Locked in Love

Chapter One

Kara

For the love of God, why didn’t I swipe left?

I stand stock-still in the middle of an apartment that I’m pretty sure has never met Mr. Clean or any of his associates. “I’m just going to head out.”

I knew I should’ve called it quits after our coffee date, mainly because I’m not a hookup kind of girl. But this guy’s really good-looking, and it’s been a super long dry spell…like sooo long. I rolled the dice, and those snake eyes bit me in the ass.

“Why? We could eat some hot pockets, and maybe Netflix and chill.” My host and latest Bumble date, Terry, leans against his sofa and slides his fingers into the waistband of his worn jeans. In the coffee shop his look was grunge and devil-may-care, but in his natural habitat, surrounded by his other belongings, it’s clear that those jeans haven’t just seen better days, but better decades

Did I mention he was really good-looking? Like Matthew McConaughey in Fool’s Gold, with shaggy, burnished blond hair, sunkissed skin, and a cocky, sexy grin that can make a sensible, responsible, level-headed woman do reckless, foolish things. I feel the need to keep reiterating this fact so that I don’t question my judgement for the rest of my life.

Oh, and good news, the sofa makes into a bed. I know this because it’s unfolded, and I’m staring at the bare mattress with the sweat outline of a body on one side. There are also other unmentionable stains in the middle. I don’t have the stomach to figure them out. Just use your imagination.

“Thank you for the…offer, but I need to be going.” I glance around the one-room apartment. “Do you think I could use your bathroom before I go?” This is a risky ask, given how the living area of the apartment looks, but that second cup of coffee I had has gone right through me and I’m willing to risk it.

He grabs a can of cheese puffs from the table and pops the lid. “Want some?”

“No, thanks, just the bathroom.”

He raises a cheese-powder covered finger. “Down the hall.”

“Thank you.” I take two steps, but his next words stop me in my tracks.

“Oh, um, I’m out of toilet paper.”

Why, oh why, is this guy single?

“That’s fine. I’ll wait.”

He licks his fingers and shrugs. “Suit yourself.” The lid goes back onto the can, and he wipes his hands on his pants. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that’s not the first time he’s done that today.

“Okay, well…” I hitch my thumb toward the door.

“So, we’re really not doing this?”

“No, Terry, we’re not.”

Another shrug. It seems to be his favorite form of communication. “That’s cool.”

One thing I can say about ol’ Terry is, he’s pretty easygoing and laid-back. Also, judging by the unmentionable stains on the mattress, he’s not hurting for action.

I move to the door. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“Yeah, no problem.” But he’s already picked up a headset and powered on his Xbox.

Once out in the hall, I lean against the wall. What the hell am I doing here? This isn’t me. I’m the straight edge who everyone made fun of in college. The twenty-five-year-old who’s only been with one guy. The one who dumped her when she moved to the city to take the job of her dreams.

I punch the control to call the elevator and notice several people congregating at the other end of the hall, speaking loudly. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but they’re clearly upset. This is a nice building, so I’m curious as to what could have people so up in arms. I strain my ears to hear, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. Just as I’m about to ask them what the deal is, the crowd parts and a familiar face stares back at me.

Rory Jacobs.

The man who got me fired from said dream job six months ago.

Every hair on my body stands on end, the blood in my veins begins a slow but steady simmer, and my fingers curl into a fist. I have never, ever hit another living soul in my life, but if he were closer, I’d gladly wipe that smile off his face.

Smiling. The man who ruined my career is smiling at me.

“Kara?” he calls from his position at the end of the hall, then begins to walk toward me.

“Oh, shit.” That’s the last thing I want. I have nothing good to say to him. And I still haven’t given up on the idea of throat punching him.

I search for the nearest stairwell, so I can make my escape. Thankfully, the elevator doors open, and I step inside and push the button for the ground floor. I hardly recognize the woman who stares back at me from the mirrored panel. There’s a serial killer quality to my expression that is not me. I’m nice. The nicest person you’ll ever meet. People like me, and I like everyone. Well, everyone but Rory Jacobs.

As soon as I get off the elevator, I hear another commotion in the lobby of the six-story building. People are yelling, and I can see there are several police officers and some people in white jumpsuits and face masks.

Has there been a murder?

Is that the crime lab?

Can somebody say, “Hot Cop!”

Not my business about the murder, and Hot Cop has on a wedding ring, so I’ll just take my happy butt home.

“Excuse me,” Hot Cop says as I head for the exit.

I stop and look way up at him. “Yes?”

“What apartment do you live in?” he asks with all the authority his badge affords him.

“I don’t live here.” “Officer—” I check out his name tag. “—Miller, I was visiting a…friend.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to return to your friend’s apartment. This building is on lockdown.”

“Lockdown?”

“Yes, ma’am. You’re quarantined here for the foreseeable future.”

“Are you kidding?”

“No, ma’am, I am not.”

The image of Terry and his naked mattress crashes into my mind. No way can I stay there. “He’s not really a friend, more like a lapse in judgement. You see I met him online, and…well…it didn’t work out. Big mistake. I mean he’s really good-looking, but…not my type. And I don’t do that anyway, if you know what I mean.”

Hot Cop just stares at me.

“He doesn’t have any toilet paper!”

“Ma’am, I don’t see how I can help you.” An argument breaks out across the lobby, and Hot Cop leaves me standing there in my misery.

My gaze locks onto the barricades posted just outside the entrance, and the reality of the situation settles over me like an itchy woolen blanket.

I’m quarantined in this building.

I have no place to stay.

And I still need to pee.

I should’ve swiped left.

Chapter Two

Rory

I take the concrete steps to the lobby two at a time. The pounding of my feet echoes off the walls of the stairwell. My heart hammers against my ribs, and my brain searches for a reason why Kara Lawson is in my building.

I want to catch her before she leaves. The building’s quarantined due to a toxic leak at a nearby chemical plant. Even though I’m seriously pissed at her, I can’t let her walk out of the building and inhale poison.

Honestly, I don’t know why I’m bothering. If our encounter in the hallway plus the last six months are any indication, she’ll just run. She’s equally angry with me. Well, tough. I’m going to make her speak to me… If I can catch her.

The sound of loud, angry, and distressed voices greets me when I burst from the stairwell door. The lobby’s not as full as the noise indicates, which means people are pretty upset. I don’t blame them. I’m not happy either.

I spot Kara talking to a cop. She has her back to me and is waving her hands as she speaks. I used to love that about her. She was so expressive when sharing an idea. I loved working with her. She was creative and smart. I’ve never seen anyone take ideas and put them into action like her.

We met at work. We were a great team, and worked together on a national ad campaign for a high-end clothing company. That’s also how it all went to hell.

The cop walks away, and Kara wraps her arms around her waist. My heart melts a bit at the vulnerable position, but then I remember how she ghosted me, and all sympathy disappears.

“Kara.”

She turns, and her eyes are so big that I can see the white around her milk-chocolate-mixed-with-sunshine irises. The surprised expression morphs into one of deep suspicion, and yep, there it is, anger. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here.” My hands go to my waist, and my fingers splay across my hip bones. “What are you doing here?”

“None of your business.”

The cop strides up to us again. “Is this your hookup?”

“No,” she yells at the same time I ask, “Hookup?”

“Officer Miller, I explained that it wasn’t a hookup,” she whispers the last word, like her embarrassment has leached all substance from her voice.

“Right. I mean friend.” He uses air quotes when he says friend.

“No, this is just someone I used to know. Don’t let the innocent face deceive you. He’s a big fat backstabber.” Her smile would be sweet if not for the feral edges around it.

“You do have interesting relationships, ma’am,” the officer says.

“It was never a relationship. We only dated, and I use that word loosely, for a month or…two. We used to work together. We got caught. I got fired. He didn’t.”

“Thirty-nine days.”

“What?” they ask together.

I drop my hands from my waist and clench them into tight fists. “We dated thirty-nine days. Then she ghosted me, blocked me, and refused to let me explain anything.”

The cop looks like he’s wishing for a gunfight to break out, so he can escape.

She takes a menacing step toward me. “You know very good and well why I did that.”

My arms go across my chest. “No, actually, I don’t.”

“Tell me, Officer Miller,” she addresses the cop but never takes her hard gaze from me. “If someone got you fired from your dream job, would you want to talk to them ever again?”

“I…um…”

“That’s not what happened, Kara.” I’m somewhat surprised that I can say that with my jaw clenched tight enough to break to crack the enamel of my teeth.

Officer Miller shakes his head. “I’m going to leave you two to handle this. I have a building to shut down.”

