having to respond by Hannah, who plonked our beers
down on the table. “Hope they’re hoppy enough for you, Rob.” She gave my
arm a long, exaggerated squeeze.

Adam covered his smirk with a cough. Once Hannah left he shook his

head. “I swear, she’s like a cat in heat.”

I watched Lena’s friend work her magic around the room. She liked to
keep people off-kilter. I had had enough topsy-turvy women in my life, I
wasn’t interested in pursuing another. I wanted a partner who was both
passionate and reasonable. I didn’t want a roller coaster; I wanted a tandem
bicycle. I saw what Adam had with his wife Meg and Jeremy had with Lena
and I knew it was possible to have something special. I was surrounded by
relationships that were functional and healthy. So why was it so damn

difficult for me to hold onto something I knew in my heart would have been

everything I had been looking for?

Adam took a drink of his beer. “Meg and I were wondering if you’d
like to come over for dinner this weekend. We were just talking the other day
about how long it’s been since you’ve been to the house. I think it was

Tyler’s birthday last summer.”

I felt tense. The desire to fidget in discomfort was overwhelming, but I

kept still. I had learned over the years to keep emotions close to the vest. I
wasn’t an emoter. It was part of the reason I was a fantastic lawyer. And a
not-so-bad poker player either.

“Did my invite get lost in the mail then?” a voice asked, dripping with
sarcasm.

“They learned their lesson the last time when you and Lena used the
nursery to conceive your next child,” I joked, making room for Jeremy in the
booth. Jeremy waved down Hannah to put in his drink order.

After he received his beer he turned his attention to us. “So, are you
two making plans without me? Do I need to feel left out?” He pretended to
pout which only caused Adam to roll his eyes.
 “If you can promise not to spill red wine on the carpet again, Meg may
consider it,” Adam countered.

I was barely paying attention to my friends’ banter. I was too busy

watching the woman who had followed Jeremy inside. Skylar Murphy hadn’t
joined us, instead beelining for the bar to order a drink. She was smiling.
God, she was beautiful when she smiled. She pulled her long, black hair to

the side, draping it over her shoulder. She laughed at something Brad said,
smacking her hand down on the countertop. Her laugh was rich and carried
across the room.

My groin tightened in response and I had to discreetly adjust myself.

Brad handed her an open beer—no fruity cocktail for her—and she
turned to head to our table. And then catching sight of me, she stopped. She
frowned. She started chewing on her bottom lip in a gesture I knew meant she

was contemplating something. Probably whether to get the hell out of there. I
quickly looked away so she didn’t see me ogling her.

I was practically holding my breath.

Fucking hell man, get it together.

I tapped my fingers against my leg in impatience. I should leave. I

knew Skylar wouldn’t want to spend the evening with me. She had made her
feelings abundantly clear the last time we had spoken privately. Maybe, like
me, she’d want to avoid the awkwardness altogether, and she’d choose to sit

somewhere else.

I should have known better. Skylar never hid from anything. It’s one of
the hundred things I found so attractive about her.

“Hi fellas. Fancy meeting you here.” Her voice held a slight rasp as if
she had been shouting for hours. But I knew that’s just the way she spoke.

I couldn’t help but look at her. It was as if my eyes were addicted to

the sight of her. She was beautiful in an understated way. She wasn’t flashy,
showing off her boobs. She wore minimal makeup because honestly, she
didn’t need it. Her long dark hair was held back in a simple ponytail; her
bright blue eyes were truly startling. Her thin, angular face had an almost
regal quality. She wasn’t tall but she wasn’t short either. I remembered how

perfectly she fit against me as if her body were made to be molded against
mine.

Christ, I had to get a grip. It was a good thing I knew how to contain
my emotions. I had a hell of a poker face. Otherwise, I’d be panting in a
drooling heap at Skylar Murphy’s feet.

“What are you doing here on a school night?” Adam asked, standing
up to embrace his friend before making room for her in the booth.

She slid along the bench until she was pressed up against the wall—
and directly across from me. I felt her leg brush up against mine beneath the
table, her eyes lifting to meet mine briefly before quickly turning her
attention back to Adam. I could feel discomfort radiating off her in waves.
And all because of me.

“I just finished a project and the money hit my account, so I thought

I’d come out and celebrate. Except my friends were all busy, so that leaves
you losers.” She took a drink of her beer, her eyes drifting my way again.
And then as if catching herself, she purposefully angled her body toward
Adam, causing her knee to collide with mine.

Adam nudged her with his shoulder. “That’s awesome, Sky. Congrats.”

“Next round’s on me,” Jeremy announced, calling out to Hannah.

“Congratulations, Skylar,” I said, sounding slightly strangled.

Her eyes danced over me, leaving me feeling unsettled. “Thanks,” she
replied shortly, then carried on as if I hadn’t spoken at all.

It fucking sucked.

Things used to be easy between us, and that was saying something
because I didn’t do easy. Idle chit chat was my idea of torture.

When Adam first asked me to sit down with his friend Skylar, who he
had hired to revamp our website, I hadn’t been too thrilled. Then she walked
in, sat down, and opened her mouth and I realized quickly she was something
completely unexpected.

**

“This website is junk. Who did you have design it? A four-year-old?”
Skylar asked, clicking the mouse, making a face of disgust. She was sitting at
the table in the breakroom and I was sitting across from her. I had made a

list of what Jeremy, Adam, and I wanted to include on the site, but she didn’t
seem particularly interested in my ideas.

“Actually, I set it up. I know it’s bad, I have a law degree, I’m kind of
an idiot when it comes to digital marketing,” I grimaced.

“Did you really use clipart?” Skylar laughed, pointing at the screen to
a cartoon gavel with googly eyes.
 “You make it sound like I killed someone,” I joked.

“Well, you definitely murdered good taste,” she chuckled, shaking her
head.

“Come on, it’s not that bad.” I scooted my chair closer so I could look
at the screen. I had left my glasses on my desk, so I had to lean in closer to

see anything.

Skylar started clicking through the tabs and I cringed. “Okay, yeah,
it’s pretty bad.”

I looked at her, realizing that I was less than a few inches from her
very attractive face. Her pupils dilated fractionally in a way I knew meant
she was appreciating her view as much as I appreciated mine. I was
intimately acquainted with the tell-tale signs of female arousal and Skylar
was showing quite a few.

“Adam says you're a genius at this stuff, so I expect to be impressed.”

Skylar snorted a surprisingly sexy sound. “Adam’s slightly delusional

as well.” She sat back in her seat, putting distance between us, which I found
disappointing. “But, yeah, I’m not bad. Or at least I hope so if I want to give
this whole ‘in business for myself’ thing a shot.”

“Well, if you’re shitty at your work, that won’t be great PR,” I

deadpanned. Skylar gave me a startled look and then began to laugh. I found

myself smiling and I wasn’t a smiling kind of guy.

“You don’t mince words, do you, Jenkins?”

“What would be the point of that? Say what you mean and mean what
you say. It’s sort of a motto I live by.” It was shockingly easy to talk to

Skylar. I didn’t know her, only had traded a handful of words the few times
our paths had crossed in social situations. But her dry sense of humor and
obvious intelligence intrigued me.

Skylar became serious. “That’s a motto I appreciate. There are too

many people in the world who talk out of both sides of their mouths. I don’t
have time for duplicitousness.”

I felt uncomfortable at her words, but she was now focused on the
computer screen. I found myself watching her as she worked. The way she

furrowed her brow when she concentrated or how she would pick at her lip
when she became frustrated. I had always been good at picking up people’s
tells but for the first time, I found that I was doing it for no other reason than
because I liked looking at her.

“Okay, talk me through this font choice. Because under normal

circumstances, I would be questioning the brain capacity of anyone using
Comic Sans. So, tell me, Robbie, you seem like a smart guy, what possessed
you to choose it?” She smirked in a sexy what that I almost forgot her use of

a nickname I wished to never hear again.

I moved closer again and this time she didn’t lean away. If anything,
she moved toward me, our arms brushing against one another.

“Well, tell me, queen of the fonts, which one would you recommend?”
I teased.

**

“I heard they broke ground on that new development outside of town.

Looks like it’s going to be a pretty big complex,” Skylar was saying, and I
had to refocus on where the conversation had gone.

“Yeah, there’s plans for a strip mall, including a movie theater and
three restaurants, and a brand new subdivision of houses. It looks like it will
bring a lot of new business to the area, which is needed,” Jeremy explained.

Skylar’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s incredible.”

 “Could mean a lot of new work for you, Murphy,” Adam added. “Jer—
maybe you could speak to the property owner, maybe throw her Skylar’s

name—”

“That’s not a good idea,” I interrupted before I could stop myself. I

wasn’t one prone to spontaneous outbursts, so my partners looked at me as if
I had grown three heads.

“Well, maybe Jenkins could put in a word seeing as he knows Ms.

Hardwell personally.” I wanted to choke Jeremy. I could imagine how
wonderful it would feel to wrap my hands around his throat.

“You do? How?” Skylar asked, clearly forgetting her decision to

ignore me completely.

“I don’t,” I lied. I usually had no trouble lacing dishonesty with the

truth. But with Skylar, it felt wrong. It had always felt wrong with her. “I just

don’t want you to seem pushy.”

I realized how shitty that sounded as soon as the words left my mouth.

“I’m not pushy,” Skylar snapped.

Adam frowned, looking between us, trying to get a read on this quickly
devolving situation. “I don’t think he meant that—”
 “It doesn’t matter what he meant, he said it.” Skylar knocked back the
rest of her beer and brought the bottle down on the table with a clang. “As

fun as this has been, I think I’d better get home.”

“I just ordered us more drinks,” Jeremy complained as Adam slid out

of the booth so Skylar could stand to leave.

“I’m sure you won’t have any trouble drinking mine,” she said a lot
kindlier than she would have to me.

“You don’t need to hurry off,” Adam said.

Skylar looked at me, her expression hard. “Actually, I think I do. Tell
Meg I’ll call her tomorrow about our shopping trip.” She patted Adam’s
shoulder and without another word, turned and left.

Jeremy looked at me in confusion. “What the fuck was that all about?
Skylar has the personality of a feral cat under the best of circumstances, but

she was worse. Is it you, Jenkins, and your magical way with the ladies?” He
raised an eyebrow.

I didn’t bother answering and thankfully Adam didn’t pick up where

our friend stopped. But the rest of the evening was less enjoyable after that.

Mostly because I couldn’t get the image of Skylar Murphy’s obvious

disdain out of my mind.
 Chapter Three

Skylar

The phone was ringing before I had even opened my eyes. Groaning, I
rolled over and looked at the screen. And debated whether to answer it.

But I knew if I didn’t, it would just keep ringing. And ringing. So,
wanting to get this over with, I put the phone to my ear.

“Hi, Mom.” I couldn’t sound less thrilled if I tried.

“I’ve been calling you all morning. Are you still in bed? What’s wrong
with you? Don’t you have working hours you need to keep?” My mother’s
shrill voice was enough to wake me up fully. I looked at my alarm clock. It
was only a little after eight.

“It’s early yet, Mom. I don’t start my day until nine,” I explained to her
for the dozenth time.

“And you haven’t woken up yet? I think you need to work on your
time management skills. No one wants to hire someone that can’t get out of
bed before eight in the morning.” My mom was working herself up. At one
time I would have tried to cut her off, to placate her. But those days were
long gone. So instead, I listened, but just barely, to the tirade, she was
unleashing on the other end of the phone.

“Your father and I worry so much about your ability to take care of
yourself. If this is your work ethic, how will you be able to support
yourself?” she went on.

“I’ve had no trouble supporting myself for the past ten years, Mom. I
haven’t given you and Dad any reason to worry about me. I pay my bills, I
have a house, a business—all in all I think I’m pretty successful. Aren’t those
all hallmarks of a woman who has her shit together?” I couldn’t stop the
anger from bleeding into my words. No one could push my buttons quite like
Lorelai Murphy.

“Watch your mouth, Skylar. You shouldn’t curse at your mother.”

“I wasn’t cursing at you—”

“I called to tell you that a bunch of letters showed up here for you. You
need to come and get them. And when are you going to put in a change of
address since you decided to move out and away from me? I still don’t know
why you insisted on moving to the other side of town. I never see you now.”
My mom’s tone changed on a dime. Now she was sad and morose as if she
were barely holding back tears. She was a master at using emotions to get
what she wanted from people. Her particular brand of toxicity would be
almost awe-inspiring if it wasn’t so horrible.

“I live a whopping fifteen minutes from you and Dad. It’s not like I’ve
gone to Timbuktu.” Edgar nudged me with his wet nose, letting me know he
needed to go out. With my phone propped between my shoulder and my ear,
I got out of bed and put on my robe, heading out to the kitchen. I was going

to need a strong cup of coffee after that rude awakening.

“Are you coming to get your mail or not?” There was a pause. “And
maybe you could stay for dinner? Spend some time with your mom and
dad?”

Even after all these years, the stuff my mother said still had the power
to render me speechless. It amazed me how she could call me out, rip me a
new one, then casually ask me to stay for dinner. Conversation with my

mother was a never-ending see-saw and I had thought I was finally off the
ride. Unfortunately, life circumstances had me getting back on.

“I’ll come and get my mail, but I can’t stay for dinner. I’ll be having a
late night. Lots of work for that job I don’t get out of bed for in the morning.”
I couldn’t help myself. My sarcasm knew no limits and the target was too
convenient.
 “No need to have an attitude, Skylar,” Mom snapped. “If you’re
coming by, make sure it’s this morning. I have a physical therapy

appointment this afternoon. Nice of you to ask how my ankle’s doing.” Ah,
so we had officially entered the guilt phase of our conversation. Which was
my cue to shut it down or I’d be stuck hearing about the ankle she broke a
year ago for the next forty minutes. And I had other things to do with my day.

“I’ll be by in the next hour or so, Mom. So, I’ll see you then,” I
interrupted, knowing I’d hear about my rudeness when I saw her. I hung up
the phone before she could say anything else.

Well, that just went and ruined my whole day. With a deep sigh, I
finished making my coffee and went to get a shower. No sense putting off the
horrible inevitability of getting my butt chewed out for being an ungrateful
daughter.

**

“Double espresso, please. Oh, and one of those chocolate chip muffins.
And you know what? Two of the macadamia nut cookies. To go please.” I
handed over my debit card and waited for the barista to ring up my order.

The coffee shop in downtown Southport was busy. It seemed everyone

in town needed their caffeine fix at the same time. After putting in my order I
stepped to the side to wait. I pulled out my phone to check my email. I was
waiting to hear back from one of my clients who I had sent some work over
to have him sign off on. I was feeling edgy. The quick visit to my parents’

house had been as unpleasant as I expected. Even though I anticipated the

level of bullshit I’d receive, it didn’t get any easier to be on the receiving end
of it.

I had never had what most would deem a “healthy” relationship with
my parents. I carried a lot of baggage as a result of how they lived their lives.
I was an only child, which was probably a good thing. One of my earliest
memories was of my parents having a screaming match over who misplaced
the TV remote. I remembered crying when my mother would walk out of the

house with a bag of stuff, saying she was never coming back. I would cling to
her skirt, begging her to stay. She would simply disentangle me from her leg
and without a word to me, she’d march to her car and drive off.

The first few times she did it had been emotionally devastating. But as
I grew older and the pattern became firmly entrenched, I barely blinked when
she would pack her suitcase. My dad would retreat to his office and close the
door, pretending that nothing had happened. And when a few weeks later,
Mom came back and she and dad entered the lovey-dovey reconciliation

stage, they never acknowledged the impact their behavior had on their only
kid.

I grew up not believing in permanence. Not believing in long-lasting

love and companionship. Because my only role models were selfish asshats.

And they were crappy parents on top of being crappy spouses to each
other. I learned that lesson very early. Yet despite that, they were all the
family I had and as a result, I felt a tie to them was uncomfortable and at
times downright painful.

Mom was the queen of passive-aggressive guilt trips. She was a master
manipulator who knew exactly what angle to play to get exactly what she
wanted. She had been playing my dad like a fiddle for long enough to

become a master at psychological warfare.

And my dad, he could have been a decent guy if he weren’t so

entangled with my mom’s crap. She brought out the worst in him and as a
result, he became the worst himself. When he wasn’t ignoring me, he was
belittling me, making me feel as if what I was doing wasn’t enough.
Reminding me over and over that I was a reflection on them and that when I
failed, they all failed.
 It’s a wonder I was a functioning adult. Though my track record with
romantic relationships pointed to deep-seated issues. When I wasn’t avoiding

personal complications, I was choosing partners who were the absolute worst
possible choice. Mac was a perfect example. He was lazy, lacking in
motivation, and a cheater. And I had known all of those things when I asked
him to move in with me. None of my friends could understand how their

tough-as-nails buddy could allow herself to be taken in by such a jerk. For all
my bravado, I was a broken mess.

“Getting your infusion of espresso?”

I was startled at the sound of the deep voice just behind me. I looked
over my shoulder and instantly tensed. Robert Jenkins gave me a tentative
smile. One that crinkled the edges of his eyes just a little. Enough to make
him look ridiculously cute.

I turned my back to him because when I shunned, I shunned

completely.

I heard him let out a long breath. “I guess we’re still playing the
‘pretend we don’t know each other game.’”

After my visit with my parents, I was edgy and temperamental. I turned

back around, my eyes flashing, and Robert looked taken aback. “If a woman
doesn’t want to talk to you, that’s her prerogative. My reason for being on
this Earth isn’t to make men feel validated.” I spoke louder than I intended,

and I noticed I was getting side-eye from the other customers.

Robert pressed his lips into a thin line. “And when did I ever make you
feel that I only wanted you around to stroke my giant male ego? I just don’t
understand why you can’t even say hi to me anymore. We used to enjoy

spending time together.”

I felt my face flush hot. “Used to being the operative word,” I

reminded him.

I went back to watching the barista, hoping my heated stare would get
her to move faster. But she seemed to be taking her sweet time making the to-
go orders. At this rate, I’d be lucky to get out of there by lunchtime.

I could feel his presence behind me. I could smell the rich scent of his

aftershave that wasn’t overpowering but just right. I noticed how the other
women waiting in line gave him long, lingering looks. Robert Jenkins was a
catch in every sense of the word and most women would gnaw off their left
arms for a chance to spend time with such a handsome, intelligent guy.

I wasn’t most women.

And I would not be swayed by a pretty face ever again.

 Even if that pretty face was attached to a guy with brains and a good
sense of humor. If he couldn’t open up, even a little bit, then I wasn’t

interested. My trust had been shattered into a thousand pieces by Mac and I
wasn’t looking to get taken for a fool again.

Robert’s order was called before mine. He stepped around me and took
what I knew to be his usual black Americano. It was one of the things I had

appreciated about him once we started spending time together. I liked a man
who didn’t waste time with fancy coffee orders. He took his to-go cup and
paper bag. The barista gave him a wide, toothy smile, which he barely
returned. She looked disappointed when he turned away with a distracted
‘thank you.’ He came back to stand beside me, and I gave him a confused
look, forgetting to pretend he wasn’t there.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I figured I’d wait until you got yours,” he said, taking a sip of his hot
coffee.

“Why?”

“Why not?” he countered.

He really was an odd guy. But if he liked spending time with women
that clearly didn't want to spend time with him, then that was on him.
Luckily, my order was called a few minutes later and I hurried to take it.

Robert followed me outside. “Skylar,” he called out and I debated

ignoring him again.

But then I stupidly stopped and let him catch up with me.

It had started raining and his glasses were misting up, his hair plastered

down over his forehead. “Adam tells me you’ll be at their house for dinner
this weekend.”

I nodded a little hesitantly. “Let me guess, you’re going too?”

Robert grimaced. “Yeah. Meg’s been wearing me down for weeks. I

finally caved.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. “She could wear down the granite.”

“She’s a force, that’s for sure. Though I do appreciate how she keeps

Decate in check. He needs a firm hand,” Robert smirked.

“You have no idea. He was such a pain in the ass when we were
younger.” I stopped myself. I had almost forgotten how easy it was to talk to
him. To open up to him. To let him drag things out of me that I hadn’t
intended to hand over.

He was dangerous.
 **

“Here you go. A housewarming gift.” Robert’s arms were full with a

large gift bag and a twelve-pack of assorted microbrews from my favorite

brewery in Philly.

I opened the door and waved him through. “You really know the way
to this gal’s heart,” I joked, taking the beer from him.

Robert laughed. “After you went through the entire list of beers you
liked from this place, explaining ad nauseam their ingredients, I figured it
was one thing you’d appreciate.”

I closed the door behind him. He took his coat off and slipped off his
shoes. One thing I had come to realize about Robert Jenkins in the past few
months is he was incredibly considerate. He picked up on things that other
people might not. Like how I always took my shoes off when I came home.
Nothing grossed me out more than people wearing shoes in the house. So,
after the first time he came over, he took them off every single time without
my ever having to ask him to.
 Edgar came bounding out of the kitchen, barreling straight for Robert.
He went up on his hind legs, planting his giant paws on Robert’s chest,

bathing his face in dog spit. Robert didn’t shove him off or make a face. He
scratched behind my dog’s ears and gently lifted him down, still giving him a
good fuss. “You’re such a good boy,” he cooed as if to a baby.

My heart melted watching this gorgeous man lather my dog with

attention. You could learn a lot about a person by the way they treated
animals. But I had yet to see Robert be anything but kind to everyone and
everything. He was one of those rare breeds of men who were actually good
by default.

“Come on in. I was going to attempt to make dinner but then I realized
what I was considering. So instead, I gathered up all the take-out menus in
my house to offer you a wide variety of options.” I led him into the kitchen
and waved my hand over the table in a flourish where three paper to-go

menus lay. “You have Chinese. Or you have Italian. And if you’re feeling
crazy, there’s even Thai.”

Robert laughed but then made a show of seriously considering his

options. “I don’t know. This is a bit of an overload. Why don’t we have all
three?” he suggested.

I smiled. “My kind of guy.”

 Robert’s eyes met mine and the air around us began to heat. Robert
and I had been spending time together quite a bit recently. It started when

Adam and Jeremy hired me to revamp the law firm’s website. Robert had
become very “hands-on” with the project, spending a lot of time with me
going over what their online presence should look like. I hadn’t minded
though. Because we most often talked about all sorts of things that had

nothing to do with why I was there in the first place.

I quickly discovered that we had a ton of things in common. We both

loved beer and hated liquor. We shared a deep obsession with tacos and old
kung fu movies. He adored dogs and preferred to spend his evenings
watching Curb Your Enthusiasm reruns, which just so happened to be my all-
time favorite show. It seemed that, at least on the surface, we were a match
made in heaven.

“So, what’s in the bag?” I asked, poking the colorful tissue paper.

Robert’s cheeks turned red. I had figured out that it was a sure sign he
was feeling nervous about something. His neck would start to flush, and it
would spread upward to his face. It was adorable. “It’s nothing. Just a little
something for your house.”

“Ooh, let me see.” I took the bag from his hand. I pulled out a
gorgeous handmade wool blanket. It was thick and warm and perfect for
snuggling on the couch. I lifted my eyes to meet his and he still looked a little

embarrassed. “It’s gorgeous,” I said sincerely. “And incredibly thoughtful.”

“It’s so you can stay warm without having to go back to your room to
get a blanket.”

My throat felt uncomfortably tight as I will my eyes not to tear up like a

baby.

A couple of weeks ago when Robert had come over to watch a movie I
had complained of being cold. I had gone back to my bedroom and brought
out my comforter to curl up in. Robert hadn’t said anything, but he’d
obviously cataloged it away.

I held the blanket to my face. “It’s awesome.” I reached out and pulled
him toward me. I wasn’t the hugging kind of girl but damn it, I wanted to hug
him.

“Thank you for being an amazing friend,” I told him, once the hugging
felt too close, too intimate and we both pulled away.

Robert tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, his eyes soft. “You
make it easy,” he said softly. We were standing close. So close. I could feel
his breath on my face.

Before I could talk myself out of how stupid I was being, I curled my
hand around the back of his neck and pulled his face down to mine. Our lips

touched and the contact was electric. I heard his sharp intake of breath as I

opened my mouth, and he slipped his tongue inside.

Our kiss began sweet and gentle but quickly became wild and
passionate. Man, the guy knew how to kiss. He nibbled at my bottom lip. He
curled his body into mine, his hands everywhere. He moved like he knew

what he was doing.

We made out like teenagers in the middle of my kitchen and just as I

started to wonder how far this was going to go, Edgar nosed his way between
us, snorting loudly.

We broke away from each other with a laugh. “Way to be a mood

killer, buddy,” I groaned, rubbing the dog’s head. He protruded his tongue in
a doggie smile as he looked up at us.

Robert ran his hand down his face and seemed to be having trouble
getting his breathing under control. I noticed the bulge in his pants and felt
ridiculously proud of myself for getting him so worked up.

Because I liked him. I really liked him.

And I should have known better.

 **

“They asked me to come too, but I’ll raincheck,” I said, breaking off
the familiarity our conversation was easing into.

Robert frowned. “That’s not why I was asking. I only wanted to see if
you’d be there. I don’t want you to not come. I’d like it if you were there.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” My phone pinged in my pocket and I

pulled it out, seeing the email I had been waiting for. “I’ve got to go. I’ll tell
Meg and Adam that I can come another time.”

I started to turn away when Robert reached out and put his hand on my
arm. The physical contact was like an electric shock through my entire body.

My skin reacted on a primal level to his. It was annoying.

“Please, I’d like you to be there.” His voice was calm and collected,
just like he always was. It took a lot to get a show of emotion from Robert,
but there was a note to his tone that I recognized as desperation. “I... I miss
you.”

I blinked slowly, hardly able to believe his audacity.

 “How can you miss someone that you barely know?” I asked nastily.

Robert’s expression shuttered as he dropped his hand from my arm.

“We were friends—"

“Were we? Because friends talk about themselves. They open up. They
don’t make their other friends feel like idiots for sharing deep, personal stuff,

but refusing to do the same.” Okay, I shouldn’t be unleashing on him like that
in the middle of the street. I wasn’t a “let’s argue in public” kind of person. I
didn’t do public displays of any sort.

It was just another reason why Robert Jenkins was not the guy for me.

He didn’t say anything. Not that I expected him to. He was really good
at clamming up.

“I don’t want you to not see your friends because I’ll be there,” Robert
said. He didn’t address any of the things I just said to him. He didn’t

acknowledge the hurt I had unleashed. He didn’t deny my words, nor did he
agree with them. He left me hanging. Again.

“I can see my friends whenever I want. I don’t need your permission to

do so,” I retorted.

“Now you’re twisting my words—”

 “I’m not going to Meg and Adam’s for dinner. I have too much work
to do anyway. It’s no big deal, Rob.”

I was being ridiculous. I was acting like an immature idiot and I knew
that if I canceled on Adam and Meg, the two of them would never let it go.
Meg would guess, quite rightly, that I didn’t want to be around Robert. She
would start digging, wanting to know what my issue was. She knew I had

liked Robert. She knew how close we became. And she would want to fix it.

And that was the last thing I needed.

Because Meg Galloway Decate wouldn’t stop if she thought one of her
friends was hurting or upset and her actions, while well-meaning, weren’t
always helpful.

No, I needed to grow up. I needed to let this man, and my nosy friends,
know that he didn’t bother me. That I was a sensible adult with sensible

feelings making sensible choices.

“Actually, I don’t want to miss out on the last bar-b-que of the year, so
I’d better show up. Plus if I didn’t the two of them might send out the
calvary,” I joked, though it was strained.

Robert’s half-smile turned into a full one. He didn’t grin often but
when he did—damn.
 “I’ll see you there. I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy some more
of that tiramisu cake from the Dandelion Bakery.”

Oh man, he was pulling out the big guns. He knew how I craved The
Dandelion Bakery’s tiramisu cake. I also remembered the last time he
brought some to my house and how badly that night turned out.

Robert’s phone rang and he looked down at the screen. “I’d better take
this. So, I’ll see you this weekend?” Why did he have to sound so freaking
hopeful? What did he expect to happen? I had made my feelings toward him
very clear.

“I guess so,” I shrugged. Robert’s phone rang again. “You should

probably take that.”

“Yeah.” He hesitated. “It was really good seeing you, Sky.” He spoke
in this soft, thoughtful way that really did make my insides quiver.

Get it together, Murphy.

I lifted my hand in an awkward wave and walked to my car, even

though I wanted to run.
 Chapter Four

Robert

“Mmm, touch yourself. I like that,” the voice urged through the
speakers. Fuck, I had forgotten to push the mute button. I quickly rectified

my mistake before I returned to my dance.

I was moving to the music, running my hands down my body, edging

the hem of my underwear down my hips. This was the big finale. What the
people on the other side of the camera paid the big bucks for.

“This is for you, Jill,” I said, looking at the camera as I slowly,

sensually, pushed my underwear down my thighs before kicking them off to
the floor. “Do you like what you see, Jill?” I started moving my body again,

letting the woman watching me, get an eyeful of what she had paid $500 for.
I didn’t know her. She was a stranger. But they paid more for the “personal”
touch. Hell, Jill could be a dude for all I knew, though, from the sound of the
voice I had just heard, Jill was most likely a middle-aged woman. A very
excited middle-aged woman.

This was my last appointment. I had spent the last few hours dancing
and taking my clothes off for strangers on the internet. And loving every
minute of it.

The music built to a crescendo and I writhed and thrust my hips. I

knew my body looked good. I worked hard to keep myself in peak condition.
I was starting to lose steam. I had been dancing pretty much nonstop. I had
six clients lined up for the afternoon, each paying 500 dollars for a half-hour
dance that involved me slowly getting naked. And that’s where it would stop.

I never did anything else. I didn’t jack off, though most of them asked me to.
I always declined.

The room was hot, but I didn’t dare open a window. The sweat beading
my skin only turned my customers on more. I moved closer to the camera,
letting Jill get a close-up of the parts she really wanted to see. When the
music was finished, I typed a quick message of thanks. I confirmed the
money had been paid and I closed the laptop.

I grabbed my water bottle and drank the whole thing in one gulp. I was
tired as hell. I looked at my banking app on my phone and was pleased with
the number I saw. I had made $3000 today. Not bad.

I grabbed my clothes from the floor and picked up my laptop before

turning off the LED ring light that I used for filming. I quickly left the room,
closing the door behind me. I showered and dressed before sitting down at
the computer to go through my upcoming calendar and to read feedback from
my sessions.

I fire up the VPN and open up the admin page on my website that I use
to control my bookings. I had dances lined up for the next month. I
recognized most of the names as repeat customers. Jill had already sent me a
message thanking me. Telling me how amazing I was. Begging me to let her
see my face next time.

Because these people may see my body, but I was very careful they
would never, ever see my face.

I had to be careful. I had almost lost everything once; I was much

smarter now.

Sex work wasn’t something to be ashamed of, but in my other

profession, the image was everything. And a jury and judge could be swayed
by the news that one of the attorneys strips in his spare time. People could be

really fucking judgmental.

They wouldn’t bother to know the real reasons I continued to take my

clothes off so many years after doing it the first time.

When I first started at The Landing Strip back when I was in law
school, I saw it as a temporary gig. A way to make extra money to help pay
for school and to take care of my family. I figured once I became a bigshot
attorney, I’d be able to give it all up.

What I hadn’t anticipated was how much I got off on the thrill of it all.
Or how expensive my brother’s care would become the older he got.

I wasn’t dancing in my birthday suit for my benefit. Well, not entirely.

I was doing it so my brother, Sam, had the best possible care. And even

though I made good money at the firm, it wasn’t enough to keep my mother
and brother comfortable and living the life I felt they deserved.

I had gotten in way over my head in my pursuit of the all-mighty

dollar. When Tiffany found me and introduced me to her world, I had been in
awe. I was making so much money that I was able to pay for law school out
of pocket, with no loans. I bought my mom a house and I was able to
comfortably make the mortgage payments as well as pay for my brother’s
residential care. Hell, I even rented myself a fancy apartment in the city. I

was making so much money I never thought there could be a downside.

I was an absolute idiot.

And when I got out of the business, I lost all of that monetary stability.
My mom almost lost her house. My brother was going to have to move to a
state-run facility. I couldn’t have that. So, while Adam, Jeremy, and I were
building our firm’s name, I started stripping again. Only this time I was doing
it under a cloak of anonymity. I had a friend—another one of Tiffany’s boys
who had decided to leave her to employ around the same time I did and was a

whiz with technology—build me a secure website where I could offer my

services. He taught me how to hide my IP address. How to blur my face.
How to stay under the radar so that no one would ever know who I was.

I was able to start once again earning the kind of money I had become

used to. Sure, it wasn’t on the level it had been when I worked for Tiffany,
but it was a start. I became a cam-boy. And while performing over the
internet didn’t quite provide the thrill of dancing in person, it was good
enough. And I was able to take care of my family. Which was the most
important thing of all.

If people knew, they’d probably wonder why I didn’t find another way
to make money that didn’t involve letting strangers ogle my junk for five-
hundred dollars a go. I’d say to them, you find me a job that gives me the

flexibility to make that kind of money on my downtime.

But it was a secret. My secret. And one that I didn’t plan to ever share
with anyone. I guess that made me a little mysterious. Slightly reclusive.
Jeremy and Adam joked about how boring I was. How I never went out on
the weekend. How I was always the first to go home from a party. If they
only knew that all those times I bowed out of going to the bar it was so I
could go home and show my cock to women for money.

I almost wanted to tell Wyatt, just to see the shock on his face. That
maybe boring Robert Jenkins wasn’t so boring after all.

But they could never know. No one could ever know.

Living a double life had the unexpected consequence of not being able

to really get involved with someone on an emotional level. Because how

could I tell a potential girlfriend that I couldn’t see them on the weekends
because I had to take my clothes off for other people? I didn’t think too many
women would be okay with that.

That is what ruined whatever had been building between me and

Skylar. And that was the one major part of this that really sucked because I
liked Skylar Murphy. I really did.

It had been a long time since I had felt that stirring in my gut toward

someone else. I had closed myself to the idea of a romantic relationship with
anyone. Emotional complications had no place in my life. I had my hands full
with work and with taking care of Mom and Sam. And after everything that
went down with Tiffany—well, I wasn’t going to risk opening myself to
anyone in that way. I wasn’t going to let my heart be someone’s plaything
ever again.
 But Skylar had come out of nowhere. This beautiful, ridiculously smart
woman took no shit from anyone. Her dry sense of humor meshed perfectly

with mine. My awkwardness worked perfectly with her standoffishness. She

had been hurt; I could see that from the very start. I should have backed off. I
should have kept things friendly. I should have made sure nothing happened
between us.

I didn't expect to come to care for her. To want to share myself with
her.

She slipped under my skin before I realized she was there, and it took
everything for me not to spill my guts to her. I couldn’t. I had conditioned
myself to keep things close to the chest. I was a man with two separate lives
and I couldn't let those lives intersect. Not even once.

Skylar had quickly grown tired of my evasive bullshit. There was only

so deep two people could go when one of them wouldn’t share more than
their favorite color or what movies they watch. I wanted to tell her about
Sam. About Mom. About how hard it was to take care of everyone. But I
couldn’t.

I didn’t trust that Skylar would want to stick around once she saw the
man that existed below the surface. That he was a guy who barely kept things
together. That he wasn’t the confident, controlled person he projected to the
world.

Tiffany had destroyed my trust in all things.

Most of all myself.

My phone buzzed with a notification from my website. Someone had

messaged me asking for a dance. They were willing to pay considerably more

than the usual $500 fee. I checked the time. I had to be at Adam and Meg’s in
a couple of hours.

I started to feel the fizzing in my veins that slipping into my alternate

personality gave me. I had time for one more dance. Especially for the kind
of money they were offering.

I headed back to the room I reserved for filming and set up my laptop. I
turned on the ring light and positioned myself in front of the camera. I
remembered to mute the client this time. I never invited conversation during

my dances. This wasn’t about chit-chat and getting to know each other. This
was about the money they gave me to show them my body.

I blurred my face, but also standing in a way that they couldn’t make
out much above the neck. Most people didn’t care about what I looked like;
they just wanted my skin. My muscles. My cock.

I turned on the music then started the live stream for my new customer.
I typed a quick message to them, introducing myself as Jared—the made-up

name I had given myself. I asked for theirs. I liked to make it as personal an

experience as I could for them. It’s what made them come back for more.

The message came back almost instantly.

Call me Darling.

Huh. Okay, they didn’t want me to use their real name either. That was
fine by me.

I started dancing, slow and steady. “Do you like this, Darling?” I
rasped as I started to remove my shirt.

Then I let myself disappear for a while.

**

“Sorry I’m late,” I apologized, handing Adam a bottle of red wine.

Adam held the door open for me and I stepped inside the home he
shared with his wife and son. “I was starting to get worried. If there’s
anything Robert Jenkins is known for, it’s punctuality,” Adam teased.

“I was working on the Cambridge deposition. I lost all track of time,” I

lied effortlessly.

Adam rolled his eyes. “Dude, you really need to learn when to have a
break. All work and no play makes Robert a dull boy.”

I gave him a strained laugh. “All play and no work makes you Jeremy
Wyatt.”

Adam chuckled and clasped me on the shoulder. “Well played, my

friend. Come on, I’m just getting the meat on the grill. This will probably be
the last decent weekend of the year, so I went all out. I have enough food to
feed an army, so I hope you brought your appetite.”

“I could quite literally eat a horse,” I told him honestly. I was starving.
The show had gone for much longer than they usually did. After the first

thirty minutes, the customer messaged offering me more money. A lot more
money. They wanted a different kind of show. One that I didn’t offer unless it
was to a regular client. But the payment was due for Sam’s residential facility
in two weeks. And Mom’s mortgage had yet to be paid for the month. The
anonymous customer offered five thousand dollars.

So, I took them up on it. All they wanted was to watch me masturbate.
 I laid on the floor and thought about Skylar. It was the easiest five
grand I had ever made in my life.

“Good. What’s this?” Adam asked, indicating the bakery box in my

hand.

“It’s Tiramisu cake from the Dandelion Bakery downtown,” I told him.

“Oh, you’re about to become Skylar’s favorite person. She would live
off this stuff if you let her.” Adam took the box as we headed toward the back
of the house to the patio.

“I know,” I said without thinking. Adam gave me a funny look but

didn’t say anything. He was a good friend but was pretty much oblivious to
anything that didn’t involve his work or his family. He knew that I had spent
quite a bit of time with Skylar a few months ago but had never really
questioned me about it. He had never known me to date in all the years we

had been friends. He and Jeremy asked me several times if I were gay, that
they would be perfectly fine if I was, but that they hoped I’d be open to
telling them if they were.

I had assured them that if I were into guys, they’d be the first I’d tell.

We walked through the kitchen out to the back yard where I could see
Adam’s massive grill smoking. Meg and Sky were playing with Tyler on the
swing set. Both women looked up as we arrived.

“He finally showed up. I guess I can call off the search team,” Adam
announced, setting the cake down on the patio table.

Meg came over immediately and gave me a long, strawberry-scented

hug. “You look tired. You need to take better care of yourself,” she lectured.

Adam’s wife was one of those people who worried about everyone else all
the time. Being a single guy living on my own, she seemed to think I lived
off Ramen noodles. She didn’t seem to believe me when I told her that I often
cooked meals for myself and that I actually enjoyed it.

“The man doesn’t know when to stop, Meg. He works more than I do,”
Adam quipped, grabbing a beer from the cooler and popped the top. He
handed it to me, which I accepted gratefully. I noticed that Skylar hadn’t
joined us. She continued to push Adam and Meg’s son on the swing, higher

and higher as he squealed in delight.

“Well, no shop talk tonight you two. I think it’s wonderful that you all
are so invested in your jobs, but it’s a little boring to those outside of the
lawyer circle,” Meg said, making a face.

“Fine. But you and Skylar are forbidden from discussing that reality
dating show the two of you are addicted to,” Adam warned.
 Meg stuck out her tongue at her husband before turning back to me and
looping her arm with mine. “Come with me and say hi to Skylar.” She pulled

me along toward her friend.

“Sky and Tyler, look who's here!” Meg called out.

Her son flailed his chubby arms in greeting and Skylar gave me a

halfhearted wave.

The tension radiating between us was so noticeable I was surprised

Adam and Meg weren’t commenting on it.

“It’s been a while since the two of you hung out, right?” Meg asked.
Skylar glared at her and I got the impression that Meg would get an earful
later. Adam’s wife gave a “what?” look to her friend.

“Yeah, it’s been a few months. By the way, Sky, I got that Bruce Lee
box set finally,” I said, trying to make small talk, wanting to bridge the gap

between us in any way that I could.

