{"id":2513,"date":"2026-01-03T22:33:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T22:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/01-divorced-desperete-and-dating-craig-christie\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T22:33:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T22:33:50","slug":"01-divorced-desperete-and-dating-craig-christie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/01-divorced-desperete-and-dating-craig-christie\/","title":{"rendered":"01 – Divorced, Desperete and Dating – Craig, Christie"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Book Preview<\/h3>\n
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Divorced, Desperate<\/span><\/p>\n

and Dating<\/span><\/p>\n

CHRISTIE CRAIG<\/span><\/p>\n

LOVE SPELL NEW YORK CITY<\/span><\/p>\n

To Jake, my canine office companion and muse, who gave<\/span><\/p>\n

me the best years of his life.<\/span><\/p>\n

I miss you, buddy.<\/span><\/p>\n

BUSTED<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one kiss,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, yes. One kiss by a cop Sue couldn\u2019t forget.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to stop avoiding each other. Let\u2019s go back inside and prove to each other, and to Chase and Lacy, we\u2019re adults.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She looked him in the eyes\u2014blue eyes, long lashes. \u201cSorry, I\u2019ll have to be an adult another day. But if you start practicing now, you might succeed in a couple of years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be silly.\u201d The wind blew again and the bow on her dress flew up to her Wonderbra cleavage. He jerked his fingers out of his pockets and tucked his hands beneath the opposite armpits like a child who\u2019d been told not to touch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not being silly. I\u2019m meeting someone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou aren\u2019t meeting anyone. You\u2019re lying so you don\u2019t have to be in the same room with me.\u201d He rubbed his arm. \u201cI happen to know that you don\u2019t date. You belong to that Divorced, Desperate and Delicious club that you, Lacy and Kathy started. Of course, Lacy jumped ship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue gritted her teeth. Did everyone in town know she hadn\u2019t had sex in two years? \u201cWell, throw me a landline, matey, because you can drop the desperate for me, too. I\u2019m now divorced, delicious and dating.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CHAPTER ONE<\/span><\/p>\n

The worst part about murdering someone was planning exactly how to do it. Not that this was Sue Finley\u2019s first. She\u2019d whacked at least ten people, but it never got any easier.<\/span><\/p>\n

She bounced the toe of her strappy sandal against the kitchen island, the portable phone trapped between her shoulder and ear as she waited for the Poison Control Hotline. \u201cHow much poinsettia leaf would it take to kill someone?\u201d she asked as soon as someone answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan ya hold?\u201d the woman on the other end asked in a twangy voice, her Texas drawl as thick as the state\u2019s humidity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u201d Sue reached for a magazine on the counter. The cover promised to make her a better lover and reduce the size of her thighs in ten minutes. Instead, she fanned damp air across equally damp skin with the glossy pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

The heck with poinsettia; July in the South could kill. She heard the telltale humming of her central air just as her cell phone started chiming. Sue tossed away the magazine, rummaged beneath several loose tampons in her purse to find the phone, and pressed it against her other ear. \u201cHello?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, it\u2019s me again,\u201d Melissa Covey, her agent, said. \u201cI\u2019m in the middle of downtown Houston. Am I taking\u2014Oh, I\u2019m getting another call. Hang on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u201d Sue glanced at one silent phone and then the other. With a phone to each ear, she paced and watched Hitchcock, her gray tabby, leap up on the table. The cat dipped his paw into Sue\u2019s coffee mug, testing the brew\u2019s temperature before lapping up his daily dose of caffeine. She really should start pouring him his own cup, but whenever the feline\u2019s green eyes gazed up at her with such adoration and unconditional love, Sue forgot about cat germs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, baby.\u201d She bumped foreheads with her pet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid ya say poinsettia?\u201d the woman from Poison Control asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, poinsettia.\u201d Sue pulled away from the cat. \u201cI\u2019m a writer, and\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan you hold again?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem.\u201d Sue bit down on her lip. On hold. The story of her life.<\/span><\/p>\n

But no more. Her gaze caught on the black lace teddy stretched out on the butcher block countertop beside the Victoria\u2019s Secret bag. She only hoped sex was like riding a bicycle and one didn\u2019t forget how to do it. Then again, the last time she\u2019d gotten on a bike she\u2019d hit the right-hand brake instead of the left and nose-dived over the handlebars. Oh, Jiminy Cricket, she hoped sex wasn\u2019t like biking. Or at least she hoped it came with pedal brakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doubts about the weekend started to fizz. She tried to visualize her and Paul doing the deed, but then she recalled last night\u2019s kiss. The kiss that had left her feeling\u2026nothing. She\u2019d even put her heart and soul into that kiss, hoping it would have the same earthshaking effect on her as The-Boyfriend-Who-Never-Was Jason Dodd\u2019s kiss had four months ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

The earth hadn\u2019t moved. Not even a wiggle. Not with Paul.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the hundredth time, she wondered if Jason had felt the earth shake that April night, too. Probably not. He\u2019d never bothered calling her, even after he\u2019d asked for her number. Not that it mattered now; she was so over him. Memories of how he\u2019d tasted, of how hard his body had felt\u2026Oh, brother. Well, she was almost over him.<\/span><\/p>\n

With one phone pinned between her shoulder and ear, she skimmed her fingers over the slip of sexy fabric and tried not to hyperventilate at the thought of feeling nothing next weekend. She totally sucked at faking orgasms. Her oohs and aahs never came out in the right pitch. Or at the right time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Something at her entranceway window caught her attention\u2014something tan and about the size of a horse. Her breath caught. Goliath, the English Mastiff. Her mother\u2019s drooling canine companion and one-dog destruction team had come to call. Unfortunately, the dog seldom traveled alone. Where Goliath went, so did Sue\u2019s mother.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thoughts of her mother collided with previous thoughts of orgasms and sent Sue\u2019s brain into a Monday-morning blitz. Hit with a case of fight or flight, and always being more flighty than fighty, Sue grabbed the scrap of black lace and ducked behind the island.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hitchcock, who was still nursing a grudge against Goliath for sticking a nose where it didn\u2019t belong, abandoned his coffee and darted under the living room sofa.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t hide from me, Susie,\u201d her mother called out, shutting the front door. \u201cAnd make your cat behave this time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue dropped her new nightie on the floor, stood, then gave the sexy garment a toe-nudge into the corner. \u201cMy cat isn\u2019t the problem. You need to have that dog castrated. And I wasn\u2019t hiding. I was\u2026counting dust bunnies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCounting dust bunnies?\u201d her mom repeated.<\/span><\/p>\n

The portable phone slipped down Sue\u2019s shoulder and she snagged it. \u201cSorry, I\u2019m on hold\u2026both phones. Kind of busy. But I love you.\u201d The last sentence came out with a touch of caring. Sue gave a wave with her pinky.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her mother, juggling an orange purse, an armful of mail, and a gold-wrapped package, didn\u2019t leave. Sue\u2019s gaze shot to the package. Great. Her mother came bearing gifts. Now she would really feel guilty for trying to avoid her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s on the phones?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPoison Control.\u201d Sue tilted her head to the right. \u201cAnd my agent.\u201d She leaned her head to the left and noticed her mother\u2019s low-cut tangerine-colored pantsuit. Lately her mother had seemed extra cheery, and her wardrobe\u2026Fruit colors\u2014apple red, lime green. And every time Sue saw her, the necklines got lower. It wasn\u2019t really indecent yet, but after a few more visits she\u2019d be down to nipple exposure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sighing, Sue accepted that her feelings might stem from jealousy. Peggy Finley, at fifty-one years of age, had cleavage that Sue\u2019s size B\u2019s could only attain with a Wonderbra.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d her mom asked. \u201cYour agent get you a bad deal and you\u2019re planning on poisoning her?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. My agent is in town and on her way here now. She phoned for directions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Poison Control? Oh.\u201d Her mom\u2019s wide smile faded. \u201cYou didn\u2019t eat the casserole your grandmother sent over, did you?\u201d Goliath sniffed at the gold package.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue studied her mother\u2019s suggestive neckline and decided to buy another Wonderbra.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t eat that casserole, did you?\u201d her mom repeated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Since Grandpa had to have his stomach pumped, I flush everything. As for Poison Control, I\u2019m trying to figure out how much poinsettia leaf it would take to kill a one hundred and fifty pound cross-dresser.\u201d Sue bounced her toe against the island. Then she paused before her mother told her to stop fidgeting. Sue knew she fidgeted, but her brain worked best when she moved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her mother\u2019s perfectly plucked eyebrows shot upward. \u201cTaking out your ex, huh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for my book.\u201d But her mother wasn\u2019t too far off target.<\/span><\/p>\n

The panicked voice came back on the line. \u201cThis isn\u2019t good. How much poinsettia leaf was ingested?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been ingested,\u201d Sue answered. \u201cI just need to know how much it would take to kill a medium-size man. I usually talk to Lisa. She always answers my\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to kill someone?\u201d the voice squeaked through the line.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly on paper. I\u2019m a\u201d\u2014the line went dead\u2014\u201cmystery writer. Great.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her mother pitched the mail on the island and positioned the gold box on the counter. \u201cThis was on your doorstep.\u201d She scooted the stack of bills and the box closer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue glanced at the Godiva Chocolatier sticker on the package. \u201cPaul?\u201d She got a funny feeling between her legs. Unfortunately, it wasn\u2019t a delayed reaction to Paul\u2019s kisses. It was Goliath\u2019s nose where it didn\u2019t belong.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dropping the portable phone, she thrust the dog from her crotch. \u201cYou should train him not to do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just his way of saying hello.\u201d Her mother set her purse on the island.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew a guy in college who said that, and I trained him not to do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlways the good girl.\u201d Her mom\u2019s gaze dropped to the floor, and the mama\u2019s-proud-of-you smile faded. \u201cI don\u2019t like this Paul creature.\u201d Her mother scooped up the teddy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not a creature, and there\u2019s nothing wrong with him.\u201d Cell phone still held to her ear, Sue nudged the dog\u2019s nose from between her legs again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to that cop you were so crazy about? Jason, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Great. Now her mother was tossing Jason Dodd\u2019s name at her, too. It wasn\u2019t bad enough that she kept thinking about him and his kisses\u2014or kiss, since, technically, that was really all there had been: one kiss. Not that it really mattered, anyway. She needed to stop thinking about Dodd altogether and start thinking about Paul. Paul, who had lots of great traits, even if kissing wasn\u2019t one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t work out.\u201d She bounced her toe against the cabinet. \u201cPaul\u2019s smart, clean-cut, and sweet.\u201d She declined to mention that he was also dull, but four adjectives leaned toward purple prose. \u201cYou only met him that time we passed him on the road. You two never said more than three words to each other.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSweetie, I \u2019d be the first one to tell you that you need to get on with your life. But I don\u2019t trust men who drive around wearing shower caps. And don\u2019t fidget, dear.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a shower cap.\u201d Sue forced herself to stand still. \u201cHe\u2019s a doctor, and he\u2019d just come out of surgery and forgot to take off his surgical cap when\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoctor?\u201d Her mother\u2019s expression soured.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost mothers would be thrilled their daughter was dating a physician.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost mothers don\u2019t have my experience. Doctors think all women are hypochondriacs. And they\u2019re cheaters, blaming it on the fact that they have to look at naked bodies all day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

You are a hypochondriac.\u201cPaul\u2019s a podiatrist. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s getting turned on by women\u2019s bunions.\u201d Then it occurred to Sue that Paul did spend an awful lot of time checking out her feet. Oh, great. Leave it to her mom to plant more insecurity. It wasn\u2019t as if Sue didn\u2019t already have a boatload of them. Boobs, thighs, turning men into wanna be women.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe might. He has shifty eyes.\u201d Her mother dropped the nightie. \u201cI don\u2019t want squinty-eyed grandchildren with foot fetishes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not having his babies. I\u2019m just\u2026\u201d Going cycling with him on a bike with pedal brakes. Her doubts resurfaced.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sleeping with him?\u201d Her mother\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Not yet. I mean, I\u2019m going to Mexico with him this weekend.\u201d At twenty-seven she should be able to tell her mother this, shouldn\u2019t she? So why was she getting that look? The same look she got when her mother found the gigantic hickey on her neck when she was fourteen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf he\u2019s good in bed, you\u2019ll marry him. You\u2019re that desperate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue punched off her cell phone. It wouldn\u2019t do for Melissa to hear her mother talking about how sexually deprived she was. Already Melissa complained about the lack of sexual content in her books.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not desperate.\u201d Desperate and horny were two completely separate emotions that involved two completely different parts of a woman\u2019s anatomy.\u201cAnd as much as I would love to visit with you, I need to straighten my office before Melissa gets here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMelissa?\u201d Her mom pushed Goliath\u2019s nose away from the gift-wrapped box, and Sue saw drool ooze from the creature\u2019s mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMelissa. My agent. Can I help you get Goliath back in the car?\u201d She tossed her mom some paper towels.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not offering me chocolate?\u201d Her mother eyed the box before giving the dog and his drool the one-two swipe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPaul\u2019s scum but you\u2019ll eat his candy.\u201d Sue reached for the gold-wrapped package.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Godiva.\u201d Her mom gave the dog a scratch behind his ears.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue understood. Even from scum, Godiva was\u2026Godiva. Not that Paul was scum. And he\u2019d noticed other parts of her body besides her feet, hadn\u2019t he? Either way, Sue was getting a new Wonderbra. After two years, her old one had lost its wonder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHave a truffle. Then go.\u201d Sue pulled at the box. The ribbon floated to the floor. The top came off, followed by the white tissue, and\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s breath caught.<\/span><\/p>\n

She froze.<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t Godiva.<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t even cheap chocolate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue found her breath and the ability to move simultaneously. The package flew up. Air whooshed into her lungs, and the rat, with the word die written in red across its dead, hairy chest, went sailing up into the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, what went up must come down. The deceased rodent landed smack-dab in the middle of her mother\u2019s tangerine fabric-covered boobs. Her mother jumped, the C-cups boomeranging the rat across the room. Goliath, slobber now dripping from his jaws, lumbered after it, but Hitchcock dashed out from the sofa and beat him to the punch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m calling the police.\u201d Her mother grabbed Sue\u2019s cell phone. \u201cThat foot-fetish fiend sent you a rat! I hope you have wine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With one hand over her heart, Sue watched Hitchcock rise up on his hind legs, his claws swatting left and right, his feline teeth buried deep into the dead rodent\u2019s head.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thoughts swirled in Sue\u2019s own head, but of one thing she was certain: Unconditional love or not, tomorrow that cat was definitely getting his own coffee cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her mom\u2019s voice vibrated through Sue\u2019s consciousness. \u201cSomeone just threatened to kill my daughter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Right then, a bell rang. Sue\u2019s gaze darted toward the entryway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Hades!\u201d Her mom pulled Sue against her. \u201cThat could be the killer now!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason Dodd, a narcotics detective for the Houston Police Department, gazed at the leggy blonde strutting across the street in heels. Her tight red skirt jiggled back and forth with each step. He waited for the zing of plea sure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anticipated it. Wanted it.<\/span><\/p>\n

But\u2026no zing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou could always arrest her for jaywalking and get her number.\u201d His partner, Chase Kelly, tapped the steering wheel to the sound of a Dido CD, waiting for the light to change.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not my type,\u201d Jason said, annoyed at his lack of interest. His lack of zing. Lately, no one fit the bill. For the last four months, he\u2019d spent his weekends either held up in his apartment or helping his foster mom, Maggie, do odd jobs around the inn. He\u2019d never gone this length of time without sex. Not voluntarily anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even Maggie had noticed. \u201cI\u2019m sixty-five years old and I\u2019ve never known a man who\u2019d willingly come over to unstop a toilet on a Friday night. Why aren\u2019t you with a lady friend?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His partner\u2019s hand-tapping jerked Jason back into the present.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomething bothering you?\u201d Chase asked. \u201cYou don\u2019t mind pet-sitting, do you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mind.\u201d Jason scrunched back against the seat. \u201cBut I thought Sue usually watched the menagerie.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s going on some trip.\u201d The light changed, and Chase started driving.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason stared out the window. \u201cProbably another book signing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Something about Chase\u2019s tone made Jason turn around. A pink Cadillac, sporting a dented fender, darted in front of them. Chase slammed on the brakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPull him over,\u201d Jason said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chase sped up beside the car, and they both looked at the purple-haired old lady white-knuckling the steering wheel so she could peer over the dashboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOr not,\u201d Jason said. \u201cI\u2019d drive like a bat out of hell if I was pushing ninety.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His partner chuckled and let off the gas. \u201cYou have a soft spot for old ladies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo not.\u201d Jason glanced out the window again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou let that shoplifter go last week, even after you found that pot roast in her purse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe thought it was her wallet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike hell,\u201d Chase said. \u201cYou paid for the pot roast and sent it home with her. I\u2019m surprised you didn\u2019t throw in some baby carrots and pearl onions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe said she had those at home.\u201d Jason grinned.\u201cSo shoot me. I should have been a Boy Scout.\u201d Then he remembered he\u2019d been too busy scouting for trouble to earn merit badges. People expected foster kids to be trouble, and he hadn\u2019t let anyone down. At least he hadn\u2019t until Maggie came along. But that had been different. Maggie needed him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to come over for the Fourth, right? Lacy has the party all set.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be there,\u201d Jason answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou bringing a victim?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBringing a what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA victim.\u201d Chase laughed. \u201cThat\u2019s what Lacy calls your girlfriends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not victims.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, she just means that you love \u2019em and leave \u2019em.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI leave them happy. They needed some special TLC, and I\u2019m good at it. What\u2019s wrong with that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHmm\u2026maybe the leaving part?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t complain.\u201d Much. The fact that he hadn\u2019t made anyone, or himself, happy lately was another issue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chase\u2019s phone rang, and he looked at the caller ID. \u201cHey, Lace,\u201d he said before the receiver was anywhere near his mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason dug into his jeans pocket for a piece of cinnamon candy and scanned the streets for his \u201ctype.\u201d When had he gotten so picky? Maybe he was just getting old. But thirty wasn\u2019t that old, damn it! According to that article in Men\u2019s Health even a married man should want sex at least three times a week. That meant he was forty-eight climaxes behind\u2014and counting\u2014because he had no prospects\u2026and even worse, no real interest.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Chase\u2019s sharp tone brought Jason\u2019s gaze back around. \u201cWe\u2019ll be right there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason waited until Chase hung up. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomething about Sue getting a death threat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason\u2019s shoulders stiffened. \u201cSue? What happened?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Chase shook his head. \u201cShe\u2019s not making sense.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason got an image of Sue at her last autographing, wearing pink, bouncing in her chair, and smiling as she signed books. He\u2019d seen the announcement of her signing in the paper. Having already bought her book, he didn\u2019t have a reason for showing up. Thankfully, he\u2019d ducked out before she spotted him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen let\u2019s move.\u201d Jason looked out at the traffic. \u201cIs she okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Chase punched the gas. \u201cLacy said she was.\u201d One of Chase\u2019s brows arched. \u201cI thought you didn\u2019t like Sue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t dislike her. Just drive.\u201d Jason pointed at the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thirty minutes later, Chase parked his Isuzu Rodeo across from Sue\u2019s house, located in Hoke\u2019s Bluff, one of the smaller towns outside Houston\u2019s city limits.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy\u2019s the media here?\u201d Jason voiced his question aloud. Only a dead body could bring out this much press. The thought of Sue not moving or smiling gave him a jolt. Chase hadn\u2019t cut the engine off before Jason jumped out.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHAPTER TWO<\/span><\/p>\n

