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Her date. She had forgotten all about Bowtie Dan with cheeks as smooth as a baby’s bottom. He had left with one of Tad’s fans about an hour before closing. She wasn’t sorry.
She silently prayed she wouldn’t be sorry for the next words out of her mouth.
“Okay, here’s how it’s going to work. For as long as we have this whatever’s-happening-between-us, we’ll act on it. As soon as one of us wants to move on, we stop. As soon as our bloody families find out, we stop because I am not dealing with the special brand of crazy sauce that rains down on my head when Jack and Shane get involved. To be honest, I’m not sure that handsome face of yours could withstand Jack’s rearrangement of it.”
The longer she spoke, the squeakier her voice got until by the end, she was rocking Alvin & The Chipmunks decibel levels and standing nose to chin with him. A burn of a grin spread slowly over his face but she was so desperate to get the words out in one breathy gush that she didn’t thump him the good one he deserved.
“What’s so funny?”
“I love when you get all up in my face, Juliet Kilroy.”
She splayed a hand across his chest. The erotically charged memory of where his face had been thirty minutes ago sent her hormones into overdrive. “You wish I was all up in your face.”
He growled and pulled her in for a kiss that would have knocked her off her feet if he wasn’t also ravaging her arse with his hands.
“So, should I sneak in like a horny teenager now or after you’ve picked up Evan from Cara?”
She poked him in his rock-hard chest. “No overnight stays and no hanky-panky when Evan’s around. And nobody else while we’re doing this.” She had been about to say “together,” but it sounded wrong in the back of her throat. Too needy. Too permanent.
“Same for you. I’m imposing a moratorium on your dates.”
Thanks be to God. She’d have to come up with some excuse to keep the girls at bay; she’d gladly do it.
Tearing herself away from the warmth of his body was so hard but it had to be done. Tad was the kind of treat that had to be rationed. Unlike the last time she had tried to open her door with this perfect specimen by her side, she was able to manage the lock with a minimum of fuss.
“I’ll call you when I get home,” he said, his voice husky in her ear.
“Think I’m worried about you, Tad DeLuca?”
“No, but I’m going to need to hear your voice while I get off. Only way I’ll be able to sleep.” He sucked on her ear lobe, inducing the most delicious shivers.
Tonight as he’d told her about his last conversation with his dad, a new window onto their relationship had opened. Before, he was the strong one with those broad shoulders made for leaning and those sure hands made to catch her when she fell. Now the subtle shift had revealed new depths to this amazing man and how much he needed this sensual comfort.
Neither of them had said it outright, but their bodies knew the score. They could do for each other what no one else could, if only for a short time.
“One more rule,” she said, turning to face him.
“Uh huh.” He nipped at the soft spot where her shoulder met her neck.Stay strong.
“You can’t fall in love with me, Tad. This is just us fulfilling a temporary need for each other.”
Pride in her businesslike tone summoned the usual internal chatter.
Nicely done,said Good Girl Jules. Bad Girl Jules remained eerily silent.
The look he gave her was strangely intense, but then his expression unfurled with a smile.
“I’ll do my best.”
Twenty-Nine
Jules grabbed her gym bag and headed for the door. Her phone chirped, and then she chirped because he was calling. Her lover.
She really shouldn’t answer. It had been two weeks since she had actually attended the gym, as in physically instead of pretending to. She wouldn’t put it past Cara to casually walk Jules to a scale the next time she picked up Evan. Jules could hear the tutting andtsking already.Do I need to come with you to make sure you’re doing it right?
If Cara knew exactly what Jules was doing, she might be tempted to point out what she was doing wrong there, too. She was having a hot affair with her best friend and she was enjoying every minute of it. Quickies in the office at the bar, glorious nooners at his place, afternoon delight wherever they could find it.
“Lady Penelope’s Love Shack. No request too weird,” she answered.