“Oh yeah? That took a long time to get here.” Skylar went back to
pushing Tyler on the swing, her back to me. She wasn’t going to make
conversation between us easy, that’s for sure.

I was a bad conversationalist at the best of times, so this was looking to

go down as well as a lead balloon. “Yeah,” was all I could think of to say.
 Meg looked between me and Skylar, a funny look on her face. “You
two are a barrel of fun,” she laughed, shaking her head.

“We could talk about gardening if you like. I know how much Rob
loves his gardening,” Skylar retorted sarcastically.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with nicely manicured flower beds.

Actually, I was thinking of putting an English-style garden in my front yard. I

found this really nice fountain at Home Depot.” Skylar and Meg both looked
at me with amusement. Well, it was better than Sky’s scorn.

“Is Rob talking about that fountain again?” Adam asked, coming over
to join us. “Just buy the thing already. I’m sick of hearing about it,” he
complained.

“It’s a lot of money. I have to make sure it fits into the aesthetic of the
house.” My love of gardening was an ongoing joke to my partners, but I

didn’t let it get to me. I liked what I liked.

“Don’t give him such a hard time, Adam. Look what he did with our
rose bushes. They’re beautiful!” Meg indicated the four bushes lining the
fence. They had been near death when she asked me to come and have a look
at them. Over the summer, I came over periodically to tend to them and
eventually they bounced back better than ever.
 “I’m not giving him a hard time. I respect a man and his hobbies,”
Adam defended. He clasped my shoulder. “Our Rob is a hands-on kind of

guy.”

Skylar’s eyes met mine briefly. And I wondered if she was thinking of
the same memory I was.

**

I stood on her doorstep nervously waiting for her to answer. I felt like
a kid on his first date. But this wasn’t a date. She didn’t even know I was
coming. What the hell was wrong with me?

I had been spending more and more time with Skylar. She was easy to
be around. She made me laugh. We liked the same food. The same movies.
Our friendship had evolved naturally into something that was starting to feel
like more.

That could be a problem, but I felt unable to stop it. I didn’t want to
stop it.
 The door opened and she stood there, looking a little bewildered at the
sight of me. She was wearing torn jeans and a faded t-shirt. She was

obviously not wearing a bra and I tried not to stare at her prominent nipples.
Her dark hair was held up in a sloppy bun on the top of her head, with half of
it falling around her face. She looked fucking beautiful.

“Rob? What are you doing here?” She wiped her forehead with the

back of her hand. Her face was flushed, and she seemed out of breath.

“I brought you this.” I held out the potted plant. “Am I interrupting
something?”

She took the plant and gave me a tired smile. “I’m moving the furniture
around in my living room. I can’t seem to make up my mind how I want it to
look, so I’ve changed it five times now and nothing looks right. I’m
exhausted.” She held up the plant. “Thank you for this. It’s very thoughtful of

you.”

“Do you need any help? I have the afternoon free. And I’m definitely a
hands-on kind of guy,” I offered.

Skylar’s eyes lit up. “Are you serious? Don’t offer if you don’t mean it,
because I’m very near to tears here and I’m about to drag you inside and set
you to work.”
 I laughed. “I wouldn’t offer it if I wasn’t serious. Put me to work, Miss
Murphy.”

She waved me inside. “Well, come on then.”

I followed her into her house. She hadn’t lived there long. There were
still piles of boxes in the hallway and her living room was in a state of chaos.

“I know it looks like a bomb went off in here, but Kyle just finished with the
floors and I’m trying to move the furniture without scratching the finish,
which is damn near impossible for one person,” she complained, putting the
plant down on the window sill.

“I’ll be the big manly man and move the heavy stuff while you direct
me.”

Skylar swatted my arm playfully and I grinned at her. We smiled a lot

when we were together. It was a nice feeling.

Skylar wasn’t kidding when she said she couldn’t make up her mind.
She had me move the couch and the chairs three more times before she
settled on how she wanted it. She stood in the corner of the room and
watched as I deftly maneuvered furniture. I looked up at her when I was
finished to find her staring at me with an expression that I had seen on many
women’s faces over the years.
 “For a desk-bound lawyer type, you sure are in shape.” Her
smoldering eyes took in my now bare chest and arms. I had taken off my shirt

after the first round of musical furniture. “Even Kyle had a hard time
carrying that couch, but you moved it easily.”

She handed me a glass of water and I drank it greedily. I wiped my

mouth with the back of my hand and put the now empty glass on the coffee

table. “What can I say? I like to work out.”

Her gaze swept the length of me and I felt hot all over again. “You sure
do hide a lot under all those suits.” She bit down on her bottom lip and I felt
my groin tighten.

“Skylar…” Her name sounded strangled in my mouth. I could feel

where this was headed. I knew the way she was looking at me, what she was
thinking.

We were on the same wavelength completely.

“Is there anything else you need to be moved?” I asked, hating to kill
the moment, but needing to at the same time. Because if I didn’t…

I turned back to look at her, she was standing so close. The warmth of
her was intoxicating.

“Skylar?” I said her name again. I loved saying her name.

 Then I reached for her. And she reached for me. We came together in a
chaotic clash of skin and lips and teeth.

I attacked her mouth like a man drowning. She clung to me, her fingers
gripping my naked skin. We kissed like we never wanted to stop. I knew she
didn’t want to, and I didn’t either.

Her hands ran down my chest and I groaned in the back of my throat. I
wanted her so badly I could hardly stand upright. In a rush, we dropped to
our knees, still kissing. Still touching. I couldn’t get enough of her. I ripped
her shirt over her head and threw it across the room. The sight of her bare
breasts had me almost blowing a load right then and there.

I palmed her left breast while working on the button of her jeans.

This was moving fast. Faster than I meant it to.

If I didn’t put a halt to this quickly, I was going to be balls deep inside

her before I knew it.

And god, I wanted to be balls deep inside her.

“Skylar,” I moaned her name. She was kissing a line from my mouth to
my ear lobe, sucking it into her mouth.

I unzipped her pants and reached inside. She was soaking. Fucking
hell. The second I touched her I was undone. I knew that I was quickly
approaching the point where I wouldn’t stop. That I couldn’t stop.

I needed to stop.

Now.

I withdrew my hand and sat back on my heels. I ran a shaky hand

through my hair. “I’m sorry, Sky, I have to go.” I got to my feet and put on
my shirt. Skylar stood up, watching me with a closed-off expression. Her
mouth was tender and raw from our kisses and god, I wanted to kiss her
again.

I didn’t want to hurt her, but I knew this couldn’t go any further.
Otherwise, she’d want to get to know me…

Not able to help myself, I reached out to her. I wanted to pull her close.
I wanted to make her smile again.

She evaded my touch. “You’d better go then,” was all she said, her
voice clipped and cool.

I picked up my phone. I hesitated. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to

stay. I wanted to spend time with her.

I had to go.
 “I’ll see you later,” I said to her as she followed me to the door.

“Sure.” She gave me one last, penetrating look, then closed the door
behind me.

**

Being so close to her, I couldn’t help but remember what it felt like to
touch her. To kiss her. And from the way her neck flushed every time I stood
near her, I knew she was thinking about it too.

Adam and Meg were laughing about some funny thing Tyler had said.
Skylar chuckled along with them. I smiled. But neither of us was really

giving our attention to our friends.

I was too focused on being in the same room with her.

I didn’t think pursuing her was a good idea, yet I couldn’t stop thinking
about her. Our lives intersected in so many ways, it was impossible to avoid
the intense attraction I felt. But it didn’t matter what I felt because Skylar
made it pretty damn clear she wanted nothing to do with me.
 And I deserved it. After that day at her house, she had effectively shut
me out of her life. I had tried to call her. More than once. Okay, probably at

least a dozen times. She never answered. When I saw her around town, she
made sure to go in the opposite direction.

I had rejected her. And in turn, she was rejecting me right back.

It fucking sucked.

Meg brought out the tiramisu cake after we finished dinner. Skylar
gave me a quick look and I smiled before she could turn away.

“Sky, it’s your favorite,” Meg gushed. “That’s so sweet of you,

Robert.” She gave her friend a look that I couldn’t read, and Skylar gazed
blandly back at her.

As Meg cut the cake and gave us all a slice, Tyler started getting fussy.
Meg lifted him out of his booster seat. “It looks like mister is ready for bed. If

you guys don’t mind, I’m going to go bathe him.”

Adam started to stand up. “Let me come with you.”

Meg waved him off. “No, you stay with our guests. I won’t be long.”
Tyler started sucking on his fingers, tucking his head beneath his mom’s
chin. “He’ll be passed out before I have him in PJs at this rate. I’ll be back
down soon.”
 Adam stood up and kissed his wife and then tenderly kissed his son’s
head. The image of the happy family made something in my chest ache. I had

never thought much about having a family of my own. Given my lifestyle, a

wife and kids didn’t quite fit. I had the benefit of growing up in a loving
household, so it made sense that should be something I would want for
myself.

And maybe have one day. When I was more successful; when I had
more money saved up. When I could be sure Mom and Sam were taken care
of.

That was a lot of ‘when’s.’

I glanced at Skylar to see that she was watching her friends with a
sadly wistful expression. I looked away before she realized I was watching
her like a weirdo.

Once Meg and Tyler were gone, Adam cracked open three more beers
and passed them around the table.

“I shouldn’t. Some of us have to drive home.” Skylar pushed the beer

away.

“Robert can give you a ride,” Adam suggested—the king of

obliviousness.
 Skylar shook her head. “He’s been drinking too, smarty-pants.”

“I’m not remotely drunk, Sky. I can take you home if you need a lift,” I
offered.

“That’s okay. I’ll be sober as a nun by the time I head out.” She got up
to fill her glass with water and I felt the sting of disappointment.

“Whatever, suit yourself. It’s a waste of good ale,” Adam complained.

“So, Sky, the boys and I were talking, and we need some more digital
marketing done. Is that something you could handle for us?” Adam asked
once Skylar sat back down.

I raised an eyebrow at my partner, and he shrugged slightly. We hadn’t

talked about anything of the sort.

Skylar finished her beer and tossed the bottle in the trash. “Marketing
isn’t really my thing, Adam. I can help you with some graphics, drive more

traffic to your site, but that’s about the extent of my expertise.”

“Yes, graphics would be great! Maybe something we could use in

online ads. Meg suggested we target social media to drive up business,”
Adam went on excitedly.

“That’s a good idea. That’s where most advertising is successful these

days.” Skylar nodded.
 Adam turned to me. “Rob, can you talk to Skylar about some ideas for
graphics? You came up with that great tagline for advertising. Remember?”

“Legal expertise with you in mind? That one?” I asked.

Adam pointed at me. “Yes! That’s it. It’s pretty good, right, Sky?”

“Not bad, “Skylar conceded. “It’s a hell of a lot better than the one

Jeremy came up with when I was putting the website together.”

“What was it?” I asked her.

“Trust me, I’m a lawyer,” she deadpanned, and we all started laughing
our asses off.

“I don’t know, I’m thinking that one might be a winner,” I replied

blandly.

“You’re right. It’s perfect,” Skylar agreed.

“What? You guys are kidding, right? We can’t have that be our slogan.
Please tell me you’re kidding.” Adam seemed slightly panicked.

Skylar shrugged. “Why would we kid about that?”

We shared a look then both started laughing again. Adam seemed

relieved when he realized we were joking.
 “So, you’ll help her?” Adam asked me.

“I don’t think Skylar needs my help, Adam,” I argued. Not because I

didn’t want to help her—I’d sell a kidney if it meant spending time with her
—but I figured she’d be insulted by the suggestion she needed my assistance
at all.

Once again, I’d said the absolute worst thing.

Skylar tensed; her jaw tight. “I don’t need any help. I’ll be fine doing
this on my own. It’s how I like it.”

“I didn’t mean I don’t want to help you—” I started to say but she
wasn’t listening. She wouldn’t hear me.

“I’d better get home. I have some work to do this evening.” Skylar got
to her feet. “Is it safe to go and say goodbye to Meg? I don’t want to interrupt
her putting Tyler to bed.”

“You’ll be fine. She’ll be more pissed if you leave without saying

goodbye,” Adam said.

She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “See ya later, Decate.”
She glanced my way but didn’t say anything.

Once she was gone Adam gave me a funny look. “Dude, it was colder
than the Arctic here. What gives?”

“I don’t know what you're talking about,” I hedged, peeling the label
from my beer bottle.

“I thought nothing was going on between you two,” Adam prodded.

“There isn’t.”

“Then why did she look at you like something on the bottom of her
shoe? I know Murphy when she’s taken a dislike to someone. And she seems
to have taken a dislike to you. So, what did you do to her?” Adam frowned.

“Why do you automatically assume I did something? Have you ever

known me to do anything to anyone?” I countered defensively.

Adam thought about that. “No actually. So, what’s going on?”

I leaned back in my chair. “I don’t know what to tell you, man.”

He looked at me as if he didn’t believe me. “Skylar is one of my best

friends, Rob. So are you. I don’t want to have to take sides if you two have
some war brewing. I’ve done that with Wyatt and Lena. It wasn’t fun. I’m not
in the mood to do it again.”

“There’s no war brewing, Adam,” I promised him.

Because there wasn’t.

I wanted Skylar Murphy but couldn’t have her.

Skylar wanted nothing to do with me, which was just as well.

That was the end of the story.

Or so I thought.
 Chapter Five

Skylar

Working for yourself comes with some amazing privileges. I could

wake up, drink my coffee, and then dress in my favorite pair of sweatpants

and a faded band t-shirt. Working for yourself also comes with some major
drawbacks. The lack of conversation like you’d have in an office surrounded
by other people can lead to an increase in “crazy cat lady” behavior. Or in my
case, “crazy dog lady.”

I had taken to walking around the house and having detailed

conversations with Edgar, who listened by cocking his head and looking
adorable. The problem was he couldn’t really provide me any feedback when
I was particularly stuck on a concept, which was the current situation.

“I don’t know, Edgar. The lines don’t look sharp enough. I’m not sure
this works in the market they’re targeting.” I chewed on the end of my pen,
squinting at the screen, willing the creativity to come to me. I was feeling
braindead today. I hadn’t left the house since the past weekend’s dinner at
Meg and Adam’s, and I was starting to feel the isolation.

Which was why I practically jumped out of my seat and ran for the
front door when the doorbell rang. Not caring that my favorite pair of
sweatpants had tiny, pin prick holes in the crotch, I dashed to the door, threw

it open with a gusto that startled the person on the other side.

Whitney put a hand to her chest like a southern belle with the vapors.
“Good god, Sky, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Whitney, I’m so happy to see you!” I said with a little more

enthusiasm than she was used to hearing from me.

She cocked her head to the side in a dead ringer imitation of my dog
and narrowed her eyes. “Are you okay? Should I be worried? When has
Skylar Murphy ever been happy to see anyone?”

Fair point.

Edgar poked his head around my side, eager to see our visitor. Whitney
came prepared for my behemoth of an animal and fished a treat out of her

purse and tossed it to him. He caught it midair. “Well done, Edgar.” She
clapped her hands.

“Come on in.” I opened the door wider for her and she walked into my
entryway. “To what do I owe the honor of your presence?”

“As you know, Kyle’s birthday is a few weeks—”

 “Like the man will let any of us forget it,” I muttered, leading her into
the kitchen where I put on a pot of coffee. Webber had been dropping not-so-

subtle hints about his upcoming thirtieth birthday for the last six months. And
people said women were divas.

“Right?” Whitney laughed, sitting down at the table. “Well, I’m

struggling with what to get him. I had some professional pictures taken of

Katie and they turned out wonderfully. But I need to get him a few other
things. And the man is horrible to shop for. Mostly because if he wants
something, he goes out and buys it. Makes it a little difficult for everyone
else when holidays come around.”

“He really is a pain in the ass.” I brought the mugs over to the table and
sat down. “But I’m not sure how I can help you. I plan to give him a kick in
the ass for his present,” I joked.

Whitney smirked. “Good one.” She dumped two spoonfuls of sugar

into her cup and took a sip. “I need you to come shopping with me. You’ve
known him for ages. You’re one of his closest friends. I’m calling in
reinforcements.”

“You want to take me shopping? Do you know me?” I made a face.

Shopping was my idea of hell and everyone knew it.
 Whitney clasped her hands together in front of her in a pleading
gesture. “Please, Sky. I’m desperate.”

“You must be if you drove all the way out here to ask me to spend the
day shopping with you.” I drank my coffee quickly and got up to pour myself
another one. I was going to need the fortitude it seemed. “Why didn’t you ask
Meg? Or Lena? Or just about anyone else?”

“Because Meg ends up shopping for everything but what we came

there for. And Lena wouldn’t know what to get him either. It’s you, Sky.
You’re my only hope,” Whitney intoned dramatically in her movie trailer
voice.

“It just so happens I was looking for an excuse to procrastinate today.

Which is the only reason I’m agreeing to this insanity,” I warned her.

Whitney let out a whoop. “Thank you, Sky. You’re the best. I thought

we could hit up the new clothing store on Maple. It looks really nice.”

“You didn’t say shopping would involve clothing,” I groaned. “Let me

get changed and we can head out. But you’re buying me lunch.”

“Of course!”

Twenty minutes later we were parked outside of the new clothes store
called Amalie’s.
 “I never even knew this was here. How long has it been open?” I asked
as we got out of the car.

Whitney lifted her eyebrows and answered me in the blandest of bland

voices. “About a year.”

“Wow, I need to get out more,” I muttered.

Whitney patted my back. “Yes, my friend, you do. Now come on.”

The shop was a whirlwind of shirts and dresses. It seemed to cater to

everyone. There was a stack of designer jeans next to a rack of plaid, button-
up work shirts. It was a strange mish-mash of styles and colors.

“What do you think of this?” Whitney held up what appeared to be a

tight-fitting graphic t-shirt with a red and green dragon printed on the
shoulder and draping down the back.

I scrunched up my nose. “Web isn’t a twenty-year-old fuckboy. Come

on now.”

Whitney sighed. “You’re right. You’d think since I’ve been married to
the guy for over a year I’d have more of a clue what to get him. I just want to
buy him something that isn’t a black t-shirt.”

“How about this?” I asked, holding up a bright yellow polo that I knew
he’d hate at first sight.

Whitney gave me a look that let me know I wasn’t being the help she
needed me to be, so I begrudgingly put it back.

We kept browsing, putting things in a ‘maybe’ pile to be decided on at

the end.

The store was pretty busy. A woman was shopping nearby, and I
frequently had to move out the way to avoid smacking her with the shirts
Whitney loaded me up with.

“Sorry,” I told the stranger when I accidentally smacked her with a

hanger.

The woman laughed. “Looks like you girls are on a mission. I’ll try to
stay out of the way.”

“So, I hear things were a bit tense with you and Mr. Robert Jenkins at
Meg’s this past weekend.” Whitney handed me two more shirts to put on the
pile.

I groaned and rolled my eyes. “Did Meg tell you that? Because she
wasn’t even there. She was upstairs with Tyler.” I felt myself becoming
instantly defensive. I didn’t like people talking about my personal life behind
my back. Not even my best friends.
 “Actually, Adam mentioned it. You know what gossip he can be,”
Whitney said. “He was very confused by it considering he has no idea what

was going on with the two of you.”

“Dear lord, Whit, for the hundredth time—”

“Nothing was going on, blah, blah, blah. If you think any of us believe

that for a second, you’re deluding yourself,” Whitney interrupted.

I moved out of the nice lady’s way again. I glanced her way, not a big
fan of talking about personal stuff in public, but she seemed oblivious.

“Okay, so I liked him. A lot. And we were kinda, sorta seeing each
other,” I admitted.

“Finally!” Whitney raised her hands to the sky. “Acknowledgement!”

I dropped the clothes on the growing pile and glowered at her. “Yes

fine. I thought we might be starting to date, but then he had to go and be all
aloof and shady and I had had enough evasive bullshit with Mac. I’m not
ready to sign up for more.”

“Robert is not Mac, Skylar. I don’t think you’re being fair to him. He’s
a really good guy,” Whitney scolded. “Just because the guy didn’t give you
his life story right away doesn’t mean you should ice him out. I don’t think
that’s too cool of you.”
 Her censure stung. “It wasn’t like that, Whitney. It’s just, I started
really opening up to him because he seemed into me. And when I would ask

him questions, he never answered them. I just don’t know if I have it in me to

let someone in my life who could hurt me. I’ve been down that road and it’s
not fun.”

Whitney put her arm around my shoulders. “He likes you, Sky.

Everyone can see the way he looks at you. If you never give someone a
chance, how will you ever know if it’s right?”

“I’m sorry to be nosy but I couldn’t help but overhear your

conversation.”

Whitney and I looked up in surprise at the older woman who had been
shopping next to us. “Excuse me?” I asked, taken aback.

The woman was beautiful in that timeless way where her age could be

anywhere between forty and sixty. She had long blonde hair without a streak
of grey—she had to dye it— and a body that made me envious. So why was
this gorgeous stranger jumping into our conversation?

“I’m sorry, I probably should mind my own business, but ladies need
to stick together and when I hear a pretty young thing like yourself talking
about an obvious asshole, we older gals need to step in.” She gave me a
sympathetic smile.

“She never said he was an asshole,” Whitney argued, frowning.

“No, of course not. You seem like such a nice woman,” she went on,
looking at me. “It’s just that I heard you talking about a man and whether you
should give things a go. In my experience, trust your instincts, sweety. It’s

when we don’t that we get into trouble.”

“But what if my instincts are wrong?” I found myself asking her. I

didn’t know why I found myself opening up to this stranger. But something
was inviting about her face that made me want to sit down and drink coffee
with her and tell her all my problems.

The woman put a hand on my arm. I noticed offhandedly the number

of rings she wore. Her hand was literally weighed down with diamonds. And
by the way she dressed she clearly had money.

“Women are too often made to feel like we should ignore what our gut
tells us. We push aside our best interests when a handsome face comes along.
We have to learn to be smarter than that. Forget about this guy. If you think
he could hurt you, then don’t risk it. No man is worth it.”

I found myself nodding as Whitney shook her head.

“That sounds entirely too jaded to me,” Whitney said. “The man we’re
talking about is a good guy—”

“So many of them start that way,” the lady interrupted, giving me a
knowing look. “I get the feeling you know that better than most.”

“You’re right,” I said with enthusiasm. I held out my hand for her to
shake. “I’m Skylar.”

The beautiful older woman shook my hand. “You can call me Tiff. I
just moved to the area and decided to do a little shopping. I didn’t plan to
play the part of the nosy Karen when I left the house today. I’m sorry if I was
being rude,” she apologized.

“No, don’t apologize. I actually appreciate the advice,” I told her

sincerely. Whitney had wandered off. “So, you just moved to Southport?”

Tiff nodded. The name really didn’t suit her. She was too classy for a
name like that. “I’m in the process of buying a house in town, but it’s taking

longer than I thought. I’m staying in the bed and breakfast near the park.”

“Oh, that’s a nice place. I hope you’re enjoying it. My great aunt used
to live there before it was sold and became a B&B.”

“This is a lovely town. A far cry from the city. But a change of pace is
exactly what I’m looking for.” Tiff picked up a blouse, a pink gauzy number
with a low neckline, and held it against her front. I could tell it would look
amazing on her.

“Do you know anyone in Southport? What made you come here?” I
asked. I realized I was following this random woman around the store. I
wasn’t usually the kind of person to strike a conversation with a complete
stranger, but Tiff had a ‘talk to me’ face and after spending so much time
alone I was starving for any interaction.

“Actually, I came here for someone. A man I lost touch with. He was
special to me. I’m hoping to reconnect now that we’re living in the same
town,” Tiff said with a soft smile on her face.

“That’s wonderful. I hope he’s someone worth the time,” I replied.

Tiff draped the blouse over her arm and turned to me. “Oh, he is. He’s
more than worth it. Remember I said to trust your instincts. I knew from the
minute I met this man I couldn’t let him get away. I stupidly did, now I’m

here to correct my mistake.” Her face clouded for a moment before it cleared
again. “I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes I’m here.”

I laughed. “It’ll be a surprise then?”

Tiff widened her eyes for effect. “The biggest.” Then she laughed with
me.

“What’s his name? Maybe I know him. Southport isn’t that big,” I
asked. Whitney was gesturing to me from the other side of the store. She held

up a shirt and I nodded, giving her a thumbs up.

Tiff went back to combing through dresses. “I think it’s best I don’t
say,” she said rather mysteriously.

“Oh, come on, I thought we were old friends by now,” I chuckled.

Tiff inclined her head toward where Whitney was trying to get my
attention again. “It seems you’re needed.”

I sighed. “I guess so. It’s back to the wilds of men’s attire for me.”

Tiffany laughed. “You’re a funny woman, Skylar. I’m glad I met you.”

I felt warm at her compliment. “Thanks, likewise.”

“I hope to see you around,” Tiff said, sounding sincere. “And forget
about that guy. You don’t need him anyway.”

I pumped my fist. “That’s right. Girl power, am I right?”

“Sky!” Whitney called out, getting irritated.

“Bye, Tiff. Good luck with your guy,” I told her before hurrying back
to my friend.

Whitney was more than annoyed when I rejoined her. “Thanks for
ditching me. Who even was that woman?” she grumbled, glaring at me.

I turned back to see Tiff was leaving the store. “Just some nice lady
who has just moved to town. She was pretty cool.”

“Pretty weird is more like it,” Whitney retorted. “What kind of person
jumps into a stranger’s conversation like that? I thought she was a bit rude.”

“I think she was simply overcome by female solidarity is all.” I

frowned, thinking back to the conversation I just had. It was slightly odd. But
I shook it off. “Sometimes it’s nice hearing an outsider’s perspective on
things.”

“Even though she doesn’t know anything about you or Robert or how
the two of you are together. But sure, take the word of a rando in a clothing
store over your friend who knows the both of you.” Whitney was getting
testy. “And I still don’t know which shirt to get Kyle.”

“Sorry, Whit. Okay, my attention is firmly focused on finding the best

damn shirt Web has ever seen,” I assured her.

Whitney harrumphed but seemed appeased.

Yet I couldn’t stop thinking about what Tiff said. To trust my instincts.
Too bad I couldn’t be sure what my instincts were trying to tell me.
 **

I spent most of the day with Whitney and as such, I hadn’t gotten any

actual work done for the three projects I had to complete. There was the other
downside when you were the boss. Procrastination was all too appealing.

When I finally got back to my house a little after five, six long hours
later, I was shocked to find a beat-up Camry parked in my driveway and
someone on my porch, bent over by my door.

“Who’s that?” Whitney asked as she pulled into my driveway.

“I have no idea.” The sun was starting to set so I couldn’t make out

who it was. “Let me go see what’s going on.”

“I’m going to wait. I’m not leaving you out here in the middle of
nowhere with some guy on your porch. That’s like the beginning of every
crime documentary I’ve ever seen.” Whitney picked up her phone. “Just give
me the signal if you need me to call 9-1-1.”

I started to get out of the car when the person turned around and my
heart started pounding instantly.

“Is that Robert?” Whitney peered through her windshield.

“That’s exactly who it is,” I said through clenched teeth. I closed the
door and leaned down to talk to her through the partially open window. “Why
don’t you come in for a bit—”

“Sorry, Sky, I’ve gotta pick up Katie,” Whitney announced, putting the
car into reverse.

“What happened to waiting and calling 9-1-1 if I needed to?” I yelled

as she started pulling away.

She held her arm out of the window and waved as she booked it down
the driveway.

I sighed and mentally prepared myself as I turned and headed toward

the house. I could hear Edgar going nuts inside. Robert watched me; his
hands shoved deep into his pockets. He had obviously just come from work.
He was wearing tailored grey pants and a button-down green shirt with the
sleeves rolled up to the elbow. His top button was undone and the tie loose
around his neck. His glasses had slipped down his nose and his hair had the
messy quality of someone who had spent many hours combing his hands
through it.
 He looked amazing. Bastard.

“You want to back away from the door, please? Poor Edgar is going to
claw his way through the wood.” My words were clipped with annoyance as I
pulled my keys out to unlock the door. “What are you doing here?”

Robert picked up a large item wrapped in shipping paper and moved to

the side. “Sorry, I should have called, but I figured I’d just swing by after
work.”

I gave him a bland look. “Swing by? It’s a little out of the way for you
to ‘swing by.’” I put my key into the door and turned the lock.

As soon as I opened the door, Edgar flew out a ball of pent-up energy
and fur. And he went straight for Robert, who had gone down on his
haunches in preparation. He held out his hand and let Edgar sniff his fingers.
Edgar was wary—it had been a while since Robert had been to the house—

but after thirty seconds, he seemed to remember him and gave his hand a lick
before turning his attention to me. Obviously, my big, ferocious dog didn’t
view Robert as a threat.

“What’s that?” I asked, indicating the large package he was holding. I

walked into the house and turned on the lights. I left the door open but didn’t
invite him in.
 Robert stood uncertainly in the doorway. “Um, is it okay if I come
inside?”

“Why not, I’ve been shopping all day, it can’t get any worse.” I kicked
off my shoes and hung up my coat. All I could think was getting to the
kitchen. If I was going to have to talk to Robert—alone at that—I needed a
beer. “So, are you going to tell me what it is, or is this a guessing game?”

“Should I come back another time?” Robert suggested, taking off his
shoes and lining them up next to mine. I hated how I like the way that looked.

Trust your instincts, Sky. No man is worth it.

“Why? So you can bug me later? No thank you. Might as well get it
over with now.” I was being purposefully mean. I knew my words had their
intended effect. A flash of hurt crossed Robert’s face before it was smoothed
away.

And I felt bad about it.

Damn it.

“Okay well, I guess let me just give this to you then and I’ll get out of
your hair.” Robert lifted up the package and held it out. I went to take it from
him before he stopped me. “Be careful. It’s heavy. And it’s fragile. Maybe I
can carry it into the kitchen for you?”
 It was on the tip of my tongue to say something snarky. To give him
shit for implying I wasn’t strong enough or capable enough.

But I didn’t. Because I knew Robert didn’t think any of those things. I
could be mad at him. I could be upset by his perceived rejection. But I
couldn’t pretend he was some sexist pig who felt he had to take care of the
‘little lady.’ That wasn’t Robert’s style.

“Sure,” was all I said, waving him down the hallway. “You know the
way.”

Robert walked past me to the kitchen. Edgar barreled past him and he
had to sidestep my beast of a pet, so he didn’t drop whatever it was he was
holding.

I followed him, forcing myself to keep my eyes on his shoulders and

not his very well sculpted backside which his trousers hugged nicely.

I will not look at his butt.

I will not look at his butt.

I turned on the kitchen lights as Robert carefully laid the package on

the table. “Okay, well, here you go. I hope you like it.” He hesitated
awkwardly then gave me a weird half wave, not meeting my eyes. “See you
later.” Robert had the look of a puppy who had just been kicked. It made me
feel guilty. And irritated for being made to feel guilty.

“Hang on a second,” I sighed before he could leave. “At least hang out
while I open this up. You went to all the effort of driving it out here.”

“Only if you’re sure.”

I sighed again, this time louder and with more exasperation.

“Whatever, just hand me the scissors in that drawer behind you.”

Robert did as directed, handing me the scissors. I approached the table

and he moved back a few steps, giving me personal space. Always the
gentleman. I sliced open the packaging. Whatever was inside required
multiple layers of padding. I pulled away the bubble wrap to reveal a large
stained glass window.

I gasped when I saw it.

“Oh my god,” I breathed, staring down at the intricate design of vibrant

colors. “I—Oh my—I can’t—” I stammered, not able to get a fully
constructed sentence out of my mouth.

I carefully picked it up so that it was upright. It was the size of a

normal window but was encased in lacquered wood. It contained every color
of the rainbow. It wasn’t a specific picture but a mosaic in a pattern of reds,
blues, greens, and golds. It would be beautiful with the sun behind it.
 “I thought it would look amazing in here,” Robert said, indicating the
glass conservatory behind us. “You could hang it there.” He pointed to a

window the same size as the stained glass. “When the sun comes up in the
morning it will splash those colors all over the walls. You said this room was
the most beautiful space you had ever had. I wanted it to be even more
beautiful. For you.” He spoke in a rush, not quite looking at me. His cheeks

were tinged pink, and I could tell he wasn’t exactly comfortable saying all
that.

My chest squeezed painfully.

“It’s perfect,” I said softly, my throat tight.

Damn him.

Why can’t he just let me be angry with him?

“Is it okay if I hang it up?” he asked tentatively.

“Please,” I answered. He edged closer and gently took the stained glass
window from my hands, his fingers brushing mine. Our eyes met and held on
for a fraction too long.

Trust your instincts.

Well, my instincts were currently wanting me to abandon my silly

pride and messed up fear and kiss him senseless.

Instincts were useless.

I watched as Robert hung the window in the best position to catch the
morning sun. It fit perfectly.

“I secretly measured the window a few months ago,” he admitted as if

reading my mind. “I ordered it from an artist in Philly. He has a four-month

backlog, so it only arrived today.”

“It’s lovely,” I said. “It really is. And not something I would have ever
thought to buy for myself.”

Robert’s slow smile almost melted my cold, cold heart. “That’s why I
wanted to get it for you. You were so happy with your house. And with the
new sunroom. You spoke of how you loved to get up in the morning and
have your coffee while the sun came up. And I imagined you sitting in this

room with this colorful light all around you…” his words drifted off and he
looked embarrassed. “I just wanted to get you something nice. Something
from me to you that you could look at and know that I was...I don’t
know...thinking of you I suppose.” For a successful attorney, he sure was
tripping over his words.

And despite the warm fuzzies I felt at his admission, it was

overshadowed by my growing anger.

“You bought this so I would know you were thinking of me,” I

repeated.

Robert licked his lips nervously. “Yes. That’s why I bought it.”

“Why? Why did you want me to know that?” I challenged, my

irritation growing and growing.

Robert was a smart guy, and he knew he was tiptoeing into dangerous
territory. “Because we were spending so much time together. And I
thought…”

“Thought what? That we were good buddies? Super awesome friends?

Or were you thinking we were going to fuck?” I asked.

Robert looked taken aback. “You’ve been angry with me, Sky. It

doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that. Enough with the crap. Just tell me
what I did.”

“I thought you liked me,” I finally said.

Robert blinked. “I did. I do.” He took a step forward. “I like you a lot.
So much in fact.”

“Yet when we were together and things were leading somewhere, it

was you that shut it down,” I spat out.

Robert opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. “I was
taking it slow, Sky. I didn’t want to rush you—”

“Bullshit,” I all but shouted. “That’s bullshit and you know it. Look, I
appreciate the gift. It’s very thoughtful. But I’m not interested in investing in

something that goes nowhere.”

Robert looked confused. “What makes you think it would go nowhere?

We were only just getting to know each other. I think that’s a bit of a leap.”

“You know about my ex-fiancé. I told you all about it. About how he
hurt me. How I was scared of putting myself out there. How I was terrified of
my heart being broken again. And you listened to all that and gave. Me.
Nothing.”

Robert wasn’t looking confused anymore. He heard me loud and clear.

“Sky. I’m a private guy. I just need my space in some things,” he tried
to explain.

“And that’s fine, Rob. I get it. Some people need their secrets.” I
noticed his face was decidedly blank, but I kept going. “But I don’t have time
in my life for a man who won’t share with me, particularly when I was trying
to be open with him. It makes it feel like a very one-sided...whatever it was
we had. I’m not in the market for putting time and effort into something

that’s not equal. That’s not the same give and take on both sides. We can be

friends because our social lives will inevitably intersect. But I think that’s it.”
I let out a breath, a little relieved, a little sad, to say all that. “Do you agree?”

Robert was quiet for a while. He just looked at me, his expression
unreadable. And that was the problem. I didn’t expect an open book, but I

wanted at least Cliff’s Notes version. He seemed incapable of giving me any

of it.

“I don’t know what to say,” he said after a beat.

“And I don’t expect you to say anything.” I crossed my arms over my

chest. “You’re a nice guy. We get along. We can simply leave it at that.”

“Okay,” he drew the word out slowly.

More awkward silence as we stood there in the kitchen. The only noise

came from Edgar drinking water noisily in the corner.

“Again, thank you for the window, but I’ve been out all day and have
work to do this evening.” I couldn’t look at him because it made me sad. And
I wasn’t in the mood to feel sad about some guy.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll get going then,” he said, his voice sounding strange.
 Neither one of us was looking at the other. Robert jingled his keys in
his pocket and then after another minute, nodded to himself and headed for

the hallway.

I knew I should follow him and see him out at least. But I was tired and
done with being polite. My heart was sore and heavy, and I just wanted to
cry. I wouldn’t though. That wasn’t the Skylar Murphy way.

I heard the front door open and close with a click, followed the clunky
roar of his engine as he started up his car. When gravel crunched beneath his
tires as he drove away, I looked up at the gorgeous stained glass window and
wondered what my instinct was trying to tell me now.

Because my gut had gone uncomfortably quiet.

 Chapter Six

Robert

“What?” I snapped at the sound of someone knocking on my office

door.

Adam poked his head around the corner. “Whoa, who pissed in your
cornflakes?”

I rubbed at my temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache. I had

been in a crappy mood all week. Ever since taking the stained glass window
out to Skylar’s.

That had gone horribly, horribly wrong. I had actually thought my gift
would mend the rift between us. I had naively thought she’d see the effort I

put into getting something for her to express how I felt. That the ice would
thaw, and we could go back to that easy, natural way between us.

For a smart guy, I really could be an idiot.

It was obvious I didn’t know Skylar at all. Not really. Because that
woman could nurse a grudge, unlike anything I had ever seen. And she was
right to nurse it. She was protecting herself. From me.
 I felt like the worst kind of an asshole. I remembered all too well when
she had told me about her ex-fiancé. I had been infuriated on her behalf. I

wanted to rip the jerk’s head off and shove it down his neck. How could
anyone treat this amazing woman so poorly? I had concluded that this Mac
was a grade A idiot.

What I hadn’t realized was that the whole thing had been a test. Maybe

not one Skylar meant to give me, but it was a test all the same. And I had
failed. All because of my reticence to open myself up. To share anything
about my life. Even if that person was someone I really wanted to get to
know.

And I had screwed it all up. I knew from the finality in Skylar’s tone
that any idea of a relationship between us was over. I hadn’t realized until she
said it that I had been hoping for something. Even if it was completely
illogical. Because Skylar was right. How could I have a relationship with

someone I could never open up to?

Fear is a nasty, nasty thing.

So since then, I had been a giant ball of thunderous anger directed at

everyone and everything. My partners didn’t know what to make of it. They
had never seen much emotion from me before. I was even-keeled Robert
Jenkins, after all. Bland and boring.
 “Did you need something?” I barked at Adam who was gingerly
creeping into my office.

He held his hands up. “Man, what is up with you? I have never seen
you like this. Not even when you went over par at the golf course.”

I glared at him. “I have never gone over par. Shut your damn mouth,

Decate.”

“Okay, okay. I must be mistaken. I guess I was golfing with that other
partner of mine named Rob Jenkins.” Adam took another step inside. “Are
you going to tell me what’s wrong or can I only assume it’s work-related?
Word on the street is your hearing this morning didn’t go so great.”

I clenched my fists, wishing briefly I was the kind of guy who punched
stuff. Because man, would I punch something right now.

Adam hadn’t heard wrong. I had a hearing for a custody dispute I had

agreed to take on. I didn’t typically handle matters in family court, but
Adam’s caseload was high, and he asked me to fill in as a favor. My client, a
woman named Natalie Bishop, had filed for full custody because from all
accounts her ex was a rotten piece of garbage.

I thought it would be a slam dunk case, but it seemed the garbage ex

knew the judge and so now we had another hearing to determine financial
status in three weeks. In the meantime, both parents were given joint custody.
It had all the makings of a small town mess.

It seemed I was wrong about a lot of things lately.

“Judge Gladstone should have recused himself,” I stated.

Adam nodded. “File a judicial complaint then.”

“And have a local judge gunning for me? No thank you.” I leaned back
in my chair, folding my hands on my stomach. “I just need to be more
prepared next time. That’s what I get for thinking it would be easy.”

“Robert Jenkins not prepared? Now I really have seen everything,”

Adam scoffed, taking our dialogue as an invitation to sit down in the chair
opposite me.

“Even the best have their off days,” I remarked dryly.

The sound of distinct female laughter filtered through the open

doorway. “What’s all that?” I asked.

Adam shrugged. “Jeremy and Lena are in with a client. They’ve had
the conference door closed for over an hour. I didn’t see who it was when
they came in.”