He sped past the television vans. Hurrying toward the house, Jason saw Chase jump out of the car and gravitate toward the side of the yard where a pack of women huddled together. Jason recognized one of the women as Lacy, Chase\u2019s wife, and he almost turned around to hear what she had to say. But he didn\u2019t see Sue, and he had a burning desire to make sure she wasn\u2019t lying facedown in a puddle of blood like one of the characters in her mystery novels.<\/span><\/p>\n

He walked inside the house, only stopping when he saw a camera focused on Sue and a woman who sat beside her on the edge of an overstuffed red sofa. Relief melted through him as he scanned her for bruises or scrapes. She looked fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

So fine, he inventoried her for reasons altogether different. She wore a skirt and had her legs crossed, revealing a creamy expanse of thigh.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think this is drug-related,\u201d a voice said nearby.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason glanced briefly over at Officer Donny Martin of the Hoke\u2019s Bluff PD. He had met the guy a couple of times at someone\u2019s barbecue but didn\u2019t much like him. Mostly because Martin thought of himself as a player and had mistaken Jason for someone who wanted to listen to him brag about his conquests.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSue\u2019s a friend of my partner\u2019s wife,\u201d he replied, then trained his gaze back on Sue. Something didn\u2019t look right. It took him a second to figure it out. Sue wasn\u2019t talking or moving. Sue always talked and moved. The woman was perpetual motion with a voice box. Jason had wondered how she sat still long enough to write a book. He\u2019d also wondered how she\u2019d be at other things. Constant movement could be a good thing when the clothes were off and\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Quashing that thought, he glanced at the brunette beside Sue. Dressed in a navy business suit, she spoke directly into the camera. Jason turned back to Martin.\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ask me, it\u2019s a publicity stunt\u2014but the view\u2019s nice.\u201d Martin pointed to the two women and then to a blonde reporter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t a death threat?\u201d Jason asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe says the dog and cat ate it.\u201d Martin chuckled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAte what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe rat someone sent the sexy little New York Times bestselling author.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason frowned. \u201cShe hasn\u2019t made that list yet. Who\u2019s the brunette?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHer agent\/PR person from New Jersey. Kind of convenient her being here to help get the press out, wouldn\u2019t you say?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The brunette placed a hand on Sue\u2019s shoulder. \u201cOf course she\u2019s scared,\u201d she cooed into the microphone. \u201cThis is obviously the work of a stalker. Why, her next book, Murder At Midnight is due out in a few weeks. She\u2019ll be autographing copies at all the local bookstores. Her book received a glowing review from Publishers Weekly!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s convenient,\u201d Jason agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

He watched Sue lace her hands together and stare down at her lap. Along with that short khaki skirt, she wore a light blue polo shirt. Her shoulder-length blonde hair fell loose from where it was tucked behind her ear. She flipped it back with nervous fingers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reporter asked her a question, then shoved a microphone in her face. Sue\u2019s wide blue eyes blinked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason flinched. Sue clearly wasn\u2019t up to being interviewed.<\/span><\/p>\n

His gaze shot to Miss Navy-Suit, who appeared utterly prepared. \u201cYeah, it\u2019s a publicity stunt. But Sue\u2019s not in on it.\u201d He moved in. \u201cShow\u2019s over.\u201d He glared at the woman in navy. \u201cPolice need to talk to Ms. Finley.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s eyes grew round, and her vulnerability vanished. Jason took her by the forearm, lifting her off the couch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Sue seethed as he pulled her away from the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to save you from making an ass out of yourself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She jerked free of his hand. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s obvious that your PR guru set this whole thing up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSet what up?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Sue. Doesn\u2019t this look suspicious? Listen to her. She\u2019s done everything but give out a 1\u2013800 number where they can order your book. She obviously devised this whole thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue latched her hands on her hips and gaped at her agent. She seemed to consider what he\u2019d said, then met Jason\u2019s gaze. \u201cNo. She\u2019s taking advantage of the situation. I\u2019ll give you that. But she didn\u2019t send that rat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I have some oceanfront property for sale in Iowa. For some reason I thought you were different from other blondes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s eyes squinted, her shoulders snapped back, and her chin tilted up. Not that it made any difference in her height. She barely measured chest high on his six-foot frame. Oddly enough, though, her petite body thrilled him.<\/span><\/p>\n

As did the rest of her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you even doing here?\u201d she demanded.\u201cI don\u2019t need more police.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you need is your head examined if you\u2019re buying little Miss Priss\u2019s stunt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue tapped the toe of her sandal against the wood floor. The sun spilling through the dining room window reflected off her blue eyes. Angry, but beautiful, eyes. He inhaled. Her fruity fragrance made him want to step closer and breathe deeper.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSorry to ruin your theory, Columbo,\u201d she said,\u201cbut when the rat was being delivered, Melissa was thirty miles from here filing a hit and run report on an old lady driving like a bat out of Disney World in a pink Cadillac.\u201d She hesitated. \u201cDid Lacy call Chase?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason stared at her moist lips, painted pink, and remembered the taste he\u2019d gotten of them that night four months ago. Oh yeah, he remembered, all right. He\u2019d been plagued with flashbacks. Desire stirred deep in his belly and spread lower. And lower. There was a very good reason why one taste had been more than enough, but with all that stirring going on in places that hadn\u2019t stirred in too long, he couldn\u2019t remember what it was. Then something really moved between his legs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDamn!\u201d He removed a huge dog nose from his crotch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s time you leave.\u201d Sue started the bouncing shoe routine. \u201cYou\u2019ve outworn your welcome again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason supposed he deserved that. After all, he\u2019d expected something of a consequence for not calling her. It didn\u2019t matter that her number was tucked inside his wallet, the paper worn and faded from constantly taking it in and out. Still, her words made him flinch. Words he\u2019d heard enough as a boy from caseworkers as they shuffled him from one home to another.<\/span><\/p>\n

Right then he remembered why one taste of Sue\u2019s mouth had been more than enough. It went back to childhood lessons. Plain and simple. Jason Dodd never allowed himself to want anything too much\u2014not a birthday cake, not a new bike for Christmas, not his mother to come back for him. Wanting things only led to disappointment. Even wanting a woman came with limits. And after one kiss, he\u2019d wanted Sue Finley too damn much.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHave it your way.\u201d He nearly tripped over a gray cat as he stormed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walking straight to the Rodeo, he pulled his keys out of his pocket, found the spare key Chase had given him, got in, and drove away. Turning up the volume, he listened to Chase\u2019s Three Doors Down CD and dug into his jeans for another cinnamon candy. By the time he got to I-45, he had forgotten about Sue. He was almost in Houston before he remembered something else he\u2019d forgotten. His partner\u2026and the owner of the car.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue knelt to loosen the straps of her sandals. They pinched her toes something terrible, but jeez, it had been a toe-pinching kind of day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that was good!\u201d Melissa brushed a speck of dust off her navy jacket.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone sent my daughter a dead rat, and you think that\u2019s good?\u201d Sue\u2019s mother poured another glass of Merlot. Sue figured this to be about a four-glass problem, which meant she\u2019d be driving her mom home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, the rat wasn\u2019t good.\u201d Melissa wrinkled her nose, but her brown eyes glimmered. \u201cBut that free press was priceless. Now, if I could just catch Grandma in the Caddie. It\u2019s going to make her cost me a fortune to pay for that fender bender.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue dropped down on the sofa, feeling like a balloon with a slow leak. Everyone milled around the front section of her house. The reporters and police had left, except Chase, Lacy\u2019s husband, who stood next to his wife, absently toying with her dark curls as he stared out the window. Lacy looked over and offered Sue a supportive smile. Good ol\u2019 Lacy, as supportive as an underwire bra.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue forced a grin, then reached down to pull at the leather straps around her toe. Toe pain was the worst. Glancing up, Sue\u2019s gaze shifted and skidded to a halt on a newcomer: Lacy\u2019s mother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI picked it up at the Galleria last week,\u201d Karina Callahan said, dangling her bracelet at Melissa. Karina exhibited an Elizabeth Taylor charisma, and the woman had never met a shade of purple she didn\u2019t like. Purple suit, purple shoes. Sue had her earmarked to use as a character in a book, because Karina was, well, unforgettable.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, who was at the door?\u201d Lacy asked, talking to Sue\u2019s mom.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust the good-looking FedEx guy,\u201d Sue\u2019s mom answered. \u201cBefore the police arrived, the cat and dog ate the evidence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue fought back irritation. In spite of a request that she not, Lacy had called her husband, Chase. Which was how Jason Dodd had ended up here. Then there were the reporters, vultures for a story, and the other police. But it was Jason, his six-feet of male ego, that annoyed Sue most. Conversations bounced all around the room, and Sue wished everyone would leave. She\u2019d had autograph parties that weren\u2019t as well attended. But give the crowd a dead rodent and\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

She crossed her legs and swung her foot back and forth, counting the insults Jason had slung at her in the course of three minutes. It was bad enough for him to kiss her so completely that he checked out the back of her tonsils, ask for her number, and then never call, but for him to barge into her home, call her a dumb blonde, accuse her agent of planting a dead rat, and\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Why the heck hadn\u2019t he called? Had he found some tonsil defect? Maybe she\u2019d better resist French kissing Paul this weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the thought of the weekend, her toes pinched again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lacy dropped down beside her. \u201cDo you want to stay at our place for a few days?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I\u2019m fine. This was just someone\u2019s idea of a prank.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA dead rat with die written on it is not a prank.\u201d Her mother stepped closer to the sofa. Her tangerine outfit clashed with the red leather. \u201cIt was that doctor.\u201d She looked at Chase. \u201cI want that foot quack checked out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMom, why would Paul send me a dead rat?\u201d she asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would anyone send you a dead rat?\u201d Chase gave Melissa a not-so-friendly look.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Sue pumped her foot back and forth. Jason must have told Chase his half-cocked suspicions about Melissa being involved, but Sue knew they were wrong. Melissa had worked at a Hollywood PR firm before moving east to start her literary\/PR agency. Sure, the woman could be an opportunist\u2014a talent that had gotten Sue all sorts of media coverage\u2014but dead rats weren\u2019t her style. Melissa hated rats. She had freaked when she read Sue\u2019s chapter in which a victim received a dead rat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue remembered the scene. The killer had sent the rat as a warning of what was to come. After tormenting the victim with hang-ups and threatening notes, the rat-recipient had been murdered. Coincidence, Sue told herself again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d Lacy asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u201d She considered telling Chase about the scene from her book, but how would it look? Melissa had been one of the few people who\u2019d read it. If Chase suspected her agent now, what would he think then? It was just a coincidence. In her scene, the rat had been in the mailbox, and it hadn\u2019t had die written on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

And it hadn\u2019t been disguised as chocolate.<\/span><\/p>\n

A horn blew outside. Chase kissed Lacy good-bye. \u201cJason\u2019s back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lacy leaned into her husband for another kiss. All eyes turned to them. Lacy and Chase had been married almost a year but still gave each other looks that set off enough steam to carpet clean a Persian hotel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, guys,\u201d Sue\u2019s mother said. \u201cWe\u2019re here for dead rats, not soft porn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLeave them alone,\u201d Karina Callahan chimed in. Somehow, even her voice sounded purple. \u201cI want grandkids.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou all need to get a life.\u201d Chase smiled. \u201cThat was just a kiss, not porn.\u201d With a confident gait he left.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSue needs to get a life.\u201d Melissa pulled at the edge of her jacket. \u201cIf she doesn\u2019t stop rewriting the same love scene, I\u2019m going to hire her a gigolo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone giggled. Everyone except Sue.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSue\u2019s getting a life this weekend.\u201d Karina pressed a fingernail against her purple-tinted lips. \u201cOr at least she\u2019s going to play \u2018One Little Piggy Went to Market\u2019 with her podiatrist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Sue\u2019s mouth dropped open.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMom,\u201d Lacy said. \u201cGoing after my sex life is bad, but leave my friends\u2019 sex lives alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re finally dating?\u201d Melissa got a this-is-news look about her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI swear,\u201d Sue growled. \u201cIf I read this in the paper, I\u2019ll fire you. And no\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like Paul,\u201d her mother interrupted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to like him,\u201d Karina responded.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lately, Sue had noticed Karina and her mom had been spending a lot of time together. She wondered if the six-times divorced Karina was behind her mother\u2019s fruity low-cut outfits. Perhaps Sue should just be glad her mom wasn\u2019t wearing purple.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Sue who has to bump uglies with him,\u201d Karina continued.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMom.\u201d Lacy sent Sue a look of apology.<\/span><\/p>\n

Melissa chuckled. \u201cBumping uglies? Now there\u2019s one I haven\u2019t heard. Real romantic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Karina looked at Sue. \u201cYour mom bumped uglies last week with Bill Delaney, the manager of the fruit stand by the highway.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s brain went on the fritz.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sex?<\/span><\/p>\n

Her mom?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTell me this isn\u2019t true.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026\u201d Her mom paused. \u201cBumping uglies? They are kind of ugly. I don\u2019t see how anyone can watch porn without cracking up.\u201d Everyone laughed except Sue, who was busy trying not to imagine her mom having sex with a fruit salesman.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her mom shot her a get-real look. \u201cLighten up. It\u2019s just us girls. Besides, if you can play footsie with your podiatrist, I can talk bananas with my fruit stand owner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou did more than talk.\u201d Karina laughed. \u201cYou made juice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue dropped her head back on the sofa. Her mother not only had better cleavage, but she had a better sex life. Not that Sue even had a sex life. Yet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unable to wrap her mind around her mom having sex, Sue tried to think of Paul and herself bumping uglies and making juice, but all she could think was that there had to be something wrong with her tonsils.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bad vibes brought her focus back to her pinching shoes. She yanked off the sandals. Barefoot, she stomped over to the trash can and ceremoniously dumped the shoes. Everyone stared.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cToe pain,\u201d she said. Everyone nodded in understanding. Then Sue\u2019s home phone rang, and her mother answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHello?\u2026Fine, don\u2019t talk.\u201d She dropped the phone and downed the last of her wine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWas that a hang-up?\u201d Sue asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

When her mom nodded, Sue\u2019s heart missed a beat. Just a coincidence, she told herself. She got hang-ups all the time. Didn\u2019t she?<\/span><\/p>\n

Two days later, Sue sat at Lacy\u2019s kitchen table on the Fourth of July and tried to figure out the best way to drop the bomb about having to miss the party. She had tried to persuade Paul, but\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid you find someone to pet sit?\u201d she asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Lacy said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chase sauntered into the room and gave Lacy a kiss on her neck. Sue tried to imagine Paul doing that this weekend. She couldn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, how are your plans for cha-cha-cha in Mexico?\u201d Chase asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u201d Sue rubbed Lacy\u2019s dog, Fabio, with her foot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust fine?\u201d Chase asked. \u201cYou haven\u2019t had sex in years and all you can say is fine?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue frowned at Lacy. \u201cDo you tell your husband all my secrets?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI seduced it out of her.\u201d Chase wrapped his arm around his wife.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGreat,\u201d Sue said. \u201cYou two get it on while you talk about my nonsex life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lacy elbowed her laughing husband. He rubbed his side. \u201cSpeaking of your nonsex life, is this Paul guy going to show his face around here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Time to drop the bomb. \u201cHe\u2019s coming by to\u2026pick me up.\u201d Sue winced at Lacy\u2019s frown. \u201cBefore I ever mentioned the party, he\u2019d made reservations at a fancy restaurant by the Galleria.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou think you\u2019ll get food better than mine?\u201d Chase asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d Guilt started pulling tighter at the corner of Sue\u2019s heart. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat,\u201d Chase said, \u201cthe foot doctor\u2019s too high class to hang out with cops?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d Sue met Lacy\u2019s eyes and pleaded for understanding. \u201cHe already had plans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother seems to think he\u2019s behind the rat incident.\u201d Chase\u2019s brow pinched.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not!\u201d Sue snapped, and from the look on Chase\u2019s face she knew where the conversation was going. \u201cAnd neither is my agent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s cell phone rang, and she grabbed it from the table. \u201cHello?\u201d She prayed it wouldn\u2019t be a hang-up. She had only gotten two since Monday, but\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m lost.\u201d Paul\u2019s voice echoed through the line as Sue watched Chase leave the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

She gave Paul directions again, trying to find some flicker of warmth at the sound of his voice. But Paul had a wimpy voice. When she hung up, she met Lacy\u2019s eyes. \u201cI hope you didn\u2019t cook steak for us. I should have called last night when Paul told me\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d Lacy said. \u201cJason will make up for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s eyebrows shot up before she could fake a nonchalant expression. \u201cHe\u2019s coming?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Suspicion filled her friend\u2019s eyes. \u201cIs this why you and Paul are leaving? You\u2019re not still avoiding Jason?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even know he was coming,\u201d she said honestly. Yet who could blame her for wanting to leave? What girl wanted to spend time with a guy who found her tonsils defective?<\/span><\/p>\n

The phone rang again. \u201cYou take a left on the dirt road,\u201d Sue explained when Paul said he was lost again. \u201cIt\u2019s a ranch-style house. I\u2019ll meet you out front.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue dropped the phone in her purse and went to hug Lacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to bring him in at all?\u201d her friend asked. \u201cYou\u2019re going to sleep with the guy and I haven\u2019t even met him. Isn\u2019t that against the girlfriend code of ethics? What if he\u2019s dog ugly and you just can\u2019t see it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not ugly, and you slept with Chase before I met him.\u201d \u201cYeah, but he had me handcuffed to the bed.\u201d Sue chuckled, then asked, \u201cIs Kathy coming?\u201d \u201cTommy\u2019s sick,\u201d Lacy explained. \u201cI throw a party and neither of my two closest friends show up.\u201d She studied Sue as if using her all-powerful girlfriend radar. \u201cIt is about Jason, isn\u2019t it?\u201d She pointed a finger at Sue. \u201cOther than that day at your house, you two haven\u2019t been in the same room since the kiss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPure luck,\u201d Sue said. Shoes in hand, she waved and headed out the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

She hadn\u2019t gotten off the front porch when she realized her luck had run out. Jason\u2019s Mustang eased into the driveway.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHAPTER THREE<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason saw Sue\u2019s Honda. For a second, he considered leaving. But he\u2019d spent a good part of the last two days telling himself he\u2019d made more of this infatuation with Sue than existed.<\/span><\/p>\n