Kara grabs his arm. “But what about me?”

“I told you. You’ll have to stay here at least for the next couple of days.” He nods toward me. “I suggest you go to your friend’s apartment.”

A pink tipped finger points at my face. “I told you we weren’t friends.”

“And I didn’t invite you to my apartment.”

He raises his hands in the universal signal for I’m out and backs away from us.

I rein in my aggravation. This may be the only chance I get to hash things out with her. “Listen.” I take a step toward her and soften my tone. “I just want to explain.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.” She pulls her purse in front of her like a fake leather shield. “I don’t give two shits about what you have to say to me. I don’t converse with…with…weasels.”

My head is shaking before I even realize it. “You’re unbelievable. You know that? And unreasonable.”

“Because I don’t want to hear your justification of how the good ol’ boys’ club fired me and kept you?” She snorts. “You men are all the same.”

“You don’t know me.” And she doesn’t. Maybe that’s my fault because I kept things from her when we were together, but I didn’t want to scare her away before we had a chance to begin.

“I know a user when I see one.”

Anger rolls over me in a tide. “You know what? Fine.” I glance around the lobby. It’s cleared out while we’ve been fighting. My hand gestures to a long ottoman that doubles as a settee. “Have fun sleeping on that. Or will you go back for another hookup?”

She flips her long dark hair over her shoulder. “What I do or don’t do is no longer your business.”

I turn to leave, then glance around the chilly lobby. My conscience gets the best of me. Regardless of how pissed I am, I can’t just leave her to fend for herself. “If you need a place to stay, you can stay with me.” The offer doesn’t taste as sour as it should, considering she’s said some pretty terrible things about me.

“Ha.” She stumbles back a step. “Are you serious? You are.” She laughs, and it’s an ugly sound. “You’ve lost your mind.”

The insult hits its mark. “Fine.” I spread my hands out. “You should know they don’t heat the lobby. Have a good night.” I stomp to the elevator, cursing my stupid chivalry.

When the doors open onto my floor, I’ve managed to moderate my boiling anger to a simmer. By the time I get to my door, the breaths sawing in and out of my lungs aren’t as ragged.

My hands grip the door jamb, and I drop my head, taking just one more moment to get myself together. But no matter how hard I try to quiet my mind, Kara’s allegations continue to assault me.

They’re unfair.

The whole fucking thing is unfair.

Whoever told you that life is fair was a liar.

Isn’t that the damn truth. I wrap my fingers around the doorknob. The cool surface helps to ground me in reality. This is my life, and it’s not a bad life, but there are days…

And now we’re quarantined in this building for God knows how long.

Suck it up, Jacobs.

Right.

I school my features and prepare to deal with what’s important in my life.

Chapter Three

Rory

I push through the door to my apartment and come up short. Sally is in the kitchen wearing a maid’s costume, complete with frilly apron and a little white cap, all worn over her tank top and leggings. I take in the sight of her and can’t help the grin that pulls at my lips.

This girl is something else.

Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail that provides the perfect resting spot for the ruffled piece of material on her head. The heels she’s wearing bring her petite frame to just below my shoulders. I quietly sneak up behind her, and sling my arm around her shoulder. “Smells good, sweetheart.”

Her head jerks toward me. A flash of irritation shoots through her robin’s egg blue eyes. The same color as our mother’s. “Rory! You scared me.”

“I did?” I feign surprise. This is a game we play, and she never tires of it.

She snuggles into my embrace. “You know you did. You’re bad.”

“That I am, little sister. That I am. What are you making?” I already know—the delicious aroma hit my nose as soon as I opened the door.

“Chocolate chip cookies, but you don’t get any because you scared me.”

This is another game we play. “Oh, please.” I fold my hands under my chin. “I promise never to do it again.”

Her slightly crooked teeth flash behind her lips. “Alright. I forgive you.”

“Thank you.” I go to grab one, and she swats my hand.

“Sit. I will serve you, sir.”

The British accent is adorable, especially with her slight speech impediment. I guess we’re playing Downtown Abbey tonight.

“Very well.”

I take my place on the sofa and put my feet up like I’m the lord of the manor. “Sally, dear, would you please bring me a cookie?”

“Yes, sir.” She carries a baking pan to the sofa on one hand and lowers it for me to retrieve my cookies from a plate, then places the plate with the rest of the cookies on the coffee table.

“Thank you.”

“Would you like a glass of milk, sir?”

“Yes, thank you.” I’m still in character, but break it to add, “Not on the baking pan this time.”

She curtsies, but the look in her eye tells me exactly where I can stick the reminder that she spilled milk the last time she served me. “As you wish, sir.” She returns with the milk and reaches for her own cookies.

“Only two,” I say.

That glare again.

“You know you get a stomachache if you eat more than two.”

“Yeah, I know,” she begrudgingly agrees and plops down in the chair across from me.

“Hey, pick that bottom lip up off the ground.” I want to call the words back as soon as they’re out, but it’s too late.

A sad smile curls her lips. “Mama used to say that.”

“Yes, she did.” I hold my breath to see if she’ll collapse into a puddle of tears, but she doesn’t. Ten months ago, I would’ve had a crying, confused, preteen girl on my hands, but each day she gets a little better.

It’s not easy raising a teenager under the best of circumstances, and these are definitely not the best circumstances. Our parents died in a car accident ten months ago, leaving me with my then twelve-year-old sister to raise, who happens to have Down syndrome. It’s been difficult, especially for her. I love her like crazy, but I have no idea what I’m doing most of the time. I’m learning to parent on the fly, and some days I’m not sure who’s raising who.

Thank God for Mrs. Whitney down the hall. She watches Sally for the hour or so before I get home from work. Most nights, I have to bribe my sister to get her to leave Mrs. Whitney’s apartment. According to my sister, they are BFFs.

Sally’s also why I couldn’t quit Worldwide Marketing with Kara when they fired her. I wanted to leave, but Sally has medical issues, and I couldn’t walk away from a job with benefits until I found another one. I tried to explain all of this to Kara, but she refused to see me or return my calls.

I didn’t tell her about my sister or my parents when we were seeing each other because I just wanted to be normal for a little while. I didn’t want to scare her away because I liked her so damn much. Man, did that decision bite me in the ass.

“Are you alright, Rory? Your face looks funny.”

“Yeah, I’m fine, sweetheart.” I paste on a smile, even though my insides are churning. I just realized that if we’re quarantined, then Sally can’t go to school, which she loves. She also doesn’t deal with change very well. “Um, Sal, there’s been a chemical spill at the big plant we pass on our way to school every day.”

“Oh, no.” She cocks her head at me. “Is that bad?”

I chuckle. “It can be, so we all have to stay inside for a few days. No going to school or work for us.”

Her blonde brows slam down into a V. “That’s mean.”

Sally’s very high functioning, but sometimes things just don’t compute for her. “Nobody’s trying to be mean, sweetheart. They’re trying to keep us safe.”

She crosses her skinny arms over her chest. “I don’t like it.”

“I know. I don’t either. But just think of all the time you’ll have to practice your singing.” The girl loves to sing. I bought her a karaoke machine for her birthday a couple of months ago. Talk about buyer’s remorse. But it makes her happy, and I can live with almost anything as long as she’s happy.

Her mouth contorts as she tries and fails to control her smile. “Alright. fine.”

I laugh. “You’re something else, little girl.”

She stands and points her finger at me. “I’m not a little girl. I’m a big girl.”

“Okay, big girl, time for bed. Brush your teeth and call me when you’re ready for me to put you to bed.”

Ten minutes later, she summons me to her wonderland room. I went all out on the decorations. I would’ve done anything to make her feel better after our parents’ accident. The gauzy fabric that hangs from the window and drapes over her canopy bed flows in the breeze of the ceiling fan. Fairy lights line the ceiling that’s painted a darker shade of pink than the walls.

The princess herself is propped against the pillows. “I’m ready.”

I barely control my laughter at the haughty tone in her voice. “Yes, ma’am.” She scoots over so I can sit on the side of the bed. I loop a piece of hair behind her ear. “I love you.”

She leans her head into my hand. “I love you, too.”

I turn the palm of my other hand up and hold it out to her. “Family.”

Her small hand covers mine. “Forever.”

“Forever.” I press my lips to her forehead to seal the deal. “Goodnight, baby bear.”

“Goodnight, brother bear.”

I head to the living room to decompress with some mindless TV before bed, but the thought of a dark-haired beauty camped out in the lobby of the building refuses to leave my brain.

Not my business.

That’s what I keep telling myself, until I finally admit the truth.