I felt a tingling of warning but pushed it aside. “How are things going
with your prep for the Miller trial? That’s scheduled for when again?”

“It would help if John Miller wasn’t such a fuck up. His character
profile isn’t ideal. But I’ll pretty him up like a pig at the fair,” Adam laughed.

“I’m sure you will. Don’t forget I’m still ahead though. You’ve got a
long way to go before you catch up with my win record,” I reminded him.

“Rub it in, why don’t ya?” Adam joked. “So, we’re good right?”

I looked at my partner in confusion. “Why would we not be?”

“We haven’t really had a chance to talk since you came over for
dinner. And you seemed a bit out of sorts after Sky left. You two seemed to
have some kind of beef. You should have told me there was something
between you two. I would have been a bit more considerate throwing you
guys together like that.” He paused. “So, did you guys have a thing going on?
Because Skylar is one of my closest friends and you’re one of my closest

friends. I feel like I should have been in the know if there was.”

I opened my mouth to answer him when Jeremy waltzed in. “Hey, you
two. Hope I’m not interrupting. I have someone I’d like you two to meet.
Though, Jenkins is an old friend from what I’ve just learned.”

Adam and I shared a look. Something dark and worrisome unfurled in

my gut. I could hear Lena talking to someone in the hallway. Then more
laughter. Suddenly a woman entered the room and I almost blacked out.

My hands went cold. My face grew hot. I felt clammy all over.

What the absolute fuck was she doing here?

“Adam, I’d like to introduce you to our number one client, Tiffany
Hardwell. You can thank Ms. Hardwell for that down payment on your new

holiday home,” Jeremy introduced with his trademark grin.

Adam got to his feet and held his hand out for the gorgeous older
woman to shake. I hadn’t looked at her face yet. I was still in a state of frozen
shock behind my desk.

“It is so nice to meet you finally, Ms. Hardwell. I had no idea you were
coming into town today otherwise the firm would have taken you for lunch,”
Adam was saying. Lena, Jeremy, and Adam were all smiling, making small
talk, having no idea they were speaking to the woman who could blow my

whole life apart.

What the hell was I going to do?

I tried to swallow but my throat was bone dry.

“Hi, Robbie.”

Her voice hadn’t changed. If anything, it had gotten sexier. This was a
woman who wielded everything in her arsenal with fatal accuracy. My body

reacted to that voice as if by rote. She had conditioned it to.

I realized I hadn’t responded, nor had I looked up at her yet. I also

realized the other people in the room, my partners, and friends, were looking
at me with concern, not understanding what was wrong with me.

To them, I may be boring, but I wasn’t rude.

Slowly I got to my feet, my eyes carefully making their way to her

face. Our eyes met and I felt instantly cold from the inside out. Any
momentary desire I had felt was gone as fast as it had appeared. This wasn’t a
woman I wanted in any way, shape, or form.

She had aged, but well. She was still one of the most beautiful women I
had ever seen, and she knew it. She tossed her long hair back behind her
shoulders and pushed her ample breasts out. She expected me to take her in.

She longed for it. She’d never get anything from me again.

“Hi, Tiffany,” I said, my voice cool and unwelcoming.

Jeremy cleared his throat and came to my rescue for once. “Ms.
Hardwell here came by to sign the closing paperwork on the Carmichael
place. She’s moving in this weekend, is that right?” he asked her.

Tiffany nodded, not taking her eyes off me. “That’s right. Though I
closed on my place in the city last week. I decided to come on down to

Southport and get to know the place.” She finally turned back to Jeremy and

the others, her smile oozing in charm. “And I must say I love it. I think I’m
going to be very happy here.”

My hands curled into fists, the nails biting into flesh.

“Ms. Hardwell was just telling us that she knew you from law school,
Rob. Says you worked for her for a while. You never mentioned that’s how
you knew her,” Lena said.

Tiffany put a hand on her arm. “Oh sweetheart, please call me Tiffany.
Ms. Hardwell makes me feel positively ancient.” She laughed and at one time
I would have practically come in pants at the sound. Now I just wanted her to
get the hell out of my office.

But Tiffany would take her time. She was used to things happening on

her terms. This was a woman who got what she wanted. In all things.

Which most likely explained why she was here.

Because I was the one thing she hadn’t been able to control.
 **

“Robbie, what are you doing here?” Tiffany opened the door wearing
a see-through robe, her tits on full display. Who had she been expecting?

“I need to talk to you.” I braced myself against the doorframe. I had

walked across town. My hair was plastered to my forehead from the rain, my
clothes were drenched, but I didn’t care.

Because I was pissed off.

Tiffany, as if sensing my mood, opened the door, letting me in. “Can I

get you something to drink? A beer? Some wine—?”

“Why did you go to my mother’s house?” I demanded, cutting her off.

Tiffany opened up the small cocktail refrigerator beneath her bar and

pulled out a small bottle of vodka and poured some into a glass. “Is that why
you’re here? Come on now, it’s nothing to be so upset about.”

“I told you I wanted out and you decide to go visit my god damned
mother, Tiffany! That’s a huge fucking deal” I was shouting, I couldn’t help
it. “She was asking me questions I sure as hell couldn’t answer. So, I’ll ask
you again, why the hell did you go see her?” I was shaking with fury. I
wasn’t sure I could hold it together. I had been working for Tiffany for the
last year. Over that time, I had been able to buy my mom a new house and

pay Sam’s residential fees. But I had also had to lose a part of my soul in the
process.

As time passed and I became more and more entrenched in Tiffany’s

world, the more unhappy I became. Tiffany kept all her ‘boys’ on a tight

leash, but it seemed I was different. Because while she pimped me out to the
highest bidder, she still wanted me for herself. And it was that emotional
minefield that I couldn’t handle.

In the beginning, I thought I loved her. She taught me how to use my

body to make her feel intense pleasure and she gave me her body in return.
She showered me with gifts. She bought me an apartment only a street away,
so we were always “close to each other” she said.

She demanded all of me. My heart. My body. My soul. I had nothing

left for me.

I came to a breaking point last week when she asked me to take care of
a “friend” of hers. She said this friend deserved only the best, and she knew
I’d be perfect. Tiffany fucked my brains out then sent me off to fuck her
friend. Somewhere from point A to point B I had a Come to Jesus moment. I
didn’t want to do it anymore.
 It was one thing to take my clothes off at The Landing Strip. I still
enjoyed the adoration from women when they saw my body. It filled me with

a confidence I couldn’t get anywhere else. It was a high that I would always
be chasing.

It was the sex that was destroying me. Because I couldn’t reconcile the
fact that this woman I had grown to love was sending me out to screw other

women. It wasn’t empowering. It was debilitating.

I had lost control of my life. Of my body. Of my goddamn feelings. And

I knew Tiffany didn’t give a shit about any of that. This wasn’t about me. Or
her and me together. This was Tiffany Hardwell’s show, and I was merely a
player.

Those days were over.

So, I told her I wanted out. That I didn’t want to sleep with other

women. It was then I saw a side of her that I had never seen before.

“You don’t get a say in that, Robbie,” She had snarled, gripping my
neck with her hand, her long nails piercing my skin, drawing blood. “You
will do what I say. Don’t think you have a voice here. You belong to me. All
of you.” She had kissed me then and because I was a horny idiot, I let her
shut me up with sex.
 But then she went to see my mother. She told her she was my boss and
that she was worried about me. That I was talking about walking away from

a great opportunity and that she thought she should talk to Mom so she could
talk ‘sense’ into me. She told my mother that the job was how I paid for the
house and for Sam’s care. My mother had been confused and upset, thinking
something was wrong with me. Tiffany never outright told my mother what I

did for money, but she made it clear, by visiting my family, that she would if I
crossed her.

She had overstepped the line and I wasn't putting up with it.

My mom had called me just as I was leaving my new apartment to go

to my next ‘date.’ But when I heard the worry in her voice, I decided I wasn’t
going to the date. I wasn’t going on any ‘dates’ ever again.

I went straight to Tiffany’s. I was done with her games and

machinations. She had held me under her thumb long enough. Once you
messed with my family, you were done.

Tiffany slinked toward me, using her body to full advantage. She was
expecting me to succumb to her charms as I had every other time before. She
wrapped herself around me, kissing my chin. “Baby, I just wanted to know
you mother. To tell her I was worried about you. Because I am, Robbie. I’m
so worried about you.” She went on her tiptoes and kissed my mouth.
Normally this was the part where I’d let her have her way. I’d pick her up

and carry her to bed.

Not this time.

I pushed her away. “I’m done, Tiffany. This is over. Leave me the fuck
alone.”

“You don’t mean that. You need me. How will you take care of your
family? You like that nice apartment don’t you? All the things I do for you?”
she purred, touching me again. Her hands sliding inside my pants. “We have
a good thing, you and me. I do things for you,” she squeezed my junk with
experienced fingers, “you do things for me.” She took my hand and placed it
on her breast. “Now stop all this nonsense and make me feel good, Robbie.”

I ripped her hand from my pants and moved away from her. “This is
all about control for you. And you choose men—boys really—who don’t know

any better. You made me think you cared about me.” I shook my head. “I was
such an idiot.”

Tiffany looked stricken; she was a hell of a good actress. “Robbie, I do

care about you. I love you. So much. I don’t know what I’ll do if you leave
me. I won’t be able to bear it.” She turned on the waterworks, her lovely face
crumpling.
 “I know you’re not wearing that get up for me, Tiff, so stop with the
tears. They won’t work,” I said coldly, and just like that, she stopped crying.

She wiped her face, instantly sobering. “Fine. But you can’t walk away
until I tell you that you can. We have an arrangement. I would hate for your
poor, sweet mother to know where all that cash came from.”

There it was. The threats.

I advanced on her and got in her face. But not in the way she expected
or wanted. She cowered slightly in the face of my anger. “You will leave my
family alone. You will leave me alone. After I walk out that door I never want
to see you again, Tiffany. And if you contact any of my family that can be
construed as harassment. I’ve passed the bar, I’m an attorney now. I know
the laws. And I know how to make them work for me.” I wasn’t going to be
played by her any longer. “I will have my stuff out of your apartment by the

end of the day. I’ll leave the keys with the doorman.”

Sick of looking at her, I turned to leave.

“Don’t go, Robbie. Please,” she called out, sounding slightly

desperate. I ignored her.

When I opened the door, a guy stood there. He looked bewildered at

the sight of me. He was Tiffany’s type. Good looking and young. “Uh, hello?
Is Tiffany here?” he asked, trying to peer around me.

“Go on in. But let me give you a word of warning, my friend. She’s a
snake. And she’ll ruin you if you let her.” The guy frowned, clearly in the
early lovesick days of their acquaintance. Poor fool.

Without another word, I left it all behind.

**

“If you lovelies wouldn’t mind, I’d love to catch up with my old friend
for a few minutes. It’s been a long time.” Tiffany leveled me with a long,
scorching look. “Too long.”

Adam, Jeremy, and Lena shared a look. “Of course,” Lena said,
already backing out of my office.

“Thank you again for choosing our law firm to handle your business.
We hope you’ve been satisfied with the service you received,” Adam added,
always thinking of the business.

Tiffany smiled her secret smile. “I’ve been very satisfied so far. And I
hope this is only the beginning of a long, fruitful relationship.”

Jeremy raised an eyebrow but kept quiet and the two of them left,
closing the office door behind them.

I purposefully kept the desk between us as a barrier. I didn’t want the

she-wolf any closer. “What the hell do you want, Tiffany?” I demanded, my

voice hard.

Her face softened. “Robbie, it’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you.
So much.” She stepped closer. “You look good. Really good.” She licked her
lips and let her eyes do a long, slow perusal.

“You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing in Southport?

What game are you playing?” I shoved my hands into my pockets, so I didn’t
reach across the desk and throttle her.

Tiffany shrugged, running a finger along the edge of my desk, looking

around the room. “I like Southport. It’s quaint. And ripe for development.
I’ve been...diversifying over the years.”

“And you just happened to choose the town I now live in? Come on,
what kind of moron do you take me for?” I snarled.

She started pulling books off the shelf, thumbing through them. “Oh, I
know you’re not a moron, Robbie. It’s one of the things I always loved about
you.” She stalked toward me, coming around the desk, inching her body until

she invaded my personal space.

I didn’t retreat, I didn’t want to give her that power, but I hated how
close she was. It made me sick inside.

She pressed her hand to my chest. “I’ve missed you.” I opened my

mouth to argue with her, but she stopped me. “I mean it. I’ve missed you so
much over the years. I’m getting older—I know I don’t look it,” she giggled.
“But a woman realizes there comes a point where she wants real
companionship. Someone to share her life with.” She pressed her thigh
against my leg.

“And that lucky someone is me?” My words dripped with sarcasm.

Tiffany frowned. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“It’s been nearly ten years. You’re telling me that there’s not another

man in all that time you could latch onto like a barnacle? Instead, you had to
chase down someone who made it painfully clear he wanted nothing to do
with you ever again? Does that sound like something a sane person would
do?” I moved to the other side of the desk. The smell of her perfume was
nauseating.

“Robbie, what you and I had was special—”

 “It was twisted and messed up is what it was. Special isn’t an adjective
to use to describe anything about what you and I shared.”

Tiffany’s face darkened. “Well, I’m here now. And I plan to make
myself at home. Old friends are important when you’re making a huge
change in your life.”

Was she serious?

“We’re not friends, Tiffany,” I reminded her.

“We used to be, and I expect us to be again.” She picked up her purse
and slung it over her shoulder. She smiled again as if the fraught exchange
hadn’t happened. “Don’t be a stranger. I bought a big, beautiful house in
town. I’d love to show it to you. Come by some time. I’ll make you dinner. Is
chicken parmigiana still your favorite?” She opened the office door, stopped,
and blew me a kiss. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”

I had been around the block enough times to know a threat when I
heard one.
 Chapter Seven

Skylar

The sunroom was awash with every color in the rainbow. I sipped my
first coffee of the morning and soaked it in. The stained glass window added

so much to the room. It diffused the light in such a way that the entire space
was warm and comforting. It was funny how such a small addition could
transform the room. And it felt so much more special because of the man who
had given it to me.

Even though I had spent the subsequent seven days denying like hell
that I felt that way. But it was hard to ignore how thoughtful the gift was.
Damn Robert Jenkins. Damn him to hell.

It had been overall an uneventful, yet busy week. My day of playing

hooky had resulted in an extra pile of work for the week afterward. I had
clients breathing down my neck for mock-ups and proofs. And then Adam
called wanting to know if I would swing by later in the week to talk about the
digital ads he had mentioned at his house.

I should have been ecstatic at the way business was booming. While I
was happy I had successfully carved out a little space for myself in the world,
there this nagging ache deep in my heart.

And it had everything to do with that stupid stained glass window.

I dropped my feet on the floor and stood up, walking to the kitchen
sink, and rinsing out my mug. I absently scratched Edgar behind the ears,
ignoring the drool that dropped on my bare feet.

Whitney said I wasn’t being fair to Rob. That I couldn’t expect the guy
to spill his guts after only really knowing me for a few months. But that
wasn’t it. She wasn’t there. She hadn’t been in the moment when I had truly
felt we were on the cusp of something deep and important.

She hadn’t known how close I had been to handing him everything.

**

It had been a couple of weeks since our almost hook-up and I was
feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable. Emotions didn’t sit well with me at
the best of times; add a healthy dose of shame and I was a mess.

But Robert had called me the very next day and the day after that he
brought Chinese food and we watched my favorite Bruce Lee movie, The Way
of the Dragon. I had started to almost forget that he had run out of my house
so fast that you would have thought his ass was on fire.

I had told him I would make dinner and my kitchen was a mess. The
contractors had only finished the sunroom two days before and I still had a
lot of cleaning and organizing to do, but I wanted to do this for him.

It was Robert who had called a friend of his in the city who had his

own building crew. Mike had come out and given me a quote to build the
sunroom. A ridiculously cheap quote. When Mike told me the number I gaped
in shock and asked him if he had hit his head on the way over. Mike laughed
and I noted, not for the first time since he arrived, how astoundingly good-
looking he was. Like male model good looking, if not a little too tall for my
tastes.

“Consider it a friend rate,” he had said.

I looked at him as if he were speaking gibberish. “But you don’t know

me.”

“I know Robbie and if you’re a friend of his, then you’re a friend of

mine.” He gave me a smile that most women would have melted over.

“That’s more than generous even for a friend of a friend rate,” I

argued.

Mike put his pen back in his shirt pocket and picked up his car keys
ready to head out. “I knew Robbie during a real low point in my life. He was

a good friend. He looked out for me. I knew that if I was ever in a position,

I’d return the favor. So, this is me, returning the favor. He told me you were
special, that’s all I need to hear.” He pulled his baseball cap down low over
his ears. “I’ll send you a design to approve in the next few days.”

His story about Robert had only solidified what I already knew, this

was one amazing man.

I was making chicken parmigiana. I recalled him saying that it used to

be his favorite when he was a kid. I was no cook, but I could navigate my way
around a kitchen and aside from the splashes of tomato sauce on the wall, I
thought I had done a good job.

So why was I feeling like a basket case?

Robert showed up half an hour later, a six-pack of beer in hand and a

bundle of wildflowers. “You didn't seem like the kind of woman to like
roses,” he observed.

“And you’d be right.” I took the flowers and took him back to the
kitchen.

“It smells amazing in here,” he said as we walked down the hallway.

“I’m trying my hand at chicken parmigiana. I hope I don’t serve food

poisoning as a side dish,” I teased.

He put his hand on my lower back and pulled me in close for a

moment, his lips on my forehead. “I haven’t had a good chicken parm in
years. Thank you.”

I felt warm all over. “I didn’t say it would be good.”

He laughed and I could feel his lips, his breath, against my skin. “I’m
sure it will be amazing, like everything you do.”

He followed me into the kitchen and let out a low whistle. “Damn,
Mikey did a great job.” He turned to me. “Are you happy with it?”

“So much. I can’t thank you again, Robert. I’ve never had anything so
beautiful in my whole life. I’m already thinking I want to buy some framed
stained glass to hang from that large window.” I pointed to the glass behind
him. “I just think it would be beautiful in the morning with colors shining

in.”

“That would make it perfect,” he agreed.

When dinner was finished, we sat down and ate. Robert devoured the
pasta dish, saying it was the best he’d had in years. I thought maybe he’d tell
me about the last time he had his favorite food, but he didn’t. Our
conversation stayed light. We laughed about a man who had come into the
law office wanting someone to represent his pet duck.

“He stated that the duck was being harassed by the goose down the
street.” Robert laughed, and I cracked up.

I shared the latest designs I had been working on for a client. “You’re
incredibly talented, Sky.” He kissed my temple.

And then we sat down to watch some Bruce Lee. We had barely made it
past the credits when we were all over each other. His hands were up my
shirt, my tongue in his mouth. Clothes were quickly discarded, and I was
straddling him, grinding against his very large, very impressive erection.

“God, Sky, you’re fucking amazing,” he groaned into my mouth, his

palms cupping my breasts. I arched into him as his thumbs circled my
nipples. This was happening. Finally.

“Touch me,” I begged into his mouth and this time, he obliged. He

slithered his hand between us, finding the warm, wet spot between my legs. I
was wearing only a pair of cotton underwear; I had had to look hard for a
pair without holes in them. I wasn’t used to wearing pretty panties. If they
were actually going to be seen regularly, I was going to have to do something
about that.

Robert deftly pulled the material aside and ran his fingers along my
slit. “You’re so wet, Jesus you feel good,” he murmured, his mouth sucking
along the underside of my jaw as he slowly, carefully eased two fingers inside

me. It had been a long time since anyone had touched down there, and I was
tight as hell. “God,” he moaned, low and deep as he thrust his fingers as
deep as they could go, his thumb pressing my clit.

“Oh, my fucking god,” I yelled as he began to work me over with my

hand. I could hear him chuckling against my skin.

“You like that, baby?” he rasped.

“Can’t you tell?” I panted, moving against his palm as he finger

fucked the hell out of me.

A few minutes later I was a quivering mess as an orgasm unlike

anything I had ever experienced rocked my body. Mac didn’t know what he
was doing half the time and I usually had to finish the job myself. I could tell

that wouldn’t be a problem with Robert. He knew exactly where to touch,

where to kiss, what to do to make me lose my mind.

“I want to make you feel good too,” I said when I could get my voice
back.

“This is all about you, Sky. I like making you feel good.” I wanted to
argue with him, but he had picked me up and placed me on the couch. He
knelt down in front of me and removed my underwear, tossing them aside.
Then his mouth was on my inner thighs, his tongue sweeping upward leaving

warm, wet trails on my skin.

“Put your legs on my shoulders,” he instructed, and I did as I was told.

I could feel his breath on my core, his nose inhaling the scent of me. Then I
felt his mouth. He suckled, he nibbled. He lapped at me with abandon. He

thrust his tongue deep inside me, never letting up until I was gasping and
begging and crying out.

The man was a master at the art of the female orgasm.

Robert lifted my legs off his shoulders and gently settled me back on
the couch. I figured this was only the beginning. That we’d now progress to
other stuff. Instead, he snuggled up beside me, holding me close.

“What about you?” I asked in confusion.

“I like watching you get off. That’s enough for me,” he assured me,
though it didn’t quite feel right.

“I’ve never done that before,” I found myself admitting, slightly

ashamed.

Robert looked at me in surprise. “You’ve never had a man go down on

you? What kind of monsters have you been dating?”
 “I was engaged to this guy—Mac. He wasn’t exactly interested in my
wants and needs.” I hid my face, embarrassed but feeling this desperate need

to share things with him. I was feeling vulnerable and strangely open.
Orgasms clearly made me a chatty Kathy. “He spent our savings on cam
girls. Underage cam girls.”

It was humiliating saying this to Robert, but at the same time, I knew

instinctively he wouldn’t judge me for it.

“It left me thinking I had done something wrong. Why wasn’t I

enough?” My eyes felt hot, but I willed myself not to cry. Mac deserved
absolutely none of my tears.

I felt Robert shift and then he was leaning over me, cupping my face.
“He sounds like a selfish ass. And Skylar,” he lifted my face so that I was
looking at him, “that has nothing to do with you. That’s on him. And his loss

is my gain.” He grinned and I felt myself melt into a pile of warm goo.

“It’s not surprising I ended up with a man like Mac, it’s not like I had
great role models,” I sighed. And then the verbal vomit came. I told him
about my parents and their messed-up relationship. About growing up having
a front-row seat to their dysfunction. And Robert listened to all of it. He
nodded at the right places. He asked me questions. And I gave him things I
hadn’t shared with anyone outside of my closest friends.
 It was when I was finished that I realized I had been doing all the
talking.

“God, listen to me, going on and on about myself. It makes me sound

so narcissistic,” I laughed, reaching for Robert and pulling him close. “Tell
me about your family. I want to know everything about you.”

And that’s when it all went wrong.

Robert’s body tensed briefly before he relaxed as if he were forcing

himself to be casual—natural.

“Do you mind if I use your bathroom?” He sat up, kissing the top of
my head.

“Uh sure, it’s just down the hall. On the left, can’t miss it.” I watched
him walk down my hallway wearing only a pair of tight-fitting boxer briefs.
The man’s body was incredible. Sculpted and lean without being overly

muscular. He was all hard edges and defined planes. He clearly took care of
himself.

But I couldn’t be content ogling him because I was very aware he

hadn’t answered my question. Instead, he had made a quick retreat. When he
came back, I had gotten dressed. He gave me a sexy, half-smile. “I guess I’ll
just have to take all this off again.” He started to reach for me, but I shook
my head.

“Actually, I’ve got an early start tomorrow. I’m pretty tired. So…” I
couldn’t meet his eyes. I was hurt. And when I was hurting it quickly
morphed to outright anger.

I had cut open a vein for him. I had shown him the softer side of Skylar

Murphy. And when I asked him to do the same he went to the fucking
bathroom? Are you kidding me?

Maybe he really was the same as Mac but with a hotter face. I had
learned to look out for myself first and foremost and alarm bells were going
off in my head to retreat.

Robert looked slightly bewildered. “Oh, okay, I mean I kind of

thought…” his words drifted off. He didn’t need to tell me what he expected.
He thought I’d ask him to stay. And up until twenty minutes ago, that had

been my play. Now I crossed my arms over my chest and watched as he got
himself dressed.

“Is everything okay?” he asked as he zipped up his pants.

“Everything’s just peachy. Why wouldn’t it be?” Robert was a smart

guy, and I knew he heard the ice in my tone.

“Did I do something? Did we move too fast? I don’t want you to think I
expect anything.” He reached out for me, but I only let him take my hand,

which he held awkwardly.

“I’m tired,” I repeated. I knew I should be a mature adult and tell him
what was bothering me. That I was slightly humiliated now that he knew all
this deep, dark stuff about me, and he gave me fuck all. But I couldn’t.
Because I had developed a habit of shutting down when stuff got to me.

Robert picked up his keys from the table, watching me closely, trying to
read the situation. “I’ll call you tomorrow?” He posed it as a question.

I didn’t respond. I walked him to the door and with a wave, I closed it
behind him.

And that was the last time we spoke for months.

**

I traced the lines of the stained glass, appreciating the detail and trying
to ignore the way my heart expanded to fill the empty spaces. Because it
meant a lot to me that he wasn’t giving up even when I ignored him and was
hateful and nasty.

And he bought me the most exquisite piece of art because he wanted

me to have something beautiful.

Maybe a little mystery wasn’t the worst thing.

**

I stood on the doorstep of my parents’ house trying to think of a

hundred excuses not to ring the bell.

I was abducted by aliens.

I decided to run off with the circus.

I left for a last-minute trip to Australia.

If only one of them would work. I would give just about anything not
to have to go inside and spend the next hour of my life with the two people
that lived there.

Which was an awful thing to think about your parents. Meg, Adam,
and Kyle had tried to understand when we were younger. They listened to me
bitch and cry about how bad things were for me at home. But the reality was
they each grew up in stable, functional households. I had felt like the odd
man out. None of them had a clue what it was like to be raised by narcissists.

I had always been an afterthought. They were too busy hurting each
other to see how they were hurting their only child. Not that they’d care—or
stop—if they had paid attention. They brought out the worst in each other. It
wasn’t surprising that I escaped as fast as my legs could carry me.

And it wasn’t surprising that I struggled to find relationships with men

that weren’t toxic.

I was a classic case of “live what you know.”

But I knew that if I didn’t commit to dinner once a month, my mother

would make things so much worse. I had learned to manage our relationship
mostly on my terms, but that meant succumbing to a meal on Nightmare
Street to make up for the rest of the time when I could actively avoid them

both.

I could hear my parents shouting from the porch. They were at it

already and I hadn’t even arrived yet. Usually, they saved the show for when
they had an audience. I knocked on the door and waited. The yelling stopped
and I could hear footsteps stomping down the hallway.

The door opened to reveal my dad looking decidedly frazzled. He

hadn’t aged well. Living with my mother had taken years off his life. I had
asked him once why he kept taking her back and he had shrugged. “It’s not

like I can do any better.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why personal relationships were

hard for me.

“Sky, there you are. You’re a bit late.” He looked at his watch. “You
were supposed to be here at six. Your mom burned the lasagna.”

I stepped inside, not bothering to hug my dad. We weren’t a touchy-

feely kind of family. “It’s 6:02, Dad. It took me a couple of minutes to find a
place to park on the street.”

“You should always give yourself time to get to where you’re going.
People that are late leave a bad impression,” he lectured, and I rolled my
eyes, not bothering to hide it. I had to remind myself it was only an hour. I

never allowed myself to stay longer than that. I could stomach their fighting
and their nitpicking about my clothes, my job, my lack of significant others,
knowing it was only for sixty minutes. I got the feeling that was all my
parents could deal with too.

But my mom had this weird ‘keeping up with the Jones’ thing to her,
where she felt these monthly dinners gave the impression of a close-knit
family that didn’t actually exist. Because what would the neighbors think if
her daughter never came to visit? Perhaps she thought about how she looked

to the neighbors when she was screaming at my dad about him eating the last
of potato chips.

Dad gave me a slight push toward the dining room. The smell of burnt
cheese filled the air and I could hear the sound of crashing and banging

coming from the kitchen.

Well, here goes nothin’.

“Hi, Mom,” I called out, keeping a distance as she moved around like a
whirling dervish. The kitchen was a mess. My mother liked to play like she
was a good cook. It was another way she lied to herself that she was a decent
person.

“You’re late. Go sit down. The food is barely edible, thanks to you.”

Mom scowled at me and shooed me into the dining room.

I joined my dad, who was already seated, drinking a large whisky. He

lifted the bottle. “Want some? You’ll probably need it.”

“Absolutely.” I held out my glass. My dad poured the whiskey to the

brim. “She’s in fine form tonight.”

Dad took a long drink, downing half the contents of his glass. “When
isn’t she in fine form? She’s been pissing and moaning about one thing after

another today. I’m too old to listen to that crap.” And here we go. The script

was always the same. Dad would bitch about my mom. Mom would bitch
about my dad. Then they’d bitch at each other. Then they’d bitch at me. Then
I’d go home.

Wash, rinse, and repeat.

Mom came out carrying a smoking glass dish. She plopped it in the
center of the table, the charred remains of our dinner giving off a nauseating
smell.

“I don’t want to hear either of you complaining about dinner. It

wouldn’t have burned if someone would have shown up on time.” Mom
looked pointed at me as she sat down, snatching the whisky bottle from
Dad’s hands and moving it out of his reach. “You shouldn’t be drinking this

stuff, Tom. You have a bad liver.”

“I’m hoping it will off me sooner rather than later,” he muttered,

drinking the rest of the whisky in his glass before Mom could take it from
him.

I swallowed my sigh and scooped burnt pasta on my plate. When I was

a kid I usually had to make my own dinner. Mom would either be out or had
taken off in one of her predictable huffs. So, this whole cooking for the
family thing was new.

Mom folded her hands in front of her and glared at me. “We need to
say grace before we eat.”

“Since when?” I asked with a disbelieving snort.

“Since your mom decided to find Jesus,” Dad mocked, taking the
spoon from my hand, and scooping his own lump of what Mom was passing
for food.

“God damn it, Tom. Why can’t you be supportive just once? The
church is important to me. I just want to share something that means a lot to
me with the people I love. So put that spoon down and fold your hands and
pray with me!” she shrieked.

Dad and I shared a look but ultimately did as we were asked. It was

easier that way.

I realized I had spent most of my life going the easy route. Avoiding
messy complications to not risk my heart. Holding my tongue when Mac
would make an insensitive comment. Not telling Robert that he hurt me by
not opening up.

My friends thought I was a no-nonsense woman who spoke her mind.

They had no idea how much I kept to myself to not put myself out there for

people to see the real me. It was hard for me to really open up. To expose the

sensitive underbelly that I kept hidden from the world.

I had the two people sitting across from me to thank for that.

Dinner passed as expected with traded barbs and hurled insults. And

when they exhausted their verbal jousting match, Mom and Dad turned their
attention to me.

“You’ve lost weight. Are you sick?” Mom asked, making a face as she
attempted to swallow the lasagna.

“Not that I’m aware of,” I quipped.

“How’s the house? Have you fixed the stairs yet? You’ll break your
neck if you don’t keep that place fixed up,” Dad warned.

“It’s been fixed for three months now, Dad.” I put my fork down. I
couldn’t force myself to eat another bite.

“That’s good. I was worried about that,” he grumbled. If he was so

worried, why didn’t he offer to fix it himself? Oh, that’s right, he just liked to
complain about what I wasn’t doing instead.

Mom steepled her hands beneath her chin. “I was thinking the other
day, that you and Mac were due to get married this month.”

Ouch. Okay, that hurt. Mom was going straight for the jugular tonight.

“And your point?” I asked sharply.

“Skylar, don’t backtalk to your mother,” Dad snapped. He’d bash my

mother all day long, but the second I stood up for myself, he liked to run to

her rescue.

Mom reached out and covered his hand with hers in a mimic of
solidarity. This was the part where they’d team up to tear me down.

“I think it’s a shame the two of you couldn’t work it out, is all I’m
saying,” she went on.

“He was an ass—”

“Language, Skylar,” Dad warned.

“Fine, he was a jerk. He took all my money and spent it on porn. And
not just any porn, but teenage girls taking their clothes off. Is that the kind of
guy you wanted to welcome into the family?” I threw back at her.

Mom pressed her lips into a thin line. “You’re so judgmental, Skylar.
You’ll end up alone at this rate, particularly if you don’t learn how to
forgive.”
 My mouth gaped open. I looked from her to my dad.

“Did you hear anything I said? Are you for real?”

Dad frowned. “Your mom has forgiven me for a lot of things over the
years and look how happy we are. We’ve been married for thirty years this
winter.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Had they been smoking crack before I
showed up? What kind of world were they inhabiting that they thought they
were the poster children for healthy relationships?

“What’s funny?” he demanded.

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Skylar. Not every woman can afford to be

picky.” She gave me a pointed look.

That was my cue to get the hell out of there.

I got to my feet and pulled out my phone, making a show of looking at

the time. “I’ve really got to get going. I have work to do this evening.”

“You just got here. I made banana cream pie,” Mom complained.

“I told you I couldn’t stay long. And I hate banana cream pie,” I
reminded her.

“No, you don’t. You love it,” she argued.

 “It’s your favorite, Mom. I’ve never liked the stuff.” I picked up my
purse and pulled out my keys. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

And without another word I left, ignoring the argument that started as
soon as I walked out of the room.
 Chapter Eight

Robert

I was edgy. I couldn’t relax. I was finishing up my last session of the

night for one of my repeat customers. The woman who insisted on paying me

far more than I usually charged. I was moving my body to the music, but I
couldn’t focus. My dancing was robotic and without feeling. I was off my
game; I could feel it.

It had been five days since Tiffany came into my office and I was
waiting for her to pop up again. I knew she would, but it was not knowing
when that was driving me crazy. I looked out for her when I went to get my
coffee in the morning. I grit my teeth in anticipation every time my phone
rang. I curled my hands into fists when I’d hear someone come into the office

during the day.

She had me in a tangled ball of nerves, which is exactly what she

wanted.

I ran my hands down my body, gyrating my hips in beat to the

thumping base. I moved closer to the camera, careful to keep the lens focused
below the neck. When the music stopped, I sent a quick message—thank you,
Darling, xoxo— and shut down my operation.

I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t settle. I needed to get out of the house. I

needed something to get my mind off the fact that my life was once again out
of my control. Because the truth was, Tiffany could blow my worldwide open
at any moment.

What the hell was I going to do?

My phone rang and my heart started pounding in my chest. I was

almost scared to look at the screen, but when I did, I smiled, relaxing.

I quickly answered it. “Hey, buddy. How are you?”

“Hi, Rob! You didn’t call me yesterday like you were supposed to,”
my brother said on the other end.

I winced. “Oh man, I’m sorry Sam. I’ve been so busy lately. But that’s

no excuse. I guess I’ll have to make it up to you with the tickets I bought last
week to see a Lakers game next month.”

“Are you serious? That will be so much fun!” Sam was enthused and I
couldn’t stop grinning. No matter how crappy things were for me, my brother
always made me feel better.

“I thought we could go to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner

afterward. How does that sound?” I asked him.

“That sounds amazing, Rob! When are we going?” I could hear his
excitement. Knowing I was making him happy, made me happy.

“Three weeks from Saturday.”

“Aww, that’s so far away.” I could picture him pouting and I laughed.

“How about I come up to see you on Sunday and we can watch the
game on TV? I’ll bring all your favorite snacks,” I promised him.

“Yeah! That would be great. I miss you, Rob,” he said.

“I miss you too, buddy,” I replied. “Has Mom been up to see you this
week?”

“She came up yesterday. She brought me some new video games and
we ordered pizza. She said she hasn’t talked to you in a while.”

“Don’t worry Sam, I’ll call her tomorrow,” I assured him. Then I
listened as he told me all about a new video game he had been playing. Sam
was really into Nintendo games. He was really good at them too. I didn’t
understand half of what he was talking about when he started on a gaming
tangent, but I enjoyed hearing about something that brought him so much joy.

After a few minutes, I could hear someone speaking to Sam in the

background. “I’d better go, Rob.”

“Is that Jill?” I asked in a teasing voice, referring to another resident at

the facility that my brother spent a lot of time with. Jill was the same age as
Sam, and it was clear that they liked each other.

“Yeah, we’re going to the canteen for dinner. Jill says hi,” Sam said.

“So, is Jill your girlfriend yet?”

“Noooo….” he said, drawing out the word.

“Sam, I told you how to ask her out. She likes you, you should go for
it,” I encouraged. I realized absently that perhaps I should be taking my own
advice.

“I’m embarrassed, Rob. I don’t know if I can do it.” He sounded so

young, even though he was older than me. He’d always sound and talk like

he was much younger than he was.

“You can do it, buddy. I talked you through it already. Just bite the
bullet and ask Jill out. She’ll say yes, I promise.” I wanted Sam to live as full
a life as he could. I had sold my soul to ensure it.

“Okay, maybe I will tonight. I’ll tell you about it on Sunday,” he said. I
could hear the smile in his voice.
 “Bye, Sam.”

“Bye, Rob. I love you.”

After he hung up, I felt a little better. But then I thought of all the ways
Tiffany could ruin Sam’s life too and that good feeling talking to my brother
had given me disappeared like a popped soap bubble.

I turned off the light in my filming room and closed the door behind
me, heading to my room to get dressed. Not sure what to do with myself and
feeling incredibly antsy, I grabbed my old sketchbook and drawing pencils
and decided a change of scenery was exactly what I needed.

I was only a fifteen-minute walk from the large park in the center of
town. The air was brisk and there was a chill in the air. The sun was setting
earlier and earlier now that it was fall but there was enough light for me to do
some drawing. Once at the park, I headed straight for the massive oak tree

that sat by itself in the middle of the green field. There were still families
around. Kids climbing all over the playground equipment. There was a group
of guys playing parks and rec soccer. It felt good to be surrounded by people.

I sat down on the ground, not caring that the grass was slightly damp,
and leaned back against the thick tree trunk. I propped the sketch pad on my
knees and looked around, searching for inspiration. It had been a long time
since I had drawn anything. When I was in high school, I spent most of my
time with my head down, my fingers covered in pencil and ink. At one time I

had even considered a career in the arts, but when my dad passed away in my
first year of college, I needed more lucrative plans. I had always been a good
student, the top of my year, so I found myself drawn to law. And I was glad I
went down that road, though part of me missed the freedom of art.

Homing in on the mountains in the distance, I started to sketch them,

the autumnal leaves falling from trees. It sort of looked like a pencil drawing
of a Bob Ross painting. It was rough, but not half bad. I let myself get lost in
it, forgetting about the things I should be worried about.

“You took my spot.”

I looked up, the sun behind the person standing in front of me, making
me squint. I lifted my hand to shield my eyes.

My stomach flipped over instantly.

“Hey,” I said softly, smiling at the sight of Skylar. I hadn’t seen her
since taking the stained glass window to her house.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I always sit here.”

I looked around. “I think there’s room for two if you’re okay with
sharing.”
 She hesitated and I expected her to turn and leave. She had made it
clear that she didn’t want to spend time with me ever again. When I looked at

her, it was hard to forget that only months ago I had been kissing that
gorgeous, full mouth of hers. I had been touching her smooth skin.

It felt like absolute torture knowing I’d never see her naked again.

“Sure, why not? This day has already gone to complete shit, let's put
the cherry on the cake.” She sat down heavily beside me, her arm bumping
into mine. She definitely knew how to make a guy feel good about himself.
She looked down at my sketch pad. “Are you drawing?” She raised an
eyebrow.

“No, I’m baking a cake,” I deadpanned.

“That’s a pretty weird looking cake,” she shot back at me. She let out a
long, pent-up sigh and leaned back against the tree, closing her eyes.

“You look like someone just ran over your cat. Or you’ve been forced
on a horrible blind date. So, which is it? I hope not the cat,” I asked.

She signed again, rolling her head in my direction, looking at me. Her
eyes had this penetrating quality that was disarming. As if she could see all of
you, even the things you tried really hard to keep hidden. “I just came from
dinner with my parents,” she said by way of explanation.
 “And that’s a bad thing, I take it,” I deduced.

“The worst.” She made a face. “My parents are...how to put this
nicely...horrible, fucking people.”

I let out a shocked laugh. “Wow, Murphy, tell it like it is.”

“They’re the kind of people that make you feel like crap. They’re

always bitching and complaining. At each other, at me…” Her eyes

narrowed. “You know what, never mind.”

“You can talk to me, you know. I like learning stuff about you,” I told
her, hoping she’d keep talking. This was the longest, most civil conversation
we had had in months. I missed talking to her. I missed her.