So she tempted him. He wasn\u2019t going to act on it. She wasn\u2019t the first woman he\u2019d chosen to avoid, and it wasn\u2019t as if she was some siren that drove a man to his knees. He\u2019d had women with larger breasts and longer legs. Sue wasn\u2019t even his type. She talked too damn much, was too short, and\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCrap!\u201d All delicious five feet of her stepped out of Chase\u2019s front door.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason\u2019s gaze whispered over every inch of her, and his mouth went dry. For a woman who wasn\u2019t his type, she got his pulse rate going. She wore one of those loose-fitting, sleeveless summer dresses\u2014the type of dress that led a man to think about how little was worn underneath. His mouth dryness increased, and he wished he had a beer. Hadn\u2019t he passed a convenience store a mile back?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be a fool.\u201d He crawled out of his car. Or a bigger fool. He\u2019d already made a fool out of himself a couple days ago when he\u2019d left her house, taken Chase\u2019s car, and forgotten to take Chase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason pushed his door closed with more force than needed. He didn\u2019t like losing his head, especially over a woman he had no intention getting close to. But neither did he run from trouble. Best to face this problem head-on like any other.<\/span><\/p>\n

Facing Sue, he first noted her frown, then the fact that dangling from her fingers were a pair of peach-colored sandals. But it was the frown that got to him, though the bare feet did a little something to his insides, too. Not to mention the low neckline that showed off her breasts, which in all fairness were perfectly proportioned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Damn, she looked good.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019re you going?\u201d Rearing back on his heels, he tried not to enjoy the view.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you know better than to ask a dumb blonde a question?\u201d She skirted him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning, he caught her by the arm. The feel of her skin sent his pulse to ticketing speeds. He told himself to ignore it. But he\u2019d never been good at minding.<\/span><\/p>\n

He ran his thumb over her elbow. \u201cDon\u2019t you think this is silly?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s silly?\u201d She glared at his hand wrapped around her arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

He let go, reluctantly. \u201cThis avoiding act you\u2019ve been playing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t been\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t lie. Every get-together I don\u2019t come to, you do. And when I\u2019m here, you\u2019re not.\u201d If he were being honest, he\u2019d done his share of avoiding, too. But this time his plan was to confront the problem head-on, and he couldn\u2019t let something like the truth get in his way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPure luck.\u201d She glanced at the street\u2014avoiding looking at him, probably.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPure stupidity.\u201d He decided to give her the same speech he\u2019d given himself earlier. \u201cIt\u2019s not as if we\u2019re divorced or something. We didn\u2019t even date. We kissed. Once. Just once.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She moved from side to side, as if the sidewalk was too hot on her bare feet. If her feet were as soft as her elbow\u2026He nudged her over to stand on the grass.<\/span><\/p>\n

The grass felt better against the pads of her feet, though Sue wouldn\u2019t give Jason the pleasure of such an admission.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne kiss,\u201d he repeated.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it was a good kiss, Sue thought, as the smell of smoldering charcoal and the hearty aroma of Chase\u2019s steaks grilling in the backyard filled her nose. She stared down the road and prayed Paul would magically appear.<\/span><\/p>\n

If only Jason\u2019s kiss had been horrible. If only she hadn\u2019t enjoyed having her tonsils strip-searched by a certain cop.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t get it,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Neither did she. She had to bite her lip to keep from asking why he hadn\u2019t called. Another scented breeze caught her hair. And she remembered the night and the kiss in question. She\u2019d forgotten her shoes on Lacy\u2019s patio and stepped out to get them before heading off. He\u2019d followed her. They\u2019d actually stood there and had a real conversation about the\u2026stars. And\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook,\u201d he said, pulling her out of a memory that was best forgotten.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGotta go.\u201d She tried to step around him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just a kiss.\u201d He moved in front of her. \u201cI didn\u2019t even touch\u2026the merchandise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Considering his eyes had gone to her newly acquired Wonderbra cleavage, she knew what merchandise he meant.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor which I am very grateful!\u201d she snapped. \u201cBecause I don\u2019t like to be groped while some guy has his tongue down my throat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He muttered something under his breath and tucked both hands into his jean pockets. The position made his biceps press against his white T-shirt. Not wanting to notice things like muscles, or how good white cotton looked stretched across his masculine chest, she pinched her toes around the hot blades of grass.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s go inside and put this whole thing to bed.\u201d His voice rang baritone, and his hair, the shade of light wheat, whispered across his brow in the breeze.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, but I don\u2019t intend to bed you.\u201d But if you\u2019d called four months ago I\u2019m sure my life would have been off hold. Yet somehow she knew sex with Jason Dodd would not come with pedal brakes. She\u2019d be thrown over the handlebars for sure.<\/span><\/p>\n

But you wouldn\u2019t have to fake it with him, a voice within chimed. A voice she ruthlessly ignored.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what I mean,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not fair to Lacy and Chase for us to keep this up. Let\u2019s go back inside and prove to each other, and to them, we\u2019re adults.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She looked him in the eyes\u2014blue eyes, long lashes. \u201cSorry, I\u2019ll have to be an adult another day. But if you start practicing now, you might succeed in a couple of years.\u201d The wind blew again and the bow on her dress flew up to her Wonderbra cleavage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be silly.\u201d He jerked his fingers out of his pockets and tucked his hands beneath the opposite armpits like a child who\u2019d been told not to touch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not being silly. I\u2019m meeting someone.\u201d She noticed his gaze flickered to her chest every few seconds. So the Wonderbra was doing the trick, huh?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what I mean.\u201d His gaze fell back to her breasts. \u201cYou aren\u2019t meeting anyone. You\u2019re lying just so you don\u2019t have to be in the same room with me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tension knitted Sue\u2019s brows, and she waved the sandals in front of him to get his gaze off her chest. The leather strap of one shoe caught him across his arm with a loud pop. \u201cFor your information, I have a date and\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d He rubbed his arm. \u201cI happen to know that you don\u2019t date. You belong to that Divorced, Desperate and Delicious club that you, Lacy, and Kathy started. Of course, Lacy jumped ship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue gritted her teeth. Did everyone in town know she hadn\u2019t had sex in two years? \u201cWell, throw me a landline, mate, because you can drop the desperate from my title, too. I\u2019m now divorced, delicious, and dating.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The sound of an engine buzzed in the summer air. \u201cSue?\u201d Paul called from his car as he stopped in the driveway. His voice wasn\u2019t baritone, but she didn\u2019t mind because it blended perfectly with the purr of the Porsche\u2019s engine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Victory tickled her insides, and she darted off, ducked inside Paul\u2019s window, and kissed him. She even put a little tongue in the kiss. \u201cPerfect timing.\u201d Then she noticed he wore the surgeon\u2019s cap again over his short brown hair.<\/span><\/p>\n

She yanked it off before backing up. Paul had to look good, just in case Jason checked him out. Not that she needed to worry. Paul could look like a dweeb, because his red Porsche had the power to mentally castrate any man who cared about cars. Jason might not care about Sue, or her tonsils, but she was almost certain he liked cars.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d Paul leaned out the window, his gaze following her legs downward.<\/span><\/p>\n

At first she thought he referred to her dress. Then he frowned. Had he somehow guessed that she\u2019d found more sizzle standing on the same block with a certain egotistical cop than she had in the lip lock she\u2019d planted on him?<\/span><\/p>\n

He flicked the edge of her sandals with his index finger. \u201cNever go barefoot!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Barefoot? Here she\u2019d worn a bra that pushed her boobs plum up to her nose and the man still only noticed her feet. Oh, goodness, in two days she would be having sex with this man.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or not, whispered an internal voice. She could still tell him no. But her life might be on hold for eternity. She might never have sex again, and the whole world would know.<\/span><\/p>\n

She shot a quick glance back at Jason, who stood, arms crossed, staring daggers at her. Then he bolted off to Lacy\u2019s front door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s the dude in the shower cap driving the Porsche?\u201d Jason shoved Chase into the kitchen, away from the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you must mean Paul, Sue\u2019s new squeeze. She said he drove a nice car. I wouldn\u2019t know about the shower cap.\u201d Chase shrugged. \u201cWant a beer?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tad more than nice. It\u2019s a Porsche, for Pete\u2019s sake. And why in the hell didn\u2019t you tell me Sue was dating?\u201d Jason stalked to the fridge and grabbed a beer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chase studied him. \u201cI didn\u2019t know you cared about Sue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care.\u201d Giving the cap a vicious twist, he hurled it into the sink with such force that it pinged around the white porcelain. \u201cBut you could have told me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, you made a play and said you weren\u2019t interested. In my book that means her dating status is off the record. I mean\u2026\u201d Chase smiled and snatched the cap from the sink. \u201cIf I got juicy details, I \u2019d share them with you because you\u2019re my best friend, but\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not interested. The woman can\u2019t stand still and never shuts up. When I kissed her she talked through the whole thing. Never stopped yapping. You know how hard it is to kiss a girl who\u2019s talking?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, excuse me!\u201d Sue\u2019s voice brought Jason swinging around. She stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed, hands on her hips, and her peach-colored sandals now on her feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason went ahead and took a sip of beer, because from the look on her face he was going to need it. Hell, from the look on her face he might need a six-pack.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I was telling you to get your tongue out of my larynx.\u201d She jerked a purse off the kitchen table then turned to Chase. \u201cAnd if you share one tiny piece of my \u2018juicy details\u2019 with Mr. Deep Throat here, I swear you\u2019ll be singing soprano for at least a week.\u201d In a streak of peach, the woman stormed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason held the cold beer to his forehead and leaned against the counter. Chase waited until the front door slammed before bursting out in laughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCork it, would you?\u201d Jason snapped.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Chase said. \u201cBut that was funny. You two got something good going. But you\u2019d better move fast before the foot doctor gets her socks off. Her mother swears if he\u2019s good in bed, Sue will marry him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Thursday night\u2019s weekly meeting with her longtime critique partners strained Sue\u2019s nerves to the breaking point. Hey, it had been a hard week. As if dead rats, bad-boy cops, and several more hang-ups weren\u2019t troubling enough, Benny Fritz, critique partner number three, was giving her the eye again.<\/span><\/p>\n

She watched Mary and Frank walk out of the diner. Then her gaze darted to Benny, who still had his crooked smile in place.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHave dessert with me.\u201d Benny eyes took on that glint again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, but Thursday nights I go for homemade cookies and hurricanes at my grandparents\u2019. Weekly ritual. They\u2019re big on rituals.\u201d Sue looked at her bill.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t she the one whose cooking sends people to the hospital?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but her cookies are safe. Burnt, but safe.\u201d Sue noted again the puppy-dog way Benny gazed at her. He looked as if he might roll over and offer his belly for her to scratch. She had no desire to scratch Benny\u2019s belly, stroke his ego or any other body part. Since his separation with his wife a month ago, the forty-year-old had been way too chummy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Frankly, his interest surprised her. She\u2019d seen Benny\u2019s wife, and she and the woman were complete opposites. Dark, light. Big, small. Sue fidgeted with her purse strap and tossed words at the awkward moment. \u201cYour chapter had edge. The man-eating plant was a nice touch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t like sci-fi. I know that.\u201d He placed his hand over hers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s good writing.\u201d Sue slid her fingers from beneath his. \u201cI sympathized with the donkey when that alien ate its baby.\u201d She liked Benny, appreciated his input on her own work, and admired his writing talent, if not his genre. Most of his one-eyed alien stories were published regularly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take the compliment,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen a beautiful woman says something nice, you shouldn\u2019t argue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue half smiled. Benny wasn\u2019t half bad looking, but as soon as his wife forgave him for not noticing her new perm, or what ever stupid thing they had argued over, they\u2019d be back together. All Sue had to do was discourage him until they rediscovered their twenty-year love affair, hopefully without damaging his ego or the dynamics of the critique group.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benny winked at her. \u201cCan I drop off my story at your place when I finish it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOr you could e-mail it.\u201d She scooted out of the booth, dropped money on the table, and waved at the young pregnant waitress. Wondering about the girl\u2019s situation, Sue dropped another bill and glanced at Benny. \u201cLater.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He followed her. Muggy July air greeted them as the door squeaked closed and sent one last wave of air-conditioning their way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour hair smells good.\u201d His hand pressed against the small of her back; his head tilted downward until his breath, a little muggier than the night air, brushed across her temple.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was going to try to kiss her. She couldn\u2019t deal with this now. She had bigger fish to gut\u2014like if she was or wasn\u2019t going to go to Mexico and fake orgasms. Like why she\u2019d spent all day fuming over yesterday\u2019s run-in with Jason Dodd instead of working on her new book. Add the two phone hangups she\u2019d gotten today and trying to figure out if they had anything to do with the dead rat, and a kiss from Benny could be her breaking point. And when she broke, she was as bad as her mother. Tears and snot, snot and tears. It wasn\u2019t pretty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Neither was the idea that someone really wanted to scare her, someone who had read her unpublished manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like, someone in her critique group.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hadn\u2019t it even been Benny\u2019s idea to use the rat? His hip brushed up against hers. Suspicion pricked her stomach.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then evaporated.<\/span><\/p>\n

The man spent his time imagining man-eating plants. Weird, yes, but he wasn\u2019t a rat-sending lunatic. Benny coached his son\u2019s Little League team and sold Bibles part-time to supplement his income.<\/span><\/p>\n

He looked at her again, and his tongue brushed his bottom lip, reminding her of his alien before it devoured the baby donkey. Not a lunatic, but lonely enough to try to kiss her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two words shot through her head: dead dog.<\/span><\/p>\n

She put on her brakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGross.\u201d She made a show of putting a finger in her mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Benny asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing, I just found a piece of steak that has been stuck between my teeth for a week. Tastes like dead dog. I\u2019m gonna have to floss better.\u201d Sue waved a hand in front of her face.<\/span><\/p>\n

He backed away. \u201cMy car\u2019s over here. See you\u2026later.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue bit back a smile. She hadn\u2019t used the dead dog trick in years. \u201cBye.\u201d Retrieving her keys from her bag, she cut into the restaurant\u2019s rear parking lot.<\/span><\/p>\n

The night suddenly grew blacker, too quiet. With her heart drumming the music to the Jaws movies, she hurried like a woman wearing white in search of a tampon. She did have to hurry. Not a tampon hurry, but she had grandparents to see, and then she had to go home and pack or call Paul and cancel Mexico.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was time to cook or get out of the kitchen. She\u2019d sucked at cooking. But dang it, she was hungry for a little male companionship. Benny didn\u2019t count. Obviously, neither did Paul.<\/span><\/p>\n

The click of her sandals on the pavement seemed to be soaked up by the darkness\u2014a swarthiness cloaked by Texas humidity. The hair on the back of her neck began to rise at the same time her cell phone rang. Jerking it out of her purse, she hit the on button.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHello.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing. Not a word. Then a click. She squinted to see the number of the caller. Restricted.<\/span><\/p>\n

She took another step. Just like that, she remembered another scene in her book where a victim had been kidnapped in a parking lot. She tasted fear on her tongue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue arrived at her car, her skin tight with goose bumps. \u201cI\u2019m being silly,\u201d she muttered\u2026but then she heard it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Footsteps.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fumbling with her keys, she intended to hit the unlock button, but her hands shook. The keys clattered to the pavement. The footsteps drew closer. The Jaws music playing in her head increased in tempo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe she wasn\u2019t being silly. Breath hitched, she took off at a dead run away from her car.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHAPTER FOUR<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue had only made it past the trunk when she heard, \u201cMa\u2019am!\u201d The nonthreatening young female voice brought her to an embarrassed stop. She turned and faced the pregnant waitress standing about ten feet behind her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone forgot their papers.\u201d The waitress held a stack of manuscript pages to her round belly. \u201cDidn\u2019t mean to scare you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t. I ran because\u2026I\u2019m training for a marathon.\u201d She grinned at the obvious lie.<\/span><\/p>\n

The waitress chuckled and, edging closer, handed Sue the papers. \u201cI see you guys in here every week. Ask for me next time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe will, Tina,\u201d Sue told the girl, remembering her name. \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hand on her belly, the waitress wobbled away. She looked way too young to wobble. Sue wondered if she was wobbling through the pregnancy alone. She placed her fingers on her own flat stomach. There had been the time in her marriage when she\u2019d thought she was pregnant. Collin had been thrilled, but it had been a false alarm. Shortly after she\u2019d learned what else gave him thrills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shaking her head, Sue rattled the memory from her brain. She had outlawed all memories of her ex-husband, because even the good memories ultimately led to the bad ones. The bad ones brought on self-doubt. Self-doubt brought on fear. And fear made her want to verbally castrate every male that came within ten feet. She\u2019d stopped mentally castrating men about four months ago, right after one blond cop started making her want something other than revenge.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason\u2019s face filled her mind. The memory of his kiss echoed: the way he\u2019d tasted, the way he\u2019d felt, all hard and solid against her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d She tossed his image, with the memories, into a mental Dumpster. \u201cI should have used the dead dog trick on him, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Without haste, she found her keys and took off to enjoy her hurricane and cookies. Maybe her grandma hadn\u2019t burnt them this time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue rose on her toes and kissed her grandfather\u2019s cheek in greeting. \u201cSorry. We had a lot to go over to night. Where\u2019s Grandma?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At eighty-three, the man had likely shrunk a few inches, but his thick, curly hair, growing coarser with age, now stood up by its roots and made up for any such loss. Sue often wondered why she couldn\u2019t have inherited his height or thick hair.<\/span><\/p>\n

She glanced at the Lyle Lovett hairdo and decided she\u2019d keep her own. However, bad hair and all, she loved every inch of this man. After she\u2019d lost her father at age eight, her grandfather had filled his shoes. They were big shoes to fill.<\/span><\/p>\n