Kara is my business and has been since I met her.

Chapter Four

Kara

Stay with him? He’s genuinely taken leave of his senses if he thinks I would stay one moment with him. Not after he took everything from me.

I pace the small lobby and try to decide what to do. A quick search of the space indicates a small room with vending machines and the bathroom, which I used as soon a Rory left stormed back to wherever he came from. Things had gotten pretty desperate since I’d refused Terry’s questionable offer of a toilet paperless lavatory experience.

Could I possibly stay here in this foyer for the next few days? I eye the uncomfortable settee and determine that I can make this bad situation work.

Story of my life.

I’ve weathered harder things than this. Having my mom walk out on me at a young age and growing up with my grandmother, then losing her my freshman year in college and having no other family to spend holidays with was no walk in the park, but I lived through it. Now, working in a café instead of the marketing job I moved to the city to pursue is sucking my soul dry, but I get up every morning and put one foot in front of the other.

I’m a survivor. I’ve trained myself to make it on my own, so this is just another setback on the way to something better.

The headache forming at my temples is from lack of food and water. I make my way to the vending area to get some sustenance. I should’ve taken Terry up on his cheese puff offer.

I make my selections and head back to the lobby—my home for the next few days. Please, God, let it only be for a few days.

Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, I lean my back against the concrete wall behind me and assess my situation and resources. I methodically unpack the satchel that I carry with me everywhere. I have my laptop and work clothes. I changed after my shift at the café because I didn’t want to smell like burned coffee and old fry grease for my date with Terry. I shouldn’t have bothered. The toothbrush, toothpaste, and makeup are all thanks to my meetup with the Hot Pocket king too—again, waist of effort. Ahhhh, pretty Terry, with his terrible hygiene and questionable eating habits, will go down as one of the stupider things I almost did.

There’s also some dental floss, a stray tampon that’s slipped its wrapper, some loose change, a phone charger. Finally, I carefully pull a neatly folded napkin with a throbbing heart sketched on it that Rory drew for me at dinner after we worked late one night. It was the first time we’d admitted that we had a thing for each other.

The jab to the barely healed wound steals my breath. I’d really, really liked Rory. He checked all my boxes: kind, funny, smart, and turn-my-body-to-ash sexy. Sometimes, just before I wake up in the morning, I can still feel his lips sliding over my mouth. Everything is right with the world in those few precious moments before consciousness demolishes the fantasy, and I remember how he betrayed me. Betrayed might be a strong word—he didn’t actually fire me. But he sure as hell didn’t walk out with me either, that terrible day.

My hand rubs circles over my heart. When will this gnawing ache go away? Thank God we never slept together, or I’d probably never be able to get over this relationship gone wrong.

I pull my cell phone from my bag and dial my roommate Lori’s number. I should probably let her know I won’t be home for a few days. We’re not really friends. I met her on a site where people who can no longer afford their beautiful apartments because they lost their job at one of the best ad agencies in the country go to find a roommate. Or maybe that was just my experience. She had a room to let in an old loft apartment, and the price was right.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Lori, it’s Kara.”

“Oh, hey, Kara.”

“Listen, there’s been a chemical spill or something, and I’ve gotten quarantined at the Mayfair apartments, so I won’t be home for a few days.” The pretzels I just ate threaten to make a reappearance at the thought of being trapped here for days in this lobby.

“Oh, you’re not at home?”

“No, why?”

I can practically hear the disinterested shrug on the other end of the phone. “No reason. I just thought you were in your room.”

Nice. She’s there at the apartment and isn’t even aware that I’m not around. Talk about feeling insignificant. “No, I’m not there. Hopefully I’ll be back in a few days.”

“Okay.” Her distracted answer only reinforces how alone I am.

“Alright, bye.” But she’s already hung up.

Lori’s not a bad person. She’s just not my person. Honestly, except for my Gran, I’ve never really had a person. Even Timothy, my longtime boyfriend, was never really that for me. He never understood why I couldn’t be satisfied with what life gave me instead of always striving for something more. Of course, he hadn’t grown up as an orphan with little to his name in small town Nowhere, USA like me, so how could he understand?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of more—more safety, more security, more family to love and who would love me in return. I was on the road to having at least two of those things when it all went to hell, but I’m not giving up. Despite everything, I still have hope that one day I’ll have all of that, and more. See, always more.

I open my phone and reread the email I got today from The Campbell Group, the most prominent privately owned marketing firm in the city, and my heart skips a happy lap around my chest.

Dear Ms. Lawson,

Our team has reviewed your resume and would like to set up an interview with you as soon as possible. Please indicate your availability for dates and times listed on the attachment.

We look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Melinda Hollis

VP of Brand Strategy

The Campbell Group

I’d fired off a reply immediately and chosen the first available date. I pray to the advertising gods that this job will work out. It’s exactly what I’m good at, and after being the victim of a huge corporation’s red tape and inconsistent policies, it would be nice to work for a privately owned company. Something occurs to me and I fumble the phone in my hand. What if I’m not out of this building by my interview date? I guess I could do a phone interview, but that’s not ideal. Surely, I’ll be out of here by the end of the week.

I better be.

I will be.

I will.

I return all the items into my bag and bounce a few times on the settee. It’s got good support, but it’s small. Doable if you sleep curled into a ball. Unfortunately, I’m a sprawler, so this is going to be a real challenge. I eye the tile floor and determine I’m better off taking my chances with this glorified ottoman. It’s a nice building, but it’s clear this area could use a good mopping.

My mind immediately starts trying to rationalize why it wouldn’t be so bad to stay with Rory, but I do my best to shut it down. I can’t stay with him. I won’t.

But after an hour of tossing and turning on this poor excuse for a bed, my resolve is slipping. It doesn’t matter though. I don’t even know which is his apartment, and I deleted his number from my cell. At the time, that had been incredibly satisfying, but now, as my head is falling off the end of the leather torture device, I’m questioning that choice.

Finally, after what seems like forever, I drift into a restless sleep. I dream of stormy gray eyes, wet, open-mouthed kisses, and a throbbing red heart drawn on a paper napkin.

I don’t know how long I’m out, but when I open my eyes the lobby is dark except for some dim recessed lights along the top of the walls, which cast weird eerie shadows around the room. I’ve managed to turn onto my back and my head is once again dangling from the end of the settee.

My hand pats around for my cell, and I check the time—two in the morning. A shiver runs through me, rattling my teeth. Painful pinpricks of sensation occupy the place where my left hand should be, and my head hurts like a thousand tiny spikes are being pounded through my skull. Oh, good God, this is miserable.

A carefully executed half turn puts me on my side. I pull my knees to my chest and lay my head on my hands. My eyes close again, and I pray for sleep to put me out of my misery.

Then a shuffling sound from across the room has my lids flying open. I peer into the dimness at a shape sitting on the floor with its back against the wall. It must be my exhausted and befuddled brain creating the illusion. That’s the only explanation.

But it seems pretty real.

I stare at it.

It stares at me.

I’ve nearly convinced myself it’s a trick of the light, when the figure moves to stand.

And I lose my shit.

Chapter Five

Kara

The poke, poke, poke to my hip rouses me out of restless sleep. I peel back my eyelids, expecting to see the gray concrete wall of the apartment building’s lobby. Instead, I see the deep brown of slightly worn leather.

Where am I? And who’s poking me? It slowly comes back to me in fragmented pictures.

Me, on the lobby sofa.

The noise that woke me.

A figure in the corner of the room.

And my terrified scream is the last thing I remember.

No, wait. Strong arms picking me up and telling me I’m going to be okay, and that I’m a stubborn ass, is the last thing I remember.

Rory.

I turn to blast the traitor with all I’ve got but instead see an adorable blonde girl with her arms crossed and the most put-upon look I’ve ever seen on her face.

She holds up two fingers. “Two questions. Why are you sleeping on my sofa? And why is your booby showing?”

“My—” I jerk my gaze down and see that my shirt has come unbuttoned, and sure enough, one of my bra-covered boobs is pointing right at her. I grab the edges of my shirt and pull them together. “Oh, um, sorry. It must’ve come undone while I was sleeping.” Who is this sassy teenager? I thought I remembered Rory carrying me from the lobby, but maybe I just dreamed that, and it was some other man who’s tucked me away in his home. The rhythm of my heart is as erratic as my thoughts. “Where am I?”

The skinny teenaged arms go back across her chest. “On. My. Sofa.” Her blonde brows wing over her blue eyes, clearly communicating that I don’t have all my dogs barking.