I hadn’t known her for very long, but in such a short time she had
become strangely integral to my life. It was a strange sensation—to feel a
connection that seemed entirely implausible.

Skylar shook her head. “We are not doing this.” She started to stand
up, but I quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her. I held her
gently, just enough of a plea for her stay

“What do you mean?” I asked her.

She looked at me incredulously. “Men really are oblivious sometimes.”

 “I hate this tension between us. Please, stay.” My words sounded
strangled. I wasn’t used to showing emotion to those who are outside of my

immediate family. My adult life had been spent playing a part. Putting on an
act. Sometimes it was hard to remember who the real Rob Jenkins was. But I
was starting to think I wanted Skylar Murphy to want to see me—all of me.
God, it was terrifying.

“The part where I spill my guts and you don’t say anything. I’m not
interested in putting my insides on a show for you to have a look at and then
offer nothing in return. I don’t do one-way relationships, Rob. Not anymore.”
Her shoulders were rigid, her mouth was tight, she was upset and hurt, and I
had made her feel that way.

What do I do?

I handed her my sketchpad.

She frowned but started flipping through the pages. She stopped at a
drawing I had done several months ago of flowers that had bloomed in my
yard. It was simple, nothing special, but she seemed drawn to it. “You’re
really talented,” she said.

“Thanks. I’ve been drawing most of my life. Sketches mostly.

Sometimes I use ink. I’m not into paints, I prefer the black and white look,” I
explained.

“I had no idea.” She continued to look through the book, stopping now
and then on a drawing that caught her eye. She held up one. “I like this.”

I had drawn a quick sketch of a pair of clasped hands starting to show

signs of age. A few wrinkles there, an age spot there. “Those are my mother’s

hands. She had fallen asleep on the couch. She had been up half the night
with my brother Sam. He had been sick with a bad case of food poisoning.
He doesn’t handle illness well, so she had to take care of him.” It felt strange
telling her these things, but it felt good too.

She watched me while I spoke, her expression hard to read. “Is your
brother younger?”

“Sam’s actually older than me.” When she seemed confused, I

continued, “He has Down’s Syndrome. He lives in a residential facility most

of the time. It allows him some degree of independence. It’s really good for
him. He’s learned life skills and he’s surrounded by great people. It’s hard for
my mom though. She worries about him and will always worry about him. I
guess it’s a mom thing.”

“I wouldn’t know. My mother is nothing like that,” Skylar remarked a

little sadly.
 “I’m sorry you don’t have a mom like that. Everyone should have
someone that loves them. You deserve that,” I told her.

She gave me a quick smile and shrugged. “It is what it is. But tell me
more about your brother and your mom. I like hearing about them.”

I shared stories with her of growing up with my brother. I told her

about the first time my parents took us to an amusement park and how Sam
threw up on the roller coaster. I told her about how the neighbor kids would
make fun of my brother and how I beat the crap out of the older one to shut
them all up.

I told her about my dad dying and the giant hole it left in the heart of
my family.

She put her arm around me, laying her head on my shoulder. “I’m
sorry about your dad. He sounds like he was a wonderful person.”

“Thank you, Sky. He really was.” We stayed like that for a little while.

“Thank you for telling me about them. It’s nice to get to know you
better,” she murmured. The sun was setting, and the soccer game had ended a
while ago. Most of the kids had gone home. We were pretty much alone, still
beneath the oak tree.

“I’m sorry if I seemed evasive before. It’s hard for me to talk about
things with people. I’m so used to compartmentalizing my life, that it’s

difficult to try and merge it. There’s this life I have here in Southport, then

there’s my mom and brother back home. They don’t overlap. I had to keep it
that way.” I opened my mouth to tell her the rest. To tell her about Tiffany,
about what I still did to earn extra money. I wanted to defend my choice, to
explain that it made me feel good to be able to take care of my family. That

now that I had been doing it for so long, it was like an addiction I couldn’t let
go of.

Maybe she’d understand.

And maybe she wouldn’t.

It was the fear of the latter that had me closing my mouth.

I took her hand, lacing our fingers together. “I’d really like to go back
to spending time together. But maybe we do it differently this time,” I began

to say.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

I turned to look at her, our noses almost touching. I could smell the
mint on her breath. I reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
The wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped. “I’d like to date
you properly. I want to take you out to dinner. I want to see movies together.
I want you to get to know me.” She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the edge.
“How does that sound to you?”

She held my face in her hands. “That sounds pretty great to me.”

Then I kissed her. Kissed her the way I’d been fantasizing about for the
past few months. Kissed her the way I always wanted to kiss her.

Like she was everything.

Her lips tasted salty as she parted her mouth, allowing me access. My
tongue swept inside as I pulled her closer. She wrapped her arms around me,
her fingers going into my hair. My hands pressed into her back, wishing I
could meld with her completely. We devoured each other, unable to stop.

I wanted her. More than I had ever wanted anything in my life. I had
experienced lust and passion before, but it all paled in comparison to the way
I felt by simply kissing Skylar. Kissing her, I forgot about Tiffany and

secrets, and my life possibly being blown apart. Because at that moment,
none of that mattered.

A drop of water hit my cheek. Then another. Skylar and I broke apart
and looked up at the sky. At some point during our make-out session, clouds
had blown in and it looked like we were about to be caught in a downpour.

“Mother nature is such a mood kill,” Skylar laughed, just as the sky
opened up and it started to rain in sheets.

“Shit, come on.” I grabbed her hand, and we made a run for my car,
which was parked across the field. I fumbled around for my keys, finally
getting the doors unlocked and we scrambled inside, both soaked to the bone.

“Your teeth are chattering.” I reached out and rubbed Skylar’s frozen

hands.

“Heat would be nice,” she suggested, her lips turning blue.

“Yeah, good idea.” I cranked the engine and blasted the heat. The
windows started to fog up from the moisture in the car. After a few minutes,
we started to warm up.

The rain was still coming down thick and fast. “Where is your car
parked?” I asked.

“I walked here from my parents’ place. It’s about a ten-minute walk.”

Skylar rang out her hair. She shrugged out of her coat, which was dark with
water.

“I can drive you over there,” I offered.

“Or we can wait here for a little while. You know, until the rain dies
off.” Skylar quirked an eyebrow, her lips turning upwards into a smirk.
We reached for each other, making up for the lost time.

And I was happy not to come up for air.

 Chapter Nine

Skylar

I’ll meet you there at five.

I was grinning like an idiot and I didn’t care. I didn’t even bother to
hide it. Kyle Webber, one of my oldest and dearest friends kicked me under
the table.

I hadn’t seen Kyle in several weeks, so I was happy when he messaged

me on his day off. He invited me over as he and Whitney were home for once
and they wanted to see me. I jumped at any chance to see their adorable
daughter, Katie, so I headed straight over.

“Wanna tell ol’ Web why you’re grinning like a loon?” he asked as he

handed his two-year-old daughter, Katie, a muffin.

“It’s nothing. Really—” I started to deny, but then stopped myself.

Why would I hide this from the Web? I didn’t do secrets. I never have.

“I’m meeting Rob later,” I finally told him.

Kyle raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Robert Jenkins?” I nodded.

“Wow, when did that start back up? I thought you had sworn him off. I seem
to remember you saying you were done with him.”

“Yeah, well things change. Don’t go preaching to me about people

changing their minds. Need I remind you of what your love life looked like
six months ago?” I reminded him with enough of a barb to get him to back
off.

“You’re so defensive,” Kyle complained.

“And you’re so nosy.” I stuck out my tongue and Katie laughed.

“Don’t teach my daughter bad habits, Murphy,” Kyle warned good-

naturedly.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I replied, making a silly face at Katie, who

erupted in a fit of giggles.

It had been a little over three weeks since I met Rob in the park. After

making out with him in his car for over an hour, he had driven me back to my
parents’ house. I had felt a little unsure of what to do, or how to proceed.

Luckily, Rob took the reins. He called me later that night. “Just to
make sure you got home okay,” he had said. We then talked until the early
hours of the morning. We talked about anything and everything. And the
deep stuff too. He talked about how worried he was about his brother. How
he felt incredibly protective of his family and was terrified that one day he
wouldn’t be able to take care of them.

We talked about happy stuff too. We traded stories about our friends
and plans for the future. “I’d love to take you to this private beach I found
when I was backpacking across Asia after law school. There wasn’t a soul
around. It was beautiful,” he had said softly in my ear.

“We should go there then,” I told him.

“There are a thousand places I want to see together.” His words sent
tingles throughout my body.

“Do you ever feel like it’s all been time wasted?” he went on to ask.

“What do you mean?” I was lying on my bed, with my feet up the wall
like a teenager. I felt like a teenager. Full of butterflies and excitement.

“That all this time I should have been with you.”

God damn, the man was a poet. Mac never had a romantic thing to say
and “pass me my beer” definitely didn’t count. But Rob was different. He felt
things deeply even though you’d never know it on the outside. He and I were
so similar in that way. It made us together sort of perfect.

We had spent nearly every day with each other since then. We were
moving at a pace a snail would think was slow. It was agonizing but sweet at
the same time. Robert seemed concerned not to rush things. We made out like
horny teenagers and there had been some above-the-clothes action, but that

was about it.

We spent most of our time talking, which for me, was better than
anything. Where Rob had once been a closed book, he was now giving me
whole chapters. He told me stories about his dad. What had been like for his

family when he died. He told me what a dork he had been in high school and
how he hadn’t even gone to his senior prom because he was too shy to ask
anyone. He shared with me how hard it was for him to leave his mom and
brother and go off to school, even though he was only thirty minutes away.
But how he enjoyed the taste of freedom all the same.

I knew some things about him already. I knew about his hike along the
Appalachian Trail that was now in the record books. And I knew about how
he dabbled in app-building when he was younger, then selling it to a bigger

company for a ridiculously low price when he was nineteen because he was
naive and didn’t know any better.

He was giving me so much and I gobbled up every morsel.

Kyle had no idea that Robert Jenkins was everything I had ever wanted
and then some.
 “I’m only nosy because I care about you. After the whole Mac
situation, I don’t want you jumping into something where you could get

hurt,” Kyle went on.

“My friends don’t have much faith in my judgment,” I muttered.

“It’s not that we don’t have faith in you, we just want you to be

happy,” Kyle argued.

“Here you go, Sky.” Kyle’s wife, Whitney appeared with a cup of
coffee, putting it down on the patio table in front of me. After four days of
rain, it had cleared up and we were getting the last bit of warmth before
winter took over.

“Thanks, Whit,” I said, taking a sip and letting out a moan of pleasure.
Whitney could make a bad-ass cup of coffee.

“What are you guys talking about? I heard something about us wanting

Sky happy?” Whitney sat down on the other side of Katie, giving the little
girl a loud kiss on the cheek. “How’s my cupcake?” she cooed, ruffling
Katie’s hair. Watching them together, you’d never know that Whitney was
Katie’s stepmother and not her biological mother. They had an obvious bond.
Kyle watched his girls with such love it made my heartache in a good way.

“Sky’s seeing Robert Jenkins again,” Kyle informed her.

 Whitney’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “You are not! Oh my god,
Sky, why didn’t you tell me?” she gasped, practically giddy with excitement.

“Because it just happened a few days ago. It’s not like I was going to
take out a notice in the paper.” I rolled my eyes.

“I’m glad to see you didn’t take that busy body from the clothes store’s

advice. Because she was full of shit,” Whitney went on, then covered her
mouth. “Oops, ignore Whitty. That was a bad word.”

“What busy body at the clothes store?” Kyle asked.

Whitney made a face. “Sky and were doing some shopping—”

“Sky was shopping? Did you pay her? Had she been doing drugs?”
Kyle teased.

Whitney smacked his arm. “Not the point. We were shopping and this

random lady totally interrupted us while we were talking. Saying it sounded

like Sky should kick Robert to the curb and he wasn’t worth it and all this
nonsense. I mean, who does that? Who butts into a stranger’s conversation
offering unsolicited advice like that? It was really weird.”

“It does sound weird,” Kyle agreed.

“She was a nice lady, is all. And I wasn’t saying very nice things about
Robert, so she probably felt compelled to intervene so I didn’t go off with a
total asshat,” I argued, but even I could hear how odd it sounded.

“Well, anyway, this is good news. You and Rob make a wonderful
couple,” Whitney enthused.

“It’s early days yet, Whit. Don’t start planning the china patterns,” I

chuckled.

“Oh please, I’m not my sister. Or Lena. I’m the level-headed one,
remember?”

“Sure,” I said blandly.

“So, I take it you’re off to meet your new boyfriend?” Kyle sing-song.

“Oooh, boyfriend,” Whitney joined in.

I leaned down to Katie, dropping my voice into a loud whisper.

“You’re more mature than your parents, kiddo.”

I checked the time on my phone. It was 4:30. That gave me enough

time to get to Sweet Lila’s and grab a booth before the after-work crowd
started filtering in.

“Thanks for the catch-up, Web.” I leaned down and kissed the top of
Katie’s head. “See ya, munchkin.”
 Whitney got to her feet and gave me a warm hug. “I’m so happy to
hear about you and Rob. We need to have a girl’s night soon. I want all the

details.”

I patted her back. I was always slightly uncomfortable with my friends’

physically demonstrative ways. “You betcha,” I promised.

“Tell Rob we said hi,” Kyle called out as I left.

Bunch of smart asses.

I left the Webber house and drove the five minutes to Sweet Lila’s. It
was practically empty when I went inside. I scanned the room, not seeing
Robert yet. I had almost twenty minutes before I was expecting him. I walked
up to the bar and waved to Brad who was wiping down glasses.

“Hey, Sky, how goes it?” he asked.

“Can I get whatever you have on tap that’s hoppy?” I pulled out my
credit card and gave it to him for my tab.

“We got something in the other day I think you’re going to like,” he
grinned. I understood why Lena wanted to set me up with him. He was good-
looking in a slightly unnerving way. He was a few years younger than me, so
I hadn’t known him well in school but the Sawyer boys were well known in
Southport. Mostly because Brad was a star on the basketball team and his
older brother, Sebastian, was the trouble maker known by local police for

starting fights and drinking in public. It was only fitting that two homegrown

boys took over the institution that was Sweet Lila’s.

He slid the beer down the bar, and I caught it before it went off the
edge. I took a sip and gave him a thumbs up. “Good stuff.”

“Brad, where’s the wine glasses? Oh hi, Sky,” Hannah called out as
she came in from the kitchen. Lena’s high school best friend looked slightly
frazzled in her normally chaotic way. She looked as if she had just come from
the school where she worked as a teacher. There was a smear of red paint on
her elbow and her hair had fallen out of the bun at the nape of her neck.

“I told you I would put them away,” Brad said with a note of
something I couldn’t quite read in his voice. I noticed the way they moved
around each other and got the feeling something was up between the two of

them.

“Thanks, Brad. I’m waiting on Rob, so send him my way when he

comes in,” I said, wanting to get away from the strange tension between him
and Hannah. I had enough of that in my own life.

Hannah looked up; her eyes wide. “Rob Jenkins?”

“Yeah,” I said slowly.

 “Are you two seeing each other or something?” She came over and
leaned on her elbows in front of me. “Dude, he’s so hot. You are one lucky

woman. What I wouldn't do to take a bite out of that tight ass.”

I noticed that Brad’s face became thunderous, and he turned and went
back into the kitchen. Hannah didn’t even notice or pretended not to.

“Yeah, keep your teeth away from his ass, please,” I joked with a hint
of warning. I liked Hannah, but her flirting was too much sometimes.

“I wouldn’t dream of stepping on your toes, Sky.” She made the sign
of the cross over her heart.

“I’ll hold you to that,” I shook my finger at her in a mock warning and
she chuckled. “Okay, well I’m off to nurse my beer until Rob shows up.”

I escaped to the back corner. It was the booth farthest from everyone
and everything and would give us a little privacy in the soon-to-be busy bar. I

pulled out my phone, checking my email, which was really an introvert’s

signal to the rest of the room to leave them the hell alone.

It seemed not everyone got the memo.

“Is that you, Skylar?”

I looked up, instantly recognizing the stunning older woman standing

beside my table.

“Tiff, hello,” I said, forcing a smile. My talk with Whitney and Kyle
earlier had me re-evaluating my conversation with the lovely stranger from
the clothing store. “How are you settling into Southport?”

“It’s such a nice town, full of nice people. I think I hit the jackpot when

I found this place.” She put her hand on her hip. “How have you been? I’ve
been thinking about you,” she said, her perfect lips spreading into what
appeared to be a genuine smile.

“Oh really? Why is that?”

Tiff sat down without waiting for an invitation.

“I was wondering how it went when you pushed that man to the curb.
What did you say his name was?” She propped her elbows on the table and
folded her hands, resting her chin.

“I didn’t,” I pointed out, a little off balance.

“Oh, what’s his name then? Perhaps I’ve run into him in my
wanderings around town.”

Was I being overly suspicious, or did she seem pushier than she had
the last time?
 “Um, his name is Robert Jenkins,” I found myself telling.

“Robert Jenkins. Hmm, that does sound familiar. Jenkins, Decate and
Wyatt law firm?”

I nodded. “That’s it. He’s one of the partners.”

She giggled. “What a small world. Jeremy Wyatt handled the closing

of my new house.”

Something inside me twisted slightly. “Oh yeah, small world.”

Tiff looked at me expectantly. “So, how did he take it when you told
him to get lost?”

“Uh, well, I never said I was going to say that exactly.” Why did she
care so much? She didn’t know me. Was this really some overt girl-power
thing?

She grimaced slightly as if picking up on my hesitance. “I’m sorry, it’s

none of my business. I just got such a good feeling when I met you. It’s hard
moving to a new town, not knowing anyone. It was nice having an enjoyable
conversation with someone genuine.”

I relaxed slightly, feeling foolish for internally overreacting. She really

was just a nice woman. Maybe a little lonely and wanting friends. “It’s okay,
Tiff. I liked talking to you too. Things went in the opposite direction after
you and I spoke.”

Tiff leaned back in her seat, seeming eager to hear more. “Do tell.”

“I’m meeting him here in a few minutes.”

Tiff’s face became strangely blank. “I get the feeling you didn’t tell

him to take a hike after all?”

“No, actually we’re together now. I was being a little harsh about the
whole thing.” I shook my head. “I can be pretty unforgiving. It’s something
I’m working on.”

Tiff’s eyes softened. “Oh Darling, we all have things to work on. If
you’re happy, that’s wonderful. Just remember that if your gut was asking
questions in the beginning, you shouldn’t ignore that. Men are often more
than they seem,” she stated cryptically. She tapped my now half-empty beer

mug. “Can I buy a new friend a drink? Maybe I can meet this man of yours?”

There it was again, that strange tingling of doubt. I didn’t know where
it was coming from. Tiff was a perfectly nice woman. Pushy, but nice. But
that didn’t mean I wanted a third wheel.

“That’s nice of you, Tiff, and maybe another time. But this evening is
more of a date thing.” I tried hard not to be rude, which was difficult for me. I
wasn’t one to mince words, especially when I was feeling like something was

off.

Tiff got to her feet. “No problem. I’m sorry, look at me trying to push
my way into your date. I should be ashamed of myself.” She let out a self-
deprecating laugh.

“No problem. Like I said, another time. I’m usually in here a couple of
times a week. It is the only place in Southport to hang out,” I laughed, trying
to lighten the mood.

“Then I know where to find you,” Tiff joined in with a snicker and she
turned to leave.

“Hey, did you ever reconnect with that guy you knew in town?” I
asked her, feeling like a jerk for not enquiring sooner.

Her face did that blank thing again that was slightly unsettling. “I did

find him. I just think it might take longer than I thought for us to find our way
to each other.” Her full, red lips spread into a wide smile. “But when it’s
meant to be, it’ll be.” She lifted her shoulders into an exaggerated shrug.

“Very true. Well, good luck.”

“Enjoy your date,” she said in return.

 I watched Tiff walk to the back, obviously heading to the restroom. I
also noticed how Brad couldn’t help but check her out. Tiff may be older, but

she was one good-looking woman. Just as she disappeared into the bathroom,
Robert came into the bar. He stopped, looked around and when his eyes
found me, his entire face lit up.

It made every inch of my body warm to see him looking at me like

that. It made me feel like the prettiest girl in the room.

He spoke to Brad briefly before heading my way.

“Hey,” he said with a smile, leaning down to kiss my mouth before

taking off his suit jacket and hanging it on the hook at the side of the booth.
He was wearing a form-fitting blue dress shirt that hugged his muscles in all
the right ways. The man knew how to wear clothes. His glasses slipped down
his nose, so he took them off and tucked them into his jacket pocket.

It was always strange to see him without his glasses, but he looked
good either way.

Brad brought him a beer, putting it down in front of him. “Go figure,
you two ordered the same thing,” the bartender laughed. Rob and I looked at
each other and smiled. “Are you guys going to order something to eat or is it
just drinks tonight?”
 Rob looked at me questioningly. “Do you want to eat here, or…”

“We could go back to my place and watch a movie instead? Order take
out?” I suggested.

Rob grinned. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”

Brad cleared his throat. “Okay, well I don’t need your evening plans,

just a yes or no on the food guys.”

We all laughed, and I told Brad we were good.

Rob bumped my leg with his and I nudged him back. “You look
beautiful tonight,” he said, taking my hand across the table.

“Well, I sat at a desk all morning, hunched over my keyboard, and then
went to Kyle and Whitney’s after lunch where I played with Katie and she
puked on my shirt after I pushed her too high on the swing. Whitney washed

my shirt. Don’t worry, I didn’t come here with kid vomit on my clothes,” I
snickered. “So yeah, I’m sure I’m looking dead sexy.”

He lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles. “Trust me, you do.” His
voice went deep, and I felt it in my girly parts.

I saw Tiff come out of the restroom and stop when she saw that Robert
had joined me. She stared at him for a while, probably trying to determine if
she had seen him before. She noticed me watching her and sent me a thumbs
up. I gave her a small wave as she left.

Robert turned in his seat. “Who are you waving at?”

“Just some woman I met a few weeks ago,” I replied dismissively. “So,
tell me about your day.”

“Shall I walk you through the wild and thrilling world of real estate
law?” he asked with a straight face.

I clasped my hand over my heart dramatically. “I’ve never wanted

anything more.”

Robert shook his head. “You mock me, Miss Murphy, and it hurts.”

“I’m so sorry. Please tell me about real estate law. And while we’re at
it we can go watch some paint dry.”

Robert balled up a napkin and threw it at me, which I easily batted

away.

“So... I was wondering if you’d like to go into Philly with me this

weekend,” he said, chewing on his bottom lip as if he were nervous.

“Are you asking me to go away with you for the weekend, Mr.
Jenkins?” I asked, batting my eyes. “I don’t know if that’s respectable.”
 Rob laughed, but it sounded strained. “Yeah, um, I was thinking of
going to see my brother and I wondered if you’d like to come along and meet

him.”

Woah. This was huge. This was the guy who up until a week ago
wouldn’t tell me anything about his family and now he was asking if I
wanted to meet them?

Things seemed to have gone into overdrive in a very short period.

Misinterpreting my hesitation, Rob backtracked. “I’m sorry, I get we’re

probably not at the meeting each other’s families yet. It’s only I promised
Sam I’d come to visit him and I want to spend time with you too. But I get
I’m putting a lot of pressure on this thing between us by even suggesting it.”
He was rambling. I had never known the guy to ramble before. He was
typically a man of few words, but now they were spewing from his mouth.

“Hey, Rob,” I interrupted. He shut up instantly. “I’d love to go to

Philly with you. I’d love to meet Sam.”

Rob looked up at me through his thick lashes. “Really? Don’t feel you
have to—”

“Yes, I want to!” I said a little too loudly. “Seriously. I’m thrilled you
asked me to come with you.”
 Robert leaned over the table and cupped my face, pulling me toward
him so he could kiss me. “Thank you, Sky. You don’t know how much this

means to me.”

My face flushed. “Let's get out of here,” I whispered against his mouth.

His eyes turned hot. “Let’s.”

**

We ended up going back to Robert’s house because it was closer. I had

never been to his house before, so I was surprised when he pulled up to a
beautiful two-story colonial on a quiet residential street not far from Adam's

parents’ place. I parked my car and got out. I had followed him over and Rob
was already waiting for me on the sidewalk.

“This is not what I expected when you suggested going to your house,”
I said, as he took my hand and led me up the steps to the porch.

He put the key in the lock and turned the knob, turning on a light in the
darkened hallway. “Were you expecting a bachelor pad like where Wyatt
used to live?” he asked with a laugh.

“Actually, yes.” I followed him inside, finding myself in a cozy,

comfortable space fit more for a family of four than a man living by himself.

He turned on a floor lamp in the spacious living room, casting a soft

light over the comfortable, fashionable furniture. The man had style. “What

about Edgar? We can go get him and bring him over here,” he offered.

The fact he remembered my beast of a dog made me like him even

more. “That’s okay. My neighbor down the road, Mr. Sheehan, will take care
of him. I called him earlier and he was going to go by and let him out and
feed him. He usually stays a bit and fusses on him for a while.”

“You’re okay letting some random guy in your house?” Robert asked
in disbelief.

“He’s not a random guy,” I chuckled. “I’ve known him since I was

five. He used to coach my little league t-ball team.”

“Okay, as long as you’re sure.” I watched him light a couple of candles

on the mantle of the rather ornately painted fireplace. It had been filled in
with brick and Robert had put a dried flower arrangement in the hearth. He
was the first man I had encountered that didn’t view decorating as painting
the walls white and putting a futon in the corner. Even Adam’s, who wasn’t a
typical dumb guy, the first apartment looked like a hotel room.

“When I moved to Southport I decided I didn’t want something

temporary. I planned to put down roots. I didn’t want a sparse apartment that
I’d have to move out of when I wanted something bigger. Then this place
went up for auction and I snatched it up for a bottom-dollar price. At the
time, not many people were looking for property in a town with one coffee

shop and a rundown bar.”

“That’s all going to change in the next few years now that ground has
broken on that massive development just outside of town.” I walked over to a
large built-in bookshelf that took up most of the far wall. It was filled with
every type of book you could imagine, but there was a set that instantly
caught my eye.

I pulled out an old book, the dust jacket yellowed with age, my eyes

practically popping out of my head. “Is this what I think it is?”

Robert joined me and grabbed the other two to make the set. “First
editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, yep.”

I gingerly opened them, using the utmost care as I turned the pages. I
lifted it and inhaled deeply. “I love the smell of old books.”

Robert smiled. “Me too. I could spend hours in an antique bookshop.”

 I gave him a gentle nudge with my shoulder. “I knew I liked you for a
reason.”

“Now I’ll just think you’re using me for my Tolkien first editions,”
Robert teased, putting the books back on the shelf.

“There are more?” I gaped, finding a first edition of the Silmarillion

and the Hobbit as well. “I’m thinking we should put the Bruce Lee movies on
hold and dive straight into The Fellowship of the Ring instead.”

“One does not simply walk into Mordor,” Robert intoned darkly,
leaning down and kissing my mouth.

I had been lucky in that my friends had shared my Tolkien obsession

when I was growing up. Meg and I watched the trilogy over a dozen times. It
felt nice to know that Robert got my love for fantasy. It was almost
unbelievable how many things we had in common.

“Can I have a tour?” I asked.

Robert took my hand again, pulling me close. “I’ll lead the way.”

We walked into the open and brightly colored kitchen. Someone—

Robert? —had painted the cabinets in different colors, giving it a patchwork
feel. The tiled backsplash along the counter was done in a mosaic style
reminiscent of a Spanish villa. “Oh, I like your kitchen.”
 “It’s a pretty great space, but if I were to choose kitchens, I’d choose
yours hands down.” He opened the refrigerator and got out a couple of beers.

I noticed they were a brand that I usually bought for myself when I had extra
cash in my pocket. They were from a high-end brewery in the city.

“I couldn’t have done it without your friend, Mike. He is amazing at

what he does. And thank you again for the stained glass. It’s such a gorgeous

piece.” I took the beer he handed me and took a long drink.

“Mike has a lot of talent. He’s always had an eye for architecture. I’m
planning to hire him to build an ensuite bathroom in the master bedroom.” He
put his hand on my lower back and we returned to the living room before
crossing the hall. Robert opened the door to a dining room complete with an
eight-person table.

“This is a lot of room for one guy living by himself,” I observed, taking

in the hand-crafted molding along the ceiling.

“Maybe one day I won’t be living alone,” he remarked with a shrug,

his hand still pressed to my back. His words were like an electric shock
through my body. His intention was clear. Was he thinking that way already?
We had been talking again for a little over a week.

Seeing the look on my face, Robert laughed, cupped my face, and

kissed the tip of my nose. “I’m not going to ask you to move in tomorrow,
Sky. Calm down. It’s just when you know, you know.”

“I don’t subscribe to all that instalove bullshit, Rob,” I warned him,

even though I couldn't help feeling giddy at his certainty.

“Who said anything about instalove? But instalust? Absolutely.” He

kissed me, deep and raw, his mouth conquering mine. He pushed back
against the wall, his body pressing against mine. He wrapped his hands
around my wrists, pinning them above my head, his pelvis grinding against
me.

Then as soon as we started, he broke away, his eyes dancing. “Come

on. I have to show you the rest of the place.”

“But, what about…” I looked back at the wall wistfully.

He nuzzled my temple. “We’ll get back to that, I promise.”

He led me upstairs where we came to a large landing with doors lining

the hallway. One by one he opened them showing me a spare bedroom, and a
room he had turned into a home gym. I noticed one door he didn’t open.
Instead, he started to maneuver me toward a door at the end of the hall,
bypassing it altogether.

“And in here is the master bedroom—”

 “Wait, what’s in there?” I asked, jerking my thumb in the direction of
the closed door we had just passed.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I haven’t done much with that room—”

I opened the door. It was dark so I flipped on the light switch. Rob was
right, there wasn’t much in there. Dark, blackout curtains covered the one

window and there was a leather couch against the wall. The walls were a
bland beige and there wasn’t much to it except for a tripod and a large ring
light facing the couch.

“What do you do in here? Make porn?” I joked.

Robert’s answering laugh sounded strange. “Sometimes I make movie

shorts. I’ve been doing it since college.”

“Movie shorts?” I asked.

“Oh, you know…”

“So, this tripod is for a laptop?” I stood in front of the couch and struck
a pose. “I feel like I should start taking my clothes off or something.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” Robert replied gruffly.

I sat down on the couch and leaned back. “So, what are these movie
shorts about? Maybe we could make one together sometime.” I wiggled my
eyebrows suggestively and then patted the couch cushion beside me. “Come

here.”

“Let me show you the rest of the house.” I couldn’t get a read on his
voice, but it was off. I should probably examine that a little closer, but I was
feeling a surge of overwhelming horniness that came from the idea of Robert
filming me.

What a turn-on.

I crooked my finger at him. “Come here, Robert.”

His handsome face heated and he stalked toward me. I turned my face
up to him and he leaned down and started kissing me again. It quickly
deepened and he lowered himself onto the couch, pushing me into the arm.

“You wanna get me on film,” I murmured as he sucked my earlobe into

his mouth.

“No,” he said a little too emphatically.

“I was joking,” I assured him.

He stopped kissing me and looked down at my face, his eyes full of

something I couldn’t describe. “Sky, when we’re together it’s just for us.”

I didn’t understand exactly what he meant but I didn’t have a chance to

ask. We started kissing again and soon it wasn’t enough. We both needed

more. We were cramped on the tiny two-person couch, so Robert stood up

and removed his shirt. He did it slowly as if knowing I was watching him and
enjoying every second. The man could put on a hell of a show.

Then he kneeled on the floor in front of me. He looked at me, his dark
eyes burning me alive. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m more than okay,” I panted, getting impatient.

“I don’t want to rush you—”

“Rob, I’m not some silly sixteen-year-old about to lose my virginity.

There needs to be less talking.”

“Yes ma’am,” he grinned but then his face grew serious. And focused.
And oh my god, he had never looked sexier.

He slid his hands up my thighs until he reached the button of my jeans.

He slowly, way too slowly for my liking, peeled them off my body, sucking
in his breath at the sight of my brand new silk thong. I had decided it was
high time I bought underwear that didn’t look like they belonged on a
grandma.

“I like,” he growled, running his fingers along the seam, slipping

underneath to my aching skin.
 “I’m glad I have your approval,” I gasped as he slid a finger inside me.
How was I so wet already? We had only just gotten started.

“Oh, I approve,” he said, his words punctuated by a groan as he slipped

another finger inside, then another, stretching and filling me.

As he moved in and out he watched me, his other hand kneading my

thigh. I threw my head back and spread my legs wider, giving him total
access. I barely paid attention when he stopped and removed my pretty
panties. But he had my attention when he placed a kiss on the back of my
knee as he draped my leg over his shoulder.

He took his time tracing a line of kisses up my leg until I could feel his
hot breath on my molten core. He covered me with his mouth, his tongue
consuming me. I gripped his hair, holding on as he lapped me up, taking me
higher and higher until I thought I was going to explode. I came so hard I

couldn’t stop myself from screaming. I had never been much of a noisemaker
during sex, but with Rob, I couldn’t help myself.

I was still wearing my top. My socks too, which was slightly

embarrassing. But Robert didn’t seem to care. He sat back on his haunches,
wiping his mouth. It was such a turn-on knowing he tasted me in his mouth.

He then lifted me and brought me down on the floor. I was thankful for
the plush rug beneath us, I didn’t want to lie on the hardwood. I gazed at him
through heavy lids as he took off his pants and then, finally, took off his

boxer briefs. When he was completely naked I could only lie there slightly in
awe. His body was incredible. I mean, I had seen him without a shirt on
before. But somehow, seeing all of him was something akin to a religious
experience. It didn’t seem fair for a man to be that good-looking. And he was

still wearing his glasses, which made him even hotter.

And then there was his...cock. I swallowed audibly. It sounded so

cliche, but he had the biggest dick I had ever seen, and I’d watched porn
before. Fucking hell, he could be in one of those cheesy pin-up calendars. I
wasn’t sure I’d know what to do with all that.

I had gone completely quiet, so Robert was looking at me with

concern. “Are you still sure? We don’t have to—”

“I just—” I licked my lips. “Your gargantuan, Rob. I’m just mildly

intimidated.” I sounded ridiculous, but I couldn’t stop staring at his glorious,
beautiful penis.

Robert looked down at himself and then back at me, giving me a saucy
grin. “Don’t be intimidated, Sky. He won’t bite.”

“I hope you do though,” I purred, trying to sound seductive and most

likely sounding like a bad impression of Jenna Jamison. We stared at each
other for a long moment then in unison we started laughing. It broke the

tension, and I was able to take my focus from his monster cock long enough
to let him undress me.

I had never known sex to involve laughing. We were enjoying

ourselves in more ways than just the physical. Rob was so easy to be around,

even when we were naked and getting ready to have some seriously amazing
naughty times.

Rob laid down on top of me, tenderly stroking my face, kissing me

softly. “I’ve been wanting to do this since the moment I met you.”

“Ah, so it’s true, men do only think of one thing,” I smirked.

Robert chuckled. “Oh, I’ve thought of other things, but this was a
dominant thought.” he started kissing my collar bone, tracing his lips to the

hollow of my throat. I wrapped my legs around him, feeling his girth against
me.

He produced a condom, I didn’t see where it came from and quickly

put it on. He braced himself above me and stared down into my face. “I’m so
glad you’re here.”

I smiled. “I’m sure you are.”

 He rolled his eyes, “You don’t know how to take a compliment, do
you?”

“What was I saying about less talking?” I reminded him, pulling his
face to mine. I kissed him to shut him up.

I felt him at my entrance and then he slowly inched his way inside. I

arched my back and let out a low, guttural moan as he slid his way into my
pussy. I stretched to accommodate him, which was almost painful, but in a
good way.

And then he thrust deep, my body taking all of him. I felt his balls slap
my ass and we both moaned once we were completely joined. And when he
started to move, the sensation was so exquisite that I almost came right then
and there. I dug my nails into his back as his thrusts became deeper, longer.
His tongue moved in tandem with his cock and I didn’t care that I was getting

rug burn on my back.

The orgasm came quickly. I exploded violently, my entire body

shuddering with the release. But he was still going. Rob was a sex machine.
A machine. And he seemed to be just getting started.

“Skylar, oh my god, you feel incredible,” he gasped as I squeezed

around him. He gripped my hips and pounded away, sweat dripping from his
forehead onto my chest. His shaggy hair hung down almost obscuring his
eyes which never left my face. It made it all the more intense. My heart

squeezed painfully, and I had to look away from his penetrating gaze.

“Can I be on top? This rug is a bit unforgiving,” I panted.

Rob’s face clouded with concern. “I’m sorry. My god, Sky, I wasn’t

thinking.” He started to pull out, but I palmed his ass cheeks and held him
still.

“Don’t you dare,” I warned.

Rob laughed and flipped us both in one fluid movement so that I was
straddling him. As I settled on top, we both gasped. He filled me so
completely, I felt him everywhere.

He held onto my hips, lifting me up and down his cock as I rode him. I
threw my head back and fucked this beautiful man with abandon. And then it

happened. I came. Again! I hardly ever orgasmed and never in all my

experience had I orgasmed twice in such close succession.

“Fuck, Sky, I’m going to come,” he growled. He sat up so that we

faced each other, his dick so deep. And with one final thrust, I felt him
thicken inside me and he closed his eyes, a roar erupting from him.

When he was finished, he dropped his head to my shoulder as we both

tried to breathe normally. I felt as if I had run a marathon. My heart

hammered in my chest and my limbs were like Jell-O. Our skin was sticky

with sweat and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk right for a week.

I was well and thoroughly fucked.

After a few minutes, Robert lifted his head, his lips quirking in a tired

grin. “That was honestly the best sex of my life.” He kissed my mouth. “I’ve
never come that hard...ever.”

I felt pretty damn proud of myself. “You say the sweetest things.” I
dramatically tossed my hair over my shoulder and we both laughed.

I felt him going limp inside me but neither of us was in a rush to move.
Robert wrapped his arms around me, resting his forehead against mine and
closing his eyes. “You’re incredible, Sky.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, Jenkins.”

He kissed me softly. “Stay the night,” he said softly.

“Okay,” I said without hesitation.

“We’ll go get Edgar, but I need you here. With me. I want to wake up
with you beside me.” He sounded almost desperate, and it did something to
my heart that I wasn’t sure I’d ever recover from.
“I’d like that.”
 Chapter Ten

Robert

I had never been so smitten in all my life. I couldn’t get enough of

Skylar Murphy. I woke up thinking about her. During the day I imagined

what she was doing. I had to stop myself from texting or calling her a
thousand times. I was desperate for her in a way that felt dangerously
addictive.

I had thought of myself in love once before in my life, but those

emotions had been all mixed up with sex and darkness. My feelings for
Tiffany Hardwell hadn’t been real because everything she touched was fake
and deceitful. And I had never wanted to share every part of myself with her.

Not the way I did with Sky.

Which led itself to a rather large problem.

I was still doing my cam work. I was still stripping online for clients. I
was still making money with my body. And I wasn’t sure I could stop.

Because even though I was damn sure I was falling in love with Skylar,
I couldn’t let go of this double life I led. Not only for the money—which I
needed—but because I had come to realize that I was as addicted to the
secrecy as I was to the cash.

I wasn’t sure I could turn my back on this huge part of my life.

And I didn’t know how to open that part of me to Sky.

Which left me at an impasse. How could we truly have a relationship if

I was keeping something so huge from her? It wasn’t fair to Sky. I didn’t
want to hurt her. I’d rather gnaw off my arm than cause her pain.

I needed her in my life. Desperately. I would burn the whole world

down to keep her. I had never been one of those territorial alpha males, but
something about Skylar and my feelings for her had me wanting to throw her
over my shoulder and lock her away from everyone and everything. I wanted
her for me and only me.

Mostly, I was terrified this beautiful new thing would disappear the

second she learned the truth about me. And that fear had me completely on
edge. Tiffany’s visit to the office had been her throwing down the gauntlet. I
should know better than to ignore it or her.

I was scared as hell that she would throw a perfectly timed grenade
into this amazing thing that had just started. I knew she’d never tolerated my
ignoring her. She’d never allowed me to stay away indefinitely. She had
come into my town and made her presence known.

She wanted something.

And for some reason that something was me.

I had a distinct feeling I was running on borrowed time. That

eventually, this would all blow up in my face.

“Big plans for the weekend?” Jeremy asked, pouring coffee into his
mug on Friday morning.