He nudged her into the kitchen. \u201cYour grandma\u2019s on the phone. Your mom\u2019s talking about your Mexican physician with a foot fetish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Great! Her mother was tattling again. \u201cHe\u2019s not Mexican; I\u2019m supposed to go to Ixtapa with him this weekend. And he\u2019s a podiatrist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her grandparents seldom watched the local news, so perhaps they\u2019d missed the news segment about her receiving a dead rat. She wasn\u2019t about to tell them, and neither would her mom. At least Sue hoped. With her mom, one could never be sure. It depended on how much wine she\u2019d consumed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her grandpa\u2019s bushy eyebrows knitted together. \u201cThat explains the foot fetish.\u201d He picked up a charred-around-the-edges cookie. \u201cOh, your grandma cooked her casserole. I mentioned sending it home with you. Don\u2019t eat it.\u201d He rubbed his stomach. \u201cBut if you\u2019d take it, I\u2019d be appreciative.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Clean-fridge casserole: Dump everything together, stir ten seconds, ignore smells and mold, bake at 400 for one hour.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue shook her head. \u201cThis is ridiculous. Tell her to throw the leftovers away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe went hungry as a child. Throwing food away is blasphemy to her. And it wasn\u2019t that bad this time. She added that mushroom soup.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s stomach roiled. \u201cYou love her so much that you\u2019d risk having your stomach pumped again before you\u2019d tell her she\u2019s poisoning you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The wrinkles around his eyes softened. \u201cYup. That much. So why does your mother have her nose out of joint about this doctor?\u201d He picked up the cookie plate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll give you one guess.\u201d Sue followed her grandpa to the kitchen table where a pitcher of Kool-Aid with rum waited. He placed the cookies beside a basket of fake fruit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctor thing, huh?\u201d Grandpa answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou got it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her grandpa filled a glass and handed it to her. \u201cWhat do you think about the doc?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a nice guy.\u201d Sue picked up a cookie and looked at the edges.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say \u2018but.\u2019 All I said\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI heard the \u2018but.\u2019 \u201d He poured himself a drink and his aged hand shook. Those shakes always got to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to move on with my life,\u201d she grumbled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her grandpa patted her wrist. \u201cYou will, Princess. You\u2019ll meet someone who takes your breath away. Just like I met your grandma. But until then, don\u2019t settle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The words reminded Sue of Jason\u2019s kiss. \u201cHaving the breath knocked out of you isn\u2019t all it\u2019s cracked up to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNeither is settling. And we both know you settled when you married\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCollin just had issues.\u201d But why she continued defending him was a brain stumper. She tapped her foot on the floor. \u201cIs it supposed to rain tomorrow?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sympathy creased her grandpa\u2019s mouth. \u201cI forgot the no-talk-about-Collin rule.\u201d A frown pulled at his aged eyes. \u201cThe thing about washing mistakes from your mind is you have a tendency to repeat them. For example, does this doctor have issues?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He pointed a cookie at her. \u201cYou only seem to fall for guys with issues. Remember that high-school football player? Did he ever get out of prison?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re never going to let me live that down, are you? I told you, he said he worked with his dad in the banking business. I didn\u2019t know they paired up to rob them.\u201d Sue sank into a chair. With no desire to rehash her romantic fiascos, she took a conversational turn. \u201cPretty weather today, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, I\u2019ll change the subject.\u201d He eased into a chair. \u201cHave you noticed anything strange about your mom lately?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean the wardrobe?\u201d Sue started folding and unfolding a paper napkin. Some things one couldn\u2019t tell their grandpa. The fact that his daughter was bumping uglies with a fruit salesman definitely fell into that category.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hadn\u2019t noticed the wardrobe, but she hasn\u2019t come up with a new disease-of-the-week in a month. Yesterday, she said something about fruit juice keeping her healthy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue started rearranging the plastic bananas in the bowl. \u201cShe does have a healthy glow about her.\u201d A forced smile in place, Sue attempted another conversational U-turn. \u201cI started my new book.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSusie Veronica!\u201d Her grandma sashayed into the room and placed a kiss on Sue\u2019s cheek. \u201cWe need to talk, young lady. Your mom is concerned. Did you know\u2026?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After her grandma\u2019s speech about the perils of not listening to her mother, her grandpa walked Sue to her car. He handed over the casserole and foil-wrapped pizza. \u201cDon\u2019t eat the pizza either,\u201d he said. \u201cNearly broke a tooth on it a week ago. And don\u2019t be upset with your grandma or mother. They\u2019re trying to look out for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re both nuts. We are the only normal ones in the family.\u201d Sue opened her car door and glanced at her grandpa. \u201cTake some Rolaids and Vitamin C before bed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNormal?\u201d Her grandpa\u2019s hair, an inch high, bobbed from side to side. \u201cHave you forgotten about my bug collection? We\u2019re all abnormal. You, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a collector doesn\u2019t make you nuts. And I\u2019m not a hypochondriac and I don\u2019t poison my loved ones with my cooking. But talking about doctor\u2019s appointments, your appointment is on Monday. I\u2019ll pick you guys up around nine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He tilted his head. \u201cThey love you, Susie.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d She kissed her grandpa again. \u201cI\u2019m just glad I took after you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMe? I don\u2019t kill people on paper, and I\u2019ve never dated a bank robber.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue grinned. \u201cOkay, you\u2019re the only normal one. I\u2019ll call in a few days.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoes that mean you\u2019re not going to Mexico?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNice weather, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her grandpa laughed. \u201cLet the fellow down easy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Let the fellow down easy. Sue pulled up in her driveway and sat thinking how she\u2019d give Paul the news. \u201cI can\u2019t go because I\u2019ve got to give my cat a bath.\u201d She dropped her head on the steering wheel. \u201cI can\u2019t go because I\u2019m terrible at faking orgasms and if your kisses are any indication, then\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Whoever said that truth was the best policy had never dealt with her situation. Sue reached for the door and noted the darkness and the soft cries of the wind. Moonlit tree shadows danced on the ground. Creepy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grabbing the pizza and casserole, she darted across the yard. If someone attacked, she could whack them with the pizza. Weeks old, the thing could offer a lethal blow. She imagined the headline: Mystery Writer Kills Stalker with Deep Dish, Extra Cheese Pie. Her agent would love that. \u201cAny press is good press,\u201d Melissa would say.<\/span><\/p>\n

After scurrying inside and hitting the lock, Sue\u2019s surge of panic decreased. Kneeling, she set the dish and pizza on the floor, then petted Hitchcock, who sideswiped her ankles. Stroking his gray fur, her thoughts zapped back to Paul. \u201cWhat do I tell him? Maybe you could cough up a few hairballs and I could tell him I\u2019m afraid to leave you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hitchcock meowed but didn\u2019t offer up a convenient, excuse-laden hairball. Moving inside, Sue noted the light on her answering machine flashed. She thought of the hang-ups and, squaring her shoulders, hit the play button and went to dump the casserole down the disposal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSue. It\u2019s Melissa. I\u2019m back in New Jersey and got a copy of the book with the new cover. It looks good. The artist you met and didn\u2019t like did a fine job. But he put a dead rat in the corner of the cover, and that\u2019s when I remembered about the rat scene in your book. This is strange. You getting the rat. I want you to be careful. Your royalties are paying for my retirement.\u201d She chuckled nervously. \u201cSeriously, do you have a gun?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but I have a pizza.\u201d Sue dropped the pizza in the trash. Hitchcock jumped up on the counter, rubbing his soft face against her cheek. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve got Hitchcock.\u201d Scratching the feline under his chin, Sue waited for the next message.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSue,\u201d Paul\u2019s voice came on the line. \u201cMy\u2026ex called. Our son broke his toe. We\u2019re going to have to postpone our trip.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What? Relief swirled along her rib cage. Postponed?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cConsider it postponed.\u201d Sue danced across the kitchen. Her dance petered out when she realized Paul had never told her he had a son. Or an ex-wife. Why would he have never told her? The realization that the trip wasn\u2019t the only thing that needed to be postponed rained down on her. The whole relationship needed to be put on the back burner or run down the disposal like a bad casserole. Her grandpa was right. Settling wasn\u2019t good enough. She wanted a guy without issues; she wanted the kind of love her grandparents had. A guy who\u2019d eat her cooking and never complain. The thing was: her ex, Collin, had never complained.<\/span><\/p>\n

You only fall for guys with issues. Her grandfather\u2019s words plowed through her mind. Problem was, she hadn\u2019t even known about Collin\u2019s issues when she married him\u2014hadn\u2019t even known about them when she divorced him. But she had loved him, and his double dose of deception left her emotionally crippled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or had her grandpa nailed that one, too? Had she been settling when she agreed to marry Collin? Had she really loved him? More than once her mother had commented that Collin looked like her father. Had she been trying to fill the void of a missing dad?<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear Lord, her father would die again if he knew she\u2019d compared him to a man who\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

What a nice day! She changed mental channels so fast her brain went on overload.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her answering machine beeped. The third message clicked on. Silence. Then\u2026\u201cSue, sweet Sue,\u201d the voice whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue rose up, remembering similar words in her novel, \u201cSally, sweet Sally.\u201d Words spoken by a killer. Fear knotted her stomach. The machine clicked off. Who was doing this? And why?<\/span><\/p>\n

The phone rang. Sue jumped. Then, bracing herself, she forced herself to answer. \u201cHello?\u201d Her heart pumped, sending a gushing sound into her ears.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey. You okay?\u201d Lacy\u2019s voice blended with the gushing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to say good luck this weekend. We\u2019re leaving tomorrow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue almost told Lacy that her weekend had been canceled, but her heart hadn\u2019t stopped racing, and the voice of the caller kept ringing in her head. She half considered telling Chase about the calls and the rat scene in her book. But Lacy kept chirping about their vacation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Telling Chase wouldn\u2019t help, but it might scare loyal Lacy enough to cancel their trip. And with Lacy looking forward to spending time with Chase\u2019s sister and niece, Sue couldn\u2019t do that, but what she could do\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Moving across the room as Lacy rattled on, Sue dug in her kitchen drawer until she found the card of the officer who had handled the rat incident. Officer Martin had made a point of telling her that he lived only five minutes away. He\u2019d even written his home phone number on the back of the card and said if she needed anything to call him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue had a feeling \u201canything\u201d included swapping bodily fluids. Not that she\u2019d go there, but calling him about the prank calls? Yup, she\u2019d do that. And she\u2019d also do as Melissa recommended and buy a gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d Lacy asked. \u201cYou\u2019re quiet. You are never quiet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, after Dodd\u2019s comment, I\u2019ve decided to turn over a new leaf.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t pay attention to him. He\u2019s a great guy but\u2026he has serious issues.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, that explained why Sue found him so dang attractive. \u201cWhat kind of issues?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou name it. He failed relationship 101 and obviously French kissing, as well. Chase told me about the Mr. Deep Throat comment. Good one.\u201d Lacy laughed but Sue couldn\u2019t return it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue, sweet Sue. This was too much like her book. What if these weren\u2019t just prank calls? Okay, tomorrow she was so buying a gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

But until then\u2026Walking over to the trash, she retrieved the foil-wrapped package. Until then, the petrified pizza would have to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure you\u2019re okay?\u201d Lacy asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPositive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be back on Friday,\u201d Lacy said. \u201cI\u2019m still planning on being at Kathy\u2019s Friday night. Gosh, I\u2019ll miss you guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They chatted a few more minutes and said good-bye. Then with her cat in one hand and the pizza in another, Sue decided to call it a night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason sat on his sofa, flipping Sue\u2019s card between his fingers. He owed her an apology, didn\u2019t he? Of course he did. He should have never opened his mouth to Chase. But seeing Sue plant one on the Porche-driving asshole had screwed with his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

No. What had screwed with his head was that kiss four months ago. From the first time he\u2019d caught sight of Sue Finley, she\u2019d smelled and looked like trouble. Soft. Sweet. Sexy. Smart. Yup! Troubles each, with a capital\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not as if I haven\u2019t dated soft, sweet, sexy, smart women before,\u201d he told the orange feline staring up at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

The cat cocked its head and twitched its right ear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, so most of my girlfriends haven\u2019t been that smart. None of them were writers like Sue.\u201d He ran a hand over his jaw. \u201cBut it\u2019s not Sue\u2019s IQ that gets to me, it\u2019s\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve outworn your welcome again. He recalled Sue\u2019s words the day of the rat incident. Words that exemplified why he shouldn\u2019t have kissed her. Words he\u2019d heard growing up. Words that still cut to the core.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason liked to believe that his past hadn\u2019t left any black marks on his life. He\u2019d learned how to cope after the third or fourth foster home: Never pick a fight with a guy twice your size unless the cause is worth taking a beating. Never reach out to someone whom you can\u2019t walk away from, or to someone you\u2019d care about if they walk away from you. Because someone always walks away.<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t as if he had the intimacy issues so many women accused him of having. No, he had all sorts of people in his life. People who counted on him, like Maggie, his foster mom. Hell, there wasn\u2019t anything he wouldn\u2019t do for her. Then there was Chase. He\u2019d take a bullet for Chase. And his friends on the force, too. So what if he was selective of whom he let close?<\/span><\/p>\n

His phone rang, and Jason answered it, eager to interrupt his thought process. \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was quick,\u201d Chase remarked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d The cat jumped into Jason\u2019s lap.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust making sure you\u2019re cool about everything. The food\u2019s in the cabinet. The vet\u2019s number is on the fridge. And don\u2019t feed Fabio too much\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe upchucks, you told me. You went over this today.\u201d Twice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese animals are Lacy\u2019s babies. So make sure you\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason stroked the cat in his lap and listened\u2014again. He knew Lacy wasn\u2019t the only one crazy about those damn pets. Chase was a total animal wuss. \u201cI think I can take care of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u201d Chase sighed. \u201cCan I get one more favor from you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDepends.\u201d Jason kicked off his shoes and stared at the cat curled up in his lap. In spite of him telling the animal not to, the dang thing kept cozying up to him. And unlike Chase, Jason Dodd wasn\u2019t a wuss. To prove it, as soon as he found the time, he was taking the thing to a shelter. A good one, of course. He gave the cat\u2019s chin a scratch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWould you mind checking up on Sue when she gets back from Mexico? I\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason\u2019s gaze zapped to the card beside his wallet.\u201cWhoa. I\u2019m not sure\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust check in when she gets back on Sunday. Make sure nothing\u2019s going on with this rat freak.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason frowned. This wasn\u2019t good. Not good at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHAPTER FIVE<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHold it right there, or I swear I\u2019ll splatter your brains.\u201d Sue raised the gun, then lowered it. \u201cOf course, you look half dead already,\u201d she told the down-on-its-luck ficus tree wilting by her back door.<\/span><\/p>\n

Staring at her 60LS revolver made especially for a woman, Sue tightened her palm, adjusting to the feel of it. This baby was going to come in handy. Just holding it gave her all sorts of scene ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, goodness, she hoped a book was all she used it for. Yes, she\u2019d bought some bullets, but she had no intention of loading the gun unless things got worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remembering what she\u2019d been doing before being distracted, she set the gun on her counter, grabbed the plant food in the plastic cup, and fed it to her sickly ficus. As she poured, another leaf cracked off and fell to its death.<\/span><\/p>\n

She eyed the plant. \u201cHey, chin up. If someone breaks in and threatens you, I\u2019ve got your back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hitchcock, in all his feline glory, lay on the arm of the sofa, staring at her as if she\u2019d lost it. Which could be right. Face it. It had been a trying few days. A trying few years. Not that talking to her plant was insane. Nope.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday, after purchasing her gun, she\u2019d stopped by the plant store to see if there was some miracle cure for a dying ficus. The clerk had sold her twenty bucks of plant food and then suggested Sue try talking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luckily, Sue excelled at talking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d she said to the ficus. \u201cHow\u2019s your life? Mine sucks. I got two more hang-ups today. And then that rude caller who left the message called back. This time he used the word die. I don\u2019t like that word.\u201d She sighed. \u201cAnd speaking of rude, did I mention Jason Dodd?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She touched the plant, and three more leaves floated downward.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot that my life is worse than yours. You\u2019re almost down to your last leaf.\u201d She bit her lip. \u201cI should have never brought you home. I\u2019m much better at killing things than keeping them alive.\u201d She paused. \u201cRelationships included. Not that I had a relationship with Dodd.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue dropped to the floor and picked up the brittle leaves. \u201cHave you ever met someone who just fit like a good pair of jeans? As if they\u2019d been made for you? After he kissed me\u2026\u201d She fought the swell of emotion in her chest. \u201cHave you ever been so lonely that you spent your Saturday afternoon pouring your heart out to a plant? Probably not, huh? And axe the jeans question, too. As a plant, you probably can\u2019t relate to the whole jeans analogy. Besides, I\u2019ve learned my lesson. He\u2019s not my pair of jeans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She touched one of the plant\u2019s limbs. \u201cIf he showed up at my door now and begged for a second chance, I\u2019d laugh myself silly. Not that I don\u2019t feel a little silly now, talking to a plant. And I do have friends. Got a whole club thing going. But both Kathy and Lacy are out of town\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s doorbell rang. She remembered who she was expecting. Getting up, she spotted her gun and hurriedly stuck the weapon in her purse. No use flaunting it in front of a cop.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHi.\u201d She waved Officer Martin inside. He\u2019d already changed out of uniform, wore jeans and a short-sleeved button-down shirt, which bore the print of\u2026smiley faces. Hmmm.<\/span><\/p>\n

She\u2019d called him this morning and told him she felt like she needed to report a few more things. He\u2019d offered to stop by after work. The after-work comment bothered her, but she remembered he lived close and decided to go with the flow. And the flow right now dictated she offer him something to drink.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSoda or tea?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They sat at the kitchen table, sipping iced tea, and she spilled the beans. She told him about the rat scene in her book and the phone calls. He sat there looking at her, or rather, looking at her chest. She pulled the scoop-neck blouse up to a non-scooping level. When his eyes rose, she continued talking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just weird, things happening so close to how they happened in my book.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd your PR person, she\u2019s read the book, right?\u201d He scooted his chair closer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d Sue inched her chair back. \u201cBut Melissa wouldn\u2019t be behind this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He nodded. \u201cAnd\u2026you live here alone, right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d She waited for him to give her a piece of advice. Like \u201cbuy a gun,\u201d which she\u2019d proudly announce she\u2019d done.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, he sent her one of those male, gotta-love-me smiles. The man could work on his smiles. \u201cThere\u2019s not a boyfriend who could come stay here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot really.\u201d She had spoken to Paul, said boyfriend, once since he\u2019d left the message of the vacation cancellation. During the brief conversation, she\u2019d arranged a Monday night dinner. A Monday night good-bye dinner. No more settling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow could that be?\u201d Martin asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow could what be?\u201d Sue had lost track of the conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone like yourself being single.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue pasted a smile on her face, imitating the one on his shirt. \u201cI kill people on paper. Excruciating deaths. Guys find that hard to deal with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

But maybe you should.\u201cLook, about these calls\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d he said. \u201cIf she calls back\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever. If you get scared, need anything, day or night, call me. I can get here in minutes.\u201d He picked up her portable phone on the table, which he told her was exactly like the one he owned, and punched his number into her speed dial. \u201cI\u2019m one touch away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She thanked him but explained that she thought she\u2019d be okay. When he offered to take her out to dinner, she refused. When he offered to stop by later, she told him she didn\u2019t want him to go beyond his call of duty. Hint. Hint.<\/span><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t take that hint, and she was afraid she might have to bypass the polite I\u2019ll-never-date-you hints and go for the never-in-a-million-years bluntness. Then she spotted her ficus tree. She faced Martin, his gaze directed toward her chest, of course.<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, so the Wonderbra had its good points and bad.<\/span><\/p>\n

She yanked up her top again. \u201cYou know, I\u2019m sorry to do this but I have to cut this short. I have a sick friend to visit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After Martin left, Sue donned a pair of pj\u2019s, drank one glass of Merlot\u2014she needed to wipe the smiley faces from her mind\u2014and chatted with Ms. Ficus and Hitchcock before going to bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t sure how long she\u2019d slept when a paw, claws in, struck her face. Then Hitchcock howled. An ugly type of howl, too. Sue shot up. The cat jumped from the bed and paced in front of her huge bay window.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it? A hairball? You don\u2019t have a cold, do you? Oh, Lordie, don\u2019t have a cold.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hitchcock continued to pace. The blinds were up, and the backyard floodlight cast enough of a glow that the cat\u2019s fur shone silver. Sue watched. Not that she really cared to witness the hairball delivery, but it was good knowing where they were. Stepping on them was\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Then she saw it. It was not a hairball.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh God, someone was in her backyard! And they were walking toward her window. The voice from the prank calls echoed in her head. Die, sweet Sue, die.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unable to breathe, she grabbed her cat around the middle and darted out of the bedroom.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, God!\u201d She started going in circles. Hitchcock, never fond of circles, leapt down. Sue accepted right then that everyone in their lives was faced with circumstances that proved what they were made of: strength, valor, courage. She owned not one of those qualities. No backbone, no nerve. She was one tiny muscle spasm away from wetting herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Focused on not peeing, it finally hit her to call for help. She spotted her cell phone on the table, grabbed it, and hit 911.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHelp me,\u201d she screamed as soon as the voice answered. \u201cSomeone is in my backyard. Someone\u2019s told me to die!\u201d She rattled off her address. Then she remembered Martin telling her that he could arrive fast. She grabbed her portable phone. She started to look for his card, then remembered he\u2019d put his number on speed dial. Three, wasn\u2019t it? Or four? \u201cCrap, crap, crap!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hitchcock howled again. Sue\u2019s gaze shot up. She heard it. Her doorknob turned. It was locked, but the eerie clicking sounded like something out of a horror movie. Or a scary book! Like one of my books. One where someone always died.<\/span><\/p>\n