I sit up and push my tangled hair from my face. “No, I know that, but whose apartment is this?”

“Mine.” She snorts, and the stupid is implied.

“Okay, wait, let’s start over.” I need some answers. “I’m Kara Lawson. What’s your name?”

“Sally Jacobs.”

“Jacobs? As in Rory Jacobs?”

“Yes, as in Rory Jacobs, her brother.” The man in question comes striding into the room with damp hair, in jeans and a Houston Texans t-shirt, and smelling of a clean ocean breeze. “Sally, did you make your bed?”

“No.” She answers him but never takes her eyes off me.

“You know the rule. You don’t come out of your bedroom until you’ve made your bed.” He ruffles her hair. “Please go and handle that.”

She finally takes her judgmental eyes from mine and gives her attention to her brother. “That’s a stupid rule.”

“And yet, one we follow.” He winks at her. “Go, and I’ll start breakfast.”

“Okay. But who’s she?”

“This is my friend, Kara. She’ll be staying with us for a few days.” Rory gives me a zip it look before I can object.

Sally glances from Rory to me. “But I thought you said we were in quarter time?”

“Quarantine, and we are, but Kara will be staying with us until she can go back to her home.”

The girl’s blue eyes squint and give me another once-over. “Do you like Downton Abbey?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Who’s your favorite character?”

“Lady Sybil.”

Sally nods. “I like her too.” She turns to leave, then stops and pins me with a stare. “But Thomas Barrow is mine.”

I hold my hands up in surrender and bite the inside of my lip. I don’t want to laugh because she’s clearly serious as a heart attack. “He’s all yours.”

She nods and leaves the room, but not before she yells, “Her booby was showing and it’s big. A lot bigger than mine.”

“Good to know.” Rory chuckles.

I turn to see him with his hands in his pockets, and one side of his mouth curled into a smile. I curse my fickle hormones for noticing. “My boob wasn’t really showing, just the…” I wave my hand in front of my breast. “You know…”

Eyes narrowed, he assesses my chest. “No, I don’t think I do.”

“My bra. My boob was in my bra, and it was showing.” I’m so flustered that my voice sounds like a chipmunk huffing helium. A subject change is in order. I clear my throat. “How long is Sally staying with you?”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, only stares out the window like he doesn’t want to tell me. My face flares with heat. I know I must look like a disheveled tomato. “It’s fine. You don’t have to tell me about your personal business.”

“No, it’s not—”

“It’s fine.” I stand and search for an escape. “Could I use your bathroom?”

“Kara… I…”

“Yes?”

For a moment, I think he’s going to answer me because an emotion I don’t recognize moves over his face. But then it passes, and he points to the hall where Sally disappeared. “It’s through there. There’s an extra toothbrush in the cabinet.”

I grab my purse and give quick wave over my shoulder. “Thanks, but I have my own.” I close the door and lean my back against it. I don’t know why I’m so embarrassed, but I feel like I stepped on a land mine for some reason. The look in his eyes before he directed me to the bathroom lodged under my breastbone and is dangerously close to my heart. I don’t want to have feelings for or about Rory, especially not sympathetic ones.

I do my business, wash my hands and brush my teeth, noticing that there are a lot of things in the cabinet that belong to Sally. She must stay with him a lot, which I would think is sweet if I didn’t harbor such a grudge against her brother. I stare at my tired face in the mirror.

How did I end up stuck at Rory Jacobs’ home?

I can’t stay, but where am I supposed to go? Staying in the lobby isn’t safe. Last night the man in the shadows was Rory, but what if it had been someone else? The shiver that freezes my spine lets me know I’m not leaving this apartment. As much as I don’t want to be here, I really don’t have a choice.

A knock on the door startles me. “Just a minute.”

“Could you please hurry? I have to use it.” By the tone of Sally’s voice, she’s as glad as I am that I’m here.

I hang the hand towel I used to dry my hands and mouth on the rack and open the door. “All yours.”

“Hmph,” is her response, then she squeezes past me and closes the door in my face.

Well, alright, then.

The glow from one of the bedrooms has me investigating the source. I make my way to the doorway. The room looks like a fairy wonderland. This is clearly Sally’s room while she visits, but the question burning a hole in my chest is why her brother would provide such a swanky setup for a guest? A thought hits me and has my feet moving back to the living room.

“Sally lives here full-time.” It’s not a question. I know I’m right.

The smell of bacon and cinnamon rolls wafts through the air, and my stomach’s growl is almost as loud as my declaration.

In the kitchen, Rory wipes his hands on a dish towel. “Yes.”

“For how long?”

“For forever, Kara.”

I shake my head. “No. How long has she lived with you?”

He places his hands on the counter, hangs his head and exhales. Gray eyes raise to mine, and the emotion there sucks the air from my lungs. “Ten months.”

“Why?” I cross my arms, but it’s not in aggression, it’s to defend against what I’m afraid he’ll say next.

“Our parents died in a car accident. I’m her guardian.”

My hand comes down on the back of the sofa for support because I’m afraid my knees won’t hold me. “So, she was here…”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Rory, I’m hungry.” Sally comes into the room dressed in a school uniform. “And I don’t want to be late.”

The man who just dropped a bombshell on me comes around the bar. He kneels in front of his sister and takes her hand in his. “Sal, remember that I said there wouldn’t be any school for a few days?”

“Yes, but I decided I don’t like that rule either.”

I bite back a laugh, but Rory’s not fast enough, and a chuckle tumbles from his lips. And judging by Sally’s posture, she isn’t impressed with his sense of humor. “You can’t just decide you don’t like a rule, bug. We don’t have a choice. We have to do what the authorities say.”

The mutinous glare on her face does not bode well for Rory. Or the authorities, should they make an appearance.

“Hey, Sally, I saw some nail polish in the bathroom. What do you say I give you a mani/pedi after breakfast?”

She glares at Rory for another moment, then slowly turns to me. “Will you put sparkles on my nails?”

I pull my hair into a messy bun on top of my head. “If you’ve got them, then I’ll use them.”

“Oh, I’ve got ’em.” She whoops and takes off toward the bathroom, her anger at her brother temporarily forgotten.

Rory stands and asks, “Hey, where are you going?”

“To get the supplies ready,” she yells without turning around.

When she’s out of sight, Rory turns to me. “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

My shoulders lift then lower. “It’s not a problem. It’ll be fun.”

He slides his fingers into his pockets. “That’s not what I’m apologizing for.”

I slip past him to get to the coffee. “I know.”

“I’ll explain everything later.”

My head nods, but my brain rebels against more information. My whole existence for the last six months has been built on one construct.

Rory Jacobs is a user and a liar.

I’m not sure my heart can take knowing that he is, in fact, the most selfless man I’ve ever met.

Chapter Six

Rory

“You went outside the line on my big toe.” Sally’s complaint makes me smile as I finish drying the breakfast dishes. Kara said she’d help with the cleanup, but the bigger assist was distracting Sally because she can’t have her regular routine today.

“So sorry, Miss Jacobs. Let me just fix that for you. There you go, all done.” Kara shoots me a look over Sally’s head, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

Sally examines her mani/pedi then nods her approval. “I like it.” She stands and begins gathering her supplies.

“What do you say to Kara, Sally?”

My sister gives a put-upon sigh. “Thank you for the manicure and pedicure, Kara.” It comes out Ka-wa.

“You’re welcome.”

Sally turns to leave the room without another word.

I fold the dish towel I’d been using and place it on the drying bar. “Sorry about that. She’s usually friendly and gracious without being told, but that girl does not like any interruption to her routine. And your presence plus not getting to go to school represents a giant change bomb. I’ll talk to her.”

She waves away my apology. “No, leave it. I get it. I don’t like my routine interrupted either.” Her fingers loop a stray hair behind her ear. “Um…” I know what she’s going to say before she says it. “Why didn’t you tell me about Sally or your parents when we were seeing each other?”

I lean my hip against the side of the chair next to the couch and blow out a breath that I feel like I’ve been holding for the last six months. “I wanted to tell you, but a bigger part of me just wanted one damn thing in my life to be normal.” I can’t help the emotion in my voice.

Her arms go across her chest like she’s trying to protect herself. From what? I have no idea. “So you lied to make yourself feel better?”

“What? No.” I straighten and match her crossed-arm stance. “I’m a twenty-six-year-old guy who became an orphan and a parent with one head-on collision. So, excuse me for not wanting to spew my sad story all over the place.”

At my words, her shoulders drop, her arms uncross, and she has the decency to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I’m a bitch.” She rubs her forehead. “I guess I still want you to be the bad guy.”