Normally I was purposefully evasive because usually, I had a weekend

of cam work ahead of me. But this time, I wanted to share. I wanted to shout
to the world. Skylar was changing the fundamentals of who I was.

“I’m going away this weekend actually,” I told him, watching with
some satisfaction as my partner’s face took on a look of shock.

“Are you telling me Robert Jenkins has actual plans?” he asked,

aghast.

“Who has plans?” Lena asked, coming into the break room, holding
out her mug for her husband to fill with coffee.

“Jenkins. He says he’s going away for the weekend. Can you believe
that?” Jeremy dropped a kiss on her cheek.
 “Old news, Wyatt. Didn’t I tell you that Skylar was going away with
Rob?” Lena picked up a donut and took a bite, her lips covered in powdered

sugar.

“Skylar? As in Skylar Murphy? You’re telling me our Rob is taking

Skylar out of town?” Jeremy turned to me. “You two are dating?”

“Yeah, we are.” I reached into the box of donuts, taking a plain one for
myself.

Jeremy looked flabbergasted. “Why am I the last one to know about

this? Decate, did you know Rob and Skylar are dating?” he asked our other
partner who had just entered the room.

Adam glanced at me and then Jeremy. “Meg told me a couple of weeks

ago.”

“And no one thought to tell me? Why am I the last one to know this?”

Jeremy threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

“Because it’s Rob’s life and we shouldn’t be nosing around in his and
Skylar’s business,” Lena said primly, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“That’s bullshit and you all know it. We’re friends. Friends have a
right to know when they’re dating other friends. I’m completely offended that
you didn’t tell me the second it happened,” Jeremy scolded me, looking
honestly hurt.

“I’m sorry I didn’t take out a notice in the paper. Should I start running
our plans by you first? To make sure you’re in the loop?” I asked blandly.

“Don’t be such a smart ass, Rob. But a ‘hey, I started seeing our good
buddy, Skylar’ might have been nice,” Jeremy huffed.

Lena put her arm around him and patted his cheek. “Aww, babe, Rob
and Skylar didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Jeremy frowned. “My feelings aren’t hurt. I just don’t like to be the last
to know something.” He drank his coffee, glaring at me over the rim. “So
where are you two going? Or am I allowed to know that?”

Lena, Adam, and I shared an amused look. “We’re going to Philly. We

leave tonight and are staying at the Four Seasons. I’ve made reservations at
this new five-star restaurant—”

“The Golden Eagle?” Jeremy cut in.

I nodded.

“How did you make reservations? They’ve been booked up for a

month.”

“An old friend of mine is the head chef. He squeezed me in,” I told
him. What I didn't tell him is how I knew the head chef—who used to go by

the stage name Wolfgang when he worked at the Landing Strip with me all

those years ago.

“Pulling out all the stops, I see. You and Sky must be serious,” Adam
joined in. He had been pleased to hear about Sky and me, claiming he always
knew something was going on between us, though I was pretty sure he said

that to save face for being oblivious.

“I want to take her somewhere nice. She deserves it,” I told my friends.
“Tomorrow we’re going to visit my brother and then tomorrow evening
we’re going to my mom’s house for dinner.”

Adam and Jeremy had both met my mom and brother at our law school
graduation. They knew Sam was in a facility in Philly, but they didn’t know I
paid for it.

“Wow, introducing her to the family. I had no idea you guys were at
that stage already. Sky is impossible to get any details from. You two are
obnoxiously similar on that front,” Lena complained.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt, but Ms. Hardwell’s on the phone,” Gail, our
receptionist said, poking her head around the door.

Jeremy put his mug in the sink. “Tell her I’ll be a minute—”
 “She asked to speak to Mr. Jenkins.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to me. Jeremy and Adam had both grilled me
about my obvious history with Tiffany after her visit to the office. Even Lena
had questioned me at length.

“The whole thing is weird, Rob, you have to admit that,” she had

stated.

All I told them was I knew her from an old job I had during law school.
I didn’t get into specifics but that didn't stop the questions.

“She seemed very interested in you. How did you know her?” Jeremy
had asked. “If you tell me you boned that hot older lady I’ll never believe
you,” he had laughed.

If only he knew.

“She ran a company I worked for. We were close for a while. End of
story. I haven’t spoken to her in years so I’m really not sure why she’s
making such a big deal about seeing me now,” I had explained. It was the
truth or as much of it as I was willing to share.

“You’re sure you didn’t knock boots with Mrs. Robinson?” Jeremy
prodded.
 I didn’t bother to answer because, for all his feigned obliviousness,
Jeremy could smell a lie with the best of them. It’s why he was a great

attorney.

They were all looking at me now, clearly starting to question my story

about my relationship with Tiffany Hardwell.

I should take the call. I knew what would happen if I didn’t. Allowing
her to have any sort of control over my life made me sick to my stomach, but
then I thought of Sky, and my mom, and Sam, and so I went to my office and
closed the door before picking up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Robbie, Darling, took you long enough to answer.”

I balled my hands into fists, feeling a familiar rage. “My days of

dropping everything every time you call are long over, Tiffany.”

She laughed her smoky, seductive laugh. At one time I would have
gotten hard at the sound but now I simply felt cold. And annoyed. “What do
you want?”

“You haven’t been by to see me. I thought you would have by now.”

I gritted my teeth hard enough to break a bone. “And I told you I had
no desire to see you.”

“But I want to see you, Robbie.” Her voice became chilly. “I sure hope
that pretty young woman isn’t taking up all your time. That girl needs to learn
how to share.”

And there it was. The fucking grenade.

“What do you know about her?” I asked, not able to help myself. I was
rising to her bait and she knew it. My reaction alone would tell her she had
hit a nerve and she’d use it to her advantage.

“Skylar is such a nice girl. I really like her. Though she’s not a good fit
for you, Robbie. I can’t imagine her being very understanding of
your...lifestyle.”

There were a lot of things to unpack here. I tackled the most pressing
thing first.

“How do you know her name?”

“Skylar and I are old friends,” she chuckled, clearly enjoying herself.

“What the fuck are you playing at, Tiffany?” I snarled.

“I told you, I’m here for you, Robbie. And you know I don’t like being
ignored. So, come over tonight. Let’s catch up.” She wasn’t playing her full
hand. Not yet.

The fear was there again.

“I can’t. I have business out of town this weekend,” I told her.

“Reschedule then. I want to see you tonight. I thought we could order

in, share a bottle of wine—”

“I can’t reschedule. I’m not coming over, Tiffany,” I interjected

harshly. The sound of her voice in my ears was making my skin crawl. To
think I used to fancy myself in love with this awful woman. I had been such
an idiot.

“I think you’ve forgotten who you’re dealing with, Robbie.” And there
it was, the real Tiffany Hardwell.

“And you have no idea who I am now, Tiffany. The days of

manipulating and controlling me are over. I’m not a boy anymore,” I warned
her, my tone brittle and furious.

“Oh, I know that. I’ve seen with my own eyes what a big, gorgeous
man you are now.”

“I have to go.”

“Fine. This weekend doesn’t work. I can be patient. Our time will
come.” She sounded so sure. So confident. I used to think that made her sexy

and alluring. Now I saw it for what it was—stone cold manipulation.

I hung up the phone without saying another word.

**

“That’s all you’re bringing?” I asked, tossing Skylar’s duffel bag into
the trunk of my car.

“I’m not some clothes-obsessed woman that has to pack for a month
when she’s going away for two days. Come on, now.” She rolled her eyes
before kissing me. I grabbed her before she could move away and kissed her
again, deeper this time. I briefly thought about bending her over the hood of

my car and fucking her before we got on the road.

“Um, Mr. Sheehan is right there. He just came to get Edgar,” she
murmured against my mouth. I broke away from her and the both of us
waved to the older man walking down the road with Skylar’s beast of a dog.

“He was okay with having Edgar for the weekend?” I asked, holding
the passenger door open for Skylar to get in.
 “He loves having Edgar. I sometimes think my traitorous dog loves
Mr. Sheehan more than he loves me.

“It has to be all the sausages Mr. Sheehan gives him.” Skylar tucked
her body into her seat, and I closed the door.

Once we were all settled and on our way, I noticed Skylar tapping her

knee in what appeared to be a nervous gesture. “Everything okay over there?”

Skylar’s smile was more akin to a grimace. “I’m feeling weird.”

“Weird? Why?”

She started chewing on her bottom lip. “We’re going away together for
the weekend,” she began.

“Yes, we are,” I smiled.

“And you’re taking me to meet your family,” she continued. The

tapping became quicker, more agitated.

My smile faded slightly. Was I pushing things? I was trying to be laid

back and take my time. I didn’t want to rush her. But I also felt this frantic
need to immerse her into parts of my life I had kept carefully separate from
everything else. I wasn’t ashamed of my family, just intensely protective of
their wellbeing. I didn’t want Sam or my mom to know how I kept them
comfortable. That wasn’t a reality they needed to be aware of.

I had worked hard to compartmentalize and as such, I had split into

three people. There was the Robert I became when I was with my family.
There was the Robert who worked as a successful attorney. And there was
the Robert who became a camboy at night, taking his clothes off to people
who paid for the privilege. Each one was a different part of me, a different

part of my personality. And until this moment, I hadn’t meshed them together
in any way. This was the first time since I had become these three different
men, that I was pushing either of those sides together. It was momentous for
me. Skylar had no idea.

Tiffany had come dangerously close to blurring the lines between my

lives and as such my walls were very high. And there was Skylar, looking
over the top, ready to climb over.

I wanted to let her.

“Is this going too fast?” I asked her.

Skylar released her lip and stared out the window. “I have a chip on my
shoulder, Rob. Let's call it a crater.” She furrowed her brow. “I’m scared to
get my hopes up about us.”

I reached across the center console and took her hand, lacing our
fingers together. “I’ve never introduced a woman to Sam and my mom
before.”

That made her look at me. “Never? Really?

I shook my head. “I don’t really date. In fact, I haven’t had a real

girlfriend since college.” I didn’t tell her that my only previous relationship

was with the woman who also made money when I took off my clothes for
other people. I knew that part of my life was dark and being with Skylar
made me feel shame for the first time ever about the decisions I had made for
myself in the past. I didn’t want to be that person. I wanted to have a clean
history with no secrets.

I had some decisions to make.

“So this is a big deal for me too,” I went on, pushing those thoughts
from my mind. I would deal with that later. I had to focus on Skylar and what

she meant to me.

“What if your brother and mom don’t like me? I’m not an easy person
to like, Rob.” She sounded so concerned that I found myself turning on the
turn signal and pulling off to the side of the road.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

I put the car into park once I was safely on the shoulder. I unbuckled
my seat belt and turned to her, reaching out and cupping her face in my

hands. “My god, Skylar, you’re fucking perfect, can’t you see that?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not fishing for compliments. And I’m not
suffering from low self-esteem. I’m simply being honest with myself. Mac’s
parents didn’t like me. His mom made it very obvious she thought her son
could do better.” She snorted. “They must be like pigs in the shit now that

I’m out of their lives.”

“Then they’re idiots. And from what you’ve told me about Mac, it’s
not surprising his parents were morons. My mom is amazing. So is my
brother. And they’ll love you because I—” I cut off my words abruptly. I had
come dangerously close to telling her that I loved her. And given her state of
near panic, that would be a very bad idea.

“You’re special to me,” I started again, “and if you’re special to me,

then you’ll be special to them.” I thought briefly about the phone call I had
with Tiffany earlier. A thread of disquiet unfurled in my gut at what she
might do because I wasn’t bowing to her wishes. I’d have to tell Skylar about
Tiffany at some point. I knew that with absolute certainty.

But this weekend wasn’t that time. This weekend was about starting a
new chapter with a woman I was coming to love very much.
 “For a guy that usually doesn’t have a lot to say, you’re pretty good
with the whole calming people down thing,” she smirked.

“Maybe I’m just good at calming you down,” I suggested. I leaned

across the console and kissed her. She let out a little sigh as she opened her
mouth and I tasted her thoroughly. I pulled away after a few minutes. “Feel
better?”

She smiled. “Much.”

“Then let's get this show on the road.” I re-fastened my seat belt and
pulled back onto the highway.

The rest of the drive was uneventful, and we checked into the Four
Seasons in downtown Philly a little over an hour later.

“Fancy,” Skylar remarked as we took the elevator up to our suite. I had

splurged and booked the Landmark Corner Suite that overlooked the city. I

wasn’t the kind of man to spend an exorbitant amount of money on high-end

hotels and over-the-top meals, but for Skylar, I would make an exception. I
wanted her to have the best weekend I could give her.

Okay, so what if I was trying to impress her? From the way her eyes
widened when I opened the door to our suite, I was pretty sure I was off to a
good start.
 “Damn, Jenkins. I didn’t realize business was this good,” she joked,
heading straight for the wall of glass that overlooked the city. She stared

down, pressing her hands to the windows. “It’s a good thing I don’t have a
fear of heights.”

I came up behind her, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her
back against me. I leaned down and kissed the side of her neck. “It’s a good

thing we’re so far up, that way no one will see me fucking you against this
window later.” I felt her shiver and was immensely proud of myself.

She turned in my arms, her hands on my belt buckle. “Why wait until
later?” She raised an eyebrow and that was all the encouragement I needed.
 Chapter Eleven

Skylar

I gave my dark hair a final brush and looked at myself in the mirror.

Damn, I looked good.

It wasn’t just the dress that I had bought on a whim when Rob
suggested we take a trip out of town. It wasn’t just the glow on my skin that
was a result of having my brains screwed out not once but twice since we
checked in.

I knew what it was.

It was happiness.

I couldn’t remember another time in my life when I felt this warmth

bursting in the center of my chest. Everything felt right. It felt like I had been
building up to this moment, with this man.

Because it was very clear to me that I was madly, stupidly in love with
Robert Jenkins.

And that terrified me.

 But it was exhilarating at the same time. He wasn’t Mac and he wasn’t
my parents. He was every sweet, honest, wonderful thing I could have ever

imagined.

I never got dressed up. My usual uniform consisted of jeans and t-

shirts. If you had asked me six months ago if I would enjoy getting all dolled
up to go out to a fancy-schmancy restaurant I would have yelled ‘hell no!’

But now, I was giddy with excitement. I felt good. I felt powerful. I felt
sexy as hell. Because Robert made me feel that way. And because I felt that. I
wouldn’t attribute all this newfound awesomeness to Robert alone. It had a
lot to do with me and finally getting rid of that massive, heavyweight that had
been holding me down my whole life.

For the first time, I could picture a life without the worry of being hurt.

I came out of the bathroom and stopped for a moment to stare at...was

he my boyfriend? Is that what I should call him? What else was he?

He was staring down at his phone frowning, his brown hair that he kept
shaggy, hung in his face. His glasses perched on the edge of his nose. He was
wearing a tailored pair of black slacks and a fitted green shirt. I could see the
definition of his body and I felt my panties getting wet again at the memory
of touching that chiseled flesh. Of how only an hour ago he had me bent over
the bed, his fingers digging into my hips as he…

“God, you look gorgeous,” he breathed, looking up at me. He quickly

tucked his phone in his pocket and crossed the room to me in long strides. He
gently swept my hair behind my shoulders and kissed my forehead, his lips
lingering there. It was more intimate than any other kiss he could give me.

I closed my eyes briefly, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. “Thanks,

you don’t look too bad yourself.” My voice cracked and I had to swallow
around the lump that had formed there. Stony, stoic Skylar Murphy had
dissolved into an emotive pile of goo. All because of Robert freaking Jenkins.

“We should get going. Our reservations are at eight.” He picked up my

jacket, holding it open for me to put on.

He took my hand, lifting it to his mouth and kissing the knuckles. We

made our way to the lobby, where Robert asked the concierge to get us a taxi.

Ten minutes later we were standing outside a brightly lit restaurant. It was
packed. I could also see a line that had formed along the sidewalk, waiting to
get in.

“Wow, this looks like a popular spot,” I observed as we made our way
to the maître d. “How in the world did you get reservations at such short
notice?”
 “The head chef is an old friend of mine. Will Stetson.” Robert gave his
name to the man at the door.

“Will Stetson is your friend? Jesus, Rob, way to be all blasé about
being friends with an actual celebrity,” I gasped as the maître d immediately
led us inside. Will Stetson was a well-known Michelin star chef from
Philadelphia. He had cooked for everyone from the president to Lady Gaga. I

used to watch his cooking show religiously.

“I didn’t realize you knew who he was,” Robert said.

“I haven’t been living under a rock,” I sputtered. “How do you know

him again?”

The maître d stopped at what appeared to be one of the nicest tables in

the restaurant. It was a concealed booth lit with ambient lighting.

We sat down and he ordered us a bottle of wine and the rather stiff man

said he’d inform Mr. Stetson that we had arrived. I looked at the menu, not
knowing where to start.

Robert took the menu from my hands and set it to the side. “Will said
he’d make us a tasting menu. It will be a mixture of several dishes.”

A pretty young woman came to our table with the bottle of wine,
pouring it into our glasses before leaving it in a shiny bucket of ice at the side
of our table. “Mr. Stetson says he’s provided you with a special menu of

courses. You’re in for a real treat,” she gushed.

“Thank you, we’re looking forward to it,” Robert smiled, his eyes only
on me. Once the waitress left he lifted his glass. “To a wonderful weekend
together.”

I clinked my glass to his. “To your family not hating me and me not
spilling food all over my dress in this super fancy restaurant.”

We both laughed and Robert took my hand. “Even if you spill stuff all
over you, you’ll still be the most beautiful woman in the room.” His eyes
were warm as he looked at me and he made me believe everything he said.

Our waitress brought three different appetizers to start us off. It all

looked amazing. I took a bite of what was described as crab risotto with green
chili and puffed rice. “Oh my god. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” I

moaned.

“You have to try this. It’s black truffle and mozzarella ravioli.” Robert
and I swapped plates and then ate the Spanish octopus with crispy garlic
together.

“Your friend is one hell of a cook,” I complimented, wiping my mouth.

“So, I take you two are enjoying yourselves?” a deep voice said from
beside me. I looked up at Will Stetson, chef to the stars. He was even better

looking in person. His insanely good looks were one of the reasons he

became such a hit. It was one thing to cook well, it was another to look like a
Greek god while you’re doing it.

“Will, it’s so good to see you.” Robert got to his feet and hugged his
friend, who seemed really happy to see him. “Thank you so much for getting

us in tonight.” He sat down and took my hand. “Will, I’d like you to meet my
girlfriend, Skylar Murphy. Sky, this is Will Stetson.”

Girlfriend. Robert just called me his girlfriend. I was positively giddy

inside.

Will held out his hand, which I shook. “It’s so nice to meet you,
Skylar. I can see why Robbie here is so smitten.”

I felt myself blush. “I bet you say that to all the women drooling over

your crab risotto,” I joked.

Will laughed. “So, you like it? It’s one of the more popular dishes
here.”

“Like it? I think I might have to marry it,” I replied.

“Thanks again, Will, for all of this,” Rob said.

 Will waved away his thanks. “I’d do anything for you, man, you know
that,” he said with sincerity. “When you messaged me and asked if I knew of

any good places to take a special woman, of course, I wanted you to come
here.” Will turned to me. “Mostly so I could see the lady who had Robbie
turning himself inside out to impress her.”

“Well, he’s doing a good job.” I winked at Rob, who grinned. I looked

back at Will. “Rob never said how the two of you met. There’s got to be a
good story in there somewhere if you’re hooking him with this amazing table
in your restaurant.”

I wasn’t imagining the look the two men shared. Things became
strangely serious, and I swore Rob shook his head slightly. What was that
about?

“We met many, many years ago. I was going through a rough time—”

he glanced at Rob again. “And Robbie helped me get through it. He was the
one that convinced me to go to culinary school.” He put a hand on Robert’s
shoulder. “This man has no idea what an effect he has on those around him.
How his kindness literally changes lives.” Will cleared his throat as if he
were overcome with emotion.

I felt my chest tighten. Hearing someone say that about Rob, someone
who had known him for so long, made me love him even more. I truly did
love him. There was no denying it.

“He is pretty incredible,” I agreed, staring at my boyfriend. My god, I

could barely believe that’s what he was.

My boyfriend.

My gorgeous, amazing, kind boyfriend.

“Stop it you two or my inflated ego will make it impossible to get

through the door,” Rob teased, seeming slightly uncomfortable at the
compliments.

“Okay you two, enjoy your dinner. It was wonderful to meet you,
Skylar.” Will briefly touched my shoulder, squeezing it. “And Will, let’s
catch up soon.” There was another loaded look between them that I couldn’t
read and then he was gone.

“Why do I feel there’s a lot more to that story than Will said?” I asked
after the waitress brought us four plates of entrees for us to sample.

Robert made a point of looking at his rare steak, taking his time cutting
it. “There’s not much else to say.” He was being evasive. I knew Robert well
enough now to know when he didn’t want to talk about something.

And that set off alarm bells again.

 We had been here once already, many months ago. I thought we were
past this.

Rob looked up at me, his face tender. “Sky, Will’s an old friend.
There’s nothing else to know about it.” He slid his plate toward me. “You
have to try this wagyu beef, it’s incredible.”

I wanted to press him further. I wanted to dig and dig until I found the
ugly truth my doubt swore was hidden there. But then I internally berated
myself for looking for something that wasn’t there.

Rob said there was nothing to know about his relationship with Will
and I had to believe him. I couldn’t exist on second-guessing and mistrust.
That’s not how healthy relationships were formed.

Rob had opened up so much to me. I had to believe him.

Because if he betrayed me, I knew I wouldn’t survive it.

**

“I’m so nervous,” I admitted in a whisper as we walked up the path to

the residential facility where Robert’s brother Sam lived. It was a beautiful
place that looked more like a country club than a residential home.

“Don’t be. Sam is so excited to meet you. He’s going to go all out for
your visit.” Rob led me through the main building where he was greeted by
name by almost everyone we encountered. He had a smile for everyone, and
it was obvious he was well regarded around Lakewood House.

We walked through a glass mezzanine and turned down a quiet

hallway. “This is a really nice place,” I said once we stopped outside a door
at the far end.

“It’s the nicest independent living facility for people with Downs
Syndrome in the state. I couldn’t stomach the thought of Sam living in some
of the other places out there. Mom and I did our research before we decided
on Lakewood. Sam deserves only the best.” Robert knocked on the door in a

random pattern. He gave me a sideways smile. “It’s my special knock so Sam

knows it’s me.”

“Gotcha.”

The door swung open, and Robert was immediately engulfed in a hug.
“Robbie! You’re here!”

Robert hugged his brother with equal ferociousness. “I’m sorry it’s
been so long, Sam. Things have been busy, but that’s no excuse.”

I stood back watching them feeling all sorts of emotions I wasn’t quite
expecting. This was real and pure love, and it was almost overwhelming to
see. I had never experienced this kind of selfless purity in my own family.

Sam let go of his brother then immediately turned to me. He gave me a

big, toothy smile. He had the same dark eyes and floppy brown hair as
Robert. “Are you Skylar?”

I nodded. “That’s me.”

Then it was my turn for a hug. Sam held me tight as if he had known
me for years. “I’m so happy Robbie brought you. He told me all about you.”

“Sammy, come on now, don’t embarrass me,” Robert joked.

Sam let me go but kept his arm around me. “I won’t say how pretty

you told me she was.” Sam laughed and I started laughing too. His
exuberance was contagious. “Oops. I said it. Oh well.” He never stopped
smiling, obviously so happy to have us here. “Jill’s inside. We’ve been
making food all morning. I hope you like it.”

“Wow, so I get to meet Jill and you get to meet Skylar. This is a big
day,” Robert said as his brother led us inside.
 “Jill’s really excited to meet you guys.” Sam closed the door behind us.
His room was actually an apartment—and a nice one too. It was an open floor

plan with the living room and dining room combined and the kitchen off to
the side separated by a counter with two stools. There was a hallway to the
right and a balcony overlooking the facility’s gardens.

“You have a beautiful apartment, Sam,” I told him.

“Thank you. It’s the best place to live. I have so many friends here.
And Jill lives in the next building, so we see each other all the time,” Sam
said.

“You put up the painting! It looks great there, Sam,” Rob commented,
indicating a beautiful piece of abstract artwork hanging above the couch.

“Bob helped me. He wants to know where you got it, he wants one
too,” Sam told him, waving to a woman in the kitchen.

“Bob’s the maintenance man for Lakewood. He helps Sam out a lot,
he’s a good guy,” Rob explained quietly as Sam called out to Jill, who was
hanging back shyly.

“Jill, come meet my brother!” Sam called out, hurrying into the kitchen
and all but dragging the woman out to the living room.

“Robbie, this is Jill. She’s my girlfriend,” Sam announced proudly. He

kissed the woman on her cheek, and she blushed but seemed pleased.

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” she said softly.

“Hi Jill, I’ve heard so much about you. Sam talks about you nonstop.”
Rob gave her a sweet smile. “He also tells me you make the best club
sandwich he’s ever had.”

Jill puffed up with pride. “Diana in the kitchen says they’re better than
hers.”

“And they are too, Robbie. She made them for you guys. Are you
hungry? The game’s about to start.” Sam was full of energy and I could only
grin as he hurried Rob and me into the kitchen and handed us plates. “Come
on, take a sandwich. There are chips too. And drinks. Jill and I went shopping
yesterday and got your favorite soda.”

“You got cherry Coke?” Robert made a big show of getting excited,

running to the refrigerator, and pulling out the two-liter bottle.

“There’s popcorn too, Sam. I put it in the pantry,” Jill said. Her voice
was so quiet, but I could tell she was warming up to us.

“Oh right! The popcorn!” Sam grabbed the giant bag. “Come on guys,
the game’s about to start!”
 Rob put a sandwich on my plate and a pile of chips. “You go ahead and
sit down. I’ll grab our drinks.”

I went into the living room and sat down on the loveseat. Jill and Sam
were on the other sofa and a basketball game was playing on the fifty-inch
television set. Sam obviously liked to have the volume almost as high as it
would go. I noticed he was wearing a 76ers jersey and even had a foam finger

he was waving around proudly. “I love the 76ers. Do you, Skylar?” he asked
me.

“Be careful how you answer that, Sky. Sam has thrown me out before
for not saying they’re the best team in the NBA,” Rob warned, sitting down
beside me.

“I didn’t throw you out,” Sam argued. “But you were wrong. The
Lakers aren’t the best. Did Robbie tell you that our dad took us to see the

76ers when we were kids?” Sam asked me.

“No, he didn’t. That sounds like fun.” Rob settled his arm around me,
squeezing me.

“It was the best. We were right next to the court, weren’t we Robbie?”
I liked Sam’s smile. It made me feel warm and happy just by being around
him.
 “We were. And you got to touch the game ball, remember?” Rob
added.

“I did! Did I tell you about that, Jill?” Sam turned to his girlfriend in
excitement.

“You told me, Sam.” Jill rolled her eyes at me in woman solidarity.

“You told me like ten times.” But she smiled at him in a way that meant it
didn’t annoy her at all. They were very sweet together and clearly liked each
other a lot.

“We used to play basketball with Dad all the time, didn’t we Robbie?”
Sam said. “Robbie was on the basketball team. I liked going to watch him
play. I’d paint my face and make a sign. Mom would make her famous
chicken alfredo after your game.”

“It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun.” I leaned into Robert. “I like

hearing all these stories.”

“Oh, the game’s on!” Sam jumped to his feet, waving his foam finger.
“Come on guys, you can do this!” Robert joined his brother and the two of
them were hooting and hollering like they were there in person.

After a few minutes, Robert pulled me to my feet. “Come on, Sky!” I

grinned at Jill who had been coerced by Sam.
 “Shall we show ‘em how this is done, Jill?” I winked at her and she
nodded vigorously.

I put my arm around the smaller woman and we both started jumping
up and down and yelling at the screen. I had no real idea what was going on,
but we were having a great time. I shouted and booed along with Robert and
Sam. At halftime, Sam and Jill went into the kitchen to get more snacks

together. Robert pulled me close and kissed me. “Thank you for being so
wonderful,” he whispered against my mouth. “I appreciate you treating him
like he’s a person and not some dumb kid.” His eyes clouded and his mouth
turned downwards.

“Why would anyone act like that? Sam’s an adult. He’s not stupid just
because he has a disability,” I said in disbelief.

Robert’s eyes became bright, and he kissed me again. This time when

he was finished, he pressed his forehead against mine and closed his eyes.
“How did I survive before I met you?” he murmured, and I thought I was
going to overflow with feelings I had never experienced before.

“I’ve been asking myself the same thing,” I responded, knowing that I
never wanted to be away from this man. Ever.
 Chapter Twelve

Robert

It seemed when things were flying high that fear of falling became
paralyzing.

I was happy. Happier than I could ever remember being. But I was
terrified too. For the first time in my life, I felt trapped by the choices I made.
About the direction my life had gone in.

Dancing and stripping had once been freeing. It had provided me a

means of taking care of my family. I felt powerful and wanted. I knew that
the people who paid me to take off my clothes desired what I could give
them. For those hours I showed my body, I became someone else, someone I

never had the confidence to be in my usual world.

I had always been proud of that side of myself.

Now I wanted to forget that Robert Jenkins existed. Because every

time I logged onto my website, every time I started a new session and took
the money, I felt as if I were betraying Skylar. When I made excuses as to
why I couldn’t see her—even though I desperately wanted to—I hated myself
a little bit more. I never wanted to feel shame for what I chose to do, yet I

did. Not for the act itself, but for the duplicity.

The weekend in Philly had been a game-changer in our relationship. I

knew that by opening my life to Skylar I was taking us to a whole new level.
Introducing your girlfriend to the family was a huge step for anyone. Even
more so for the guy who kept all segments of his life apart.

I had been a little worried about how Skylar would take Sam. I loved
Sam more than anything. He was my big brother. My best friend. He was a
huge part of my heart. I knew Skylar would accept him, but I still feared that
she would pity him—and in turn, pity me.

I should have known better.

She embraced Sam. She threw herself in with both feet. She accepted
him without question and in turn he absolutely loved her. When we were

getting ready to leave, I pulled my brother aside to talk with him privately. I
always did a check-in to make sure things were okay with him, that people
were being kind. I had spent my life looking out for him and that would never
change.

“You and Jill seem happy,” I said as I helped him clean up. Skylar and
Jill were sitting in the living room. Skylar was showing Sam’s girlfriend
pictures of graphics she had created. Jill was particularly interested in the
advertising graphics Sky had done for a cat food company.

“I love her, Robbie. I love her so much.” His dark eyes were big as he
looked at me. “Do you love Sky?”

I nodded. “I do, Sam. I really do.” It was easy to admit these things to

Sam. I could tell him anything.

“I really like her. She’s so nice. And pretty too. You should marry her.
Then she could be my sister. Mom will like her too,” Sam assured me.

I pulled him into a hug, never wanting to let go. I missed him so much
and didn’t get to see him nearly enough. “I’m glad you like her. And I really
like Jill. I like that she makes you smile so much,” I told him.

And when we left, Sam gave Skylar a huge hug and told her he
couldn’t wait to see her again.

That only left Mom.

But I knew that if Sam approved, then Mom would too. Dinner at her
house on Saturday evening was great. Skylar was relaxed and when she
offered to do the dishes, she firmly cemented her place in my mother’s heart.

“She’s wonderful, Robbie,” Mom said quietly as Skylar took the dishes
into the kitchen.

“I know she is,” I agreed.

“You’ve never brought a woman home to meet me before. You must

be serious about her.” Mom got to her feet and gathered up a load of plates
and cutlery to help Skylar.

“I am, Mom. This is the real deal.” I could hear the confidence in my
voice. I meant it. I had no doubts about Skylar Murphy. I could only hope she
felt the same.

Everything had been great. Skylar and I spent our last night in Philly
wandering the streets with our arms tight around each other. We took in the
sights we had both seen a hundred times before but somehow felt different
seeing them together. And back in our suite at the Four Seasons, we made
love all night long, neither of us wanting to sleep, neither of us wanting to

miss a moment with each other.

“I love you, Skylar,” I whispered into her hair after she had eventually
fallen asleep. My body was curled tightly around her, her flesh pressed
against mine. Her head was tucked beneath my chin. I didn’t want to move a
muscle for fear of waking her. I kissed her temple. “I love you so much.”

She didn’t hear me, which was just as well. I wasn’t sure she was ready
to hear how deep my feelings went for her.

Which made our parting once we were back in Southport so much

harder.

“Do you want to stay over? I’ve got to go pick up Edgar, but we could
order a pizza, watch a movie?” she suggested as I walked her to her front

door. I was already depressed at the thought of leaving her. Because I

couldn’t stay.

My phone had buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, already knowing

what it would be. It was a message from a repeat client on my website. The
one I called ‘Darling.’ She was asking for an hour session tonight. I didn’t
want to do it. I wanted to stay with Skylar. But the money was too much to
pass up.

“I have a bunch of work to do on a case. Being gone all weekend has

put me behind,” I had lied way too easily. She didn’t question me. Why
would she? She didn’t think I’d be dishonest. I had given her no reason to
doubt me.

I hated myself for it.

So here I was, the music was thumping, and I was trying to find my
way into this space I occupied so effortlessly before, and all I could think
about was Skylar. Of how much I wanted to be with her at that very moment.
Of how just twelve hours before I had her skin beneath me, my cock deep

inside her.

I missed her and I had only dropped her at home a couple of hours ago.

I paused the music and turned to face the laptop screen where whoever

“Darling” was watching me. “I’m sorry, just give me a minute.” I turned the
camera off and went to get a drink of water.

I had to get it together. I had never had a problem slipping into this
alter ego before.

I had never been in love like this before either.

All I could think about was if Skylar knew what I was doing when I
told her I couldn’t stay over. What would she say if she knew about this
secret I kept? Would she understand? Would she be disgusted?

My phone dinged and I saw a message coming through on my website.

It was from ‘Darling’ asking if I was going to start soon.

The person had paid 3,000 dollars for an hour-long dance. I had all my
props ready. I planned to pull out all the stops. That was a lot of money for an
hour of my time. I could do this.
 I went back to the laptop and turned the camera on. My face was
blurred, the focus on my body. I started the music again, my hips starting to

move. When I went to undo my pants, my hand froze. The image of Skylar
unbuckling my belt last night after we got back to the hotel room clear in my
mind. I closed my eyes and tried to stay in the moment. This process usually
turned me on. I enjoyed it. This time I could only think about Skylar and how

I wished she were the one I was dancing for.

This wasn’t going to work. I couldn’t get my head in the game. I turned
the music off again and typed out a quick message to ‘Darling.’

I’m sorry, something has come up. I’ll refund you the money now.

My phone immediately pinged with another message.

Can we reschedule? I really want to see you.

Without hesitation, I responded.

I can’t reschedule. I am closing down my website. I won’t be taking

any more bookings.

With that, I reversed the charge and refunded ‘Darling.’ I closed the
laptop and quickly left the room, feeling a bit lighter than before.
 **

“How was your weekend? Skylar able to walk?” Jeremy chortled,

coming into my office on Monday morning.

I ignored his second question but answered the first. “We had a great
time, thanks for asking.”

“It’s nice to see you with a social life. I was starting to think you
should give up law and enter a monastery,” Jeremy smirked.

It was then I noticed a file in his hand. “What’s that?” I asked.

Jeremy looked down at the thick file and frowned. “That’s actually
why I came in here. I wanted you to have a look at something for me. I want

to know if what I’m seeing is right.” He came around the side of my desk and
handed the file to me.

I opened it up to find a bunch of spreadsheets as well as at least five tax

returns. “What exactly am I meant to be looking at?” I scanned the numbers,
flipping through the pages.

“There, look at these numbers, then look at the tax returns and tell me
that makes sense.” Jeremy stood back, crossing his arms over his chest.

I scrutinized the paperwork. “What is this? Paperwork for the mob?

This is some Al Capone level stuff here, Wyatt.” Because what he was
showing me was clear-cut tax evasion. “Whose money is this?”

Jeremy was clearly upset. “Tiffany Hardwell’s.”

I couldn’t stop my mouth from dropping open. “These are Tiffany

Hardwell’s tax returns and income paperwork?” Jeremy nodded. “Shit,
Jeremy, she’s been hiding millions of dollars worth of income.”

“I know. From what I can gather she made her money with this
business called Boys and Toys. She was declaring only fifty thousand a year,
but her bank statements show transfers to offshore accounts for years. We’re
talking millions going to the Cayman Islands. What kind of business is Boys
and Toys? Do you think it’s an escort service or something?” Jeremy chewed

on this thumb nail.

I was tired of lying to the people I cared about, so I didn’t answer him.
Instead, I poured over the information in front of me. If the IRS got hold of
this Tiffany would be in a lot of trouble. As in jail time trouble.

“What should I do with it? Do I ask her about it? I know this falls
under client privilege, but I feel like I need to clear the air with her if this firm
is going to stay on her retainer. We don’t want to be associated with dirty
clients,” Jeremy said, sounding furious. I didn’t blame him. Tiffany had put

us in a hell of a bind. Not that I was surprised. Tiffany wasn’t the kind of
person to think of anyone but herself.

“I think you need to take this to Adam and see what he wants to do,” I
told him, closing the file, and handing it back to him.

“Ms. Hardwell has brought us a lot of money. But now that I know it’s
not legit cash, I just want to give it all back. If I hadn’t just put a down
payment on a lake house.” Jeremy groaned, rubbing his temples. “Okay, well
I’ll go talk to Adam and see how he wants to handle this. Thanks, Rob.”

After he left I sat back in my chair, feeling better than my partner did at
the information I had just been given.

Because now it seemed I had something called leverage.

**

I knew when I blew off Tiffany last week that it would only be a matter
of time until I heard from her again. I still didn’t really understand why she

had come to Southport and what her angle was, but if I wanted to really start

something with Skylar and make it last, I had to deal with this very ugly part
of my past.

I was just finishing up a meeting with a client after lunch when my

phone vibrated with an incoming message. Thinking it was Skylar I chanced

a glance at the screen.

You haven’t come by to see me. :-(

Even though the number wasn’t familiar, I knew exactly who it was.

Tiffany.

After showing my client to the door, I picked up my phone again to

find three more messages. All from Tiffany.

I thought I made my desires clear. I need to see you.

I don’t like it when you ignore me. It makes me think I have to do

things to get your attention.

Call me back today or I’ll be dropping into the office for a face-to-face
chat.

I could feel her increasing anger with each subsequent text. This was a
woman who thrived on control and she’d retain it in any way she could. I

needed to handle this quickly before it escalated. And thanks to Jeremy I had

my own cards in my pocket I could play if I needed to.

I tapped out a quick reply.

I’ll come by after work. Around six.

Tiffany’s reply was only a few seconds later.

Perfect. I’ll make dinner. Xoxo

I didn’t bother to tell her not to, that I wouldn’t be staying for dinner.
She wouldn’t listen anyway.

My phone buzzed again. Expecting another message from Tiffany, I

didn’t look at it right away. When I did, my stomach dropped.

What time will you be over this evening? I downloaded the new Star

Wars movie.

Shit. I had made plans with Skylar. I was supposed to spend the night,
the first time I would be doing so since we had been together. I knew it was a
big deal to have someone stay in her house. She was very guarded of her
space and the fact she was opening it up to me was on the same level as my
taking her to meet Sam and Mom.
 I’m going to be late. Probably not until after eight. Is that okay?

I could see the bubble that indicated she was typing and then her
response.

Of course. I’ll see you then. :-)

I swore to myself it would be the last time I lied to her. I never wanted

to give her a reason to feel betrayed by me. It was time I came clean.

But first I needed to handle Tiffany Hardwell.

**

Tiffany had purchased the Carmichael house in the center of Southport.

It was one of the oldest properties in the state, having been built by a steel
tycoon in the late eighteen-hundreds. It had been in a dilapidated state before
she bought it and by the looks of it, she had put thousands of dollars into
modernizing and fixing it up. She couldn’t have chosen a more ostentatious,
attention-grabbing house if she tried.

I walked up the steps of the wrap-around porch. It was freshly painted

with hanging plants hanging along the curve of the railing. The elaborately
carved front door was a work of art all unto itself. I twisted the old doorbell,

hearing it clang inside.

The door opened a second later, almost as if Tiffany had been waiting
for my arrival. “Robbie,” she cooed as her familiar perfume wafted over me,
making me slightly nauseous.

She was all done up in a tight-fitting green dress that barely covered
her ass. Her large tits were on proud display, practically spilling out. She was
dressed to seduce. There was no denying what she expected to happen.

I looked forward to disappointing her.