A noise startled Jason awake. He forced his eyes open, his mind trying to process the noise and where the hell he was. Suddenly, he was nose to nose with something with bugged-out eyes and a short snout. In his youth, he\u2019d woken up with some real dogs, but\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

He remembered: Lacy\u2019s house, pet-sitting, Fabio. Pushing the ugly dog away, Jason heard the phone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grabbing his watch off the coffee table, he hit the light button to check the time. One A.M.? Who the hell would be calling at this hour? He vaguely remembered calling Maggie and leaving this number because his cell phone had run out of juice and he\u2019d forgotten to bring his charger. Picking up the portable phone, he answered on the fourth ring. \u201cHello?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone\u2019s here. I saw him walk past my window. Oh, God, he\u2019s at my back door again! What do I do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason\u2019s foggy brain tried to place the panicked voice. It wasn\u2019t Maggie.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recognition struck. \u201cSue?\u201d But, wasn\u2019t she in Mexico doing the tango with the shower-capped Porsche driver? \u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The line went dead.<\/span><\/p>\n

The phone crackled under his intense grip. If she was in Mexico, she wouldn\u2019t be calling here. She had to be at home. The fear he\u2019d heard in her voice ricocheted into his gut. He grabbed his jeans, his gun belt, swiped his keys from the coffee table, and ran to his car.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a ten-minute drive to her place. He made it in six.<\/span><\/p>\n

A police car, lights flashing, sat in Sue\u2019s driveway. Jason parked on the curb, jerked his jeans up over his boxers, slipped on his shoes, and grabbed his gun. Jumping out of his car, he headed to the front door. Blue shadows danced across the yard. He made four steps when he heard, \u201cPolice! Hands up. Down on the ground. Now!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Houston PD. Jason Dodd.\u201d He held up his hands, knowing the shape of the gun would be clearly visible. \u201cI\u2019ve got a gun. Sue Finley called me. I\u2019m Houston PD,\u201d he repeated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDrop the weapon and get on the ground until I can see your badge,\u201d the man called.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason did as he was told even though it stung. A young man stepped from the shadows, his weapon aimed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBadge is in my back left pocket. Is Sue okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The officer grabbed Jason\u2019s gun. Tossing it aside, he reached for Jason\u2019s wallet. A second later, he spoke again. \u201cSorry, Detective. You\u2026surprised me. I\u2019m Officer Tomas Poe. Hoke\u2019s Bluff police.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason pushed himself up. \u201cIs Sue okay?\u201d he asked again. After collecting his gun and wallet, he started toward the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s shook up.\u201d Officer Poe fell in step beside him. \u201cBut not hurt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Jason asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDonald Martin, one of our officers, asked me to drive by. I did. I noticed a car parked up the street. I thought it belonged next door.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sirens screeched in the distance. \u201cYou get the license number?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The young guy shrugged. \u201cIt looked like it belonged to the house next door.\u201d The kid had rookie written all over him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen what happened?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hadn\u2019t gotten but a mile away when I got the call of a break-in in progress. When I came around, the car was gone. I called for backup.\u201d He glanced back to the street as two patrol cars squealed to a halt. \u201cAfter seeing she was okay, I did a sweep of the outside of the house, then you came up. I think what happened was the perpetrator saw me swing by and bailed. That is, if there was a perpetrator.\u201d Poe turned to the two officers and yelled, \u201cIt\u2019s clear.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re questioning the fact that there was a perpetrator after you spotted that car?\u201d Jason\u2019s tone drew the man\u2019s attention back to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, a real perpetrator.\u201d Poe hesitated. \u201cDonald thinks this is a publicity stunt by her PR agent. But since this lady called him about the phone calls\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat phone calls?\u201d Jason snapped.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll he said was she was getting prank calls, and to be safe he wanted me to swing by.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Two other officers walked up. The rookie introduced Jason as a Houston detective and explained he was an acquaintance of the victim.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t this the writer\u2019s house\u2014the one Martin\u2019s got the hots for?\u201d one of the newly arrived officers asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d Officer Poe cut his gaze to Jason.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHave you called him?\u201d the larger newcomer asked. \u201cHe\u2019ll want to be here to comfort her, if you know what I mean. Or I could stand in for him if she\u2019s pretty enough.\u201d He laughed and attempted to suck in his gut. \u201cLet her get a taste of a real man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Poe shot Jason another look, as if questioning the relationship between Jason and Sue. Jason didn\u2019t care what the guy thought; he wanted to check on Sue.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI called Martin,\u201d Poe stated. \u201cHe should be pulling up any minute.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason stalked toward the front door. As he walked, his mind started gnawing on what he\u2019d learned. So, Sue had been getting disturbing phone calls. And she\u2019d called Martin instead of Chase\u2026or himself. Then he remembered the fiasco that had happened at Chase\u2019s on the Fourth, and he supposed he didn\u2019t blame her for not calling him. But Chase\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

The door stood ajar, and Jason saw her on the sofa. Her knees pulled up to her chest, she had her arms wrapped around her calves, and her head rested facedown on top of her knees. Dressed in blue cotton pajamas, she looked small and so damn scared. Emotion kicked the inside of his ribs.<\/span><\/p>\n

He stepped inside without knocking.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHAPTER SIX<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue couldn\u2019t stop shaking. Someone had attempted to break into her house. Someone had been calling and leaving weird messages or just hanging up. Someone had sent her a dead rat. Just like in her book. Someone really wanted to kill her.<\/span><\/p>\n

She remembered seeing the shadow pass by her bedroom window. She remembered hearing someone at the back door, the knob turning. Thank goodness the police arrived so quickly. With her face hidden in the fold of her arms, she heard the officer talking to someone outside. Then she recalled hearing other sirens arriving. More police. She was safe. Safe but still shaking.<\/span><\/p>\n

She buried her face deeper. This was grist for the mill. As a mystery writer, she should be taking notes of the emotional impact, but this wasn\u2019t fiction. She clenched her teeth and wished she had someone to call. But Lacy was in California, and Kathy in Dallas visiting her mom.<\/span><\/p>\n

She thought of phoning her own mom but wasn\u2019t sure she had enough Merlot to keep her mother from hysterics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s mind turned to her grandpa. Her rock, her protector. But lately, their relationship had changed. Oh, his love had never faltered, but Sue found herself being the strong one. She envisioned the times he\u2019d whispered, \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be okay, Princess.\u201d By golly, she could use hearing those words right now.<\/span><\/p>\n

A tear squeezed its way through her closed lids. \u201cCan\u2019t cry,\u201d she muttered. Any minute the officers would need to ask her some questions, and she couldn\u2019t be blubbering like a baby.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be okay.\u201d The caring voice came out of nowhere, and so did the emotion in her throat. He hadn\u2019t called her princess, but it was close enough. The sofa shifted. He sat beside her. She kept her head down to hide her watery weakness.<\/span><\/p>\n

The owner of the deep voice wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Probably the officer on duty\u2014Tomas, if she remembered his name. Or was it Officer Martin? Probably him, because there was a familiar ring to the voice. He even smelled nice and familiar.<\/span><\/p>\n

She started to raise her head, but the muscled arm pulled her against him, offering a shoulder\u2014an offer she couldn\u2019t refuse. And it was a nice shoulder, masculine like his voice and his spicy scent. Oddly, she hadn\u2019t given Martin\u2019s shoulders, voice, or scent a second thought earlier. Nothing like a little panic to bring things home. She pillowed her cheek on the wall of muscle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re safe.\u201d His arm tightened, and she felt safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

The concerned tone, the warm touch, all made her throat ache and her sinuses sting. Her tears flowed. Knowing her nose ran like a floodgate when she cried, she inhaled a hiccupping breath and drew her face off his shirt. Any longer and he\u2019d be wringing the garment out in her sink.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d She sat up, pressing her hand over her face, hoping to collect any leakage without looking totally undignified. Only then did she look at\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d Could panic bring on hallucinations?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, what?\u201d Dodd asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

When she didn\u2019t answer, he rose and went into the kitchen. He came back, sat down beside her, and held a paper towel to her nose. \u201cBlow,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

So much for looking dignified. She took the paper towel, but when she felt the moisture collect between her nose and lip, she blew.<\/span><\/p>\n

And she really wished she hadn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

With one nasal cavity stopped, it made a honking noise that sounded like a mating call of a jungle bird. She wiped and wished she could slip between the sofa\u2019s cushions and disappear like an unwanted penny.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Jason\u2019s leg cozied up to hers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy nose is stopped. What do you think happened?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He attempted not to smile, but humor danced in his eyes. \u201cI mean to night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She leaned back into her leather sofa. \u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Officer Tomas and two more uniformed policemen walked inside. Sue looked at them and then back at Jason, who wore jeans and a white T-shirt. \u201cHow did\u2026\u201d She stared at the damp spot on his chest. Great, she\u2019d snotted up his shirt. Maybe he wouldn\u2019t notice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason glanced at his slimed shirt. Okay, he\u2019d noticed. But she hadn\u2019t asked him for his shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think you could go over what happened again?\u201d Officer Tomas asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue wadded the paper towel in her fist. Then, unable to help herself, she wiped at Jason\u2019s damp spot. \u201cHitchcock woke me up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHitchcock?\u201d One policeman, an Archie Bunker lookalike, stepped closer. Sue barely noticed him, because she was too busy noticing Dodd staring at her as she attempted to clean the snot off his shirt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy cat.\u201d She decided to leave Jason\u2019s shirt alone and looked up at the big cop. \u201cHe hit me with his paw. I think he saw the guy first. Then I saw him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA guard cat?\u201d the same officer said. \u201cI\u2019m glad I don\u2019t have to write this one up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid you get a look at him?\u201d Jason\u2019s voice came out stern, and he stared at Archie.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still uncertain how Jason had wound up here, she stared at him. Remembering their confrontation at Lacy\u2019s, residual anger stirred in her chest. Then she recalled the tender way he\u2019d held her seconds ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

She moved away from the warmth that his jean-covered leg offered hers. \u201cNo, all I saw was a shape.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBig or small?\u201d Jason ran his hand down his leg, which brought the backs of his fingers sliding against Sue\u2019s outer thigh\u2014an outer thigh covered only by a thin layer of cotton pj\u2019s. His touch sent her brain into sensory overload. Nerve endings that hadn\u2019t been awake in a long time started stretching and yawning to life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026don\u2019t remember. But I assumed it was a man, so it wasn\u2019t that small.\u201d She moved a couple more inches away on the couch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure it wasn\u2019t just a shadow?\u201d The larger officer snickered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure.\u201d Sue\u2019s left foot tapped nervously against the wood floor. \u201cMy backyard has a floodlight. And besides, I ran in here and then I heard him at my back door. He was turning the knob. Shadows can\u2019t do that, can they?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The sofa shifted beside her. Jason got up and went to her back door. He unlocked it and studied the doorknob on the outside.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAny damage?\u201d Tomas asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but dust it for prints.\u201d Jason\u2019s gaze returned to her. \u201cThen what happened?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI called for help and I\u2026\u201d Hid, she remembered but didn\u2019t say so.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPrints?\u201d the bigger cop interrupted. \u201cYou\u2019re joking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason met the man\u2019s gaze without flinching. \u201cDo it, or I\u2019ll call someone from my unit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGo ahead and call,\u201d Archie answered. \u201cBut you should talk to Martin first. This whole thing is a sham.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA sham?\u201d Sue\u2019s left foot went still.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s more,\u201d Jason said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSham?\u201d Sue repeated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Archie Bunker reared back on his heels, looking as if he might tumble backward. \u201cMartin\u2019s just playing this up to get in her\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t give a damn what Martin\u2019s doing.\u201d Jason scowled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWait!\u201d Sue held up a hand. \u201cWhat\u2019s a sham?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The front door, left ajar, flew open. Officer Martin, wearing jeans and his unbuttoned, short-sleeved smiley shirt, rushed in. His light brown hair stuck up at an odd angle. He knelt between her knees and took her hands in his. \u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue glanced at their interlaced fingers, finding his affection too showy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you call me?\u201d Martin asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did.\u201d She tried to pull away. He held on. He leaned closer; she backed up. \u201cDo you think this is a scam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason walked to the sofa and stared at Officer Martin crouched between her knees. Martin let go of her hands and stood. Both men\u2019s expressions grew pinched, and Sue got an image of two roosters clawing at the dirt, ready to spar. One rooster was wearing a smiley-face shirt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you here?\u201d Martin voiced the question she\u2019d been dying to ask herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSue called me,\u201d Jason answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did not,\u201d Sue retorted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason\u2019s pinched expression targeted her now. \u201cYou called Chase\u2019s. I\u2019m pet-sitting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026\u201d Understanding dawned. \u201cI must have misdialed. Lacy is three on my speed dial. Martin put his in as four.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I did that before I left to night, didn\u2019t I?\u201d Martin said. There was an insinuation in his tone that Sue didn\u2019t like.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason continued to scowl. \u201cWhat phone were you on when you called?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy home phone. 911 said for me not to hang up. I called them on my cell.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think this is going to take two police forces,\u201d Martin said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without a word, Jason walked out the door. The fact that it was the back door seemed a little odd. Odder still, Sue felt abandoned.<\/span><\/p>\n

She looked at the four cops in her living room. If she broke down again, whom would she lean on?<\/span><\/p>\n

No one.<\/span><\/p>\n

She focused on Martin. \u201cWhy do they think this is a sham?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He shuffled his feet. \u201cIt\u2019s nothing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think I\u2019m doing this for publicity?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d He flushed. The man couldn\u2019t lie worth a diddly squat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue crossed her arms and started swinging her foot. \u201cI\u2019m going to say this once more. My agent isn\u2019t doing this. I\u2019ve been getting weird phone calls and someone sent me a dead rat. It doesn\u2019t matter that the evidence was eaten.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Martin knelt between her legs again and grabbed her hands. \u201cYou\u2019re upset.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue slammed her knees shut, blocking him from getting any closer, and jerked her hands from his. \u201cWhen I said I didn\u2019t want you doing more than your call of duty, what I meant was\u2026I\u2019m not sleeping with you!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The back door swung open. Jason stepped inside and his gaze homed in on Martin; then it turned to Officer Tomas. \u201cYou get someone here to dust for prints or I\u2019ll make a few calls and make it happen. And I want a detailed description of the car you saw.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat car?\u201d asked Martin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat car?\u201d Sue echoed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWait a damn minute!\u201d the large cop spoke up. \u201cThe last time I checked the map, Hoke\u2019s Bluff is our jurisdiction. We call the shots here. Even if Martin is wrong, we don\u2019t dust for fingerprints for Peeping Toms. So just take your attitude and\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe phone line\u2019s been cut.\u201d Jason\u2019s tone could have etched glass. \u201cWhoever was here wasn\u2019t just planning on peeping in the windows. Get the kit out here and dust for the prints.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue tried not to imagine what her stalker had intended to do to her. She wouldn\u2019t let fear win. She could deal with this. Her gaze slid to her purse on the kitchen table. She was an adult, a gun-toting in de pen dent female. Okay, she was a gun-toting in de pen dent woman who\u2019d forgotten all about the gun and hid in the pantry with her cat, but\u2026she could handle this. She could handle anything.<\/span><\/p>\n

A familiar dog bark sounded outside. Sue amended her last thought. She could handle anything as long as it didn\u2019t involve her mother. Sue sent up a serious, silent prayer. Please, don\u2019t let it involve my mother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSusie!\u201d Peggy Finley scrambled inside, doing her best Scarlett O\u2019Hara entrance without the staircase. She threw herself on the couch and hugged Sue against her low-cut grape-colored blouse. \u201cAre you okay? Oh, God, why aren\u2019t you talking?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you\u2019re smothering me!\u201d Sue pried herself free, frustrated until she saw the concern in her mother\u2019s eyes. \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d Sue held up hands and feet. \u201cGot all my fingers and toes. No sore throat, either.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not hurt, Mrs. Finley,\u201d Officer Martin said in an annoyingly in-charge tone. The man was not in charge. He didn\u2019t believe her, and he hadn\u2019t even arrived in time for her to leak snot on. No, she\u2019d had the pleasure of doing that to the man who didn\u2019t like her tonsils.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, sweetie,\u201d her mother cried. \u201cBill and I were\u2026playing checkers. We heard your address called out on his police radio that he listens to for entertainment. Tell me they caught the doctor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bill? Was this the fruit salesman? Glancing at her mom\u2019s disheveled clothing and mussed hair, Sue questioned the checkers story. Suddenly it all seemed too real\u2014and she didn\u2019t mean that someone had tried to break in. She meant her mother. Her mom was having sex. A vision of her father flashed in Sue\u2019s mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her mom straightened her blouse. \u201cI hope they throw that foot doctor in jail for years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not Paul. But who\u2019s Bill?\u201d Sue managed to say.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s Paul?\u201d Officer Martin asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue watched all two hundred pounds of Goliath lumber into her entranceway. Hitchcock zipped out of the room. Behind the dog, a middle-aged man with jet black hair appeared. Wearing tight leather pants and a silk shirt, he looked\u2026familiar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recognition dawned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet this beast away from me,\u201d Sue heard someone say, but she continued to glare at the leather pants\u2013wearing man in blue suede shoes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Great. Her mom was sleeping with a fruit-selling Elvis impersonator. Her father had hated Elvis. He hadn\u2019t been too keen on fruit, either.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s Bill,\u201d her mother said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue opened her mouth but didn\u2019t have a clue what to say to a man who was, moments earlier, bumping uglies with her mother.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Sue could say anything, a masculine outcry arose. She turned her head just as Goliath jammed his nose into Archie Bunker\u2019s crotch and growled. The cop jerked out his gun. \u201cYou bite me there, you son of a bitch, and you\u2019re a dead dog!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Her mother, a grape-colored streak, vaulted over the coffee table and latched her arms around her English Mastiff. Goliath, not used to being lunged at, jumped. All two hundred pounds of canine slammed into Archie Bunker. The cop tumbled backward. His hands, with one gun attached, flew up in the air. As he went down, the gun pointed in Sue\u2019s direction and exploded.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHAPTER SEVEN<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue pressed her hand over the bullet hole.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not fatal.\u201d Jason walked closer, his expression softening.<\/span><\/p>\n