“Why?” I’m genuinely baffled. I know what happened was terrible for her, but to put all the fault on me alone seems extreme.

“Because, if you’re guilty, then I don’t have to examine my actions too closely.” She paces to the window, then back to the sofa. “I’ve spent the last six months blaming you for my job loss when I knew that while there wasn’t a specific rule, fraternizing at the office was discouraged. And Mr. Reagan made blaming you easy by firing me, instead of both of us.”

I drop down into the chair. “Reagan’s a misogynistic pig. You should’ve sued the company.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s a great way to get a reputation in this industry, and not the good kind.” She shrugs. “Besides, I don’t have the resources to go after a major corporation.”

Elbows resting on my spread knees, I hang my head. “Kara, I’m so sorry. I wanted to walk out with you that day. I’ve been trying to say that to you for months, but you shut me out. I tried for weeks to get in touch with you, but you moved, changed your number and refused to return my emails.”

“Yeah, well, don’t take it personally. That’s what I do.” She nibbles on her thumbnail, then her sad eyes turn to mine. “Why didn’t you leave with me that day?”

I lean back in the chair and spear my fingers through my hair. “You have to ask?”

“I guess I do.”

Can she really be this unaware? “I had Sally.”

“I know, but—”

“She has a weakened immune system. It’s very common in people with Down syndrome. I couldn’t just walk away from the job that provided me with insurance without a backup plan, which I didn’t have.”

Realization dawns on her face, followed quickly by a crawling pink flush. “Oh… I’m…horrible,” she finally says and drops onto the sofa. “I wasn’t even thinking about Sally, only my wounded pride. I’m sorry, Rory.” She goes back to nibbling at her thumbnail. “I should’ve let you explain.”

“You’re not horrible. Hotheaded, and ready to think the worst of me, but not horrible.”

“You might want to stop while you’re ahead.”

I raise my hands in surrender. “Fair enough.”

Her laughter releases a knot in my chest. “No, you’re right. I am a hothead, and I do tend to jump to conclusions.” Her teasing expression turns serious. “But, you did keep a huge thing from me.”

I nod. “I did, and it was wrong. I knew it was wrong at the time, but…”

“You just wanted normal.”

My unshaved whiskers scratch my palm as I rub my hand over my mouth. “Yeah. I’d been living a nightmare before we started dating. The weight of it all, plus the grief, had sucked the enjoyment out of everything, then we got out of that meeting late, and you asked if I wanted to get dinner.” I shake my head and smile, remembering the memory. “It was the first time I’d laughed in months.” I rest my elbows on the arms of the chair and drop my head into my upraised hands. “I didn’t want to jinx it or scare you off by telling you that I am the forever guardian of a sister with Down syndrome, and there’s a chance she may never be able to live on her own.”

A warm hand squeezes my shoulder. I look up into kind, understanding eyes. This is the woman I knew and fell hard for eight months ago. “I get it, Rory. You don’t have to keep apologizing or explaining. I think what you’ve done is the most selfless thing I’ve ever seen anyone do.”

I shake my head and stand. I don’t deserve her admiration. How many nights have I lain in bed dreading the coming day? She doesn’t know how hard I have to fight against bitterness toward my parents for dying and leaving me with this responsibility. Or how scared I am that I’ll screw up and make Sally’s life even harder. “It’s not selfless. She’s my sister. I couldn’t just abandon her. Family comes first. Anyone would do the same thing.”

A sad smile pulls at her mouth. “No, Rory. Not everyone would put family first.”

Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, and suddenly I’m aware of how close we’re standing. I loop a piece of hair behind her ear. “Kara.”

For a moment, I think this is when everything will fall back into place, that we can pick up where we left off, and happiness filters into every cell of my being. But then she takes a step back, and her uneasy expression vaporizes any hope of that fairy tale happening.

“Um… I need a shower.” She glances down at herself. “Do you have a pair of sweatpants or something I can borrow, and can I use your washer and dryer? My wardrobe is limited to what I’m wearing and my work uniform.

I swallow my disappointment and ignore the hot needle pricks of humiliation flooding my face. My head is spinning, trying to figure out how I can get out of this situation with a shred of pride left to my name. What was her question? Oh, right—shower, laundry, clothes. “Sure. No problem. Some friends of my parents gave us clothes for Sally, but they’re too big. I hadn’t understood why they would purposely buy garments that were too big for her until she grew out of everything she owned in just a few months. Then I was glad for that big box of clothes.” Damn, I’m rambling. “Anyway, I bet there’s something you could put on until your things are laundered.”

She nods. “Thanks.”

I plaster on the biggest, fakest smile I’m capable of and nod. “Great. I’ll get the container of clothes and put them in the bathroom for you.”

Her soft hand lands on my arm. “Rory.”

I shake my head. “Don’t.” Then I turn and practically run from the room.

Chapter Seven

Kara

The hot water of the shower chases the chills down my body. I can still feel the heat of him, so near me. I’d come so close to giving in to his touch. Six months ago, Rory was addictive, but this Rory, the self-sacrificing man who took in his teenage sister to ensure she had a family, is nearly irresistible.

Nearly.

I scrub my face, try to ignore my brain and my heart screaming for me to give the guy a break. After all, I know now why he did what he did. I also know that I was the reason he hadn’t been able to explain things to me.

He lied.

But did he really? Yes, he didn’t give me all the information, but it wasn’t like we dated for months and he continued to hold things back from me.

A quick flip of the tap and the water stops flowing, leaving only steamy fog hanging in the air. The ring of the shower curtain sliding against the metal rod sings through the room. I grab the towel from the rack and dry my body.

I wipe the condensation from the mirror and see my too-bright eyes staring back at me. I recognize that look. It’s the one I wore every day Rory and I were seeing each other. I don’t know how to fee. I’m trapped in this apartment with him for the foreseeable future and still wildly attracted to him. And now that I know the truth, there’s nothing to keep us from testing the waters to see if our relationship could be rekindled.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“How much longer?” Sally shouts.

Nothing but a precocious thirteen-year-old who doesn’t seem to like me much.

“Just a minute.” I dig through the box of Sally’s clothes and find a top and a pair of leggings that don’t make me look like I’m headed to the mall to meet my middle school friends, and dress quickly. Going commando feels wrong in the bubble-gum-pink leggings, but in a time of quarantine, sacrifices have to be made. With my dirty garments gathered into my arms, I open the door to Sally. “All done.”

“I messed up a fingernail.” She holds up one short finger with only a half-painted nail.

“Oh, okay. We can fix that. No problem. Let me throw these things into the laundry.” I glance around. “Where is the laundry?”

“This way.” Her reply is not as put-upon as before, and I’m hopeful I may be winning her over. She leads me to a small closet off the kitchen. “Here you are.” She waves her arm like a domestic tour guide.

“Thank you. Go get your polishes, and I’ll join you in a minute.” I load my clothes into the washing machine and then join Sally in the apartment’s living area. “Where’s Rory?”

She points toward the second bedroom. “Working.”

A snarky how nice for him dies on my tongue. I find I just don’t have it in me to be angry. It appears that I’ve forgiven him for staying at our job even though I got fired. Yay, me.

I pull out a dining room chair next to Sally. “Okay, let’s have a look at that nail.”

She holds up the finger in question. “Sorry.”

I take her hand in mine. “There’s no need to be sorry. It happens.”

“No. Sorry I was rude.”

I look up from the job of removing the old polish. “Apology accepted.” I lower my head back to my work. “It’s hard when plans change.”

She wraps a strand of my hair around her finger. “I like your curls.”

I peek up at her. “Thank you. I like how sleek and shiny your hair is.”

She continues to play with the spiral lock. “My mom had curly hair.”

“She did?” It takes every ounce of self-control I have to keep my voice steady and continue polishing her nail.

“Yeah.” There’s a dream-like quality to her voice. “I used to play with it when I was little.”

“Was she as pretty as you?”

“Prettier.”

I look up at her again and smile. “That’s hard to believe.”

Her eyes meet mine, and they’re deep blue pools of sadness. “She’s dead.”

For a moment, I don’t say anything. I can’t. There’s a knot as big as a grapefruit in my throat. “I know, and I’m sorry.”

“My dad’s dead too.”

I can only nod.

“They’re not coming back.” It’s a statement, but the questioning lift at the end of the sentence breaks my heart.

“No, sweetie, they’re not.”

It’s her turn to nod. I go back to painting her nail and will away the stinging tears burning my eyes.

After several moments she says, “But I have Rory. I’m lucky.” Her voice is stronger, more assertive, so I give her my gaze again.