“You came empty-handed. I thought I taught you better manners than

that,” she scolded, closing the door behind me. “Never mind, I have more
than enough here already.” She slithered past me, making sure to brush

against my arm. I could smell chicken parmigiana baking. “Come inside. We

can’t hang out in the entryway all night.”

She waved me through to the living room. It was decked out just as I
expected it to be. While the outside of the house kept in line with the period,
inside had been completely gutted and decorated with a modern sensibility. It
was all clean lines and stark white walls and furniture. It reminded me a lot of
the penthouse she owned when I met her. It was cold, with zero personality.
Nothing like the cozy warmth of Skylar’s house with the mismatched pillows

on the couch and the brightly colored tiles in the kitchen.

“I hope you’re hungry,” she sang as sashayed into the kitchen. By

habit, I watched the way her hips moved. The purposeful, exaggerated swing
of her ass. And I felt nothing. Not one drop of lust or attraction. Whatever I

had once felt for this woman was long gone.

“I’m not here to eat, Tiffany,” I said, my voice hard.

Tiffany stopped and turned around to look at me, a cat-like grin on her
face. She closed the space between us, putting a hand on my chest. “There’s
my boy. Always so eager.” She went up on her tiptoes, trying to press her
mouth to mine.

I gripped her upper arms and set her away from me.

“Stop it, Tiffany. You’ve never been a stupid woman, don’t start now.
You know I’m not here for whatever you have in mind.” My voice was so
cold it could freeze, and Tiffany responded instantly to my mood.

Her expression changed like the flip of a light switch. The smoldering
seductress was gone and in her place was an angry, rejected woman.

“Then why are you here?”

 “To tell you one last time to back off. Stop calling me. Stop threatening
me. Stay away from Skylar. The best thing you can do is to leave town.

There’s nothing for you in Southport.” I watched her, knowing I couldn't look
away. I couldn’t show weakness, or she’d pounce on it. She hadn’t gotten to
where she was by being dumb and her greatest talent was using people’s
faults against them for her gain.

She put a hand on her hip. “You don’t call the shots, Robbie. You
never have. I let you get away all those years ago. If I had wanted to stop
you, you would have stayed,” she spat. “You always have been a spineless
boy.”

“Things have changed, Tiffany. You don’t know me anymore—”

“I don’t?” She threw her head back and laughed but not with humor.
“You’re still scared. Still terrified of people finding out who you really are.

Still lying and pretending you’re one thing when deep inside you’re
something else entirely.”

Her words hit me hard because they were right. God damn, she was
right. And I hated her even more for it.

“As for your girlfriend,” her face became something dark and ugly at
the mention of Skylar, “she’s nothing. Do you get that? She’ll never see the
Robbie that I know. I own you.” She walked to an ornate desk in the corner,
opened a drawer, and took out a small flash drive. “I’ve been watching you

for years. I keep tabs on my boys.”

My heart was hammering in my chest. “What is that?”

“Insurance. In case you got too big for your britches.” She put the flash

drive back in the drawer.

“Tiffany—”

“Don’t call me Tiffany. Call me Darling.”

It felt like ice water was coursing through my veins.

“What?” I choked out.

She advanced on me again. I felt like I was a mouse being stalked by a

cat. She pressed herself against me, running her hand down my chest, tucking

her finger in the waistline of my trousers. “Don’t you dare shut down that
website of yours. It’s got to be a good little earner for you. And I like being
able to watch you whenever I want. A woman can get awfully lonely at
night.” She slithered her fingers down further into my pants.

“You’re Darling?” I rasped.

She nodded, giggling. “And Liquid234. And Sexbomblimited. Oh, and

SedectiveSweetyPie11.” She listed out three of my most frequent online

clients. She had been watching me for years.

Since I had started my website.

She thought she had me under her thumb. She expected me to buckle.
To cave in to her demands.

“Why are you here?” I asked her again.

Then surprisingly, her face crumpled, and an uncharacteristic

vulnerability came over her face. “When you left all those years ago I thought
I could replace you. And I did. I replaced you over and over again. But none
of those men ever looked at me the way you did. None of them loved me.”
She sniffed as if she were actually trying not to cry. “You made me feel like
something special. To you, I was a goddess. None of the others ever treated
me the way you did.”

Of course, it was all about her and how I made her feel. It made me
feel even more shame. She had used me, though she didn’t realize that’s what
she had done. In her messed-up mind, she probably thought she loved me too.

“Are you going to propose I work for you again? Start up another
service here in Southport as me as your star employee?” I sneered. She made
me sick.
 Tiffany’s eyes softened and she reached up and wrapped her arms
around my neck. “No, baby. You’re all mine. I don’t want to share you ever

again. Now come on. Let me show you how much I’ve missed you.”

“Don’t touch me,” I said with barely contained fury.

She blinked as if in surprise. She thought her sob story would work.

“You don’t mean that.” She gripped me tighter, like a fucking succubus.

“I do mean it. I don’t love you. I never did. And I sure as hell don’t
want you in my life now.” I disentangled myself, holding her at arm's length.
“I don’t hate you either, though at one time I did.” I gave her an almost
pitying look. “I honestly don’t feel anything for you at all.”

Her expression morphed into rage. “You stupid idiot. Don’t you know
what I can do to you? I can destroy your world! That little fucking girlfriend
of yours? Gone. Your fancy career? Finished. Think about what you’re

saying—”

“You think I would come over here without my own insurance?” I

asked softly, cutting her off.

She closed her mouth in confusion.

“I have all the proof I need to have you sent away for tax evasion. I’m
sure the IRS would love to know you owe them millions of dollars.” I raised
my eyebrows at her.

“That’s a load of bull. How would you have proof of anything?” she
sputtered but she had gone pale. Very, very pale.

“You were so full of your own confidence that you moronically chose
my law firm to represent your financial interests. Did you not think Jeremy

would show me some questionable paperwork?” I shook my head.

“There’s such a thing as an attorney-client privilege—”

“There’s such a thing as a crime exception. We know about the

previous criminal activity as well as plans for continued criminal activity—
i.e., tax evasion. We are within our rights to hand that information over to the
authorities.” I watched with barely contained glee as the realization of her
own foolishness sunk in. “So, I would think twice before doing anything with
that drive. There’s more than one head on the block.” I looked around at the

very opulent room. “It would be a crying shame if all this went away.” I gave
her a cold smile.

She looked absolutely taken aback. She backed away from me as if

seeing me for the first time. I could see her preconceptions about the person I
was shattering around her. Then she gave me the ghost of a smile. “If I
wasn’t so pissed off, I’d be impressed with your nerve, Robbie.”
 “Southport is my home. It’s where I live and work. There’s nothing for
you here.” I didn’t say the obvious ‘get out of town’ but it was there in

between my words.

“You’ve given me a lot to think about.” She cleared her throat. “I guess
dinner is out of the question.”

“I don’t want to ever see you again, Tiffany. I mean it.” I turned my
back on her and headed for the door. Ready to forget about everything but my
future.

With Skylar.
 Chapter Thirteen

Skylar

“Hey there, sleepyhead.” I felt his lips on my face before opening my

eyes. It was the first time Robert had slept over and I realized that he was a

bit of a bed hog. My double bed wasn’t nearly as comfortable or spacious as

his king. Particularly since the man took up most of the space, leaving me on
the edge with a sliver of the pillow.

“We need to work on your blanket sharing skills,” I muttered, rolling

over. I opened one eye to see it was after ten. “Shit.” I sat up, forgetting that I
was naked. Not really caring that I was naked, which was a first. I had never
slept without pajamas. Not even when I was dating Mac. But with Robert, I
couldn’t bear anything between us, and it seemed he felt the same way. We

had to be skin to skin at all times.

“Why are you still here? Don’t you have to get to work?” I asked. I had
a mountain of projects to do today. I hated waking up feeling like I was
behind already.

“I took the morning off. Rescheduled my meetings. So, there’s

nowhere for me to be but here.” He reached out and pulled me to him,
covering my mouth with his. I couldn’t help it; I wrapped my arms around his
neck and let him push me back onto the bed. He nibbled the underside of my

jaw as he fit himself between my legs.

“You’re insatiable,” I chuckled and then groaned as he slowly eased

himself inside me. My body had become so used to him. I arched my back as
he began to thrust.

“Only for you, Sky. Only ever for you,” he moaned, burying his face in
the side of my neck as we moved together. “God, I’m gonna...I need to…”

I felt him release inside me. It didn’t last long this time, but it was
amazing just as it always was.

He lifted himself off me and looked down into my face, pushing the
hair off my forehead. “You didn’t come. That’s not fair.”

“It’s okay, I feel pretty sated right now.” And it was true.

He frowned and shook his head. “That won’t do.” He slid down the
bed, lifting my ass with his hands and his mouth was on my clit.

“Fucking hell!” I screamed as he got me off in a record time of two

minutes flat.

When we were both shattered messes, we made our way to the shower,
where round two was in order. By the time we were dried and dressed
another hour had passed and I was officially way behind.

“I hate to do this—” I started to say.

Robert grinned. “You’re kicking me out so you can get work done. I
get it.” He opened the kitchen door letting Edgar back in from his run around

the yard. He moved around my house with familiarity as if he had always

been there. For a woman who craved her space, I found that I liked it. It made
me feel all warm and fuzzy seeing him in my kitchen, making coffee, putting
bread in the toaster, pouring food into Edgar’s bowl. He even put fresh water
in Morla’s tank.

I drank my coffee, enjoying the domesticity of the moment. Feeling

like life was just about perfect. “You never did tell me why you were late last
night.”

Robert’s shoulders tensed. “Actually, that’s something I need to talk to

you about—” His phone started ringing. He looked down at the screen and
frowned. “Shit, that’s the office. Hang on a sec.”

He put the phone to his ear and walked into the other room. I wondered
what he had just been about to say. He had seemed concerned. Nervous even.
Which made me nervous. As if something he was about to tell me would
make me unhappy.

Stop it! I shouted internally to myself. I was reading things into nothing
again. I had to stop doing that.

A few minutes later Robert came back, tucking his phone into his
trouser pocket. “I have to get into the office. It seems one of my clients, who

I’m supposed to be going to court for a custody case today, was arrested for
being drunk in public last night. Looks like it’s going to be a busy day.” He
crossed the room to me and pulled me close, kissing me deeply. “Can I come
back over tonight after work? I can bring food.” He took a deep breath,
letting it out slowly. “I really need to talk to you about some things.”

I felt myself go still at his words, but Robert had already released me,
grabbing his car keys. He looked back at me and a strange look crossed his
face. In a rush, he came to me again and kissed me. Hard and almost

desperate. He cupped my face in his hands and looked at me with imploring

eyes. “Skylar…” His voice broke, his eyes were bright. “I love you. I wanted
you to hear it now. Because I needed you to know. I love you.” He kissed me
again. “I never, ever want to imagine my life without you in it.”

I was taken aback. Not because I hadn’t suspected I’d hear those words
from him, but because of the way he was saying them. As if he were terrified
I’d leave him. As if he had to tell me or he’d never get the chance.
 What was wrong with him?

Before I got the chance to reciprocate the statement, he kissed my

forehead and was out the door. It was all a bit of a whirlwind and I felt as if I
had been bowled over.

I went to the window and watched him head out to his car. I stood there

staring outside for a long time after he left, still trying to process what had
happened.

Robert had just told me he loved me. Why did it feel like he ran away
afterward? It was kind of bizarre.

I checked the time and got myself in gear.

“Come on, boy,” I called out to my dog, who eagerly followed me back
to my office where I tried to concentrate on work and not the fact that my
boyfriend had just told me that he loved me with absolute fear on his face.

**

I had only just started checking my emails when I heard the doorbell
ring.

“What now?” I sighed. Edgar lifted his head as if to ask if he should

come. I laughed and scratched him behind the ear. “You stay here. Don’t
want you to put yourself out.”

I headed down the hallway to the front door. I could see a shadow on

the other side and the doorbell rang again. “Okay, okay, hold your horses,” I
muttered. I wasn’t expecting a delivery and it was highly unusual for any of
my friends to visit without calling first.

Maybe Robert had come back. The thought made me giddy and a little
nervous, given how strange he acted before he left.

I opened the door and stood there blinking in surprise.

“Um, hello?”

Tiff stood on my porch with a hesitant smile on her face. “Hi, Skylar. I
hope it’s okay that I popped over unannounced.”

A slither of disquiet crept through my body. I looked around but she

was alone. Her swanky red sports car was parked in the driveway. “Um, how
did you know where I lived?”

Tiff looked slightly embarrassed. “I did some Googling. Found the

record of your house purchase.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, not liking this at all. “That’s a lot of
work to go through to track someone down. If I didn’t know better I’d think
you were stalking me or something.”

“I know how this must look. I’d be freaking out if I were you—”

“That’s one way of putting it,” I countered.

“Do you mind if I come in? I’ll only be a few minutes. I just really
need to talk to you. To lay some things out on the table.” Tiff didn’t appear
threatening. She seemed hesitant almost.

Against my better judgment, I held open the door. “Come on in.”

She brushed past me and I was overwhelmed by her obviously very

expensive perfume. She seemed to douse herself in it. She stood awkwardly

in my entryway so I beckoned for her to follow me into the living room.

I noticed her looking around, taking in everything. “Your house is

lovely. I really like it.”

“Thanks. I’ve put a lot of work into it.” I was starting to feel strange
like I should never have let her inside. Some instinct had me wanting to ask
her to leave immediately. “So, not to be rude, but I’m in the middle of my
workday…” I let my words drift off, hoping she’d get to the point of her visit.

Tiff tucked her hands into her pockets and turned to me. “I’ve decided
to leave Southport,” she announced.

“Oh.” I didn’t quite know what to say. I didn’t know her well enough
to really care if she left town or not, but I didn’t want to say that. “Didn’t you

just move to town?”

“I did. But things haven’t gone quite the way I had hoped they would.”
She looked so sad that I couldn’t help but feel sympathy toward her.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Tiff. Does it have to do with the guy you were
hoping to reconnect with?” I asked, putting two and two together.

Tiff started chewing on her bottom lip. “That’s why I’m here actually.”
She took a deep breath as if steeling herself. “When I met you, Skylar, I felt
an instant connection. I thought you were someone I could see myself

becoming friends with.”

I was flattered. “Thanks, Tiff. Honestly, not many people say that
about me,” I chuckled.

She laughed too. “Well, they’re idiots, because you’re absolutely

lovely. And I know if I were to stay here, we’d become close. I can feel that.
Can you?”
 “Sure,” I agreed, more because it felt like that was what she expected
me to say.

“And because I like you, Skylar, I feel it’s my duty as your almost
friend to tell you—” she took another deep breath, “the man I came to
Southport for, the man I planned to reconnect with, the man who I have spent
the last ten years loving, is...Robert Jenkins.” She watched me closely as I

digested the information.

“Robert Jenkins,” I repeated, not quite understanding what she was

saying.

She nodded, her glossy blonde hair falling over her shoulder in a
perfect wave. “Robbie and I have a long history. We were together for a
while. We were in love. But things got complicated.”

“You and Rob were in love?” I kept repeating what she was saying. I

felt as if I were hearing her from the end of a long tunnel. Why was she
telling me all this? Then I frowned. “But you’re so much older than Rob.”
Maybe that was a dick thing to say, but it was the truth. Tiff was easily
fifteen years older than Robert.

Tiff lifted her shoulders in a delicate shrug. “The heart wants what the
heart wants. Neither Robbie nor I cared about things like age. We only
wanted each other.”

My brain started functioning again and things were fitting into place.
“And you’re telling me all this because I told you that Rob and I were
together. What is this?” I demanded.

Tiff reached out and took my hands. “I’m leaving town, but I needed

you to know the truth about the man you’re with. The man I know
intimately.”

I didn’t like the way she used the word intimately. As if she knew
things about the man I loved that I didn’t.

“What in the hell are you talking about?” I should ask her to leave.
This was becoming too strange. I didn’t want her here, in my house, saying
things about Robert…

“I met Robbie at a strip club back when he was in law school,” she

began.

“You both were at a strip club?” I frowned.

“I paid for a private dance and the dancer was Robbie,” she shared.
“But he was going by the name Billy then. Billy the sexy barrister.” She
giggled and I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
 “You expect me to believe Robert Jenkins the lawyer used to strip
under the name Billy the sexy barrister? Come on now. I wasn’t born

yesterday.” I rolled my eyes.

“I know it must be hard to believe, but trust me, Skylar, he was the best
male dancer I had ever seen. That body…” she closed her eyes and licked her
lips. I wanted to smack her. What the hell? I didn’t want her imagining my

boyfriend with his clothes off.

She opened her eyes again, her expression was hard to read. “That first
night I took him home with me. We had an incredible night together—”

I held my hand up. “I don’t need to hear about that. If you’re only here
to share your sexual history with my boyfriend, then you can get the fuck out.
I’m not interested in your jealous bullshit,” I snapped, losing my patience and
about two minutes from physically throwing the way-too-beautiful woman

out of my house.

“I’m sorry, I got caught up in the memory,” she apologized. “But that
night I offered him a different kind of job. You see, I had made a lot of
money sending my employees on dates with very rich women. I knew Robbie
would be perfect.”

“So, you what? Became Rob’s pimp?” I was starting to feel sick.
 Tiff shook her head. “You make it sound so crass. I ran an upscale
escort service. I only catered to the most discriminating clients. And Robbie

was very, very popular.”

I felt bile rising in the back of my throat. “Let me get this straight.” I
glared at the woman standing in front of me. “You took advantage of a young
man, a man who probably needed the money, and you manipulated him with

sex, and got him to agree to let you sell him to the highest bidder. And you
thought I’d be disgusted by him? You’d think I’d break up with him because
of his less than innocent past? You clearly don’t know me or how loyal I am
to the people I love. That was a long time ago. I won’t hold his choices when
he was a naive young man against him—”

“He still does it, you know,” she interjected, stopping my tirade.

“Excuse me?” She had just taken the wind out of my sails. My

righteous anger on Rob’s behalf deflated.

She reached into her pocket and withdrew a small silver flash drive.
“I’m telling you about all of this because it’s not just Robbie’s past, it’s
Robbie’s present too.” She handed me the flash drive. “He has his own
website where people can book half-hour sessions. You log on and he dances
for you. He takes his clothes off. And for an extra fee, he’ll do other things
too.” Her face was flushed, and I knew that she was one of those people
paying to watch Rob strip on the internet. I knew exactly what she was

hoping to accomplish by coming to my house and sharing this stuff with me.

She wanted Rob. I believed her when she said she loved him. And she
wanted to wreck our relationship.

“So, what’s this exactly?” I held up the flash drive.

“I recorded him. I wanted to—”

“What? Blackmail him? You know what this would do to his career,
his reputation if it got out. So, you decided to record him when he wasn’t
aware you were doing so to use against him later.” I gave her a look of
disgust. “You hide your evil pretty well, Tiff. I’d be impressed at your acting
skills if I wasn’t so grossed out by you.”

She seemed taken aback. Clearly, she wasn’t expecting this reaction. I
was sure she thought I’d be horrified. Upset. That I’d be thankful to her for

telling me. Well, the bitch was in for a rude awakening.

“I never intended to blackmail Robbie—”

“Stop calling him that. His name is Robert,” I spat out.

Tiff’s eyes narrowed. “I love Robbie. I know his deepest secrets. I

knew him when he had nothing.”
 “You knew him when he was a naive kid and you manipulated and
coerced him. I got that part.” I crossed my arms over my chest. A wave of

anger I had never experienced before was unfurling in my gut. I was pissed at
this woman standing in front of me. She was a predator. She should be in jail.

But I was also pissed at Robert for not telling me. For keeping such a
huge secret when I had told him over and over again how scared I was of

betrayal. How I couldn’t be with someone that kept things from me.

And this was a huge fucking thing to keep from me.

I didn’t like being blindsided.

“So, you came to Southport hoping to what? Rekindle your predatory

romance? You say you’re leaving town, so I’m guessing Rob turned you
down. Now you’re leaving with your tail between your legs.” I didn’t even
want to look at her. I wanted her to leave so I could try and figure things out

for myself.

“I’ve come to realize we’re different people now. That we’ve gone in
different directions. I saw that clearly when he came over last night.”

Of everything she had said, that hit me the hardest.

“Rob went to your house last night?” I asked, my voice tight.

 She smiled smugly. She knew she had me. “Didn’t he tell you? I
cooked his favorite—chicken parmigiana. We talked. The attraction was still

there. I don’t think it will ever go away between us. But I realized that we
couldn’t be together. That we just didn't fit the way we used to.”

She was such a bitch. I had a suspicion that things didn’t go down the
way she said, but the fact remained that Rob had lied about something else.

He told me he was working late when he had actually been at Tiff’s house. I
didn’t think anything happened, but a lie was a lie.

Tiff clasped her hands in front of her. “And even though things didn’t
work out between us, I knew I couldn’t stand by and let him fool a sweet
young thing like you with his duplicity.”

I started laughing then. Really laughing. I couldn’t stop. I was pretty

sure it was from hysteria.

Tiff looked at me with concern. “Are you alright?” she asked.

“Did you just call me a sweet young thing? My god, lady, get a clue.” I
calmed myself down with effort. “I don’t care about any of this, just so you
know. Your plan didn’t work.”

Tiff was starting to look panicked. “I just told you he’s still stripping.
He’s still taking money from women for his body. How can you be okay with
that? What’s wrong with you?”

I shrugged indifferently. “Different strokes for different folks I guess.

I’m not sure how I feel about all this, but I do know I won’t judge him for it.
Lots of people do sex work for good reasons. I’d like to hear his side before I
make decisions about our relationship.”

Tiff opened her mouth and closed it. Then opened it again. She looked
positively bewildered.

“Now I think it’s time for you to get the fuck out of my house. Get the
fuck out of my town. And don’t contact me ever again. Or Robert. You can
go to hell you sad, psycho bitch,” I growled.

Tiff straightened her shoulders. “You’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met.
Pathetic woman with obviously no self-esteem. You and Robbie deserve each
other.” She turned on her heel and stomped out the door. When she was out

on the porch she turned as if to say one last thing, but I closed the door in her
face before she could speak.

I leaned back against the door once I heard her car pull out of my
driveway, sagging to the floor. I buried my head in my arms and started to
cry. I wasn’t even sure why.

A cold nose nudged my hand and I looked up at my big, lovely dog

looking at me. I held out my arms and he pushed himself up against me. I
cuddled him on the floor, taking all the comfort he offered.

**

A few minutes later I stood up and wiped the tears from my face. I was
still holding the flash drive. I thought about throwing it out, not giving that
awful woman the satisfaction of my watching it.

But curiosity won out.

I should have remembered that curiosity killed the cat.

I walked back to my office and sat down at my desk. I flipped the drive

over and over in my hand debating what I should do.

I should talk to Rob first. Get his side of the story.

I inserted the drive into my laptop and clicked on the file.

The video loaded and the sound of thumping club music flowed from
my speakers. I’d recognize Rob’s body anywhere now that I knew it so well.
I noticed he obscured his face. He slightly blurred his chin, but he also was
careful to keep the camera trained from the neck down.

I recognized the room as the one in his house with the tripod and ring
light. The room where we had sex for the first time.

God, I felt a little ill.

I watched as my boyfriend began to move his body in ways I had never

seen him do before. He was good. Really good. He ground his hips and ran
his hands down his oiled skin. He thrust his groin in time with the beat. I
couldn’t look away. I was horrified. I was mesmerized.

I knew that skin. I had kissed that mole above his belly button. I had
run my tongue down the center of that chest. I had felt those hands on my
body. I felt a tear slip down my cheek.

He was wearing a pair of boxer briefs I had seen on him before. After a

few minutes, he hooked his thumbs in the elastic and slowly, in time with the
music, slid them down his hips, over his thighs, until he was naked in front of
the camera.

He reached down to his cock and started stroking, making loud

moaning noises as he jerked himself off.

And that’s when I couldn’t take it anymore. I closed the video and took
the drive from my laptop, throwing it in the drawer.

I covered my face with my hands.

What was I going to do?

Was this a deal-breaker?

I had to admit that watching Rob dance like that had been a huge turn-

on. I was aroused whether I liked it or not. I had to know why he was doing
it. I needed to hear from him.

But it didn’t change the fact that he had lied by omission. We had been
together long enough that he could have told me about this.

Maybe he was scared I’d leave him because of it.

That hurt just as badly. That he thought I’d judge him for this. He
should know that wasn’t me. I wasn’t that kind of woman.

He had kept secrets from me. He kept secrets from everyone.

That mean, horrible voice in the back of my head was whispering in

my ear again.

A man that lies about one thing, lies about many things.

The wild force of my distrust was hard to tame once unleashed.

I wasn’t sure how I could reign it in again.
 Chapter Fourteen

Robert

I was feeling pretty good. Things seemed to be falling into place.

Jeremy came into my office earlier and told me that he and Adam agreed to

drop Tiffany as a client. That we’d hang onto the paperwork for now but
reserve the right to share it with the authorities should we need to. Jeremy
also told me that he got word that Tiffany had spoken to the same real estate
agent that sold her the Carmichael house and she wanted it back on the
market. Seemed she was leaving town as fast as she could.

I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders knowing I wouldn't have to

deal with her ever again. But I also knew that this evening I had to come
clean with Sky about everything. About Tiff. About the website. About how I

made all that extra money to take care of my mom and brother.

I had officially shut down the website. I deleted the page completely. I
didn’t want to share my body with anyone but Skylar. Now that business was
booming and I had more clients at the firm than I could handle, money was
no longer an issue. I didn’t need to dance to make cash. The reality was I
continued to do it because it fed a need inside of me to be wanted and adored.
 But I got that from Skylar now. I didn’t need it from strangers.

I was feeling like a man on top of the world. Even though I was
worried about telling Sky, I truly believed she’d hear me out. That we’d work
through it. That she’d understand.

I loved her. That had to be enough.

And I was missing her like crazy. I took a late lunch considering I
didn’t get into the office until after eleven. I tried calling her while I was
eating a sandwich at my desk. The phone rang and rang and eventually went
to voicemail. I hung up and tried texting her. Sometimes she kept the ringer
down when she was working and didn’t hear it.

I could see the message was delivered and that she had read it. I waited
for her reply. And I waited some more. And nothing. Maybe she was busy. I
knew she had a lot of work to do. Our sex romp in the morning had really put

her behind but I hoped, like me, she thought it was worth it. Knowing that
she hawked her email constantly, I figured that was the best way to get hold
of her when all other methods failed. I sent her a quick email.

Hey baby,

I’m missing you.

Rob
 I watched my inbox, looking for her response. Five minutes went by.
Then ten. And still nothing.

What the hell was going on?

I didn’t have time to obsess about it because a client arrived.

Thankfully my afternoon was busy, and I didn’t have time to bombard my

girlfriend with a million messages until she replied. That would be a little too
pathetic. But as soon as I closed up for the day, I dashed out the door without
so much as a word to my partners. I hurried to the corner market and picked
up a six-pack of Sky’s favorite beer and a bundle of wildflowers. I raced over
to her house, breaking a couple of traffic laws in the process.

I pulled up at her house, my heart in my throat. I could hear Edgar

barking from inside. Her car was in the driveway, so I knew she was home.
The lights were all on. I felt a niggling of worry. Why hadn’t she messaged

me back?

I walked up to her door and rang the bell. I had started to wonder if she
wasn’t going to answer when the door opened. Edgar came bounding out,
jumping at my legs. I patted him on the head. “Hey boy,” I said to him,
though my eyes were on Skylar.

Something was very wrong.

 “Hey?” I posed it as a question. She hadn’t moved aside to let me in. I
noticed her eyes were red as if she had been crying. My concern was instant.

I reached out for her. “My god, Sky, did something happen? What’s wrong?”
I pulled her into my arms, but she remained rigid. I looked down at her, but
she was staring past me, her face worryingly blank.

“You’re freaking me out,” I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “Can

I come in and you tell me what’s going on?” I could hear the rising panic in
my tone.

Skylar broke out of my embrace and rubbed her arms as if she were
cold. “We need to talk,” she croaked, her voice rough. She walked into the
house, not waiting for me to follow. I called for Edgar, who came back
inside, and I closed the door behind us.

Something was very, very wrong.

With increasing dread, I walked into the living room to find her sitting
on the couch, holding a pillow to her chest as if to create a barrier between
me and her. “I’ve been trying to get hold of you all day,” I began, sitting
beside her.

“I know,” was all she said.

“I can tell something’s up. Please, just tell me. I’m worried—”
 “I had a visitor today,” she interrupted, chewing on her bottom lip in
the way she did when she was anxious.

“Okay…” I drew the word out, not understanding.

“Did I tell you about the woman I met when I went shopping with
Whitney?” she asked. I shook my head. “She had just moved to town. She

was really nice. We had a lovely talk about you.”

I raised my eyebrows. “About me?”

“Yeah. I was talking to Whitney about you while she was picking out
shirts for Web. I was feeling like you were keeping things from me. Not
opening up. I was talking about how scared I was of being hurt by someone
again after Mac and his lies. How I wasn’t sure I could trust you.”

My heart started to beat fast, and my palms began to sweat.

“Anyway, this woman jumped into our conversation and I found

myself chatting with her and she seemed to have really good advice about
trusting my instincts. I liked her. She was refreshing.” Sky rubbed at her eyes.
“Then I saw her again when I was waiting for you at Sweet Lila’s. I should
have known then that something was off about her. Particularly when I said I
was waiting for you.”

My gut told me where this was going. I felt my insides grow cold.
“Skylar…”

“Her name was Tiff.”

There it was. My worst nightmare.

“Skylar,” I said again, but she wasn’t listening.

“She said she came to town to reconnect with a man she used to be

with. She had high hopes they’d be together again. I didn’t think anything of
it. I wished her luck and that was the last I saw of her until today.” She
looked at me finally, her eyes chilled. “Turns out you’re the man she was in
Southport for.”

“Sky, please, let me explain—”

She shook her head. “And that wasn’t all she told me. She shared a fun
story about how you used to work as an escort for wealthy older women.

How you met her when you were working at a strip club. And the best part?
That you’re still stripping on the internet. Can you believe it? What a tale!”
She slapped her thighs and got to her feet.

“Skylar, let me explain,” I called out.

She reappeared a few minutes later with her laptop and sat back down
beside me. “Then she gave me this.” She held up a flash drive and put it on
the laptop. She clicked a file and I already knew what I was going to see.
“Talk about a show,” she remarked blandly as the sight of me dancing naked

to club music filled the screen.

I reached over and closed the file, ripping the flash drive from her
computer. “Stop it. You don’t need to see that.”

“Don’t I? It’s nice to know what your boyfriend gets up to in his free
time. Especially since this Tiff woman knew all about it and I didn’t have a
clue.” She bared her teeth at me.

“I should have known she’d pull something like this,” I muttered,

feeling sick to my stomach, close to a full-blown panic attack.

“Why? Because you went to see her last night when you told me you
were working late?” she added, her eyes filling with tears. I had never seen
Skylar cry before. I hated myself.

“Skylar, baby, can I please explain all this to you? I know it looks bad.
The worst. I planned to tell you tonight. Remember I said we needed to talk?”
I said frantically, feeling like I was losing her.

I couldn’t lose her.

“Fine. Tell me. Make me understand why you kept something like this
from me. And maybe while you’re at it you can tell me why I should forgive
you for lying to my face over and over again.” She backed away from me,

putting space between us.

I wanted to touch her. I needed to. I wanted to hold her and make her
forgive me. I couldn’t bear this icy anger between us. But I knew if I tried to
reach out to her she might bite my fucking hand off.

Skylar Murphy was a force to be reckoned with when she was furious.

“I’m sure Tiff told you all about how we met,” I started.

“Sure did, Billy the sexy barrister.” She didn’t sneer or say it
sarcastically. She actually seemed amused.

“It really was the dumbest name,” I conceded.

“The dumbest. It sounds like a bad porno,” she snorted before

narrowing her eyes again.

“That’s how I know Will, by the way. He was a dancer as well. He

went by Wolfgang.” I raised an eyebrow. “Wolfgang Fuck.”

Skylar covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. “You’re messing with
me. Wolfgang Fuck? Who the hell came up with these names?”

“Darla the manager was the one that named us. Michael was Bobby the
Buff Builder. It was supposed to be a play on Bob the Builder—”
 “I get it. No need to explain,” she cut in. “So that’s how you know the
guy who built my sunroom. It seems your former dancing buddies are

everywhere.”

I ignored the barb in her voice and kept going, needing to get this all
out there. “Tiffany came in one night and paid me for a private dance.”

Skylar held her hand up. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told her, spare
me the details of your sexual past, please.”

“I would never—my god, Skylar, I wouldn’t do that to you. What did

she say?” I was sickened at the thought of what Tiffany may have shared
with Sky. She really was a heartless witch.

“She didn’t get the chance to say much about any of that,” she smirked.

“Good. I’m sure you put her in her place.” God, I loved this woman.
She was fierce and strong and put up with no shit from anyone. Not even me.

“Go on,” she waved me to continue.

“Even though I worked as an exotic dancer, I had very little

experience, if you know what I mean. I wasn’t a virgin, but not far from it.
During the time I knew Tiffany, I learned she was quite adept at finding
young men, like myself, who were desperate in one way or another. She’d
make us feel special, loved. She gave us a sense of power we were missing in
our lives. For all her faults, she’s incredibly charming. It was easy to let her

talk me into anything she wanted. I wanted to please her.” My mouth was dry

as I spoke about things I hadn’t shared with anyone; I had never opened
myself up like this before. It was uncomfortable and scary. But I also felt
relief; a burden was being lifted.

“I can see that. I was taken in by her, that’s for sure. I had no idea the

type of person she was when I met her. Though given how easily I was
snowed by Mac and now you, I have to start questioning my ability to read
people at all,” she retorted. Her words stung. They broke something inside of
me. I hated that she compared me to her ex who cheated on her and stole all
her money. She equated us as the same.

How could I ever expect her to get over that?

Swallowing my pain, I kept going.

“She used sex to ensure her...employees’ compliance. I was consumed

by her, by the lifestyle. I was making so much money I didn’t know what to
do with it all. I was able to pay for Sam’s independent living facility. I bought
Mom the house she lives in. I got a new car. I bought my own house. It was
overwhelming and intoxicating and it was all thanks to Tiffany. But then
something changed.”
 Skylar was clenching her hands together so tightly I could see the
whites of her knuckles. “What changed?” she asked softly.

“I didn’t have sex with my clients—well not at first. In the beginning, I

would simply escort them to parties or have dinner with them in fancy
restaurants. I was pretty arm candy and nothing more. But then I was asked to
provide ‘weekend companionship’ to a friend of Tiffany’s. It was a woman

she had known for years. Her name was Margie. Her husband was some tech
tycoon and he had gone away for the weekend. Margie paid a lot of money
for me to spend the weekend with her. In the back of my mind, I knew what
would be expected of me, but I stupidly believed Tiffany when she said I had
a choice with how far I would go.” I let out a noise of disgust. “I was such a
naive fool. Because Margie had very specific requests. And I wasn’t allowed
to leave until I provided what she asked for. I needed the money. Sam’s fees
were due. I had Mom’s mortgage to pay for. I was working my butt off in law

school so eventually, I wouldn’t have to do this anymore, but for the time
being, I felt stuck by my responsibilities.” I ran a hand down my face, not
wanting to look at Skylar when I said this next part. “So, I fucked Margie.
And after that, I was expected to fuck each and every one of them.”

Skylar flinched at the harshness of my words. I was filled with shame I

had never experienced before. I had always been fine with my choices but
looking back at what I felt compelled to do, and Tiffany’s hand in the

machinations, I felt used and controlled, and it reframed my past in a way

that sickened me.

“You think your mom or Sam would want you doing that to yourself
just so you could take care of them?” Skylar asked, her eyes sad.

“I know they wouldn’t. I can only think how disappointed my mom

would be if she knew. Which is ultimately what made me tell Tiffany I
wanted out.” I absently rubbed Edgar’s head. He was resting his chin on my
knee as if he knew I needed the support. “She didn’t take it well and she
actually went to my mom’s house. She didn’t tell her who she was, just that
she was concerned about me. My mom was very upset, thinking I was
overwhelmed with school and couldn’t handle the pressure. She thought
Tiffany was just my boss at some random job.”

“She sure likes to fuck with your life,” Skylar said. “That woman has
serious control issues.”

“I know. Which is what I realized and why I got the hell away from
her. I had no idea that she had in fact been keeping tabs on me all this time.” I
should have known though. I knew what kind of person Tiffany was. Had I
really thought I’d been able to shake her that easily?
 “Okay, so you’ve explained about Tiffany, but that doesn’t explain
this.” She picked up the flash drive. “If you felt so horrible doing all that

stuff, why have you kept doing it? You have a great career, you’ve found
success, so what gives?” She seemed genuinely perplexed.

How do I explain this without sounding pathetic?

“I became addicted to it, Sky. I loved being a dancer. Of having

women get turned on by me. Of my being able to pleasure them without even
touching them. Their desire for me was a drug I couldn’t give up. I grew up a
scrawny kid, the target of bullying. Girls never looked at me as someone they
wanted to be with. But up there, on the stage, and when I was on those dates
with those women, I was someone else. I was desirable. They wanted me.
Even if I was playing a part, it still felt good.” I ran my hands through my
hair. “And the money was great. I only started making a decent paycheck
from the law firm a couple of years ago. Between my bills, Sam’s care, my

mortgage, and Mom’s mortgage I was still hand-to-mouth. The website gave
me a steady influx of cash, so I didn’t have to worry.” I picked at the skin
around my thumb, a nervous habit I hadn’t experienced since I was a kid.

“And Adam and Jeremy have no idea you do this?” she asked.

My eyes widened. “Hell no. Can you imagine Wyatt’s reaction if he

found out?” I laughed without humor. “Though that’s part of what’s so
appealing about it. The secrecy. Everyone thinks I’m this boring, dull guy—”

“It feels good knowing you have something going on that they would
never guess,” she surmised.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“And you were planning on telling me all this tonight? Or did Tiffany

force your hand?” Skylar questioned.

This time I took her hand. I had to touch her. I needed the physical
connection with her in a way that was painful. “I swear to you, I was going to
tell you everything. I did go see her last night—”

“She made you chicken parmigiana, you’re favorite.” She rolled her
eyes.

“I sure as hell didn’t eat a meal with her. I went to her house and told

her to get out of town. That if she didn’t, I’d report her to the IRS for tax
fraud.”

Skylar’s eyes widened. “Whoa, really?”

I nodded. “Jeremy came to me earlier in the week and showed me a

bunch of paperwork she had given him for the purchase of the land outside of
town. Seems she’s been sending a lot of money offshore. She’s been evading
taxes for almost a decade. That’s jail time if the feds were to find out.”

“Well, shit, no wonder she was bee-lining it out of town. She tried to
paint a picture that it was because she realized the two of you weren’t meant
to be together or some such nonsense. She really is a master liar.” Skylar
pressed her mouth into a thin line. “But why didn’t you tell me all this
before? Did you think I’d judge you? That I wouldn’t understand?”

“I didn’t know. I was scared. Can you blame me? That’s a heavy load
of stuff to put on your shoulders. I wanted to trust you’d understand my past,
but I was terrified you wouldn’t. I’ve been so used to secrets; it’s become my
de facto response. I didn’t know how to open up, especially about this,” I
explained.

She pulled her hand out of my grasp. “So, you telling me you loved me
this morning was more about priming me for this huge bomb you were about

to drop in my lap?”

“What? No!” I gasped. “My god, Skylar, don’t ever think that! I told
you I loved you because I do. I fucking love you. Every single, wonderful
thing about you. There was no ulterior motive to me saying that to you this
morning. I just had to tell you in case it all fell apart when I told you this.”

Skylar was quiet for a long time. The silence was deafening. I wanted
to say something to break it. The longer she went without speaking, the
edgier I became. She stared down at her hands. Edgar started whining,

picking up on the tension.

After what felt like forever, Skylar looked up at me, her eyes wet. “I
understand, Rob. I really do. I know why you made the choices you did. You
were young and easily manipulated. You felt you had to take care of your

family in the only way you could.”

I felt immeasurable relief. “Yes, Sky. That’s exactly it.”

“And I can understand why you continued to dance. Why you set up
that website. I imagine once you’re entrenched in it, it’s hard to give up. And
this time it was in your hands. Tiffany wasn’t controlling it. That had to be a
powerful feeling.”

She got it. She really did.

“Skylar, I’m so relieved you understand. I was so worried—”

“I said I understand, Rob, that doesn’t mean I’m okay with you lying to
me for months. For making me fall in love with you all the while keeping
something so big from me. I can get why you don’t want your mom or
brother to know. I especially understand why it’s important to keep this from
Adam and Jeremy. But from me? I’m your girlfriend. I thought we were
building something special here.” She was crying now. My god, why was she
crying?