She remembered him unleashing his anger on the officer who\u2019d fired the gun. \u201cI can\u2019t believe he shot my couch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt could\u2019ve been worse.\u201d He looked at her, his blue eyes serious. \u201cBut if it makes you feel better, he\u2019ll be doing paperwork for hours. Explaining a misfired weapon is a bitch. And I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll get a new sofa out of the deal, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it could have been worse,\u201d Sue repeated. \u201cThey could have arrested my mom. I don\u2019t think prison uniforms come in fruity colors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The warmth of his smile worked its way into her chest. She returned the gesture, suddenly finding his presence a lot easier. Her gaze flickered over him\u2014his wide chest, lean hips\u2026It didn\u2019t feel so easy anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still smiling, he pulled a piece of red-wrapped hard candy from his pocket. \u201cWant one?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s gaze shifted to the back door. The events of the last few days felt more like fiction than her life. Sure, she wrote about crazy things and murder, but she didn\u2019t want to live it. All that talk about grist for the mill was just talk. She could imagine all the grist she needed, thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI personally liked Elvis,\u201d Jason said. \u201cBut if that dog put his nose in my crotch one more time, I might have taken a shot at him, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue grinned. \u201cHe flunked obedience training four times.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A smile chased away the awkwardness again. How could Jason Dodd make her feel comfortable and then so uncomfortable in the next second?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe dog or Elvis?\u201d He stepped closer.<\/span><\/p>\n

The humor helped, but reality crowded her mind. \u201cDo you think they\u2019ll get a name from the fingerprint?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was only a partial.\u201d He sat down in the chair across from her. Everyone else had left. Sue had insisted Mr. De-laney, a.k.a. Elvis, take her mother home before she finished off the bottle of wine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Officer Tomas had gone back to the precinct and gotten the equipment to dust for prints, while Jason had taped the phone line back together.<\/span><\/p>\n

Officer Martin had hung around long enough to ask her to go home with him. When she refused, he walked out in a huff. After Officer Tomas and Archie left, it was only her and Jason. And Hitchcock.<\/span><\/p>\n

The cat jumped up in her lap. Sue stroked the feline and stared at the dancing penguins on her pajama bottoms. Her knees were still trembling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d Jason asked, bringing her gaze up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can go, you know.\u201d She hoped she sounded more convincing than she felt. What if whoever had tried to break in came back? \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to call you to night, and I\u2019m sorry about\u2026your shirt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t complained.\u201d He glanced at the door. Then they stared at each other for several suspended seconds before he stood up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking he meant to leave, she bit down on her lip to keep from asking him to stay. But instead of heading for the door, he moved to her DVDs shelf.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I haven\u2019t seen this movie in years.\u201d He held out the Lonesome Dove case. \u201cDo you mind if I hang out a while?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When she shook her head, he put the disc in, and because the only place to see the television was on her wounded sofa, he sat down beside her, keeping a good ten inches between them. The distance showed that he didn\u2019t intend to take advantage of her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course he didn\u2019t. If he\u2019d been interested in her, he\u2019d have called four months ago. She petted Hitchcock and reminded herself that Jason Dodd wasn\u2019t her pair of jeans.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, the smell of his cinnamon candy teased her senses. She knew Jason didn\u2019t want to see a movie. He obviously sensed she didn\u2019t want to be alone. But why did he care? The man didn\u2019t like her. She knew he didn\u2019t like her tonsils.<\/span><\/p>\n

She looked back at the clock. When Lonesome Dove ended, it would be daylight. No reason to be afraid. Yup, tomorrow morning, she\u2019d send Jason Dodd off with a big \u201cThank you\u201d and a fond farewell. Tomorrow, she\u2019d be fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

She looked back at him. \u201cI appreciate what you\u2019re doing. But after the movie, you should go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason winked in response, but he didn\u2019t agree to anything, especially the leaving part. Thirty minutes later, Sue was out like a blown bulb. Her cheek rested against his arm, her mouth sagging open. Her breathing sounded heavy\u2014not quite snoring, but serious rattling, as if her sinuses were still clogged. Not that they should be clogged. He\u2019d never seen so much fluid come out of a woman. He smiled, recalling the look on her face when she\u2019d seen his shirt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Popping another piece of candy into his mouth, he watched her take even breaths and recalled another look on her face, the look when she\u2019d thought he was about to leave. Sue Finley needed him. He could no more have left Sue than he could have left Maggie fourteen years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leaning his head back, he wasn\u2019t certain why that memory surged forward, but it did. He\u2019d heard shouting as he let himself in the front door. Maggie sat in a ball in the corner of her kitchen, her eyes wet and swollen, her lip bleeding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason had intended to walk into the house that night\u2014two hours after the curfew Maggie had set for him, the curfew he never kept\u2014grab his things, and leave for good. At sixteen, he figured the foster system was as tired of him as he was it. But one look at Maggie that night and everything changed. Maggie needed him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s gray cat moved to his lap, ending his reverie. He wasn\u2019t a cat person, but damn if cats didn\u2019t realize that. The animal looked up at him, then back at Sue. Jason ran his hand over the feline\u2019s back and followed the cat\u2019s gaze.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPretty, isn\u2019t she?\u201d he asked. Swallowing a wave of desire, he told himself there was nothing sexy about a woman wearing loose, penguin-printed pajamas buttoned up to her neck\u2014a woman with a stopped-up nose. But tell that to the hardness growing between his legs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moving his hand from the cat, he reached up and touched a strand of Sue\u2019s hair. Soft. Leaning closer, he caught a whiff of the fruity scent. He\u2019d smelled it the night he\u2019d kissed her, and again the day of the rat incident.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, he\u2019d noticed. So much so that yesterday at the drugstore he\u2019d actually paused at the shampoo aisle and loosened lids trying to discover which she used. Very unlike him. He simply wasn\u2019t the type of man who cared what type of shampoo a woman used. But he cared about Sue.<\/span><\/p>\n

His gut tightened when he remembered someone was trying to hurt her. He took a deep breath and swore that whoever had put that fear in Sue\u2019s eyes to night would pay. Pay big.<\/span><\/p>\n

For a second, he got that soul-wrenching feeling to run, the same feeling he\u2019d gotten the night he\u2019d kissed her. The one that said this could only lead to regret. But who would Sue turn to? She hadn\u2019t called the foot doctor to night. She obviously hadn\u2019t gone to Mexico with him. Which meant she didn\u2019t care about him. An odd sense of relief flooded Jason\u2019s chest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue nestled closer against him as if comfortable with his presence. He hoped that was the case. Because until he caught the stalker, he planned on staying right here.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here, with Sue. With the woman he\u2019d vowed not to get close to.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m staying,\u201d he whispered, not loud enough to wake her but loud enough for her subconscious to hear. \u201cSo don\u2019t argue with me. Got that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She stirred again, her hand came to rest in his lap, and his sex stiffened. It felt good. He glanced at the rising bulge in his jeans. Realization hit. Things were back to normal. He smiled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ah, hell, since they were going to be together anyhow, he didn\u2019t see any reason they couldn\u2019t indulge in a few pleasurable pastimes. If she was up for it. He knew he was.<\/span><\/p>\n

But why now and not last week, or last month? Because she needed him? Yeah, that was it; but there was also the whole no-dating rule she\u2019d followed. Non-dating women were either too easily hurt or they were looking for more than the average man was offering. Jason was definitely the average man in the offerings department, and he hated the idea of hurting someone. But obviously Sue had moved past that. Now all he had to do was convince her that they could be good together.<\/span><\/p>\n

Letting his gaze whisper over her, he shifted his arm so she rested closer against him. Nice. Real nice. Tilting his head down, he pressed his lips against her forehead and eyed the tiny buttons of her pajama top.<\/span><\/p>\n

She let out another light rattle\/almost a snore. He grinned and decided again that a little convincing was the only thing keeping him from exploring what was below those cotton pj\u2019s. Not to night. But soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Knowing Sue, he expected her to try to talk him out of it. Luckily, he was good at convincing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Light.<\/span><\/p>\n

Morning breath.<\/span><\/p>\n

A hard object.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJiminy Cricket!\u201d Sue snapped her eyes open, attempting to identify the hard object pressed against her hip.<\/span><\/p>\n

She tried to dislodge herself, but her legs and arms were tangled with another pair of arms and legs. Pushing against a very masculine chest, she jerked up, lost her balance, and started falling off the couch. A pair of arms caught her and in one swoop she was once again against the warm, masculine chest\u2026and the hard object.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRelax.\u201d His voice sounded hoarse with sleep. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna fall.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His breath tickled her ear, and the hardness now pressed against her thigh. She pushed up, carefully.<\/span><\/p>\n

Standing, she gazed at the large bulge between his legs. Yup, she\u2019d been right. After two years, she should be proud she could recognize one. She might have been proud to have gotten Jason Dodd in the state, but she knew better. Men just naturally found lead in their pencils in the morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

He followed her gaze. \u201cSorry. I was asleep. It has a mind of its own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, because your other mind wasn\u2019t interested enough to call me! Sue looked at the silent television screen, then at the clock. It was almost ten.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe movie\u2019s over.\u201d She marched across her breakfast room and into her hall. She opened her bedroom door, then called back, \u201cThanks for staying. You can see yourself out. And lock the door behind you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall. Perhaps it was normal for men to wake up to lead in their pencils, but it wasn\u2019t so normal for a woman to want to be used as stationery. Forcing herself to move, she headed to the bathroom and a cold shower. And then she needed to figure out what she was going to do about someone wanting to kill her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten minutes later, dressed in a pair of cut-off jeans and a T-shirt, she stepped into the hall. When she didn\u2019t hear anything, she assumed he\u2019d done as she\u2019d asked and left. Later she\u2019d call and thank him again. After all, it had been rude to send him off without offering him coffee, tea, or\u2026me. She moaned at the wayward thought.<\/span><\/p>\n

She got to the kitchen and froze when she heard the running shower in her guest bathroom. Dashing to the window, she peeked out to make sure Jason\u2019s car was still there. For all she knew, her stalker had come in and had decided to bathe before he did her in. Seeing the blue Mustang out front, she relaxed.<\/span><\/p>\n

But as she reentered the kitchen, she got a mental picture of him naked, his pencil still ready to write, standing beneath a steamy spray of water.<\/span><\/p>\n

Swallowing, she started coffee and made it strong. Jeepers! The man wasn\u2019t interested in her. The least she could do was return the feeling.<\/span><\/p>\n

After calling her mom and leaving a short message that she was fine\u2014not mentioning the whole Elvis situation, she would deal with that later\u2014Sue phoned her grandparents to remind them of tomorrow\u2019s doctor\u2019s appointment. Her grandpa pointed out that she obviously hadn\u2019t gone to Mexico.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue told him the truth. \u201cYou were right. Settling isn\u2019t going to cut it. No more guys with issues.\u201d Then she reminded them both to take their vitamin C.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hanging up, Sue poured herself a cup of vanilla java with milk and filled another cup for Hitchcock. \u201cIt\u2019s a little strong,\u201d she warned the cat waiting on the table.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hearing footsteps, she darted to the fridge, opened it, and stared at some mayonnaise. The footsteps moved closer, then stopped.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue felt his gaze and pulled her cup to her lips, hoping to appear nonchalant, sophisticated, and totally uninterested. Suddenly not sure staring at mayonnaise said sophisticated, she focused the gorgonzola cheese. Much more sophisticated. Moldy cheese would always do the trick.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Jason said.<\/span><\/p>\n

For what? She turned. He had on the same jeans and T-shirt, but his blond hair was wet and finger-combed. He held Hitchcock\u2019s coffee as if she\u2019d poured it for him.<\/span><\/p>\n

His gaze homed in on her as if she were something delectable. He sipped the brew before his delectable gaze shifted to the cup. \u201cI usually take it black.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She glanced at an unhappy cat, tail twitching, staring up at Jason from a chair. \u201cYeah, but Hitchcock takes his with cream.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason eyed the cat, then the cup. \u201cYou serve him coffee?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She nodded.\u201cWe used to share, but after he ate that dead rat, he gets his own cup. Nasty germs and all.\u201d Sue grinned at the look on Jason\u2019s face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFunny.\u201d He set Hitchcock\u2019s coffee on the table and opened a few cabinet doors until he found a new cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

She should have gotten it for him, but the morning-after awkwardness had her in knots. Not that they\u2019d had a night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, feeling rude for staring, she refocused on the cheese. The cool air hitting her face felt good. She heard Jason pour coffee and felt his gaze on her again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMake yourself at home.\u201d Her tone bordered on sarcastic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did.\u201d He either ignored her sarcasm or was deaf to it. \u201cWhat are we having?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving?\u201d She refused to look at him. Safer to stare at the cheese.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor breakfast.\u201d He nudged her over so he could share the fridge space and her much-needed cold air.<\/span><\/p>\n

She looked at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

He glanced into the fridge. \u201cEggs, milk, cheese.\u201d Still holding the coffee in one hand, he opened the vegetable drawer. Steam rose from his cup. A lock of wet hair fell to his brow. He looked at her and smiled. \u201cYou could make us omelets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah. She barely managed to scramble eggs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Snatching the milk, she shut the fridge. Sue then retrieved a box of raisin bran and shoved it into his hand. \u201cThis is as good at gets around here.\u201d But why had she said that instead of asking him to leave?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a cereal man, myself.\u201d He carried the box to the table and then, bringing the cup to his lips, his slow gaze moved over her body. \u201cDoes the cat get his own bowl?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His smile wrapped around her lungs making it hard to breathe, and the unexplainable heat in his eyes made her heart drop. She grabbed bowls and spoons and, moving to the other side of the breakfast table, set them down.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I appreciate what you did last night. But I should be fine now. I mean, you\u2019re welcome to some cereal but\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood, I\u2019m starved.\u201d He opened the box and commenced to fill the two bowls.<\/span><\/p>\n

Resigning herself to sharing a meal with him, she pulled one bowl closer. \u201cThen you go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He closed the top of the cereal. \u201cNo.\u201d He said the word so casually it surprised her. \u201cAfter we eat, we talk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need to talk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we do. I\u2019ve got questions about the phone calls.\u201d He pointed to her bowl. \u201cBut now, let\u2019s eat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She could have argued. Could have, but didn\u2019t. Instead she sat down, grabbed her vitamin bottle from the table, and poured out two for herself and two for him. Leaning over, she dropped his pills beside his bowl. \u201cVitamin C. Cold prevention.\u201d She\u2019d answered his raised brow.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get colds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnything that stays around here long enough starts dying.\u201d She motioned to Ms. Ficus. \u201cLook at my plant.\u201d She swallowed her pills with a sip of coffee.<\/span><\/p>\n

He smiled\u2014one of those really nice smiles. Obviously, Jason thought she was too scared to be alone. Why else was he being nice? And why was she letting him?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook.\u201d She sighed. \u201cAs Officer Martin pointed out last night, this isn\u2019t your district, so it\u2019s not your problem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He picked up his spoon and met her gaze. \u201cWhy? You want to call Martin again?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d She leaned back in her chair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d He uncapped the milk and filled both bowls. \u201cThe guy\u2019s a jerk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She propped her elbows on the table and watched him spoon bites of cereal into his mouth. Why was he still here? She understood the panicked phone call may have brought out his to protect and serve instincts, but to stay last night\u2026\u201cWhy are you being nice?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He grinned. \u201cI\u2019m a nice guy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He pointed to her bowl with his spoon. \u201cYour cereal is getting soggy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She hated soggy cereal, so she started eating. He refilled his bowl and finished before she did. Obviously not going back for thirds, he crossed his arms over his chest and watched her eat.<\/span><\/p>\n

No longer hungry under his intense scrutiny, she pushed her bowl away. \u201cFine. Let\u2019s get this over with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet what over with?\u201d He smiled as if she\u2019d secretly meant something sexual.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe questions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He settled back in his chair, and his smile melted away. \u201cOkay. Why aren\u2019t you in Mexico with the foot doctor?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CHAPTER EIGHT<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026\u201d Why did she get the feeling of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu?<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, yeah. His smug tone reminded her of the conversation they\u2019d had last week at Lacy\u2019s. The gratefulness she\u2019d held for him for staying last night started to wane. \u201cYou know? I don\u2019t want to do this. You should\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother thinks the doc is behind all this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She wadded a paper napkin in her hand. \u201cMy mother is having sex with a fruit-selling Elvis. How much weight do you think you should put in what she thinks?\u201d Sue shook her head. \u201cPaul didn\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow can you be so sure?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just know.\u201d She unwrinkled her napkin, flattened it, then ripped it in half.<\/span><\/p>\n

His blue-eyed stare made her realize that the air conditioner hadn\u2019t come on. Hot, too hot. The memory of waking up on top of him did funny things to her stomach. She fidgeted with her napkin and tore it again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what happened to your plans for the weekend?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, I decided I couldn\u2019t fake orgasms. She ripped the napkin into tiny shreds. Realizing the mess she\u2019d made, she swiped up the bits and closed them into her hand. \u201cHe had a medical emergency.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone get an ingrown toenail?\u201d Humor danced in Jason\u2019s eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue stood and carried her bowl to the sink. \u201cPaul\u2019s a doctor. He doesn\u2019t deserve to be ridiculed. Feet are important.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason turned in his chair. \u201cSo you broke up with him, huh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did not.\u201d She shot him her best go-to-Hades look. The fact that she planned to break up with Paul tomorrow night was none of Dodd\u2019s business.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, why didn\u2019t you call him last night to come rescue you? Isn\u2019t that what a girl does\u2014calls her boyfriend during a crisis?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She opened her mouth but couldn\u2019t answer. Truth was, she\u2019d never considered calling Paul. Even before she\u2019d decided to break up with him, she would never have counted on him. Didn\u2019t that say something about how little she really cared?<\/span><\/p>\n

She bit into her lip. \u201cHow is that any of your business?\u201d Being that you\u2019re not interested in a woman who can\u2019t stand still and never shuts up, she continued in her mind. But she didn\u2019t say it. Because to say it would make her sound hurt. And if she was hurt, then it meant she cared. Which she didn\u2019t, of course.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, she had a bad case of you\u2019re-my-kind-of-jeans lust going on, but give her a break. It had been two years since she\u2019d had sex and anything battery operated didn\u2019t count. Jason had all the right equipment, no batteries required. She\u2019d probably be attracted to any man if he\u2019d kissed her and discovered a never-before-found G spot in her throat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason brought his bowl to the sink. His leg brushed against hers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zip.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The thrill of his touch rushed through her again and sent liquid pleasure pooling in places that didn\u2019t need to be moist right now. Space. She needed space. She stepped to the side.<\/span><\/p>\n

He edged closer. \u201cYou mom has a point. Stalkers usually turn out to be the boyfriend or the ex-husband.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot this time.\u201d She shifted to avoid touching him and opened the dishwasher.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you say that?\u201d He leaned against the counter and watched her load the dishes. Wasn\u2019t that just like a man\u2014to watch a woman clean and not offer to help?<\/span><\/p>\n

When she rose up, she noticed his eyes on her butt. The words tumbled out before she could stop them: \u201cDid I sit in something, or are you just enjoying the view?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely the view.\u201d He grinned, not at all admonished. She supposed she needed to work on her chastising voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

His smile hit her again, pure sex appeal and a whole bunch of promises. She tugged on her shorts to make sure she wasn\u2019t truly giving him an eyeful.<\/span><\/p>\n