“Yes, you do. So he’s a good big brother?”

“He’s the best. We’re a family now.”

How wrong is it to be jealous of this little orphaned girl because she has more of a family than I’ve ever had. “You are lucky.”

“Nah, I’m the lucky one.”

The little girl in the chair and I both jerk our heads to the hallway to find Rory leaning against the doorframe. He’s changed into a dress shirt and jeans, but his feet are bare.

Mercy.

Is there anything sexier than a man in jeans and bare feet? No. No, there is not. The sight of him there, with his arms folded over his chest and his legs crossed at the ankles, jolts my reproductive system to life like it’s been hit with 200 joules of electricity.

“Kara’s fixing my nail that I messed up. Isn’t that nice?”

He must notice the change in Sally’s attitude toward me, too, because he raises his brows. “She is nice.”

“She has curly hair like Mom.” This time when she says it, it’s much more casual than before.

“Yes, she does.”

“It’s really soft. Come feel it.”

Rory chokes, trying to cover a laugh. “Sal, it wouldn’t be very polite for me to feel Kara’s hair.”

“Why? I did.” The girl is truly confused.

I twist the lid on the polish bottle and keep my face away from Sally’s because unlike her brother, I can’t control my reaction or facial expression.

Rory makes his way to us and smooths his hand down Sally’s head. “It just wouldn’t be, pumpkin.”

“But, you just touched my hair.”

“That’s different. You’re my sister.”

“Kara doesn’t care.” She turns to me. “Do you, Kara?”

“Um, no.” What the hell am I supposed to say?

“See?” She takes his hand and places it on my head.

His hand rests on the crown of my head for a second, but then he slowly, deliberately curls his fingers into my hair, and a cascade of goosebumps flow over my skin. I can’t help but tip my head back to look up at him. We’re locked in each other’s gaze, neither of us willing to break eye contact.

“It’s super soft, huh?” Sally asks.

We’re still staring at one another, a whole world of conversation going on between us that has nothing to do with my hair or his sister.

I’ve missed touching you.

I’ve missed you touching me.

Your eyes are the color of sunrise and whiskey.

Your mouth makes me want to do dirty things to you.

“Can I go show Mrs. Whitney my nails?” Sally seems oblivious to what is going on right in front of her.

“Yeah,” her brother breathes, but what I hear is As soon as she’s gone, I’m going to kiss the shit out of you.

Sally stands and pushes her chair under the table. “What’s wrong with your voice?”

“Nothing. Tell Mrs. Whitney hi for me.”

“Okay. Thanks, Kara.”

I suck in a deep breath and try to give my words some substance. “You’re welcome.” But it sounds more like I’ll kill you if you don’t kiss me.

The door snicks closed, and the temperature in the room rises about a hundred degrees.

His fingers are still curled into my hair.

My head is still tilted back.

Our eyes are still begging for what we both want.

“Kara.”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to kiss you.”

“Thank God.”

Chapter Eight

Kara

Rory’s warm lips slide over mine, and all the chaos, heartbreak, and uncertainty of the last six months fades into the background. My whole body sighs, home. Kissing this man feels better than anything I’ve ever done, even sex with Timothy.

Rory and I never had sex. Every time we’d get close, he’d stop us and say he didn’t want to rush into things. Initially, I was afraid it was me, but he was so attentive and affectionate that I decided to believe him. Besides, making out with him had been exciting, and I enjoyed the build-up to the main event.

He takes my head in his hands and breaks the kiss just long enough for him to whisper, “Kara, are you sure?”

Fire races over my body at the sound of my name on his lips. I’ve missed this…missed him. Without considering our positions, I lunge toward him. My arms loop around his neck and my lips find his again. He stumbles back but holds tight to me. Then we’re doing this uncoordinated dance of step, turn, step, turn, step, turn. With every rotation, our tongues tangle and twine, reigniting all the feelings I ever had for him.

We bump into something—the back of the couch. I pull back from the kiss. “Sally?”

He blinks lust-soaked eyes, then tugs out his phone, punches a button, and places it to his ear without releasing me or breaking eye contact. “Mrs. Whitney, do you mind if Sally hangs out at your place for a bit? Thank you, Mrs. W. You’re a lifesaver.” He slips the device back into his pocket. “She’ll be there for a while.”

A slow smile takes up half my face. “In that case.” I take his arm and lead him to the front of the sofa. My hands go to his shoulders, and I push. He falls onto his back and takes me with him.

“Got to be honest, I’m sort of feeling like a perv with you in those bubblegum leggings.” The corner of his mouth kicks up in the sexiest crooked smile I’ve ever seen. “And in case you were wondering, that was an invitation to remove them.”

With my hands on his chest and my legs on either side of his hips, I laugh, which brings the center of me into direct contact with the long, hard length of him. A jolt of electricity shoots through me and burns through my veins.

Fire bursts behind his eyes, and he rubs his hands up my arms. “You just going to sit there and stare at me?”

My teeth catch my lower lip, and I circle my hips, once, twice, three times, wrenching a low, needy groan from him. I lean forward, putting my weight on my hands that rest on his chest. “Maybe.”

His cups the back of my head. With a gentle tug, he whispers, “Come here.”

I go willingly. It’s like the last six months never happened, especially now that I know the truth. I wanted this man then, and I want him now. He tilts my head so that his lips find that place on my neck that he used to worship with his mouth.

“Rory.”

His nibbles and kisses his way to my ear. “Do you want me to stop, Kara?”

Do I? Maybe I should, but nothing’s felt this good in such a long time. It’s like my body has been hanging on a precipice, waiting to be pushed over the edge, since the last time we were together. “No.” And to prove it, I grind down on him again.

“Keep that up, and this will be over before we start. It’s been a while.”

I pull back and find his gaze. “How long?”

“Since before I met you.”

He hasn’t been with anyone since we met. I grab his hair and hold his head still so that I can devour his mouth. I try to communicate everything I’m feeling through every swipe of my tongue, nip of my teeth, and rock of my hips.

Missed you.

Need you.

Love you.

The last thought threatens to derail me. Surely panic can’t be far behind that revelation, but it never comes. I don’t have to think about it for very long to know it’s true. It’s always been true.

I sit up, and my hands slide under his shirt hem and move up his torso, taking the fabric with me. His hands are busy too, teasing and torturing my breasts. He stops and raises his arms as I lift the shirt over his head and throw it to the side.

Several moments pass as I rub my fingers over his chest, then lower to his abs, which I can count. It’s like gliding my hands over steel covered in velvet. “Very nice, Mr. Muscles. Work out much?”

That lopsided grin works its way onto his face. “I hit the gym every once in a while.”

I circle his nipples with my nails and revel in the way the tips constrict, puckering at my touch. The hiss of air that escapes his mouth shoots straight between my legs, causing the hollow ache there to grow and expand. “Is that so?”

He cups my cheek. “You are so beautiful, Kara. You take my breath away.”

I turn my head and kiss his palm. “Thank you.”

“I’ve missed—” He cuts off what he was about to say next at the sound of a key in the lock.

“Sally,” we say together.

Panic shoots through me. I try to get up, just as he rolls off the sofa. The motion knocks my legs out from under me, and we both tumble to the ground. The door opens, and our eyes find each other. His hold the same freaked-out look that I know I have.

“Rory. Kara,” Sally yells.

With the back of the couch between us and the front door, we could hide here, but that seems pretty immature.

Rory gets to his knees. “I’m here. I thought you were staying at Mrs. Whitney’s?” He says it so casually that you’d never know we were only moments from taking this thing between us to a whole new level.

“Where’s Kara?”

I pop up beside Rory. “Right here.”

“What are y’all doing?” Her blue eyes narrow. She shifts the nail polish box to one arm and slams the opposite hand onto her popped hip. “I know what you’re doing.”

“You do?” Some on the earlier panic filters into Rory’s voice.

“Yes, and it’s a nasty—”

“Sally—”

“Trick.”

“What?” The word drips with confusion.

“You’re playing Twister, aren’t you?”

Rory’s the first to answer, but it’s not terribly articulate. “Um…”

“No fair. I want to play. That’s not very nice, Rory. I always let you play my games with me.”

“You’re right, Sal—”

“Where’s your shirt?” She stays where she’s at by the kitchen table and lifts onto her tiptoes.

“Oh, um…” For such a smart man, he’s not very quick with a comeback in a crisis situation.

“He had to take it off while we were playing. I kept getting tangled in it.” What am I saying? It appears neither Rory nor I are cut out for covert operations.