“We are, Sky. What we have is so special, so important. Don’t you see
what you mean to me?”

She shook her head. “I would never judge you, Rob. But I can’t forgive

your duplicity. If you lie to me about this, how can I trust you not to lie about
other things? I can’t live a life always wondering if you are telling me
everything. If you were saying one thing but then doing something else
behind my back.” She covered her face with her hands. “I love you, Robert. I
love you so much it hurts. But I can’t be with someone that I can’t trust. You
know this.”

She loved me. She just said the words I had been longing to hear from
her.

And she tells me as she’s breaking my goddamn heart.

“No, Sky. Don’t do this. We can get through it. I’ll work hard to make
you trust me again. I’ll prove it to you.” I was crying now. I couldn’t stop.
“Please, Skylar, I love you.”

“I can’t trust you, Robert. That’s the end of this story.” She rubbed her
face, wiping the tears from her skin. “I want you to go now.”
 I reached for her, pulling her into my arms. I wouldn’t let her go. Not
now. Not ever. “You have to believe me; I’ll never lie to you ever again. I

promise.” I was sobbing. I couldn’t bear to lose her. Not now. Not after all
this.

For a moment she melted into me as if her body couldn't help it. I lifted
her face and kissed her nose, her cheeks, her chin. “I love you, Skylar. Please,

don’t do this,” I whispered, kissing her mouth, begging her with my lips.
“Please.”

She closed her eyes and when she opened them there was a resolve that
chilled me to the bone. “I’ve asked you to leave, Robert.”

And that was that.

She had shut down. She was past hearing me now. I didn't want to
leave, but I wouldn’t push her either. I knew that once I walked out that door,

that was it. We were finished. And that was something I would never, ever
accept.

Except it’s what she said she wanted.

And her wants and needs would have to matter more than my own.

I dropped my hands and with a final pat on Edgar’s large head, I stood
up. “I love you, Skylar. Don’t ever forget that,” I said quietly as I headed to
the door.

As I drove down the driveway back to the main road, I knew that I had
left my heart behind and I’d never get it back.
 Chapter Fifteen

Skylar

“Come on, Sky, you need to get out of the house. You’ve been wearing
that same PJs for a week and a half now,” Meg complained, pulling on my

arm. I weakly got up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

“Maybe I like being depressed,” I moped.

“Don’t make me call in Lena. She’ll pin you down and cover your face
with makeup before forcing you into a skimpy dress and making you go to
Sweet Lila’s. I’m much nicer than she would be,” Meg warned.

It had been exactly nine days since I broke up with Rob. Nine whole
days of feeling like absolute crap. I had been so sure I had made the right

decision. What future did we have if I couldn’t trust him?

But then the doubt set it. Was I being unfair? He shared some really
painful stuff with me, and I essentially threw it in his face. I had thrown him
out when he was at his most vulnerable.

Maybe I was the asshole in this situation.

No. He had lied to me. I couldn’t be with someone who would keep
things from me.

He’s not Mac. He would never hurt you like that.

It didn’t help that Robert had gone radio silent. I had secretly hoped
he’d hound me with texts. Love bomb me with flowers and pleas of
forgiveness. But none of that had happened. It seemed as if he had accepted

our breakup and was already moving on.

How could he move on so quickly? What the hell was wrong with
him? I got angry all over again, which was a lot easier. I preferred the rage to
the depression, which is where I found myself now. I was missing him. I
wanted to call him and tell him I was an idiot and that we belonged together.
But pride is a horrible thing. It really gets in the way of prostrating yourself
on the ground in front of your recent ex, begging him to take you back.

So instead, I decided bed was the place for me. It stopped me from

looking pathetic by showing up at Rob’s office in seven-day-old dirty

pajamas. And it stopped me from throwing dishes against the wall when I
remembered how he had lied to me so many times.

I was a mess.

Meg had called rather innocently last week to see if Rob and I wanted
to come with her and Adam to dinner at a new restaurant in the next town
over.

“We broke up,” I had told her in a worryingly nonchalant way.

“What?” she had shouted in my ear. Thirty minutes later she showed
up at my door with three pints of ice cream and enough alcohol to sedate an
elephant. “Adam is on Tyler duty,” she explained after pouring me a pint

glass of beer and all but shoving it in my hand. “Now talk.”

I wanted to unload on her, but how could I? I couldn’t share Robert’s

story; it wasn’t mine to tell. How could I explain why I had kicked my
otherwise perfect boyfriend to the curb?

“We were too different,” I had lied.

Meg had looked at me like I had grown a second head. “Too different?
Are you kidding me? I’ve never met two people more suited for each other.”

“He lied about stuff,” I admitted.

“What stuff?” Meg had asked.

“Just stuff,” I replied vaguely.

“I need more than that if I’m going to burn his effigy in the backyard,”
Meg exclaimed.

I had to give her something. My best friend wouldn’t take evasive

answers. She’d want concrete reasons. So, I gave her something. “You know
that lady that bought all that land and sold it to the developer? Tiffany

Hardwell?”

Meg nodded. “Adam told me the other day that they’re no longer
representing her. Something to do with sketchy financials. She sounds
shady.”

“Yeah, well she’s Rob’s ex,” I told her.

“Are you serious? She's a lot older.” Meg’s eyes widened dramatically.
“I mean she’s really good looking for her age. But she has to be what? In her
late fifties? When did they date?”

“When he was in law school.” I started chewing on my thumbnail.

“God, that means he was at most twenty-three and she had to be in her
late thirties. That’s almost gross.” Meg made a gagging noise and I had to

laugh.

“Yeah, well she came to Southport to be with him,” I went on.

“Oh my god, did he cheat on you? I can’t believe Robert would do

something like that,” she gasped on the other end of the phone.

“No, he didn’t cheat on me. He just wasn’t...he wasn’t truthful about

who she was. And I can’t be with someone who isn’t upfront with me.”

Meg was quiet for a while. “I know for a fact Adam and Jeremy don’t
know this otherwise Adam would have told me.” I could practically hear her
thinking. “There has to be a reason Rob wouldn’t tell people. Otherwise, why
would he let Wyatt represent her?”

“They have a shady history from what he told me,” I said.

“Makes sense with what Adam learned about her financial situation.
Seems she was involved with some illegal shit too.” Meg paused. “I’m sorry,
Sky. Who would have ever thought that mild-mannered Robert Jenkins had a
shady past?”

“Stranger things have happened,” I muttered.

Since telling her, she had been checking up on me every day. And with
good reason. My reaction to this breakup was the opposite of how I handled

my breakup with Mac. In that case, I was full of self-righteous fire, ready to
call all ‘I Will Survive’ on his ass and forget all about him—and I had been
engaged to the guy.

With Robert, it felt so much worse. Because he loved me. I know he

did. The way he had cried when he left my house left no room for doubt
when it came to his feelings. He looked as if I had just shattered his heart.
And in all my staunch belief that I couldn't be with someone that had lied to
me, I hadn’t considered the state of my own heart. Because I loved that man

in a way that was totally different from how I felt for Mac. He owned my
soul, and he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to give it back.

“I am not going to Sweet Lila’s,” I stated.

“Come on, Lila’s friend Jenna is coming in from the city. Hannah’s off
work for the night and Whitney and Web got a sitter. Most of the gang will
be there. It’ll be just what you need to get your mind off Ro—stuff.” She
stopped herself before mentioning ‘he who shall not be named.’

“I want to lie here and feel sorry for myself,” I whined, pulling back
when she attempted to get me to my feet. “And what about Edgar? I can’t
leave him here all night by himself.”

Hearing his name, Edgar looked up from his spot at the foot of my bed.

“We’ll drop him off with Adam. Tyler loves him, he’ll be overjoyed to
have him there. Then both of you can stay the night,” Meg suggested.

“I don’t wanna,” I grumbled.

“Too bad. Sometimes you have to listen to your knowledgeable friend.

I’ve done the wallowing in self-pity thing and trust me, the only thing it
accomplishes is greasy hair and bad B.O. Now go get in the shower and I’ll
pick out something cute for you to wear. I know your heart isn’t into it but

getting dressed and going through the motions of self-care do make you feel

better.” She gave me a shove toward the bathroom.

“I don’t have B.O,” I called out.

“Yes you do,” she shouted back as I closed the bathroom door.

After the shower, I dressed in a pair of jeans and my favorite peasant

top and damned if Meg wasn’t right. I did feel a little better. That is until I
thought about the last time I went to Sweet Lila’s to meet Robert for drinks.

Then the tears started again.

Meg looked at me in alarm. “My God, what are those things coming
from your eyes?” she tried to joke.

I swiped the wetness from my cheeks. “I don’t know what’s wrong

with me. I can’t stop crying.”

Meg put her arm around my shoulders and squeezed them. “My
beautiful Sky, it’s because you love him,” she said softly, kissing my temple.
Then she patted me on the ass. “Now enough wallowing, let's go listen to bad
music on the jukebox and drink too many five-dollar cocktails.”

We loaded Edgar into the back of Meg’s car and drove to her house.
She called Adam on the way to let him know he’d be on dog-sitting duty as
well.

He was there at the door when we arrived, having just settled Tyler in
front of the TV to watch his favorite cartoon. He took Edgar’s leash as Meg
went in to cuddle her son before heading out for the evening.

“You look like hell,” Adam commented with concern. He unhooked

Edgar’s leash, giving him free rein of the house. Edgar bounded off to the
living room and I could hear Tyler squealing in delight.

“Thanks, buddy. You sure know how to make a girl feel better.” I
attempted to make a face, but I was pretty sure it came out wrong.

“Look, I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but Rob’s
looking just as rough. He won’t talk to anyone, he just sulks in his office all
day. I’ve never seen him such a wreck. I’ve never known him to emote much

at all, so this whole broken-hearted thing is throwing Jeremy and me. You
seem to have done a number on each other. I wish one of you would tell me
what happened,” Adam said kindly, his eyes soft as he looked at me.

“It has to do with that Tiffany Hardwell,” Meg filled in, joining us in
the entryway.

Adam frowned. “Ms. Hardwell? What does she have to do with

anything?”

I didn’t want to get into all of it again so I cut them off before Meg
could relay what I had shared earlier. “Meg will fill you in, but if you want
me to at least pretend to have a good time tonight, we need to go now, before
I lose my will to live.”

Meg and Adam shared a look.

Robert and I could read each other almost as easily. We had started to
understand what the other was thinking simply but glancing at each other.

Hello depression, my old friend…

“Okay, well, have fun tonight. Sky, you’re staying here tonight?”

“I guess so,” I muttered.

“I’ll make sure the guest room is made up then. And we can talk more

tomorrow, alright?”

“Do I have to?” I griped.

Adam frowned. “Yes, you do. Meg, make this woman have fun. Her
moping is annoying.”

I stuck out my tongue, appreciating the chance for some levity.

 Instead of driving to Sweet Lila’s we decided to walk, that way Meg
could have some drinks also. “Not too many. Tyler gets up at five in the

morning like clockwork.” She looped her arm with mine and we walked the
two blocks to the only bar in town.

“I don’t know about this,” I whispered once inside. Whitney, Webber,

Lena, and Jenna were already there. Hannah was by the bar looking as if she

were in the middle of a heady argument with Brad, the co-owner.

“You can. It’ll be fine. These are all your friends. We love you.” Meg
took my head and pulled me in the direction of the crowded booth by the pool
table.

“Sky!” Web jumped to his feet and enveloped me in a hug. Kyle

Webber always made me feel better, it was just in his nature.

Jenna and Lena called out their greetings, making room for me beside

them. Hannah joined a few minutes later carrying a tray laden with drinks.
“Hey Sky, I hear you need some liquor, so I brought a little bit of
everything.” She handed me a shot glass. “There you go, drink up.”

I knocked back the amber-colored liquid, coughing as the whisky hit

the back of my throat. “That’s a girl, have another.” Hannah shoved another
glass my way.
 “Give the woman time to breathe, Han,” Lena scolded.

“Skylar’s a badass, she can handle it,” Hannah remarked breezily,

slamming back two shots in quick succession.

“You look tired, babe. You okay?” Whitney asked, keeping her voice
low.

I shrugged, feeling the effects of the shot already. I hadn’t eaten much
all day, so any alcohol was bound to go straight to my head.

“I don’t understand where things went wrong with you two. I just don’t
get it. He’s been a complete asshole all week. He almost got thrown out of
court this morning for mouthing off to the judge,” Lena said in shock. “Let
me say that again—Robert Jenkins almost got thrown out of court. Robert, “I
read gardening magazines for fun” Jenkins. It’s like we’re in a parallel
universe.”

Meg gave her sister-in-law a stern look. “Okay guys, I didn’t drag
Skylar out of the house so we could talk about her ex all night. I wanted to
get her mind off Robert.”

Lena grimaced. “Sorry, Skylar.”

I waved away her comment. “It’s fine. I'm fine. Don’t worry about
me.”
 But I could tell everyone was worried about me. And they were
probably right to be. They had never seen Skylar Murphy like this. I was the

one who held it together, no matter what. I didn’t let things get to me, even
after throwing my treacherous ex-fiancé to the curb. Even when my parents
separated for the hundredth time and my mother burned my dad’s clothes on
the front lawn for the whole neighborhood to see.

I was made of strong stuff.

That is until I went and gave my heart to someone, then I was a big pile
of mush.

“I’m just going to say, I’ve always really liked Robert, but I’ll go kick
his ass if you want me to,” Web offered and I couldn’t help but laugh, even
though the stabbing pain in the center of my chest.

“I think if I need some asses kicked, I'm fully capable of handling that

myself,” I reminded him.

Hannah lifted her drink into the air. “Here’s to kicking dudes’ asses!”
She nudged Jenna who was sitting beside her. “You too, get your drink on,
girlie.” Jenna, looking decidedly harassed, sipped on her fruity cocktail to
appease her friend.

We all drank heavily after that. I found that once I started, it did make
me feel better. I became more talkative the more inebriated I became. A
couple of hours in, I was challenging Seb, one of the owners of the bar, and

Brad’s brother, to a round of pool.

“Come on, man, you scared of being beaten by a woman?” I taunted,

slurring my words. I probably should have thought twice about irritating him,
but booze loosens my tongue.

Seb crossed his arms over his broad chest. He really was tattooed and
scary. “I’m more scared of you toppling over,” he said looking over at his
brother behind the bar and pointing down at me. “This one’s cut off, Brad.”

“Hey! No fair!” I shouted and Hannah started booing loudly.

“Don’t be a Billy-No-Fun, Seb. Can’t you see, our Skylar is

heartbroken? Her medicine is lots and lots of alcohol,” Hannah hiccupped,
coming to my defense.

Seb glowered at his employee. “Hannah, you work here, you shouldn’t
be getting shitfaced in the place that employs you.”

She held her arms out. “I’m off the clock, Sebby. You can’t tell me
what to do. Besides, Brady, Brad-Brad’s been serving me all night.”

“Of course, he is. That dumb ass can never say no to you,” Seb
grumbled. “Well, I’m telling you that you both are cut off starting now. Order
a damn coffee and sober the fuck up, Hannah.” He stormed off, most likely to

tell off his brother.

Hannah stuck out her tongue at his retreating back. “That guy really is
a stick in the mud. Come on, let's get the others and go somewhere else.” She
took my hand and started leading me back to our table.

“Where are we going to go? This is the only bar in Southport.” I said,
stumbling over my feet. I really was having a hard time staying upright.

“Oh yeah.” Hannah considered our options for a moment. She then
checked her phone. “I know, let’s go get booze from the grocery store and go
back to my place.”

“That sounds like a plan!” I said a little too loudly. “I’m going to pee
before we leave,” I announced, though Hannah was already heading to the
table, leaving me behind.

I went woozily to the back of the bar to the tiny hallway where the
bathrooms were located, found the right door, and went in and did my thing.
As I exited, someone came out of the men’s room just as I entered the
hallway. His head was down, and he didn’t see me coming around the corner.
And I was too drunk to stop myself from colliding into him hard enough to
make the man fall back a step.
 He reached out to grab me as I almost toppled over. “I’m so sorry, I
didn’t see you…”

His voice faded and I finally looked up at him and nearly threw up on
his shoes.

“Skylar.”

Of course, it was Robert fucking Jenkins. Just my luck when I was

trying to forget him, he appeared.

The way he said my name made me want to scream. And cry. And
push him into the bathroom and screw his brains out.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded as if he were doing something

wrong.

Robert pushed his glasses up his nose. Ugh, why did he have to be so

adorable?

“I was working late and decided to stop in to get a drink. I didn’t know
you were here.”

“Oh, you were ‘working late’ huh?” I drunkenly made quote marks
with my fingers. I sounded sloppy. I’d be embarrassed when I remembered
this in the morning.
 Robert’s brows drew together. “Yes, I was working late. No air quotes
required.”

“Sorry, didn’t know if that was a euphemism for something.” I rolled

my eyes when really I just wanted to cry.

“You’re wasted,” he observed shortly.

I attempted to put my hand on my hip and missed, so I crossed my

arms over my chest instead. “What of it? You got something to say about it?”
I was being belligerent and nasty. I wanted to shut up, but I couldn’t. I was
hurting. And the source of all that pain was standing less than two feet in
front of me looking gorgeous and I wanted to lick his face.

He sighed. “I don’t want to fight with you. Especially when you’re like
this. Can I walk you back to your table?”

“I can make it back just fine. I don’t need some big, fat liar to help me

with anything.”

Stop it, Skylar!

Robert looked as if I had slapped him. “I’m sorry, I’ll get out of your
way.”

“You do that really well, don’t you?” I shouted at his retreating back.
 He paused and turned back around. “What the hell does that mean?”

“You’ve been awfully quiet this past week,” I huffed. “Seems you
couldn’t wait to get away from me.” I was being ridiculous. I knew I was
being ridiculous. Why couldn’t I stop?

“Skylar, I’ve been trying to give you space. My god, you have no idea

how many times I’ve picked up the phone to call you. To text you. I’ve had
to stop myself from driving out to your house a dozen times a day.” He ran a
hand through his disheveled hair. “I’m a fucking mess. Can’t you see that?”

My throat was so tight I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to run to him, tell

him I was being a prideful moron. That I needed him so badly I could hardly
stand it.

But I didn’t.

“I’m doing what I thought you wanted me to do. But if I was wrong,

please tell me.” His eyes met mine. “Please, Sky. Tell me I’m wrong.” He
was pleading with me. Begging me to let him back in.

But my mouth wouldn’t move. And when I didn’t say anything,

something in his face crumpled. He dropped his head. “I understand.” Then
he turned and walked straight for the door, not stopping to say anything to
our mutual friends still drinking nearby.
 I was done. All of my drunken bravadoes dissipated like a popped soap
bubble. I stumbled back out to the bar and grabbed Meg’s arm. She looked up

at me in alarm when she saw my face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, getting to her feet.

“I just saw him.” I was having a hard time keeping it together. I didn’t

have to explain who he was.

“Oh no. Where is he?” Meg looked around the bar.

“He left. Meg, it was awful,” I cried, covering my face with my hands.
“I need to get out of here. I can’t be here anymore.”

Web and Whitney, realizing I was upset, immediately gathered around

me.

“What’s wrong, Murphy? Tell me,” Web demanded.

Meg wrapped an arm around me. “I’m going to get her out of her. Tell
Lena and the girls Sky isn’t feeling well.”

Whitney’s face was pinched with concern. “I can drive you guys. I
haven’t been drinking.”

Meg shook her head. “That’s okay. It’s not far and I think Skylar could
use the fresh air.”
 “Yeah,” I agreed. It was all I could get out.

“Let’s go back to my place. Tyler will be in bed. We can eat brownies

and watch a bunch of episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. How does that
sound?” Meg was trying so hard. I didn’t want to tell her that all I wanted to
do was to crawl into bed and sleep the next few months away. I wanted to
wake up when I didn’t hurt so much.

Instead, I nodded. “Sounds good.”

So, I let my best friend take care of me while my heart shattered to

pieces.
 Chapter Sixteen

Robert

Life sucked.

I was miserable.

I wanted to hit something really badly and I wasn’t a violent kind of

guy. But that was before Skylar Murphy had blown my whole world apart.

And I only had myself to blame for how things turned out.

I berated myself constantly for keeping such a huge thing from her.
How in the end I let Tiffany win. But I couldn’t blame this on her. This was
all on me.

It had been two weeks since Skylar had kicked me out of her house.
Two, long, hellish weeks. I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t get my head around
work. All I wanted to do was see Skylar. Be with Skylar. Losing her had
ruined me.

I knew Adam and Jeremy were worried about me. They talked in
hushed whispers that quickly stopped once I entered a room. I knew when I
was the source of conversation. But I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything
except how much pain I was feeling.

But after I had been given a warning by Judge Rinder for questioning
his ruling in a deposition, they must have decided to intercede.

“Grab your coat, we’re getting out of here,” Adam announced, coming
into my office. I hadn’t really been doing anything but staring at my laptop

screen for the past hour. My phone had been ringing but I hadn’t answered it.
It wasn’t Skylar, so I didn’t really care who it was.

“I have work to do,” I responded dismissively, not even bothering to

look at him.

“You haven’t done any actual work in weeks. Decate and I are picking
up all your slack. So, get your ass in gear and follow up now,” Jeremy piped
up.

I glared at him. “Oh, so now you’re worried about me not keeping up

my end of things? Where was this amazing work ethic for all those years
Adam and I carried your ass?”

“Okay, okay, enough of this. Jeremy, we talked about this, stop being
so fucking combative.” Adam stepped in front of Jeremy and gave us both a
stern look.

Jeremy sighed. “Sorry, man. We’re just worried about you.”

 “Well, you don’t need to be. I’m fine.” I turned back to my laptop. “If
you don’t mind, I’d better do some actual work since it seems my time is

being accounted for.”

My laptop lid slammed shut and I looked up at Adam, ready to deck

him. “What. The. Actual. Fuck?”

“Get on your feet, Jenkins. We’re taking a little drive.”

I was tempted to argue again, but then the fight left me. Feeling
slightly defeated, I stood up and followed my partners out of the building.
Adam locked the door and told the receptionist we wouldn’t be back today.

“I have three client calls this afternoon,” I argued.

“Yeah, they’ve been rescheduled,” Jeremy said, pressing the button on

his key fob to unlock the door of his car. “Get in.”

Adam climbed in the back and I got in the passenger seat.

“So where are we going?” I asked with little interest. I knew I was
moping. I was probably being really annoying, but I couldn’t summon the
energy to care.

Jeremy produced a joint from his shirt pocket. “First we’re going to
smoke this. Then we’re going to play a round of golf and while we’re playing
golf, you’re going to tell Adam and me what in the hell happened with you
and Skylar.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“We know it has something to do with Tiffany Hardwell,” Adam added

from the backseat.

I turned in my seat. “What the hell do you know?”

Adam held his hands up in surrender. “Not much, man, only what Sky
told Meg. That you used to date Tiffany Hardwell and you were being
secretive about stuff. Sky’s a tough nut to crack and she has a very black and
white approach to life. I know for a fact there’s more to this story than Meg’s
been told, and I also know there are two sides. Jer and I want to hear yours.”

“I can’t—”

“We’re not just partners, Jenkins, we’re friends. Good friends. You can
trust us. We’re here for you. Plus, it’s really weird having you slink around
the office looking like someone has died. It’s depressing,” Jeremy said,
handing me the joint. “There’s a lighter in the glove box.”

“I think we’re going to need a lot more than one joint,” I muttered,
flicking the lighter and sucking in a lungful of smoke.
 “Then it’s good I have three of these suckers,” Jeremy grinned as I
coughed so hard my eyes watered.

By the time we reached the country club where we usually played golf,
we were all high as hell. I was feeling floaty and a lot better than I had in two
weeks. That floaty feeling also made it easier to say things I otherwise
wouldn’t share.

“I’ve been keeping stuff from everyone,” I admitted once we were on

the links. Adam was teeing up while Jeremy and I watched. We were
practically the only ones on the course, which gave us a sense of privacy.

“Come on now, what you could possibly be keeping from us?” Jeremy
scoffed.

“I’ve never told you guys how I made all that money to pay for my
brother’s residential facility,” I started.

Adam hit the golf ball and we watched it arc nicely and land on the
green. Jeremy was up next. “Honestly, I’ve never really thought about it.” He
tugged on his glove.

“When we were in law school I worked part-time as an exotic dancer at

The Landing Strip.”

Jeremy’s shot went wide, and he turned around, his eyes bugging out
of his head. “You what?”

“That’s the strip club right?” Adam asked, a little slow to the party.

“Yep, that’s the place,” I told him.

“And you’re saying you worked there? As a dancer?” Adam went on.

“Jesus Christ, Decate, yes that’s what he’s saying,” Jeremy snapped. “I

have to say that is not what I expected you to say.”

“Yeah, well that’s not all of it. That’s where I met Tiffany and then I
went to work for her.” I took a deep breath. Here it goes. “As an escort.”

Adam started coughing and Jeremy had to pound him on the back with
his fist.

“You were an escort? As in you were paid to go out with women?”

Adam really was having a hard time with this.

“Wait, so did you…?” Jeremy made a gesture to simulate sex.

“Yes, Wyatt, I was paid to have sex with women.”

Both of them stared at me for a long time, clearly processing what I

had just told them.

Jeremy was the first one to speak. “Well, more power to ya, man. I
mean, you’re about the last dude I expected to work as a paid escort, but you
do have a kickin’ bod.”

“I can’t imagine Sky getting pissed about something you did in your
past. That’s not her style,” Adam interjected.

“It wasn’t that she got pissed about. It’s because I was still working. I

um, well, I had a website up until a couple of weeks ago. I was still stripping
for cash. And Tiffany told Skylar about it. She was upset because I never told
her. She doesn’t like secrets. She made that clear from the beginning, yet I
still kept such a huge thing from her.” I wasn’t sure how they were going to
take that. I had been keeping my double life a secret for so long out of fear of
people’s reactions. It seemed I had greatly underestimated my friends.

Jeremy let out a whoop. “I knew you weren’t as boring as you let on.
You’re like a sexy Clark Kent, Jenkins. Lawyer by day, naughty sex toy at

night. I love it.”

“Secrets are definitely a deal-breaker for Sky,” Adam said

thoughtfully. “Have you tried talking to her since all this came out?”

I teed up and smacked the golf ball, sending it into the sandpit. The
three of us walked to our balls. “No. I figured she’d want space. She threw
me out of her house.”
 We waited for Jeremy to find his ball in the trees. “That’s your first
mistake, Rob. You never give them space. Well maybe at first, but if you care

about her, then you fight for her. Don’t let this slip away so easily,” Adam
advised.

“But what am I supposed to do? She made her feelings about me pretty
damn clear.” Despite my hesitance, Adam’s words were starting to light a fire

inside me.

“You buy her flowers, you leave her mushy letters, you let her know
you’re willing to do whatever it takes to win her back. It doesn’t have to be
grand gestures, the little stuff matters just as much,” Jeremy chimed in,
surprising me with his rationale.

“Wyatt’s right. And if your mood and general shittiness these past two
weeks are anything to go by, you need to let Skylar know how you feel.

She’ll fight you, probably pretty hard if I know Murphy, but I also know that
under all that gruffness is a gooey heart. That dickwad Mac really messed
with her trust, so she’s going to be jumpy about that,” Adam explained. “But
if I know my friend, she’ll see reason. And she knows you’re not like Mac.”

“What if she rejects me again?” I had to ask, giving voice to my worst

fear.
 “Then she rejects you, but at least you will know that you tried your
hardest,” Jeremy shrugged. “I don’t expect a friend of mine to give up like a

little bitch though.” He whacked his ball and it landed closer to the green this
time. “Can we stop talking about all this lovey-dovey shit and focus on the
game? My buzz is wearing off too, tell me you brought the joint with you.”

I pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to him.

Adam and I shared a look and then we all continued our game.

**

I drove out to Skylar’s house, ready to put the plan “fight for the
woman I love” into action. It helped that I was still a little buzzed from the

afternoon of weed and golf.

I didn’t pay attention to the fact that her car wasn’t in the driveway
when I arrived. I was too focused on what I was going to say, which went
something like “please take me back. I’m a shell without you,” or some other
kind of romantic nonsense that I felt, nonetheless.

I knocked on the door and waited.

 I realized Edgar wasn’t barking.

I cupped my hands around my eyes and peered through the wavy glass
around the door.

“Can I help you?”

I whipped around to see old Mr. Sheehan standing at the base of the

porch stairs holding Edgar’s leash. Edgar’s tail was wagging like crazy,
clearly happy to see me.

“I’m looking for Skylar,” I said, feeling like a creep looking through
her window like that.

Mr. Sheehan frowned. “You’re that fella that used to come over all the
time. Haven’t seen you in a few weeks.”

“Yeah, that’s me.” I looked behind me at the empty house. “You don’t

have any idea when she’ll be back do you?”

Edgar was tugging on his leash, trying to get to me. “Seems our friend
here is wanting to see you.” Mr. Sheehan unhooked the leash from Edgar’s
collar and the dog came bounding over, hopping at my feet. I went down on
my haunches and scratched him behind his ears in the way I knew he liked. I
knew Mr. Sheehan was watching me closely.
 “I’ve missed you too, boy,” I cooed softly to Edgar.

“I believe dogs are a good judge of character,” Mr. Sheehan said after a
beat. “So, I don’t mind telling you that Skylar dropped Edgar down at my
place a couple of hours ago. Asked me to look after him because she didn’t
know how long she’d be. She’s over at her parents’ place. Seems they’re
having another one of their ruckuses.”

“Oh. Okay. Thank you for letting me know. I think I’ll just hang out
here until she gets back, so I can take Edgar off your hands if you’d like,” I
offered, sitting down on the porch steps. Edgar flopped down beside me,
resting his head on my knee.

Mr. Sheehan smiled a little. He had one of those weathered, cracked

faces that looked as if it would shatter into pieces if he grinned. “He looks
pretty comfortable there with you.” He scratched his arm seeming

contemplative. “She’s a good girl, our Skylar.”

“She is,” I agreed, not knowing where this was going.

“I’ve known her since she was this big.” He held out his hand to knee
height. “She was always a terror on the diamond. The best little slugger I had
ever seen in all my years of coaching little league.” He stopped, seeming to
think about his words before he said them. “She’s been dealt a tough hand
with those parents of hers. Being the only kid too, she’s had to bear the brunt
of their shit for years. That kind of upbringing makes you a bit hard on the

outside if you know what I’m saying.”

Was Mr. Sheehan giving me advice? If so, I’d take it. “Yeah, I’ve
figured that out. I know it’s hard for her to forgive if she thinks her trust has
been broken.” I didn’t want to come out and spill my guts to this stranger, but

I also felt compelled to share a little with this man who knew Skylar since she
was a kid and seemed to care about her a lot.

Mr. Sheehan nodded. “I don’t blame her. Watching her mama walk in
and out as she did over the years will make trusting hard for her. And she’s
still dealing with their crap all these years later.” He rubbed the back of his
neck. “You seem like a nice guy. And Edgar likes you, so I hope to see you
sticking around.”

I didn’t know what to say. But I appreciated the sentiment. “Thanks,

Mr. Sheehan. I hope to as well.”

He slapped his thighs with his hands. “Well then, I’m off. As long as
you’re okay to look after the monster here.” He leaned down and rubbed
Edgar’s head. “But if it gets too late and she’s not back, bring him back down
to my place.” He pointed to the end of the road. “I live just over there behind
the trees. Can’t miss it.”
 “Sure thing, Mr. Sheehan. But I plan to wait here as long as it takes. I
don’t think Edgar will mind.” The giant dog had already gone and curled up

in a bed Skylar kept for him on the porch. He was snoring loudly.

Mr. Sheehan handed me Edgar’s leash. “Good luck, young man.”

“Thanks. I think I’ll need it,” I called back as the older man walked

back down the road.

I looked back at Edgar who seemed relaxed, and content and I wished I
felt even a fraction of his ease. I settled against the porch column and pulled
out my phone, prepared to wait as long as I needed to until Skylar came back.

I was preparing to fight for her. And I wouldn’t walk away this time.
 Chapter Seventeen

Skylar

“You need to come over here now!” my mother screeched into the
phone. I was in the middle of an important project that I had been struggling

to focus on for weeks. I had a deadline looming and I didn’t have time to deal
with my mother’s drama.

“I can’t, Mom. I’m in the middle of work,” I told her.

“If you don’t, I will leave him. I swear to god it will be for good this
time. I can’t take this man’s nonsense anymore,” she shouted.

I sighed. It was just another round on the rollercoaster that was my

parents’ relationship. I wasn’t emotionally strong enough to handle whatever

crap they were dishing out. I was sure it was over something minor like my
dad eating the last bagel or leaving his socks on the floor instead of putting
them in the hamper. My mother could get pissed over any tiny thing.

“Can’t you two sort this out yourselves? Last time I checked you’re
adults. You don’t need your daughter to play mediator—”

“This is different this time, Skylar. If you don’t get over her right now I
don’t know what I’ll do,” she warned, her voice wobbly.

Knowing she’d keep calling and calling until I eventually gave in I

figured I’d bite the bullet and deal with their latest saga as quickly as I could.

“Fine, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” I said.

“Good,” was all my mom said before she hung up the phone.

I rubbed my temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache. I looked

over at Edgar who had lifted his head sleepily. I got up and he stood too,
knowing that something was about to happen. “Let’s see if Mr. Sheehan can
watch after you. Because lord knows how long I’ll be.” I grabbed my phone
and Edgar’s leash and headed to my car.

Mr. Sheehan was fine to keep Edgar, as I knew he would. At this point,
Edgar was as much his dog as mine. Then I headed to my parents’ house. I
could hear my mother’s shouting as soon as I got out of the car. I looked

around, hoping no neighbors were outside to hear her. If she kept this up, the
police would be called—again.

I hurried up to the door and opened it, preparing myself. The house
was in chaos. My mother had thrown what looked like my dad’s entire
wardrobe down the stairs where it landed in a heap just inside the front door.

“What the hell?” I muttered, kicking my dad’s boxers and socks out of
the way. It wasn’t hard to figure out where my mom was. I just had to follow

the sound of her yelling. I looked around and saw no sign of my dad.

I walked into the kitchen where my mom was smashing dishes on the
floor. “He keeps doing this to me! I don’t have to take it!” she shrieked,
picking up a bowl and preparing to fling it across the room.

I hurried over to her and grabbed her wrist before she could throw the
dish. “Stop it, Mom, or you’ll have no dishes left.” I wrenched the bowl from
her hand and carefully placed it back in the cabinet. I looked around at all the
destruction. “You want to tell me what’s going on? And where’s Dad?”

At the mention of my father my mother’s face turned a mottled shade

of red. “He left and he’d better never come back! I’ve had it, Skylar. He’s not
welcome here anymore!”

I took both of her hands and walked her to the kitchen table, helping

her sit down in the chair. Then I went to make her a cup of coffee, hoping it
would help her settle down. Only one mug remained that my mother hadn’t
smashed in her pique. This was probably the tenth set of dishes she had gone
through in the past ten years. They were always the first casualties of her
anger. I was pretty sure she liked the drama of smashing them.

I made her an instant coffee and put the steaming mug in front of her. I
had to brush glass shards from the seat before sitting down beside her. “What
did Dad do this time?

Mom lifted her coffee and took a sip. “Thank you, sweety,” she
murmured. “You’re the only one I can count on in this shitty world.”

I had to force myself not to roll my eyes. “Mom, focus. What did Dad

do?”

“Did you know he used to date Lisa Mackenzie?” Mom’s voice rose.
“Lisa Mackenzie!”

“Who is Lisa Mackenzie?” I asked.

Mom’s eyes practically bugged out of his head. “Lisa Mackenzie was
the biggest slut in high school. And your father dated her. When we were first
together! Can you believe that? And he never told me about it!” She was
getting herself worked up again.

“Mom, that’s in the past, why would you care if he dated some girl
when he was in high school—?”

“He cheated on me!” she shouted.

“Shh, Mom, no need to yell, I’m right here.” I patted her hand. “Okay,
so he cheated on you. When you were teenagers. What does that have to do
with your relationship now? You’ve been married for over thirty years. What
he did when he was a kid hardly seems to matter,” I reasoned.

“He was talking to her just a few weeks ago. He ran into her in the
grocery store. They were laughing and having a grand ol’ time. When I came
over from picking out the ham for dinner, Lisa dared to hug him! Right in
front of me!” She was shaking by this point.

“Mom, so what? What does that have to do with anything?”

“He kept it from me, Skylar! How can he keep something like that a
secret? It makes him a goddamn liar!” She slammed her hands on the table,
making her mug rattle.

Something about her words gave me pause.

“We’re done. I can’t forgive him for this,” she concluded, seeming to
calm down slightly.

“You can’t forgive him for not telling you about some girl he used to
go out with?” I asked slowly.

“Once trust is broken, that’s it, Skylar. I hope you learn something
from all this. If a man keeps things from you, get rid of him. Don’t waste
your time.”
 “Even though you love Dad and he never meant to hurt you by not
telling you?” Was I talking to my mom or myself?

Her reaction felt all too familiar. Perhaps I wasn’t as dramatic and over
the top, but our stubborn refusal to see another side to things was entirely too
similar.

“Love only gets you so far. And I’ve had it. I want you to put your
dad’s clothes in trash bags and leave them on the porch. He can come and get
them later.” Mom continued drinking her coffee as if we were talking about
mundane things like the weather.

I sat there unmoving. Was I just like my mother? No. I wasn’t. I had
gone to great length to distance myself from the walking tornado that was my
mother and father. The reality was the way they went about their relationship
had hugely impacted the way I went about mine. But our behaviors were

equally destructive. My relationship with Mac was a case in point. I had

turned the other way for months as he spent our money on camgirls. I hadn’t
wanted the emotional display I was used to witnessing from my parents so I
had gone in the opposite direction and had pretended everything was peachy.

When it blew up in my face I had been almost relieved that I could

simply collect my things, take Morla, and get the hell out of there. There was
no fraught exchange with smashed dishes and name-calling. I simply left.
 But with Robert, things were more complicated. And it was in my
dealings with him that I saw more of my mother and father than I cared to

admit. I had been so quick to shut him down when the truth about his past
came to light.

Yes, he had kept some serious stuff from me. But did I blame him for
that? I had essentially shamed him for his choices. I didn’t like the idea of

him dancing for other women. It made me sick to my stomach. But I had
checked the website and he had been truthful when he said he shut it down.

He had done that for me. He had been trying to make it right.

And I kicked him out of my house and my life.

“I’ll never forgive him, Skylar,” Mom repeated, her hand gripping the
coffee mug hard enough to break.

“You’re being stupid, Mom,” I said, surprising both of us. I didn’t

usually stand up to my parents. I usually kept my mouth shut and made a

quick escape.

“Excuse me?” she gasped. “Don’t talk to your mother that way.”

“You and Dad should have gotten a divorce a long time ago. Your
relationship is toxic but not because Dad lied to you about some silly high
school relationship he had a million years ago. All you do is fight and make
each other feel like crap. So end it. Or don’t. Whatever. But I’m done

standing around watching it.”

I got to my feet and headed for the door.

“Where are you going, Skylar? I need your help with all this,” Mom
called out, indicating the piles of clothes on the floor.

I stopped and turned to face her. “You need to learn forgiveness, Mom.
You have to figure out how to share your life with people in a healthy way.
You’ve messed me up big time and you don’t even realize it.”

“What are you talking about? You’re just fine.” Mom put her hands on
her hips.

“I’m not fine, Mom. I’m terrified of opening myself to a man I truly
love for fear of being hurt. After a lifetime of watching you and Dad yo-yo
between breaking up and getting back together, I didn’t know what it was

like to have a functional relationship. And when I found a man who would
literally do anything in the world for me I ended it the first time I heard
something I didn’t like. I wouldn’t hear him out. I wouldn't give him a
chance. All because I was scared to death of ending up like you.” It was my
turn to raise my voice and I could tell my mother didn’t know what to do.

“That’s ridiculous—” she started to say but I cut her off.

 “Is it? Are you going to stand here and tell me that you and Dad have
been the picture of a healthy marriage?” I threw back at her.

When she didn’t say anything, I sighed. “I love you, Mom, but I can’t
be around this anymore. You and Dad figure it out on your own. Leave me
out of it.” I opened the door to see Dad standing there looking sheepish.