He took her by the elbow and started to the living room. \u201cLet\u2019s sit down. Tell me why you don\u2019t think this foot doctor or your ex is responsible for all this. Tell me about the phone calls.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His touch as he guided her to the sofa made it hard to think period, much less to think about Paul or her never-think-about-him ex-husband. Sitting down, the cool leather sofa pressed against her upper thighs and reminded her of the cut of her shorts. They weren\u2019t indecent. So they weren\u2019t Sunday school attire, but when she\u2019d dressed she hadn\u2019t expected him to be here.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStart with the phone calls. When did they begin?\u201d He sat beside her.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sofa gave way; a few pieces of foam shot out of the bullet hole. His weight brought Sue against him. She scooted over and considered telling him to go take a hike, but then she spotted the gunshot in her sofa again. While that bullet hadn\u2019t been intended for her, someone had wanted to do her harm last night.<\/span><\/p>\n

She met his eyes. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I got a few hang-ups. I don\u2019t know if they were part of it or not. I only started noticing them after I got the rat. By Lacy\u2019s party I \u2018d gotten several. He never said anything, just hung up. And\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you say something then?\u201d Jason sounded annoyed.<\/span><\/p>\n

She crossed her legs, her right foot swinging as she spoke. \u201cI didn\u2019t know if they were connected. Everyone gets hang-ups when telemarketing computers\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He held up his hand to silence her, reminding her of his comment about her talking too much and never standing still. She stopped fidgeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut now he does more than just hang up?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She nodded and accidentally kicked him as her foot began to swing again. Uncrossing her legs, she dropped her hands on her knees. \u201cHe says weird stuff. Things like, \u2018Die, Sue, die.\u2019 \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDie?\u201d Jason frowned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what\u2019s scary\u2026Yesterday he called my cell. Few people have that number.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He raised an eyebrow. \u201cDoes the doctor have your cell number? Your ex?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Paul has it, but he\u2019s not doing this, and I haven\u2019t seen my ex in two years. Neither of them is behind this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason folded his arms across his chest. \u201cHow can you be so sure?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She decided to just tell him. \u201cBecause neither of them has read the book.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2026do you mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She stood and walked around the coffee table. Bending, she straightened the bowl of wooden fruit. \u201cMy book, Murder at Midnight, isn\u2019t coming out for two weeks.\u201d Seeing his gaze travel again to her backside, she jerked upright and tugged at the bottom of her shorts. His gaze went back to her face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does the book have to do with the phone calls?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy story has a serial killer who taunts his victims. He makes frightening calls, says strange things, and\u2026once he sent a\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA dead rat!\u201d Jason stood up. \u201cShit! Why the hell didn\u2019t you tell me this last week?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to believe it. It wasn\u2019t exactly the same as my book. And you and Chase were already accusing Melissa. If you learned about the scene and knew she was one of the people who\u2019d read it, you\u2019d have probably taken her down for questioning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, hell yeah.\u201d He stepped in front of her. \u201cIs she still in town?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. And it\u2019s not her. Why would she do this?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDamn, Sue, you write about weirdos, but you haven\u2019t got the good sense to know that some people are just screwed up. I can\u2019t believe you\u2019d keep something like this to yourself. Whoever is doing this is a real freak.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t keep it to myself. I told Officer Martin.\u201d She tried again with the chastising voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

He scowled. \u201cYou told that jerk but you couldn\u2019t tell Chase or me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, so she didn\u2019t have what it took to pull off chastisement, so she went with just plain old irritated. \u201cIf Lacy thought I was in danger she\u2019d have canceled her vacation.\u201d She held out her hands. \u201cAnd until he started saying things like \u2018die,\u2019 I didn\u2019t think I was in danger. As for not telling you\u2026I had no reason to tell you anything. I still don\u2019t. You don\u2019t even like me. I talk and move too much. Remember?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Guilt ran through his eyes. \u201cI never said I didn\u2019t like you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe only reason you\u2019re here is\u2026I don\u2019t even know why you\u2019re here. You\u2019re Chase\u2019s and Lacy\u2019s friend, not mine!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And just like that she knew why he was here. \u201cChase asked you to watch out for me, didn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason\u2019s expression said it all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGreat! Scoop poop and take care of Sue.\u201d She pointed toward her front door. \u201cGo. I don\u2019t need a babysitter.\u201d She placed her hands on his chest to help him on his way. He didn\u2019t budge.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not leaving.\u201d He wrapped his arms around her waist. \u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere until this freak has been caught.\u201d He brought her closer. \u201cYou\u2019re stuck with me.\u201d There was a low, sexy growl to his tone.<\/span><\/p>\n

She grew uncomfortably aware of how close their bodies were. And that perfect-fit feeling hit again. \u201cYou can\u2019t stay here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d His hands glided up to her shoulder blades, then slowly moved to circle her waist.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I don\u2019t want you to.\u201d Her words sounded weak, not how she\u2019d meant them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need me.\u201d He lowered his face. His cheek, with day-old whiskers, brushed against hers. This close, she could definitely see the heat in his eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She might want him badly, but she truly didn\u2019t need him. She\u2019d learned during her financially lean days how to distinguish between a want and a need. A want made you temporarily happy but wasn\u2019t crucial to sustaining life. Some wants were even bad for you in the long run. Jason Dodd would definitely be bad for her. They would have over-the-handlebars, no-pedal-brakes sex and then what? He\u2019d tire of her because he didn\u2019t really like her. Definitely a want, not a need.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need me.\u201d His pressed his forehead against hers. \u201cSomeone is trying to hurt you. I\u2019m not going to let that happen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His breath whispered across her lips, and she found it a little hard to breathe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d She pulled her face back, away from his lips. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to go.\u201d But she knew he made sense. She did need someone to protect her. She wrote about heroines who fought the bad guys and won, but she\u2019d proven she wasn\u2019t one of them. Even with the gun in her purse, she\u2019d\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll find someone else to protect me.\u201d She couldn\u2019t allow Jason to needle his way into her life. She\u2019d wind up broken and hurt. Lord knew she\u2019d been hurt enough to last a lifetime. To have anything to do with Jason Dodd was like opening up her chest, handing him a hammer, and telling him to go for it.<\/span><\/p>\n

She blinked at his unhappy expression. \u201cI\u2019ll call the police and ask for some references.\u201d She stepped back, but he held on and moved in even closer. His thigh pressed between her legs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zip.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zing.<\/span><\/p>\n

His leg felt nice between hers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am the police. Consider that a reference.\u201d His moist lips brushed her cheek. \u201cYou smell so good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He smelled good, too. A little like coffee, with\u2026the natural scent of how a man should smell: earthy but clean.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet me stay here until this blows over.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And then he\u2019d be gone. \u201cYou can\u2019t.\u201d But she leaned against him, into him. Just for a second, she told herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019ll just camp out on your doorstep.\u201d His lower body brushed up against her lower body. \u201cFrankly, I like being close.\u201d His lips swept against her temple. \u201cAnd I think you\u2019re finding it nice, too.\u201d He glanced down to where her breasts were pressed against his abdomen. She followed his gaze\u2014and went on instant nipple alert.<\/span><\/p>\n

He moved in, as if purposely brushing against the two sensitive points. Pleasure had her melting into her pan ties. Why was telling him no so hard? She swallowed and realized something else had become hard. It didn\u2019t belong to her, but it was pressed against her navel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Good Gawd! What was she doing? Hadn\u2019t she discussed this very thing with her ficus tree last night?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis has to stop.\u201d She pulled away. \u201cAnd it has to stop right now.\u201d It really did.<\/span><\/p>\n

He held up his hands. \u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d The heat in his gaze faded. \u201cNow isn\u2019t the time. I need a list of everyone who\u2019s read your book. I need names, phone numbers. I should probably read the book myself.\u201d His gaze moved down her legs and inched up again. \u201cBut first\u2026you have to get out of those shorts. They\u2019re driving me crazy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And just like that, the heat in his gaze flared back up. He reached out, his index finger hooked her belt loop and he tugged her closer. \u201cThen again, maybe what we need to do is get this stuff out of the way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo stuff is happening.\u201d Pulling his finger out of her belt loop, she stepped back.<\/span><\/p>\n

His gaze lowered to her chest, to her nipples pebbling through the thin cotton top. \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause\u2026\u201d She pointed a finger at him. \u201cYou have issues, and I\u2019m finished dealing with issues. And stop\u2026stop staring at my boobs!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His eyes shot up but he grinned. \u201cWhat issues? Besides staring at your\u2026boobs. Which, in my defense, are really nice to look at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He stepped closer. His sexy, self-assured gait came off way too tempting. She stormed off to her bedroom to change clothes. Yet, even as she went, feeling slightly embarrassed and a lot cautious, the tickle of feminine power brushed over her. Jason Dodd might not have wanted her four months ago, but now was another story. Turnaround was fair play. And this time, she was the one who was going to turn him down.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not staying,\u201d she called over her shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her tone didn\u2019t even convince herself. Guess she needed to work on her convincing voice, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHAPTER NINE<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019re not staying.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue\u2019s words echoed inside Jason\u2019s head, but she hadn\u2019t convinced him. Not for a second. Not when someone was out to hurt her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stop staring at my boobs. A smile pulled at his lips. He hadn\u2019t lied; they were really nice to look at.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then the image of her prancing down the hall replayed in his head. Damn, she had the cutest ass he\u2019d ever seen. Why hadn\u2019t he ever noticed it before? Because she\u2019d always been wearing dresses, skirts, or long shirts that hid the treasure.<\/span><\/p>\n

The slamming door should have made him flinch, but nope. His smile held tight. In spite of being afraid for Sue, and madder than hell that someone was putting her through this, he still felt\u2026happy. As if someone had just handed him a new lease on life.<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019d returned to the kitchen to see if Sue had any soda when the phone rang.<\/span><\/p>\n

The phone. Shit! Realizing the call could be the stalker, he turned and snatched it off the counter. \u201cDon\u2019t answer yet!\u201d he yelled as he took off for the bedroom. \u201cDon\u2019t answer.\u201d He got to her bedroom door. For a split second he considered knocking, but not wanting her to pick up before he got to her, he let himself in.<\/span><\/p>\n

She shot him a quick look, but her concern appeared directed at the ringing phone. \u201cIt says it\u2019s restricted. All those calls are generally from him.\u201d Panic sounded in her voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSue?\u201d Jason put his thumb on the talk button in case she snatched up the phone. \u201cWe\u2019re going to answer it at the same time so I can listen in. Okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt could be my mom, calling from Elvis\u2019s phone. Maybe he had his number placed on the restricted list.\u201d Her panicked gaze shot to him. \u201cShe calls a lot whenever she discovers her new disease. But I think sex with Elvis cured her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Disease? Jason quit trying to understand and sat Sue down on the side of the bed. Then he sat beside her. \u201cYou ready?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The phone rang a fourth time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her soft blue eyes had that frightened little girl look that made him want to wrap his arms around her. He resisted the urge and handed her the phone. They hit the buttons at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue brought the phone to her ear. \u201cHello?\u201d Her voice sounded tight. Scared.<\/span><\/p>\n

No one answered. Silence. And then\u2026\u201cDon\u2019t fight it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her scared gaze shot to Jason.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe police can\u2019t protect you,\u201d the gravelly voice continued. It was raspy and low, but Jason couldn\u2019t tell the gender.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDie sweetly,\u201d the voice continued. \u201cSlowly. Die, sweet Sue. Die.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A shot of adrenaline hit Jason\u2019s gut. The line clicked silent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The phone slipped from Sue\u2019s hands and crashed onto the wood floor. The batteries dislodged from the phone and rolled in different directions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because one of them needed to be calm, Jason fought back his own knee-to-the-gut reaction. \u201cIt\u2019s okay. We\u2019re going to catch this bastard.\u201d He pulled Sue close. Her face fit into the curve of his shoulder. He felt her trembling. Pressing a hand to her upper back, he expected her to start crying on his shirt again. Not pretty, but he didn\u2019t care.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of leaking on his shirt, she pulled herself free. \u201cWho does he think he is?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Jason brushed her hair behind her ear and felt an odd sense of rightness being there with her. In her house. In her bedroom. In her bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The scent of sleepy woman filled his nose. Just like that, the familiar tightness hit his lower abs again. He fought it. Right feeling, wrong time.<\/span><\/p>\n

She popped off the bed. Jason watched her pace from one side of the room to the other. He recognized her reaction all too well; he\u2019d seen it in a number of victims. Anger was always a short walk from fear and panic. And while most people could deal with being angry, fear gave people a run for their money. The problem was that anger took a lot of energy, and unless getting angry could solve the problem, a person generally ended smack dab back in fear, only they were exhausted from the emotional ride.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not that she\u2019d have to suffer exhaustion alone. He\u2019d be there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Die sweetly. Slowly. Die, sweet Sue. Die. The voice from the phone replayed in his head, and Jason gripped his hands together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to get this guy,\u201d he said again, feeling helpless at fixing her emotional havoc but damn near certain he\u2019d fix her other problem. He would catch this creep.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue continued to pace. And for the first time, he noticed what she wore. Or what she didn\u2019t wear. Her white T-shirt dangled mid-hip. Below, she wore\u2026The tightening in his stomach came back threefold.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below, she wore white bikini pan ties. Cotton, but they couldn\u2019t have been sexier. They fit her like a glove. And when she turned around he caught a glimpse of just how shapely her behind really was. Round. Perky. What he wouldn\u2019t give to remove that piece of white cotton.<\/span><\/p>\n

For a second, he allowed himself to just enjoy the view, but then reality sneaked back in. Heightened emotions could easily lead to sexual arousal, but bedding a woman high on emotion was like bedding one who\u2019d had too much liquor. The sex might be fantastic, but the awkward aftershock was considered by most females to be fatal to the relationship. To a male\u2019s way of thinking, it simply meant the chances of repeat sex were almost nil. And one time with Sue wasn\u2019t going to sate him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus, he had to stay on her good side while he made sure some idiot didn\u2019t carry out this death threat. Yes, the sex between them was going to be great, but he had to do it right.<\/span><\/p>\n

A pair of khaki shorts on the bed caught his attention. He\u2019d probably regret this later, but he did it anyway. Picking them up, he handed them over. \u201cHere, get dressed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She yanked the khakis from his hands, unsnapped them, and slid her bare feet and slender legs into the shorts. \u201cWho does he think he is?\u201d she repeated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Unable to resist, he gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. Very quick. Considering what he would like to do, he should win a medal for not doing more. A big gold one. \u201cBut we\u2019re going to find out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He ran a finger over her lips, fought the desire to go back for seconds since she didn\u2019t seem to object to the first course. But he knew if she wasn\u2019t riding a wave of emotion right now, she\u2019d be giving him hell.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning her around, and with only a slight amount of guilt, he put his hands on her backside, allowing himself the pleasure of touching her butt before giving it a gentle push toward the door. \u201cNow let\u2019s get out of the bedroom before I forget my manners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Moving down the hall, he knew he had to stop thinking like a man and start thinking like a cop. Die sweetly. Slowly. Die, sweet Sue. Die. The voice replayed in his head. And the cop inside him reared its head. He let out a hissing breath and accepted that Sue probably wasn\u2019t the only one riding that emotional high. Who was this asshole? His mind went back to the doctor. Then to Sue\u2019s agent. Jason replayed the voice again in his head. Sue had referred to the caller as a guy, and his gut agreed, but the voice had been so raspy, it could have been either gender.<\/span><\/p>\n

Questions flipped through his mind. He needed answers. The sooner the better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Something also told him they weren\u2019t finished discussing his staying here. He had no problem discussing it. He\u2019d discuss it until the cows came home\u2026but he wasn\u2019t leaving.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue found that being angry felt so much better than being afraid. Reaching down to her shorts\u2019 Velcroed pocket, she yanked it loose. The resultant sound, a crackling pop, felt good to her ears.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason led her to the wounded sofa and started firing questions at her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Frustrated, she shot back, \u201cNo! I don\u2019t think Melissa would do this.\u201d She yanked the pocket loose again. Rip. \u201cAnd no, I don\u2019t think my editor would do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen who?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rip.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if I knew that, I could just have Officer Martin arrest the guy for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason\u2019s brow pinched. \u201cMartin\u2019s a jerk. Tell me about this critique group of yours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh yeah. Anger won hands down over being afraid. But anger came with its own downside. No focus. She found herself getting mad at everyone. Officer Martin, for believing this was a scam. The fat cop, for shooting her sofa. Goliath for sniffing the man\u2019s crotch. And, oh yeah, her mom, for making juice with Elvis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rip.<\/span><\/p>\n

Needing to spend some of the emotional energy zipping through her, she went to the kitchen to snag some coffee. Caffeine poured, she plopped down at the breakfast table. Jason took the chair beside her to continue his interrogation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo all three of these guys have read it?\u201d he asked, taking notes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, yeah. That\u2019s what critique groups do. They read each other\u2019s work.\u201d She reached for the pocket, fingering the tab. Jason\u2019s suspicions of her critique group brought on another wave of anger.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rip.<\/span><\/p>\n

And when she thought about the critique group, she remembered Benny\u2019s crush on her, and she got mad at him for forcing her to use the dead-dog trick. Even if it saved her from bruising his ego, the man would always think she had bad breath. And by gosh, she flossed regularly. It was unhealthy not to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rip! Replace pocket. Rip. Rip. Rip.<\/span><\/p>\n

She really liked that sound. So fitting to her mood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason eyed her pocket, looking as if he was going to ask her to stop, but he didn\u2019t. Smart man.<\/span><\/p>\n

But his questions continued, and so did her anger.<\/span><\/p>\n

He wanted to know everything, from the names of the editors who\u2019d read her novel to the art directors who\u2019d been given the synopsis to help design the cover.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t like that guy.\u201d She figured that before her fury frenzy finished she\u2019d be mad at everyone she\u2019d ever met.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho? The copy editor or the artist?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoth. The artist wanted to take me to his place and show me his etchings, and the copy editor said I needed to take a grammar course. It\u2019s not my fault he doesn\u2019t speak or read Texan. He got insulted when I proved him right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll check them out. What about the book reviewers? Who has seen an early copy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy publisher sent out ARCs\u2014advance review copies. Lots of them. You\u2019ll have to get that list from them.\u201d She leaned her head back, emotionally strung out. No more anger to spend.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then Jason suggested she whip up something for them to eat, and she got mad at her mom for never teaching her to cook. Which led to her getting mad at her grandmother, and her grandmother\u2019s mother. Sue came from a long line of women who couldn\u2019t cook. Ancestral anger ran deep.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, she came to her senses and got mad at Jason for thinking it was the woman\u2019s place to cook.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought you loved to cook.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy? Because I\u2019m a woman?\u201d She reached for her pocket again. Rip. Replace.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Because you said you loved to cook on that cooking show you were on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She shook her head. \u201cYou saw that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He held up his hands, as though agreeing he\u2019d been presumptuous. \u201cI\u2019ll cook, you relax.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When he disappeared into the kitchen, Sue tried to do as he suggested: relax. But her skin tingled, and she remembered Jason pulling her against him before she\u2019d gone to the bedroom. Remembered him staring at her breasts, and she hadn\u2019t even been wearing the Wonderbra. She remembered the way it had felt being close to him, the sensation of her tight nipples brushing up against his chest. Then she recalled that he\u2019d kissed her in the bedroom. Not a hot and heavy kiss like four months ago, but a kiss. Sweet. Simple.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes simple was good. She\u2019d certainly been too surprised to react.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within ten minutes, Jason served her the best grilled cheese she\u2019d ever eaten.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese are really good.\u201d She savored the mouthful of sandwich.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey should be; they\u2019re your recipe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy recipe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the cooking show. They posted several of your favorite recipes on their website.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She fought the light brushstroke of guilt. \u201cMelissa sent those recipes in. She\u2019s always getting me spots on local shows or press in magazines. It sells books.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike that article in that dog magazine about you owning your mother\u2019s dog?\u201d He laughed. \u201cI asked Chase about that one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou read the dog magazine, too?\u201d Sue frowned. She\u2019d told her agent that somebody would find her out. But Melissa just kept saying, \u201cIt\u2019s press. Readers don\u2019t care if you can cook or if the dog isn\u2019t yours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou want more tea?\u201d He grinned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Realizing he was attempting to be nice, she got mad at Chase for lumping \u201cTake care of Sue\u201d into a list of chores for Jason that included cleaning up animal feces. That was when her anger once again became targeted toward Jason. Why hadn\u2019t he called her four months ago?<\/span><\/p>\n