She gives us the stink eye for a minute. “Huh. Well, I want you to keep your shirt on when we play.” A visible shiver runs from the top of her head to her feet. “I don’t want to see your boobies too.”

Rory gives her a solemn nod. “I understand.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to see your boobies either,” I say, and stifle a gasp when Rory pinches my butt out of sight of his sister.

“You really hurt my feelings, Rory.”

“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings, Sal. I promise we’ll play Twister later with you.” Rory points to the container of nail polish. “I thought you were staying at Mrs. Whitney’s for a bit.”

“I was, I just came back to get my nail polishes to show her.” She studies the box of polishes and chews on her bottom lip. “But I’d rather play Twister with you guys.” Her booty of nail polish goes back onto the table. “I need to tell her I’ll show her later.”

She whirls and is out the door before either of us can say a word.

Rory sits back on his heels and spears his fingers through his hair. “Ladies and gentlemen, my sister, the cockblocker.”

I snort, and then huge guffaws tumble from my lips. I laugh until my sides hurt.

“Laugh it up, funny girl.” He loops a stray hair behind my ear. “Sorry about that.”

I lean over and kiss him gently. “Nothing to be sorry for.”

He rises to his feet, then takes my hand and helps me to stand. “And you might want to stretch while you’re at it, because my sister is a cutthroat Twister player.”

“I think I can take her. I’m very flexible.”

He yanks his shirt off the ground and groans. “You’re killing me right now. You know that, right?”

I laugh. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re not.” He moves in the direction of the bedrooms.

“Where are you going?”

“To get the Twister game before she comes back. How are we going to explain that we were playing without the mat or the spinner?”

“Hey,” I call, just before he disappears around the corner.

He stops and glances back at me. “Yeah?”

“Maybe later we can play naked Twister. Without Sally, of course.”

He shakes his head. “Killing. Me.”

I laugh and shout, “You’ll survive.” But he’s already gone.

But will you survive when this goes belly up?

I ignore that voice and ready myself to play Twister with Rory and his sister.

Chapter Nine

Rory

It’s been a little more than twenty-four hours since my encounter with Kara that ended with us being interrupted and playing Twister with Sally. Twenty-four hours of longing looks, secret touches when we pass each other in the hall or kitchen, and twenty-four hours of tiptoeing around my sister. I swear the kid has some kind of sexy-time homing device buried in her cute little head. Anytime Kara and I get remotely close to having a moment, up she pops like a cockblocking jack-in-the-box.

Last night, just as Kara and I were making moves to take our liaison to my bedroom, Sally bounded into the living room, announcing that Kara should sleep in her bed, and she would sleep in her princess sleeping bag on the floor beside her.

Cock. Blocked.

Sleep didn’t come easily, with the low-level sexual frustration humming through my body, which hasn’t helped me concentrate on work today. It’s been a series of online meetings and presentations—so freakin’ monotonous. It will continue to be this way as long as we’re in quarantine because our office is in the contamination zone.

What I love most about my job is my team’s interactions, the brainstorming, and while we can still converse and bounce ideas back and forth, it’s not the same. But I’d do it all again if it meant that Kara and I could fix things between us.

I’m such an idiot. I let my pride get in the way of something great with her. She would’ve understood about Sally, and I know now that it wouldn’t have scared her away if I’d told her the truth. So as much as this chemical spill sucks, in a way, I’m grateful for it.

“Looks like everyone’s here, so let’s get started,” my boss Carol announces. “And please mute yourselves if you’re not speaking. We had some trouble with ambient noise on the call this morning.” Someone left their microphone on, and we all heard their trip to the bathroom, complete with sound effects and the toilet flushing. No one fessed up, and who can blame them—talk about unprofessional.

“You should be able to mute everyone since you’re the meeting host, Carol,” Stan, the resident mansplainer, says.

“I understand that, Stan, but for some reason, that feature’s not working. Our internal support is on it and will hopefully have the problem solved by tomorrow, but until they do, mute yourselves. You can handle that, correct, Stan?”

“Yes.”

This is what I love about Carol. She does not take any shit, and she has a way of putting assholes in their place without looking like an asshole herself.

“Let me run through the agenda for this meeting. Then we’ll get started. But first, excuse me.” Carol leans out of camera shot. There’s the chatter of a child and the sound of a door slamming, and then she’s back in the frame. “Sorry about that, but if you guys have kids, then you know how it is.”

Boy, do I ever. I had to ask Mrs. Whitney if Sally could stay with her for the day so that I could get through these meetings undisturbed. Kara said she’d watch her, but I don’t want to put that on her. It’s not her responsibility.

With my headphones firmly in place, I sit back in my chair as the meeting begins. The sound of the bathroom door opening and closing and then water running catches my attention. Kara must be showering. Erotic images of soapy suds sliding down her wet, nude body race through my head, which sets off a fiery chain reaction through my body that settles in my dick. I reposition myself and try to concentrate on the presenter on my computer and not the stark-naked woman just on the other side of the wall. I’m seriously regretting not splurging on the soundproof headphones right about now.

After what seems like an eternity, the water shuts off. Finally, now I can concentrate on what Carol is saying. Not that I need to pay that close of attention. The part of the meeting that pertained to my group and me was earlier today. Still, I’m a good employee and team player, so I focus in on my boss’s words.

The bathroom door opens again, but I’m focused on the graph Carol has put on the screen. Honeysuckle and vanilla tickle my nose, and I glance up to see Kara pass by my bedroom door on her way to Sally’s room, where she’s been keeping her meager belongings. And oh, sweet lord, she’s only wearing a blue towel with her hair piled up on her head. Every ounce of liquid in my mouth evaporates. I must make a noise because she stops and examines me from the hall.

For a very long moment, she stands there, and we stare at one another. Neither of us speaks. Hell, I couldn’t if I tried. The sexy, soft grin on her face tells me she knows exactly where my head is.

You look sexy as hell in that towel.

Am I only wearing a towel? I hadn’t noticed.

You’re playing with fire, sweetheart.

Oh, why’s that?

Because I’d like to tear that piece of terry cloth from your body with my teeth.

For a second longer, she remains rooted to the spot in the hall, biting her full bottom lip, then points at the computer and whispers, “Are you muted?”

“Yes.”

Then she moves into the room. I immediately turn my camera off because I have no idea what she’s about to do. The seductive sway of her hips is mesmerizing as she makes her way around my desk and stands before me just out of camera range.

I spread my legs and lean back in my chair. “Come here.”

Her gaze goes to the screen.

“I turned the camera off.”

Two steps and she’s between my legs. “You’re so smart.”

“I try.”

“I know you do.” She chuckles, and before I can say another word, the towel hits the ground. Every molecule of air whooshes from my lungs and all my blood rushes to my crotch. Her mouth kicks up on one side. “Don’t let me interrupt your meeting.”

Only one word surfaces through the haze of lust and longing coursing through my brain. “Gorgeous.”

She lowers herself to the floor and flips the button on my jeans. “Do what you need to do.” The sound of my zipper and uneven breaths sawing in and out of my throat fill the room.

“I’m good.” At her direction, I lift my hips enough for her to free me.

“No, really, go about your business. I’m sure it’s super important.” She grins, and her eyes are deep pools of blue-flame desire.

I’d like to kiss that smirk right off her face, but before I can move, she closes those sassy lips over my erection. “Oh, god.” The shock of her warm, wet mouth is a lightning bolt to my system. I jerk, and my head falls back against the headrest of my chair. One of my arms swings out, and I whack my computer while I bury the fingers of the other hand into her hair.

She hums around my erection, and I’m lost.

I’m simultaneously floating and soaring. Nothing has ever felt better in my life than this woman’s mouth on me. Waves of sensation pulse through me and all I can do is encourage her with moans and groans as she brings me closer and closer to the edge.

My bliss is interrupted by Carol’s terse voice. “Excuse me, but someone isn’t muted, and it sounds like they’re dying. Could whoever it is, please mute your microphone.”

Through the haze of pleasure, I roll my head to the right and stare at the unmuted mic icon on my computer.

Shit. I must’ve unmuted myself when I hit the computer.

I quickly move my hand over my trackpad and mute my audio. Good thing, too, because seconds later, the orgasm that Kara’s been working out of me explodes like a supernova, and a stream of profanity spills from my mouth. The rise and fall of my chest and slow roll of my head from side to side is all I’m capable of for several long moments.

Her warm hands on my knees bring me back to earth, and I open my eyes. In one fluid movement, she stands, bringing the towel with her. She daintily wipes the corners of her mouth with her middle finger, then secures the piece of terry cloth back into place. “Enjoy the rest of your meeting.”