“Skylar, what are you doing here? I hope you’re not leaving. We could
really use your sage advice,” Dad said, looking over my shoulder to where
Mom was standing.

“This is all up to you guys this time. Good luck.” I squeezed past my
dad and headed for my car.

It was time for me to forge a different path for myself. And I knew
what I had to do.

**

It was well past dark when I pulled into my driveway. I had debated
calling Rob on my way home. I was desperate to talk to him. But I also
needed to get back and tend to Edgar. I needed to get my thoughts in order

before I spoke with him.

Because I had some groveling to do.

I was so deep into my thoughts that I didn’t notice the car parked to the
side of my driveway. I was shocked though when Edgar jumped off the porch

and ran to me.

“Edgar, what in the world are you doing out here?” I looked around for
Mr. Sheehan, knowing he would never leave my dog out here by himself.

“He’s been hanging out with me,” a voice said, coming from the dark
shadows of the porch. Robert stood up and came down the steps toward me.

“Rob,” I breathed his name a whisper in my mouth.

“Hey,” he said softly, his hair falling into his eyes. “Everything okay

with your parents?”

I frowned. “How did you know—?”

“Mr. Sheehan mentioned your mom had called and that’s why you
dropped Edgar off,” he explained.

“So how did you end up with my dog?” I asked in confusion.

“He was walking Edgar when I showed up and knocked on your door.
He told me then that you had gone over there. I offered to watch the big guy
since I planned to stick around until you got home.” He held out his hand.

“So here we are.”

“How long have you been out here? It’s cold.”

Robert checked his phone. “I don’t know, three hours I guess.”

My mouth dropped open. “You’ve been sitting on my porch for three

hours waiting for me to come home? I’m not sure if I should be flattered or
slightly freaked out.”

Robert gave me a half-smile. “Maybe both? I didn’t think it through

very clearly.” He rubbed his hands together. “Can we go inside and talk? I
think the tip of my nose has gone numb.”

“Of course,” I exclaimed, hurrying to the front door. I opened the door
and my dog burst past me, heading straight for his food bowl in the kitchen. I

could hear him crunching happily from the hallway.

Robert closed the door behind him. We stood awkwardly, not entirely
sure what to say. With embarrassment, I remembered what I had said the last
time I saw him. I wanted to talk to him. To lay some things out on the table. I
hadn’t expected to do it tonight, so I was feeling off balance and floundering.

“Are your parents okay?” he asked again.

 I shrugged. “They’re being their usual dramatic selves. But I made it
clear this time they needed to start leaving me out of it. Their toxicity has

colored too much of my life. I need to stop letting their relationship dictate
mine.”

Robert’s eyes met mine. “Sounds like you’ve made some important
decisions tonight.”

“I have. I think it’s time I stop being so black and white. People are
allowed to screw up. They’re allowed to make mistakes. I can’t expect
perfection from those I love. I have to be willing to forgive. I’ve been really
bad at that in the past.” My heart started to hammer in my chest. I felt as if I
were on the precipice of something great but I was scared I’d fall off and
break like my mother’s dishes.

“It sounds like we’ve both made a lot of mistakes,” Robert said.

“We have. I think we’ve made a complete mess of something pretty

damn wonderful,” I agreed.

“Do you think we can work together on cleaning it up?” he asked

hesitantly.

I considered his words. I knew I wanted to forgive him, but I had to be

straight with him too. It was the only way this would work. “You lied to me. I
know why you didn’t say anything about your website. It’s not exactly
something you bring up on a first date, but you still should have told me once

we started to get serious.”

Robert hung his head. “I’ve never felt shame for the work I did until I
hurt you. Then I felt the worst guilt I had ever experienced in my life. I don’t
want secrets between us. I don’t want you to ever feel I’ll keep things from

you. And I won’t again. I promise. I just hope you give me the chance to
prove to you I’m trustworthy.”

He was practically self-flagellating. I didn’t want him to take all the

blame for this. It wasn’t fair.

“I hate that I made you feel shame for what you were doing. That
wasn’t my intention. I need you to know I don’t judge you for it, for what
Tiffany made you do. For stripping. For the website. Sure, I don’t like

knowing so many women have seen what I feel belongs to me.” I gave him a
self-conscious smile.

Robert’s eyes brightened. “Are you saying I’m yours?”

I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. I didn’t do well with emoting

and telling someone how I was feeling. But for Robert, I’d try. Because I
knew, deep in my bones, that what we had was special. It was a once-in-a-
lifetime special. And I wasn’t prepared to lose it again.

“And I’m yours. If you want me,” I said shyly, looking up at him
through my lashes.

His face lit up and he reached for me as if he couldn’t bear not to be

touching me a moment longer. “Do I want you? My god, Sky, you’re all I

could ever want. I’ve felt half-dead these past few weeks. I’m no good
without you.”

“Me too,” I murmured, and his mouth crushed against mine in a frantic
burst of lips and teeth. He kissed me as if he were holding on for dear life,
frightened that I’d slip away again.

“I love you, Skylar. I love you. I love you,” he chanted against my lips,
holding me tight.

I pulled away, breathless and overjoyed. I reached up and cupped his

cheek. “I’m sorry for those horrible things I said to you at Sweet Lila’s. I was
drunk, but that’s not an excuse.”

“You were hurting. I get that.” Robert kissed me again.

“When I went to my parents’ tonight my mother was so angry at my

dad. All because he never told her about some girl he dated in high school.
And while what you kept from me was a bit more serious than some silly
high school romance, it doesn’t change that I was being equally stubborn.

And when I heard her say such horrible things about my dad, I saw myself in

her and that was a horrific realization.” I buried my face into his chest. “I
don’t want to be my mother, Robert.”

He lifted my face and wiped tears from my cheeks that I hadn’t

realized were there. “You’re not your mother, Sky. You’re an amazing,

beautiful, intelligent woman with the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever
known. If you can forgive this messed up guy in front of you, I think that
proves you’re nothing like her.”

And then he was kissing me again. And then we talked some more. I
told him I loved him, and he reciprocated the feelings completely. We moved
into the living room, sitting close on the couch, wrapped around each other,
never wanting to let go. Naturally, things began to heat up. Robert’s kisses
became more frantic. My hands became more demanding.

But in the back of my mind, his earlier words were nagging at me. I
had made him feel shame for who he was. That didn’t sit right with me. I
didn’t want him to think I didn’t accept all parts of him. That he had nothing
to feel ashamed of.

Just as Robert went to take my shirt off, I stopped him, covering his
hand with mine. “Wait.”
 Robert sat back, looking worried again. “What is it? Have I done
something wrong?”

I hated that he immediately thought the problem was with him.

“No, not at all. But I was thinking…” I bit down on my bottom lip and
gave him what I hoped was a sultry look. “I’d like you to dance for me.”

Robert seemed confused. “You want me to dance for you?”

I nodded. “Pretend I’ve just paid you a lot of money. What kind of
show would you give me?”

Robert’s face contorted in pain. “I don’t want you to look at me like

that, Skylar. Like a cheap whore—”

“I don’t look at you like that!” I exclaimed, grabbing his face, and
kissing him on the mouth. “Robert, I love you. So much. I just want you to

feel comfortable sharing all sides of your life with me. Even this. I know you
shut down the website, but that just means I get to be your sole audience.” I
grinned, running a hand down his chest. “I want you to dance for me, Robert.
Because all of this—” I cupped him through his trousers, and he closed his
eyes on a groan. “This is all mine.”

“How can I ever say no to that?” He kissed me then got to his feet. He
grabbed his phone and a few seconds later the pulsing beat of dance music
came from the small speaker. He put the phone down on the coffee table,

pushing it back, giving himself room. “You’re sure about this?” he asked,

clearly needing my validation.

“Oh yeah. I’m so ready,” I cooed, leaning back on my couch, already

feeling hot and bothered and he hadn’t even started yet.

Robert slowly started moving to the music. Slow, undulating

movements that I followed with my eyes. I thought it would be slightly
awkward having him dance for me, but it wasn’t. It was the hottest thing I
had ever experienced.

With practiced fingers, he unbuttoned his shirt. Achingly slow, he took

it off until he was dancing in only his trousers. I took the time to appreciate
the sight of him. His sculpted body was the stuff of every woman’s fantasy.
He was perfect. And he was mine.

He came over and dropped down to his knees, sliding along my lap,
pressing himself against me. He gave me a sexy grin as he turned around and
ground his ass against my crotch. I felt myself getting wet and I went to touch
him. He pinned my hands to the couch. “If you want to do this the right way,
you can’t touch,” he scolded with a laugh.

“Fine,” I pouted. He kissed my nose and danced back to the center of

the room.

Next, he removed his pants, sliding them down his thighs seductively. I
was positively on fire just by watching him. He was good at this. Really
good. He danced for the rest of the song in only his boxer briefs, shaking his
ass and thrusting his hips in time with the music. Then the tempo changed to
something slower, more erotic. Staring me straight in the eyes, he began to

take down his boxers.

I swallowed, my tongue thick.

Once he was naked he undulated to the music and I couldn’t take my

eyes off him. He was beautiful. Like a Greek god. All muscle and sinew. My
fingers ached to touch him, but I did as I was told.

Then, all while looking at me, he grabbed his cock and started stroking
it. Up and down.

“Touch yourself,” he rasped as he began to pump more rapidly.

I unbuttoned my jeans and reached into my underwear, finding myself

drenched. “I want you to fuck yourself with your fingers, Sky. I want to
watch you come,” Robert groaned, fisting his cock.

We stared at each other, moaning in unison as we masturbated. It was

the single most erotic experience of my life. And when I came, he did too.
 “Jesus,” I sighed, my legs jelly.

Robert cleaned himself up and joined me on the couch, pulling me into

his arms. “Did you like it?” he asked, sounding unsure.

I turned in his arms and kissed him. “Fucking hell, it was incredible.”

I felt Robert relax and then he began to kiss me again. “Shall we go to

the bedroom?” he asked against my mouth.

“Absolutely.”

“I love you, Skylar. Thank you for accepting me,” Robert said, his eyes
suddenly full.

“You don’t have to thank me. I love you, Rob. I love every part of you.
I’m only sorry you ever doubted that.”

Robert lifted me into his arms and carried me to my bedroom where he

laid me down and worshiped my body all night long.

And as we drifted off to sleep I knew that he was mine forever.

Doubt would never shadow my heart again.

 Epilogue

Skylar

One year later

“We’re going to be late,” I shouted into the bathroom.

“I’m almost ready.” Robert peeked his head around the shower curtain
and gave me a saucy grin. “Unless you want to join me, then we might be a
little late.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

I walked over to him and kissed him. He made as if to pull me into the
shower and I squealed, escaping his grasp. “Don’t you dare, Jenkins.” I
wagged my finger in his direction. “Seriously though, Meg will have a fit if

we’re late to Clara’s christening.”

“You’re the one who kept me naked all morning,” Rob reminded me.
My belly grew warm at the memory of how we spent hours in our bed, not
coming up for air.

Even after a year together I still couldn’t get enough of him. I

wondered if I’d always have this desperate desire to be with him all the time.
I looked down at the gorgeous diamond ring on my left hand and knew,

without a doubt, I would. I expected to feel these butterflies for the rest of my

life.

Once Robert was out of the shower and dressed, we loaded Edgar up in
the back of the car so we could drop him off at Mr. Sheehan’s.

“You look gorgeous,” Robert murmured as he pulled me close, kissing

me deeply.

“You look pretty awesome yourself,” I replied, smacking him on the

butt as he went around to the driver’s side. My best friend had given birth
two months ago to her and Adam’s second child. Today was baby Clara’s
christening and all of our friends would be there. I hadn’t told any of them
that Robert had proposed, mostly because he had only asked last night. But I
knew the massive rock on my hand would give it away.

We pulled up in front of Mr. Sheehan’s house. He came out to greet us,

opening his arms to my dog. “Howdy neighbors!” he called out.

“Hey there, Charles,” Robert said. He and Mr. Sheehan had gotten
quite friendly since Robert had moved in six months ago. He had taken to
calling the older man by his given name. I couldn’t do it. He’d always be Mr.
Sheehan to me.
 A few minutes later we were on our way to the church in town. “Do
you think we should have an engagement party?” I asked.

“You know our friends love any excuse to have a party. I say, why
not,” Robert exclaimed with a smile. He grinned a lot these days. “Mom’s
looking forward to seeing the ring for herself this weekend. She’s only seen it
in pictures,” he went on.

“I can’t wait to see her and Sam. I think we should have both of them
down for Christmas this year instead of going to them,” I suggested. “Jill too
if she’s comfortable with it.”

Sam was still with his girlfriend, but she continued to be very shy,
though she was warming up slowly.

Robert took my hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing my knuckles.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” He turned down a street and drove slowly

past his old house. The ‘For Sale’ sign had been replaced with one that read
‘Sold.’

We knew almost immediately after we got back together that we

wanted to move in together, but there was the question of whose house. We
continued to keep our own places for the first six months when it got to a
point that we couldn’t stand it any longer.
 Robert was the one who insisted he sell his and we stay in my house.

“But yours is bigger,” I said, though inwardly I was overjoyed. I loved

my house. I had put so much love into it that the thought of selling was
painful.

“Sure, it’s bigger, but it’s just a house to me. Your house is special to

you. It means something. And I love it. It’s perfect for us. And for Edgar,”
Robert reasoned.

“Only if you’re sure.”

“I’m completely sure. I’ll make a tidy profit now that the house prices
have gone up so much in town,” Robert went on.

He was right. Property in Southport had shot up with the opening of the
new shops and restaurants in the development Tiffany Hardwell used to own.
She had to sell it to settle her massive tax bill to the government once her

shady dealings finally came out. She had avoided jail time but instead had to
sell off most of her properties, including the Carmichael house in Southport.

I had been worried that now that Robert couldn’t dangle her tax
evasion over her head, she’d share with the world what she knew about
Robert. Because even though he had come clean with Adam and Jeremy, he
still didn’t want everyone to know how he used to earn money.
 Robert hadn’t been concerned. “I don’t think we have to worry about
her. She’s got bigger fish to fry.”

It seemed he was right. We hadn’t heard a peep from her.

“Are you still okay going to Dad’s this weekend for dinner?” I asked
him as we pulled up out front of the church.

“Of course. Wouldn’t miss it,” Robert assured me. “We have plans to
watch the football game. I’m bringing my famous nachos.”

“You two are ridiculous.” I rolled my eyes but inwardly I was

delighted. My parents had finally separated, and their divorce was due to be
finalized in the next couple of months. My dad had moved into his own
apartment downtown and my mom had packed up and left town.

I received a text from her now and then but honestly, I didn’t miss her.
It felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. And Robert and my

dad got on like a house on fire.

Robert took my hand as we walked up to the church. He checked his

watch. “Look at that, right on time.”

“For Adam, this is late,” I reminded him.

We walked into the back of the church to find all of our friends already
there and seated. Adam and Meg were at the front with the priest, holding
baby Clara with Tyler hugging Adam’s leg. Whitney went and took the little

boy’s hand and led him back to the pew where she was sitting with Kyle and
Katie.

Jeremy and Lena were in the pew behind them with their two daughters
Daisy and Anya. Lena saw us as we came in and waved us over. We walked

down the aisle and slid into the pew next to them. Lena reached over and
hugged me. “You were dangerously close to being late. Adam has already
been asking where you two were,” Lena warned.

“It’s Skylar’s fault,” Robert teased, nudging me with his shoulder.

Jeremy gave us a wide smile. “I bet I know what you two were up to.”

Lena smacked his arm. “Not in front of the kids, Wyatt,” she hissed.

Her husband looked properly mollified. “Sorry, babe.” He kissed her

sweetly but then gave us another wolfish grin.

Robert shook his head.

“Oh my god!” Lena gasped, lifting my hand. “Jeremy, would you get a
load of that ring!” She held up my hand, tilting it this way and that in the
light, the diamond glinting madly.
 “So, you finally did it. You’ve been agonizing over it for months now.”
Jeremy patted Rob on the back.

“Well done, Jenkins. That’s a fine piece of jewelry,” Web commented,

turning around in his seat. “Congrats, you two.”

“This is wonderful news, Sky,” Whitney beamed, leaning back, and

hugging me.

“What’s going on? What are we missing?” Meg asked, appearing at the
end of the pew.

“Robert and Skylar are engaged!” Lena exclaimed, lifting my hand

even higher for Meg and Adam to see.

“Oh my god, Sky! That’s so wonderful!” Then she glared at me. “Why
didn’t you tell me?”

“I only just asked her last night, Meg. And we didn’t want to take away
from Clara’s big day,” Robert interjected.

“Oh, nonsense. This just makes the day even better!” Meg smiled.
“This makes me so happy.” She started to get teary, dabbing at her eyes.

“Sweetheart, don’t cry,” Adam soothed, hugging her tightly with one
arm while holding Clara in the other.
 Meg gave us all a watery smile. “I’m just so happy having you all
here.” She beamed at her friends and her and Adam’s parents who were in the

front row. “We’ve all come so far and look at us. All here together.”

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “Come here, Skylar
Murphy, I want to hug you.”

Grumbling, I got out of the pew and let my best friend embrace me.
Adam and Kyle soon joined us, the four of us huddled together with the way
we always had been. My best friends.

“Okay, we need to start this thing,” Adam said after a few minutes and
I noticed that even he was looking a little teary-eyed.

I sat back down beside Robert, who put his arm around me, holding me
close. “I love you,” he whispered against my temple as he kissed me.

I felt full and complete with the man I loved by my side and

surrounded by my friends, who were my family. I was a lucky woman to

have so much in my life.

As I watched my oldest and dearest friends stand at the front of the

church with their infant daughter, I knew that life would have its ups and
downs, but this connection—this love—was infinite.

“I love you too,” I whispered back to Robert. I looked down at the ring
on my finger and knew that this was only the beginning.

Because a story like ours was forever.

The End

Dear reader,

First of all, thank you so much for reading my books! It’s passionate
readers like you that allow me to live my dream and do the thing I love most
on earth, which is writing books and entertaining people!

Do you want more steamy Romance?

Then make sure to keep on reading! I’ve included a preview of my

novel “Say You’ll Stay”! ;-)
Preview: “Say You’ll Stay”

Get your copy here!

 Prologue

Meghan

Ten years ago

Young love was meant to be beautiful.

It was a stomach full of butterflies.

It was secret moments stolen between shy glances.

It was soft touches that led to passionate first kisses.

Falling in love was supposed to feel perfect.

Too bad I decided to fall in love with my best friend.

**

“Ugh, I hate dressing up,” I complained as my sister Whitney tied my

hair into a complicated updo. She gave the strands a yank, and I winced. “Are
you trying to make me bald,” I griped, my eyes watering.

Whitney rolled her eyes. “Stop whining; you’ll look beautiful.” She
tucked an intricate braid into the bun at the nape of my neck.

I blew out a noisy breath that was equal parts exasperation and anxiety.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror as Whitney carefully placed a dozen or

so bobby pins all over my head. I was wearing a knee-length sleeveless green
dress that flared slightly from the hip. The color complements my dark red
hair perfectly. It was a gorgeous chiffon material that made me feel
incredibly fancy. I loved the way it floated around my body. The bodice was
scalloped and embroidered with tiny beads. It showed just enough cleavage
without making me look slutty.

So even though I grumbled and huffed with irritation at all the

primping and styling, a part of me loved every girlie second of it. I loved
feeling pretty and desirable.

Particularly when I hoped to make a certain person finally see me as

something other than Meghan Galloway, softball captain, and all-around
tomboy.

Maybe, just maybe, this dress would do the trick.

 “All done,” Whitney announced, standing back with a satisfied
expression.

I stood up, shook out the skirt of my dress, and faced the new me in the
mirror.

And damn, she did not disappoint.

I put a hand on my hip and turned from side to side, taking in my

sister’s handiwork. Whitney was a whole eighteen months older than me and
going to the community college down the road. She hated school, but she
loved fashion and makeup. And every single feminine thing that I loathed and
detested.

Except this once.

Because I looked freaking awesome.

Dare I say, even attractive?

It wasn’t an adjective I usually ascribed to myself. Not that I thought I

was ugly. I wasn’t the kind of girl that moaned and cried about my weight or
my looks. My self-esteem was just fine; thank you very much. Mostly
because I took very little stock in what other people thought about me.

I never applied makeup. I typically wore my thick, red hair in a

ponytail. And my normal uniform consisted of my favorite pair of faded
jeans, an assorted collection of graphic tees, and my most comfortable pair of

battered Chuck Taylors.

Sure, most guys would say I was cute, but I wasn’t the kind of girl that
caught their attention when I walked by. I didn’t get catcalled or hit on. I was
the girl the guys picked first for their soccer games. I was the one who joined

them for hours of Call of Duty. I’d be first in line for the new slasher flick,
never squealing over blood and gore.

Whitney always said if I didn’t have boobs, she’d wonder if I was even
female. And she wasn’t wrong. I was the antithesis of everything girlie.

Until I realized I was half crazy in love.

With Adam Ducate.

My best friend for my entire life.

Since then, everything had gone to hell, and my don’t-give-a-crap

attitude went right out the window. I spent longer on my hair. I even started
wearing a little bit of lip gloss—nothing too over the top, of course. I had
even gone out and bought some prettier shirts. Whitney’s eyes had nearly
bugged out of her head when she saw me in the color pink. Because I wanted
him to look at me the way he looked at Angelina Jolie when we watched
Tomb Raider for the fiftieth time.

My almost obsessive fixation on his lips was also becoming a problem.

I had to force myself not to stare too long at his mouth. I couldn’t think about
much else but his gorgeous blue eyes and dimples. And soft, dark hair that
fell slightly in his eyes. And his cocky smile with the chipped front tooth
from the time I threw a football at his face, and he failed to catch it.

I had it bad.

“You’re a magician, Whit. You turned me into Cinderella,” I laughed,

twirling.

Whitney snickered but then became serious. “So, you’re finally gonna
say something?”

I stopped preening over my damn-I’m-hot reflection and met her eyes

in the mirror.

Aside from Adam, Whitney knew me best. I told her most everything,
including about my new infatuation with the boy who had been a fixture in
our house for the past seventeen years.

I had originally hoped my feelings would go away. I chalked it up to

temporary insanity. It was the only thing that made sense.
 I had known Adam literally my entire life. His mom and my mom had
been best friends since high school. Our dads played Parks and Rec

basketball together. His younger sister Lena had learned to walk in our living
room. Whitney had started her period during the annual Ducate New Year’s
Eve party when she was thirteen. Our families were so intertwined that our
friendship had been a sure thing. Until I decided that I would follow the route

of every other silly teenage girl and fall for the most unattainable guy
possible.

Because Adam Ducate wasn’t just my best friend since birth. He was
the most beautiful boy in our entire school and the object of just about every
girl’s—and some boy’s— fantasy. Including Whitney at one point, though
she swore her case of Adamitis was down to a bad viral infection.

No female under the age of thirty was immune to Adam’s many, many
charms. I had teased him about it, goading him to use his sexy smile to con

extra cookies from the sour-faced lunch ladies in our school cafeteria on more
than one occasion, or to flirt with the awkward cashier at the movie theater so
we could get more popcorn free of charge.

Now I could only stare at him in tongue-tied horror as our friendship

morphed into one-sided desperate longing.

I let out a long, pent up breath full of adolescent angst. “What if it ruins
everything?” I exclaimed dramatically. I wasn’t one for extreme theatrics, but

lately, it seemed I was one huge teenage cliché. The tomboy who falls in love

with her hottie bestie. It was the stuff of John Hughes’ movies and chick-lit
novels.

It made me want to gag.

And then die at the mortification of it all.

Whitney put an arm around my shoulder, giving me a squeeze. “And

what if it doesn’t?”

My cheeks flushed, and my hands started to feel clammy. “It’s Adam.

I’m not supposed to like Adam,” I reminded her.

Whitney rolled her eyes again, her de facto response to most things I
said. “It’s Adam. How can you not like Adam?”

She was right. It was bound to happen sooner or later, particularly after
he turned fourteen and grew five inches, and his physique started to resemble
a linebacker. But it wasn’t just about his looks. I could probably ignore the
twinges of desire if that were the only thing about him that I was into. But
Adam was smart. He read biographies on the US presidents for fun. He could
count to 100 in seven different languages. He liked George Romero movies
and could recite all the dialogue from Day of the Dead. He was a kick-ass
tennis player, and we made a great doubles team.

And he visited his grandparents every Friday after school without fail.
He made sure to bring his grandmother a Baby Ruth candy bar, her favorite,
and a bouquet of flowers he’d pick up at the corner market by her house. And
he took his granddad the latest tape of baseball games he had recorded for
him during the week so they could watch them together.

Adam was everything every other boy in our grade wasn’t.

Whit was right. How could I not like Adam?

The question was, did Adam like me back?

I nodded, feeling resolute. “I’m going to tell him. Tonight. At the

dance.” A twinge of doubt took hold. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way?
What if I ruin our friendship?” Those were the two things that had been
swimming around in my head since I realized I wanted to stick my tongue

down my best friend’s throat. What if this destroyed seventeen years of

friendship? Because at the end of the day, that mattered more than any
potential relationship.

Whitney kissed my cheek. “I don’t think you have anything to worry

about, Meg. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. If I were a betting gal, I’d say
he’s as ga-ga over you as you are over him.”
 “Psh, no way,” I scoffed, but the butterflies had taken hold in my
stomach. It felt a lot like hope.

“Meggie, Adam and the gang are here!” my dad called up the stairs.

“Here goes nothin’.” I grabbed my canvas tote bag covered in patches,

slinging it over my shoulder.

“You can’t take that bag,” Whitney groaned, trying to pull it from my
shoulder. “It completely ruins the look.”

I grinned, hurrying out of my room before she could take it from me. I
may be dressed up, but I was still Meg Galloway after all. Whitney chased
me down the stairs, the two of us laughing the whole way. And then I saw
him.

I came up short, Whitney almost running into my back.

Adam stood at the foot of the stairs talking to my dad, his hands tucked
into the pockets of his pressed trousers, his blue button-up shirt open at the
base of his throat. His dark hair was freshly trimmed, falling in a wave over
his forehead. He grinned at something my dad said, and the sight of that
smile—one I was achingly familiar with—made my insides turn to jelly.

Our friends Skylar Murphy and Kyle Webber stood with him decked to
the nines. Skylar, while wearing a dress, kept true to her trademark goth style,
pairing the frilly black number with torn fishnet stockings, fingerless gloves,

and thick eyeliner. She looked like the perfect undead homecoming queen.

Kyle was dressed traditionally in slacks and a green shirt with a yellow
striped tie. I noticed his brown hair was also recently cut and styled much like
Adam’s, which wasn’t surprising. Kyle was always emulating Adam in all
things. But unfortunately, Kyle was usually relegated to the second string in

sports and with the girls. He would always be Adam’s less attractive friend,
which wasn’t fair, Kyle was a good-looking guy. But Adam was in a
completely different league. I knew it bothered him, though he would never
say anything. He was loyal to Adam to a fault. Nothing would get in the way
of their friendship.

“Hey, guys,” I said, my mouth dry and my heart pounding. I focused

on Skyler and Kyle so that I could get myself under control.

Chill out, Meg. It’s just Adam! I scolded myself.

Just Adam.

If only.

Skylar lifted her hand in greeting, too cool to say anything.

“Hey, Meg,” Kyle greeted with a smile, his eyes instantly zeroing in
over my shoulder. “Uh, hey Whit. H-how are you? No school?” He stuttered
and stumbled over his words, not even trying to hide his obvious desire for

my sister.

Whitney, always oblivious, rolled her eyes. “There’s no school on the

weekend, Kyle.” She forever treated him like a pesky little brother, even if he
was now a lot taller than her and had developed a defined muscular build.
The poor guy hadn’t even been friend-zoned. He’d been looked over entirely.

She turned to me, squeezing my arm. “Go get ’em, tiger,” she whispered.

“Thanks, Whit. For everything,” I told her before turning back to my

friends.

“Later, guys. Have fun!” Whitney called out, heading back up the
stairs. Kyle glumly watched her leave.

Skylar elbowed him in the side. “You’re drooling, Romeo.” Kyle

glared at her but surreptitiously wiped his mouth.

I hopped down the final two steps, bumping Skylar with my hip. “You
clean up nicely, Murphy.” Skylar made no outward show of being pleased by
my compliment. She wasn’t one to emote much. It’s probably why we got
along so well. I ran hot and cold to such an extreme that Adam had
nicknamed me Hurricane Meg when I was a pre-teen. Skylar had always been
a balance to my intensity.
 “Not so bad yourself, Galloway,” she replied, finally allowing herself
to smile—only the slightest.

“Sexy, mama,” Kyle grinned, picking me up and twirling me around. I

laughed, smacking him on the shoulder so he would put me down.

“Shut up, Web,” I grumbled, loving the appreciation all the same.

I glanced up at Adam, who was still chatting with my dad and noticed
his eyes on me. My heart fluttered wildly in my chest. Was I imagining that
he looked at me with something that seemed a lot like desire?

Or was it wishful thinking? Because honestly, how would I even know

what desire looked like? I had nothing to compare it to in my minimal
experience with the opposite sex.

“There’s my girl,” Dad exclaimed, beaming at me proudly. I walked

over and threw my arms around my dad’s neck, hugging him tightly. I never

shied away from showing my parents affection. I didn’t subscribe to that silly
teenage notion that you couldn’t still hug your mom and dad just because you
had grown up.

Dad pulled back and looked at me, shaking his head. “Why did you
have to go and grow up on me, Meggie Bear?” He kissed my cheek. “You
look absolutely stunning. Doesn’t she, Adam?”
 I glanced at my best friend and felt the world drop out from underneath
me. I wasn’t imagining the look in his eyes at all.

He swallowed before answering. “She’s gorgeous.” There was a note

in his voice that changed absolutely everything.

This was our night.

Finally.

“Everyone, get together so I can take a picture!” my mom called out,

bustling into the room with the energy of a whirling dervish. Mom always
brought an energy that could either be exciting or exhausting, depending on
her mood.

Our group of four huddled together in the front foyer. We were a

motley crew, but we worked. I felt Adam put his hand on my hip as he
squeezed in close.

“You really do look amazing, Meg,” he murmured in my ear. I could

smell his aftershave and the distinct scent that was all him.

His fingers burned through my dress, branding my skin.

This was it.

The moment it would all change.

I wanted to hold onto this feeling forever.

**

Of course, it all crashed and burned extraordinarily.

Because Adam Ducate was no longer my best friend.

Now he was simply the asshole that broke my heart.

 Chapter 1

Adam

Present Day

I was about to cum—and cum hard.

I closed my eyes and thrust faster, my hips pumping in overtime.

My mind was blissfully blank. I could only focus on the feeling of

pressure in my cock and the soft, satin feel of her skin. I gripped her thighs,
spreading them wider so I could hit just the right spot. Her deep, rough moan
let me know I was doing the job right.

I grinned, feeling high on it. If I was good at anything, it was fucking.

I flipped her over onto her stomach, her ass in the air as I pounded into
her. I wrapped my hand into her long, blonde hair, giving it a yank as my
dick spasmed. We both yelled our release, our bodies slick with sweat.

This was always the best part. Those few glorious seconds after I shot
my load when I didn’t have to think about anything. Particularly what a lying
bitch my soon to be ex-wife was. A lying, unfaithful, kick-a-man-in-the nuts
bitch.

The lying ex-wife in question sighed beneath me, turning on her back
and squeezing her legs around my waist, refusing to let me go. She’d swallow
me whole if I weren’t careful. Lord knows she’d tried her hardest for the past
ten years. And had almost succeeded.

Thank Christ, I had woken the hell up and kicked her traitorous ass to
the curb.

Yet, here I was, cock deep in her succubus pussy like the dumbass I
was trying so hard not to be anymore.

Sex with Chelsea was easy. Too easy. Old habits die hard, I guess. Our
compatibility in the bedroom had never been our problem. It was everything
else that was a goddamn mess.

Thirty minutes of excellent fucking couldn’t erase over a decade of

deceit and manipulation, no matter how spectacular her skills were. Staring
down at the woman I had stupidly shackled myself to when I was too young
to make informed decisions, my dick softened, and I immediately pulled out,
wishing I could fast forward through the next ten awkward minutes.

Chelsea—my soon to be ex-wife—arched her back, her magnificent

breasts on proud display. I loved her tits—as well I should, considering how
much I paid for them. She spread out in the middle of what used to be our

shared king-sized bed, angling her body in a way that accentuated her very
best parts. She was gorgeous, and she knew it. Which was part of the reason I
should have known all along we’d never work out.

Yet here we were, post-coital, six months after I caught her in bed with

Dave, the contractor I had hired to build the new extension on our 6,200
square foot house. And I was damn sure he wasn’t the only one she’d spread
her legs for.

Cuckold wasn’t a good color on me.

Chelsea got off on admiration the way some people got off on drugs, or
porn, or alcohol. She was addicted to making people want her. And it wasn’t
hard; she was a man’s wet dream with lips that were full and perfect,

particularly wrapped around a cock, and an hourglass frame that was all soft
sensual curves and slim lines.

But she was a selfish woman, and when I had wanted to start a family,
she had promised to go off her birth control and really try for a baby. I
thought she had finally matured, that she was becoming the woman I had
convinced myself she could be.
 I was a complete moron.

Because of course, she lied. It was second nature to a woman like

Chelsea. As natural as breathing. She had no intention of getting pregnant. It
would have ruined her carefully crafted figure, after all. Instead of going off
the pill, she had gotten the Depo-Provero shot, ensuring we couldn’t become
parents, and she had played the disappointment card convincingly every

month when she took another test that came up negative. I’d console her as
the tears dripped artfully down her cheeks. I’d hold her as she sobbed in my
arms, thinking that maybe having a son or daughter wasn’t meant to be.

All the while, she was sleeping with most of the men in the
neighborhood—excluding old Mr. Winston, who at eighty-six could barely
walk. Though I honestly wouldn’t have put it past Chelsea to give it the good
ol’ college try.

The worst part was that I hadn’t been particularly surprised. I had been
angry, sure, but any hurt I would have felt faded along with any semblance of
genuine affection I had for her. Deep down, I had always known what sort of
woman I had married. Even when she played the part of dutiful wife and
loving partner, I had seen through the facade. I had just gotten entirely too
adept at ignoring my better judgment because a huge part of me had held
onto the dream of two point four kids and the white picket fence all the while
she spent my money and made me look like the world’s most idiotic husband.

It was my own fault for being so stubbornly blind to her many faults. I
should have known better—hell, I did know better—but I had been told my
entire life that I only saw the best in people. It was one of my more annoying
traits. But that ship had sailed when it came to Chelsea. There wasn’t much
good about the woman I had sworn to love for better or for worse.

I climbed off the bed and pulled on the pair of pajama bottoms I had
thrown on the floor that morning. I hadn’t planned to screw my manipulative
wife when I woke up. I was irritated with myself for how easily I fell back
into self-destructive patterns where she was concerned.

She had shown up just as I was leaving for work, saying she wanted to
talk with tears in her eyes and her full lower lip jutting out in a miserable
pout.

I shouldn’t have let her in. I should have told her to call instead of
simply showing up at my doorstep.

I had to stop listening to my dick. He was the biggest dumbass on the

planet.

“You need to leave, Chels. I’m late for work, and I have a meeting in
thirty minutes.” I couldn’t look at her, mostly because after the sex haze had
dissipated, the sight of her turned my stomach.

Chelsea got up on her knees, crawling across the bed until she was in
front of me. She slithered her hand into my pants, gripping me tightly. I was
mortified by the automatic twinge that signified the beginning of a hard-on.
“Don’t be like that, baby. Call in sick, come back to bed. I can make it worth
your while.” She kissed my chest, sliding her tongue downward before taking

the hem of my pants between her teeth and giving them a tug.

I gripped her upper arms and pulled her upright, gently pushing her
away from me. She landed on her bottom, her eyes widening in surprise. She
wasn’t used to being denied anything. “You need to go, Chelsea. This was a
mistake that definitely won’t happen again. Call it a lapse in judgment. If you
want to get your rocks off, go call Eddie, or Miles, or whatever other poor,
pitiful schmuck you’ve seduced into your bed this week.”

I turned away from her and headed to the walk-in closet, pulling a new
shirt and trousers off hangers now that the ones I had been wearing were in a
crumpled heap on the floor.

Of course, she didn’t leave. That would require her to do something

thoughtful for someone else, which was simply not coded into her DNA.

I heard her follow me into the closet and tensed when she snaked her
arms around my waist, pressing the length of her naked body against me.
“Adam, don’t be like this. I said I was sorry. What more do you want?”

I moved deftly out of her embrace, recoiling at the touch of her skin on
mine. I turned to face her, glaring into her large, blue eyes that were the result
of contacts, not genetics. Everything about her was carefully manufactured.
From her thin, straight nose, to her sculpted chin. She had hacked and tucked

so much that it was hard to remember what she had looked like before.

“I’d like to go back in time and stop myself from ever leaving the
Homecoming dance with you in the first place,” I spat at her hatefully,
meaning every single word.

A normal person would have been hurt by my deliberate low blow. Not
Chelsea. It slid off her like water off a duck’s back. She was never bothered
by the emotions or feelings of other people. She was the kind that got by on

looks alone. I was infinitely disappointed in myself at how easily I fell into
her void, how I thought having mind-blowing sex was all it took to create a
lasting relationship. It was a classic example of teenage decision-making at
its worst.

Inexperienced lust was a very dangerous thing.

“Don’t be so testy, Adam. I know you miss me.” She rubbed me

through the thin material of my pajamas, cupping my balls. Stroking me with
expert fingers. And damned if a part of me didn’t want to give in. To bend

her over and bury myself deep inside her, I was a guy after all. And my
healthy sex drive was proving cumbersome at the moment.

Like I said, fucking was the easy part.

It was the bullshit that came afterward that I wasn’t prepared to deal
with any longer.

I moved away from her, forcing her to release me. “Leave, Chelsea. If
you have something you need to talk about, text me. Don’t stop by for
unannounced visits. Better yet, if you need something face to face, call the
office, and Lena will set up an appointment.” I gathered her clothes off the
floor and all but threw them at her. “Now get dressed and get the hell out of
my house.”

Because it was my house. Not Chelsea’s. I had designed it my

goddamn self. I made sure she would never be allowed to enjoy the fruits of
my hard-earned labor.

Chelsea, finally realizing she couldn’t beguile me with her hands and
mouth, switched the script. Tears filled her eyes as she hastily pulled her
dress down over her head. She looked up at me through her thick, very fake
lashes. She was a damn good actress; I’d give her that. Anyone else would
have thought her heart was broken.

But I knew that was impossible. The bitch didn’t have a heart.

“I just want to make this right, Adam. I love you. You love me. We’ve
built a life together. How can you throw all that away as if it means nothing?”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Her audaciousness was hysterical. I

gripped her arm, careful not to hurt her—I didn’t abuse women; I wasn’t a
monster—and walked her out of my bedroom, down the long, winding
staircase, and to the front door. She sniffed dramatically the entire way,
wiping tears from her eyes as if they meant something.

I reached down and picked up the high heels she had kicked off when
she arrived, handed them to her, and opened the front door, maneuvering her
out onto the porch.

“Aren’t you going to say something, Adam?” she demanded angrily

when I wouldn’t respond.

I looked my soon to be ex-wife in the eye and thanked God that I had
woken up. There was nothing genuine about her. Not her tears. Not her
words. Not even her body. Everything was molded and shaped to seduce and
machinate. Why had it taken me so long to see it?
 Meg warned me. They all had. Why hadn’t I listened?

Suddenly I was so very tired. I couldn’t summon the energy to even be

angry. “Goodbye, Chelsea,” I said and shut the door in her face before she
could say anything else.

Click here to read how the story continues!

 More books by Sarah

SOUTHPORT LOVE STORIES

Say You’ll Stay
Say You Love Me
Say It’s Not Fake

LOVE ON FIRE
My Best Mistake
Unexpected Heat
One Hot Daddy
One Hot Fake

IRRESISTIBLE BILLIONAIRES

Unexpected Surprise
Beautiful Mistake
My Favorite Gift
My Next Mistake
 About the Author

Sarah has been writing since she was 16 years old and has published
multiple Amazon bestselling books. No matter if her heroes are Billionaires,
Bad Boys or both - she loves to write about hot and sexy alpha males, who

are protective and sometimes bossy, as well as the women they crave. Her
exciting stories are always steamy, with a lot of twists and turns and a
guaranteed HEA that leaves you satisfied after a wild ride - just like it should
be in the bedroom, you know?

If you wish to get in contact:

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See you on the other side ;-)

With love,
Sarah