Still unwilling to admit she cared, she internalized that bit of anger. Immediately, the dangers of internalizing anger became clear. Because it opened up the Pandora\u2019s Box of angst. Angst at her ex, Collin. How could he take five years of total commitment and toss it aside? And her father. How could he die and leave her and her mother alone? If he had to die, why from something so common\u2014why from the common cold? She leaned back on the sofa, emotionally drained.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason sat beside her. His hand sifted through her hair. \u201cYou want a blanket and pillow?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She got a mental image of them together on the couch again. \u201cNo. I\u2019m going to write.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine, but we need to go feed Lacy\u2019s animals before too long.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She rolled her eyes at him. \u201cIt\u2019s broad daylight. My neighbors are home. I\u2019m fine. And\u2026and once you\u2019re at Lacy\u2019s\u2026just stay. I don\u2019t need you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He frowned. \u201cCall the neighbors. If they\u2019re home, I\u2019ll run there and back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She sat up. \u201cYou can\u2019t actually believe you\u2019re going to stay here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUntil we catch this freak, I am.\u201d He said it with such conviction that she might have laughed if she wasn\u2019t an emotional wreck.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what about tomorrow?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about it?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow who\u2019s being a dumb blond? Tomorrow is Monday. I think you work. You know, the thing you do five days a week so you can pay your rent? I think it involves driving around in a car, playing like you\u2019re a macho guy, looking for people who sell drugs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He smiled. \u201cI love the way you simplify my job.\u201d His gaze settled on her lips. \u201cI called and took off Monday and Tuesday. The first comp days I\u2019ve taken in years. I\u2019ve got four weeks of time saved up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue dropped her head back and stared at the ceiling. \u201cYou can\u2019t\u2026\u201d She sat up again. \u201cWhy would you even want to? Look, I can understand you coming over when I called. And I can see that because Chase asked you to watch over me that you felt like you had to stay last night. But to take off work is\u2026too much.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His gaze acquired a serious glint. \u201cLast night you mentioned you\u2019d hire a bodyguard. Well, hire me. I\u2019m cheap.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo buts.\u201d He leaned in, bringing his face so close she could count his eyelashes. \u201cYou need me.\u201d He pressed his lips to hers. The kiss he\u2019d given her in the bedroom earlier had happened so fast that she\u2019d told herself he did it just to calm her\u2014like someone slapping you, though in a nicer way. But right now she was calm. Calm and being kissed.<\/span><\/p>\n

His tongue slipped inside her mouth. He tasted good: a little like coffee, a little like grilled cheese. But she had to stop him because\u2026well, she didn\u2019t know why. Not exactly why; but if she had any wits about her, she would put an end to this. And she was going to end it. In just a few more seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

He reached up and threaded his fingers through her hair. The kiss deepened. She pulled back and took a deep, mind-cleansing breath. Then she looked up at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you doing this because you think I\u2019m going to sleep with you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Appearing genuinely offended, he held up a hand. \u201cNo, I\u2019m not doing this because I think you\u2019re going to sleep with me. But\u2026I wouldn\u2019t be disappointed if we found some pleasurable way to pass the time. We\u2019re adults. And I think\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sleeping with you.\u201d She scooted over.<\/span><\/p>\n

He arched an eyebrow. \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019m not settling.\u201d Nope. Her issue-dealing\/settling days were long past. Her gaze shot to her dying house plant. Plus, she\u2019d already discussed this with her ficus tree. \u201cNope, not settling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He ran a finger down her cheek. \u201cBelieve me, sweetheart. When I\u2019m finished with you, you won\u2019t feel as if you\u2019ve settled.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From that simple touch down her cheek, she knew he spoke the truth. Sex with him would be absolutely, totally, over-the-edge, purple-prose wonderful. Which was all the more reason she couldn\u2019t do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

She stood. \u201cWon\u2019t happen. Not in this lifetime.\u201d But maybe in the next lifetime, a voice deep inside her begged. She ignored that voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u201d He shot up and sounded frustrated but not mean, not accusing. \u201cDon\u2019t sleep with me. We both lose, because it would be good. Really good. But I\u2019m still not leaving.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m on a deadline. I need to write.\u201d Why was he still being nice?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo write. I can help. You know, critique like that group of yours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI only let people I trust read my unpublished work.\u201d It came out harsh, and she hadn\u2019t meant it to. Or maybe she had. Four months ago, she would have begged for a pinch of this niceness. But, oh no. He\u2019d not given her the time of day, or a phone call.<\/span><\/p>\n

He frowned. \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t you trust me? I like your work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As if he\u2019d even read her books. \u201cDon\u2019t lie to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou think I\u2019m lying?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She ignored his question. Ignored that he sounded hurt. Ignored that she felt guilty for hurting him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when I\u2019m not writing, I\u2019m not staying in the house behind lock and key. I have a life and I don\u2019t plan to let some scumbag turn me into a prairie dog who\u2019s scared of its own shadow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean groundhog?\u201d A smile pulled at his too-sexy mouth that had moments ago been busy kissing her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I meant prairie dog. Groundhog is a clich\u00e9. I don\u2019t use clich\u00e9 s.\u201d She tried to not to use clich\u00e9 s. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t like it when people interrupt me while I write. You\u2019d have to entertain yourself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, damn! Was she accepting his help? She remembered last night, feeling like a sitting duck. Okay, a sitting duck hiding in the kitchen pantry, a can of peas in one hand and a can of pork-n-beans in the other. She remembered how safe she\u2019d felt when Jason held her. A lot safer than the canned vegetables had made her feel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Logically, he\u2019d already asked for the time off anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m only agreeing to it for a day or two.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGot it. No interrupting you. No sex\u2014unless you change your mind. Which I maintain the right to try and change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He pressed a finger to her lips. \u201cYou can still say no and I\u2019ll respect it.\u201d When she didn\u2019t continue her argument he continued his. \u201cYou don\u2019t cook. I stay away from you while you work. I can\u2019t read your unpublished work, though I think that one is unfair. And you tell me where you need to go and we\u2019ll go. I got the rules down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d she said.\u201cBecause I have to take my grandfather to have his prostate checked in the morning, and I have a date tomorrow night.\u201d She turned and started toward her study.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa!\u201d Jason caught her arm. \u201cThat I do have a problem with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhich one? The prostate check or my date?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He ran a rough palm over his face. \u201cBoth. But mostly the date.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d For some reason she wanted to believe he was jealous. \u201cWhy do you have a problem with my seeing Paul?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause, like I said earlier, usually the bad guys in crimes like this turn out to be a boyfriend or husband.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, he wasn\u2019t jealous. That stung a little. \u201cBut Paul hasn\u2019t read the book. Remember?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the boyfriend. Meaning he\u2019s still a suspect,\u201d Jason growled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he\u2019s about to move off the suspect list. I\u2019m breaking up with him.\u201d She bit down into her lip, not certain she\u2019d wanted Jason to know that.<\/span><\/p>\n

He hesitated, as if digesting that piece of information. \u201cThat includes ex-boyfriends and ex-husbands.\u201d He studied her. \u201cWhy are you breaking up with him?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the same reason I\u2019m not sleeping with you. I\u2019m not settling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExactly what do you mean by settling?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She walked away, toward her office, feeling his gaze follow her. Why had she agreed to let him stay?<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer bolted back. Because you\u2019re scared.<\/span><\/p>\n

But deep down she knew there were other reasons. Revenge came to mind. Yup, revenge was sweet. But there was more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stepping into her office, she shut the door with a solid thump, then unceremoniously dropped into her ergonomic office chair in front of her computer. The chair designed to prevent back aches and neck aches. It did little to help the pain in the butt that she\u2019d left standing in her living room. If only that pain in the butt wasn\u2019t so darn sexy. If only his touch didn\u2019t set off other body parts aching. If only he\u2019d called her four months ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

She went for the Velcro again. Rip. Replace. Pat the pocket. Rip again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yup. She liked that noise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rip.<\/span><\/p>\n

An icon on the bottom of her computer screen informed her she had e-mail. She clicked onto the envelope and\u2026the screen turned red. Blood red.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dots started swirling, making an image. Then a picture of a rat, a dead rat, and a poinsettia plant appeared before her. Then came the word Die.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If that wasn\u2019t bad enough, one of those little fatal error signs flashed across the dead rat image. Fatal error\u2014as in, your computer is terminally ill. Fatal\u2014as in, it has a cold from which it will never recover.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d She tried to delete the message, but the computer froze. She hit more buttons. Nothing happened. Jumping up, she ran out the door and collided with Jason\u2019s chest.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d He caught her.<\/span><\/p>\n

She pointed into her study. \u201cThreatening to kill me is one thing. But no one messes with my computer!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Reaching down, she fingered her pocket.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Velcro was really going to rip now.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHAPTER TEN<\/span><\/p>\n

After having a tizzy in front of Jason, Sue pulled out her old laptop\u2014\u201cold\u201d meaning no Internet\u2014shut Jason out of her office, and started on Chapter Two.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, the first hour she spent staring holes at her dead desktop computer. Of course she had back-up disks, but the nerve of the rat-obsessed lunatic made her mad enough to kill. Unfortunately, the only living things in the house were Hitchcock, her ficus tree, and a cop. She loved her cat, the ficus tree was too sickly to make it feel like a fair fight, and killing the cop would get her fifty to life. But the last was still tempting.<\/span><\/p>\n

She finally found escape in her story and got at least seven good pages written. She was ending a scene when a tap came at the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome in,\u201d she called. As the door opened, she told herself she was prepared to face him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason leaned his shoulder against the doorframe and crossed his bare feet at the ankles. \u201cYou okay?\u201d His voice was husky, and his eyes were hooded as if he\u2019d just awoken from a nap.<\/span><\/p>\n

Six feet of sleepy bad-boy fantasy come to life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her heart hiccupped.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her toes twitched.<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, so maybe she wasn\u2019t prepared to face him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her gaze moved up and down all six feet of him. It should be a federal offense for a man to look so good while barefoot and dressed in a worn-yesterday pair of jeans and a T-shirt. No one was that perfect. So she looked harder, wanting to find his one flaw: the beginnings of a gut, a receding hairline, a hook nose, or perhaps beady eyes. Maybe he had a few extra toes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her gaze slipped back to his toes. She counted\u2026all perfect ten of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then her gaze rose up the denim-clad legs to the masculine package behind the fly, past the lean hips to the wide chest.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid I spill something on myself, or are you just enjoying the view?\u201d Both a smile and masculine pride sounded in his voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue recognized that his words were similar to those she\u2019d thrown at him this morning. She immediately went to work seeking a good excuse for staring at him like a yummy piece of chocolate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eureka. \u201cYou\u2019ve got enough cat hair on you to weave sweaters for Houston\u2019s homeless.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He brushed off his shirt. \u201cI fell asleep, and your cat parked his furry butt on my chest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue recalled waking up to find herself parked on his chest this morning. She couldn\u2019t blame her cat. Jason\u2019s chest was so\u2026parkable.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lint brush below the sink.\u201d She looked back at her laptop screen, away from temptation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid you get some work done?\u201d The husky quality of his voice breezed over her nerve endings.<\/span><\/p>\n

She finished her last sentence\u2014with three typos. The man could be the death of her writing career. \u201cI got some done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood. We should head over to Lacy\u2019s to feed the animals. And we need to make a run by my place. I thought we could get some dinner while we\u2019re out, too. I\u2019m starving.\u201d He moved closer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Had she really agreed to let him stay here? Yup, but for good reason. Someone wanted her dead. Maybe after some thought she would hire herself an ugly bodyguard, someone with a paunch, a big nose\u2014someone who wasn\u2019t six-feet-plus of pure, unadulterated temptation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019re some granola bars in the pantry. I need to just tweak this,\u201d she said, still not looking at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou look tense.\u201d He stepped behind her, pushing his hands between her and the chair, massaging her shoulders. With firm strokes, he rubbed the knotted muscles around her neck. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you take a break?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His hands were magic, kneading with just the right amount of pressure. She bit her tongue to keep from purring. But even as the tightness eased in her shoulders, tension started pulling low in her belly\u2014an ache that she knew he could make go away as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reaching back, she grabbed his wrist to stop him. \u201cGive me a minute.\u201d She felt him lean down behind her, felt the stubble of his beard against her cheek. How long had it been since she\u2019d enjoyed the feel of a five o\u2019clock shadow? Too long.<\/span><\/p>\n

He brushed his lips against her temple. \u201cBe thinking about what you want to eat.\u201d He rose up, got to the door, then turned back around. \u201cOh, yeah, I need a copy of your new book.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her mind, stuck on how little things like beard stubble could be missed, took a while to compute his words. \u201cI\u2026don\u2019t have a copy yet. Just a disk. They misspelled my name on the first cover and had to have them redone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen bring the disk, and I\u2019ll print it out at my house.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She watched him walk out, the backside of him just as nicely shaped as the front. Oh, Lordie, she had it bad. She dropped her head down on her desk and gave it one good thud.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then she remembered. Just because he was perfect on the outside didn\u2019t make him perfect on the inside. The man had issues. She tried to remember everything she knew about him, surprised at how little she did know.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rising up, she recalled Chase saying something about Jason\u2019s mother living in Houston. Yet she\u2019d never heard Jason speak of her. From bits and pieces of dialogue over the last year, she\u2019d learned he\u2019d never been married. Most importantly, she knew she had nail polish that lasted longer than some of his relationships. The man had brought one girl to Lacy\u2019s wedding shower and, two weeks later, he\u2019d brought a different one to the wedding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, yeah, definite signs of issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s when Sue knew what she had to do. She\u2019d spend the next two days getting under and past Jason\u2019s fa\u00e7ade of perfect physical compatibility with her. Discovering his issues would temper the attraction. Then she might be able to stand to be in the same room with him. They could go back to the way things were before the kiss, to when the attraction had only been mildly irritating instead of mind-blowingly infuriating.<\/span><\/p>\n

Armed with a plan and a surge of confidence, she stood. She glanced back at the unplugged computer. Fear settled in the pit of her stomach. She walked into her living room. But when she saw the big blond cop opening a granola bar, her fear took a hike. In her head, she heard him: Someone is trying to hurt you, and I\u2019m not going to let that happen. She believed him. He wouldn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

He saw her. His sexy-as-sin smile appeared in his eyes and she remembered something else he\u2019d said. No sex, unless you change your mind. Which I maintain the right to try and change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason Dodd would protect her from the stalker, but who was going to protect her from Jason Dodd?<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason ate another granola bar while Sue freshened up. He\u2019d made some calls while she worked. The phone company would put a trace on Sue\u2019s phone calls, though it would be tomorrow before they got it set up, and Bob, the go-to police computer forensic guy, who was off fishing in Galveston for the day, would be here at eight tomorrow morning to take Sue\u2019s computer in for analysis. Jason wanted to know if the jerk who\u2019d sent the e-mail had also hacked into Sue\u2019s files. If so, the stalker wouldn\u2019t necessarily have to be someone Sue knew or someone who had personally been given an early copy of the book. It could be anyone, which meant finding him would be that much harder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason had been forced to call in a few favors to get her hard drive looked at ASAP, but after years of collecting IOUs it wasn\u2019t a problem. He\u2019d probably have a harder time convincing Sue to let Bob take her computer. Earlier she\u2019d said something about taking the computer to her computer guru. After seeing Sue\u2019s antique laptop that she\u2019d pulled out earlier, and hearing her complain about it not having Internet, Jason hoped loaning her his own laptop would appease her. And he\u2019d have Bob fix her computer while studying the data.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue walked out wearing jeans that were slung low on her hips and a pink sleeveless top short enough to offer a smidgen of bare skin around the belly button. While the neckline offered no cleavage, the fabric outlined the soft swells of flesh in detail. Detail that told him she wasn\u2019t wearing a bra\u2014or maybe it was one of those hardly-there bras.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just like that, heavy wanting made his jeans tight. The granola wrapper slipped from his fingers and floated to the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stopping in front of him, she knelt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Damn! A woman should never kneel down in front of a half-aroused man. Put a pretty face within a foot of a man\u2019s crotch, and a man\u2019s mind will take the image and run with it. Jason\u2019s mind was definitely running with it.<\/span><\/p>\n

She looked up, thankfully past his bulging zipper and into his eyes. She\u2019d pulled her blonde hair back with one of those cloth bands, but several strands danced down her neck. Her mouth looked wet, as if she\u2019d just put on lipstick.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou dropped this.\u201d She stood.<\/span><\/p>\n

The erotic images faded, but he curled his hands into fists to keep from pulling her into his arms and kissing the pink color from her lips.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m ready,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

So was he. Ready to quit pretending that there wasn\u2019t enough sexual tension between them to light up a city block. A big city block. Sue wanted him; that much he knew. But what the hell did \u201cnot settling\u201d mean, anyway?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d she asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Did she see the longing in his eyes, or had she noticed the bulge behind his fly? For four months his dick had hardly twitched, but it was making up for lost time now.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say a word.\u201d He got up, moved to the door, and then stopped. \u201cDid you get the disk to print your book?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs that really necessary?\u201d She grabbed her purse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would it be a problem?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a lot of trouble when I can tell you what happens. You don\u2019t have to read it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, I want to read it. Second, you might miss something.\u201d Was he detecting some issue with him reading her book? \u201cAnd third, it\u2019s evidence, Sue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Read the full book by downloading it below.<\/p>\n

DOWNLOAD EPUB<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Preview Divorced, Desperate and Dating CHRISTIE CRAIG LOVE SPELL NEW YORK CITY To Jake, my canine office companion and muse, who gave me the best years of his life. I miss you, buddy. BUSTED \u201cIt was one kiss,\u201d he said. Oh, yes. One kiss by a cop Sue couldn\u2019t forget. \u201cWe have to stop … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[143],"class_list":["post-2513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-christie-craig"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}