She leaves me staring after her with my world turned completely on its head.

Hoo-lee hell.

Chapter Ten

Kara

I make my way out of Rory’s room, but don’t get ten steps before a set of strong arms wrap around my waist.

“We have twenty-five minutes until Sally comes home.” His breath is like warm velvet over my skin.

I turn to face him and drop the towel. “Then you better work fast. I’m hard to please.”

A big-bad-wolf grin lifts his lips. “I love a challenge.” He yanks his t-shirt over his head. “On the bed. Now.”

He herds me toward the bed, and I move to the center of the mattress. He slides his jeans down his legs, taking his underwear with them. I don’t have time to survey the dips and curves of muscles on his body because he’s on me before I can say, “Nice package.”

His lips cover mine, and he loops his hand under one of my legs, pulling it around his hip. The kiss claims me, possessing my mouth and my soul with every slide of his lips and sweep of his tongue.

A brief flash of fear threatens to fracture the beauty of the moment because I know there’s no coming back from this, but I tamp it down. I’m going into this with my eyes wide open. I see Rory for who he is and what he isn’t. He’s the kindest, most loving and loyal man I’ve ever known, but he doesn’t come without some baggage, and neither do I.

He moves his attentions over my jaw, then to my neck with soft, wet kisses, and settles where my pulse thrums like the beat of hummingbird wings. “Mmmm, this is my favorite spot.”

A state of dreamy pleasure slides over me. “Mine too.” The breathy, wispy quality of my voice is a complete contradiction to the riot of sensations and emotions whipping through me.

I slide my fingers through his hair to hold him to me. He allows it for a moment, then pulls away and continues using his lips and tongue to explore my body. The thoroughness of his attention is intoxicating. He kisses every spot like it’s his job, and he’s gunning for employee of the month. The hollow of my neck, my collar bone, my chest are all thoroughly loved as he moves over my skin.

He’s turning me into liquid fire. My insides are burning for him, so when his lips close over one nipple and his finger finds my center, I lose the ability to think coherently. The only thought circling my brain is so good, so good, so good.

My orgasm builds like storm clouds on the horizon, tempting me to surrender and let it roll over me. And if we had more time that’s exactly what I’d do. But we don’t so I wrap my hand around his wrist to stop what he’s doing to my body. “I want you inside me.”

His hair hangs low on his brow, and big eyes search my face. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” There’s no hesitation. I might regret it later, if this doesn’t work out between us. But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’ll regret it more if I never share this with him.

He grabs a condom from the nightstand.

“Hurry.” Suddenly, I’m impatient, and not just because we’re on the clock. I want him more than I want my next breath.

Condom dealt with, he moves over me and settles himself between my legs. My name is a prayer on his lips as he fills me. His head drops to mine and we just lie there breathing each other in. “I wish we had more time for me to go slow.”

“Later. We’ll go slow later.” I pull my knees up, adjusting the angle, desperate to have him closer.

A low growl that I feel to my core rumbles from his chest. “Fuck, you feel so good. This isn’t going to last long.”

“Good, because we don’t have long.” I rock up into him. “Move, mister.”

And he does, but it’s not fast and furious, it’s deliberate, deep, and all-consuming. Every stroke brings a burst of color and I’m lost in a kaleidoscope of sensation. But in the middle of all the chaos of feelings, a pinprick of light begins to grow. “Oh, yes, right there. Don’t stop.”

“You like that?”

“Mmmmm,” is the only thing I’m capable of saying because I’m now chasing my orgasm, or it’s chasing me. It’s hard to know with all the feelings bombarding my senses. “I’m going to—”

“Me too.”

He picks up his pace and that kaleidoscope shatters into a million pieces. The orgasm pins me to the bed and sends me soaring at the same time. He follows close behind and we’re holding onto each other as we ride out our pleasure. We both fall back to earth, but the landing is soft and safe because we have each other.

“Oh, that was…”

He rolls to the side, taking me with him. “Yeah.”

We lie there in the fading day, in a tangle of arms and legs, neither wanting to move.

Rory smooths the hair from my face. “That was everything I thought it would be, Kara.” His voice is sex-rough against my ear and my skin pebbles at the sound. “Hell of a way to end a workday.”

I turn to face him. “Oh, crap. I hadn’t thought about that until now. Did you just ditch out on the rest of the day? I can’t believe Mr. Reagan lets you get away with that.”

The most confused look crosses his face, then his expression clears. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“I left Worldwide Marketing two weeks after you.”

I sit up so fast that my head spins. “What?”

“I left. I wasn’t going to work for that jackass after what he did to you.”

Tears prick my eyes. “You did?”

He sits up and cups my face. “Of course I did.” The kiss is a promise that what we’ve started here is just the beginning.

I’m a little love-drunk by the time he pulls away, so it takes me a minute to ask, “Where are you working now?”

“At—”

“Rory! Kara! Where are you?” Sally’s voice crashes into our little cocoon.

“Shit,” we both say together.

Rory’s the first to move. He’s up and pulling on his clothes before I make it out of bed. “Stay here. I’ll head her off and get her occupied, then you can slip back to her room and get dressed.”

“Okay.”

His big hands wrap around my skull, and he gives me one last soul-stealing kiss, then he’s gone.

Rory quit working for Worldwide Marketing for me. I fall back on the bed trying to absorb the magnitude of that reality.

I’m not ready for the silly, sappy love song my heart is singing. But ready or not, there’s no denying I’m in love with Rory Jacobs, and always have been.

Chapter Eleven

Kara

The next morning, I try and fail to calm my frazzled nerves. Today’s my interview with The Campbell Group. Since we’re still in lockdown, I’m doing a video interview with Melinda Hollis, the VP of Brand Strategy, and the VP of Marketing, Henry Wiseman.

“Wow, you look great from the waist up.” Rory wraps his arms around me and looks at me in the bathroom mirror.

I strike a pose. “Thanks, it’s called quarantine chic.” I have on the white cap sleeve blouse that’s part of my uniform at the coffee shop. Thankfully I had it in my bag when I met Terry for our date, or I’d be borrowing a button-down shirt from Rory. My eyes are bright with anticipation, and my brown locks hang in loose waves around my shoulders. The whole look says professional, but not too stuffy. Just right for an interview with an ad agency. What’s not suitable for the interview are the pink leggings that have become my uniform around the apartment over the last few days.

He moves my hair out of the way and plants a kiss on my neck. “What’s the occasion?”

“I have an interview. I thought I told you, but I guess with everything happening, I forgot.”

“No, but that’s great. Who’s it with?”

My head rolls to the side to give him better access to my neck. “The Campbell Group.”

His lips freeze on my neck. “Really?” He meets my eyes in the mirror, then steps away from me.

“Yeah, I sent my resume to them months ago but didn’t get a response.” I smear on some lip balm. “Then, out of the blue last week, I got an email from them.”

“That’s awesome. I’m sure you’ll do great.” He scrubs his hand over his mouth. “Listen, Kara—”

“I hope so.”  I’m so nervous.” I hold my hand up to show him my trembling fingers. “So nervous I interrupted you, what were you about to say?”

“Ahh… nothing, just, good luck.”

I take his face in my hands and touch my lips to his lightly. “Thank you.” I release him and turn to take one more look at myself. “Hey, can I set up in your bedroom? I think your tan walls will be more impressive than Sally’s powder pink.”

He laughs, but it’s tight and strangled, not his usual laugh at all. “Sure. I don’t have any meetings this morning. I’ll set up in the dining room.”

I’m curious about his strange reaction to my request, but I don’t have time to think about it at the moment. “You’re the best. Wish me luck.”

“Luck.” His smile is genuine and bright, but there’s a trace of something else behind his eyes. I wish I had time to figure out what it is, but my call starts in a few minutes.

I place my computer on Rory’s desk and again thank the gods that I never go anywhere without it, or getting stuck here could’ve derailed this interview. Another check of my hair in Rory’s mirrored closet door. Then I connect the call.

A woman in her early forties and a man in his late fifties come on the screen. They’re muted, so it gives me a chance to size them up before we begin to speak. She’s talking, and he’s listening intently. That’s a good sign. Mr. Reagan never gave you his undivided attention unless he was firing you.

Melinda says something, and Henry laughs, and I immediately relax. I can do this.

The woman who could be my new boss glances at the screen and must see me because she sits up straighter in her seat then unmutes her computer. “Good morning, Kara.”

“Good morning.”

“How are you holding up during the quarantine?”

I laugh. “As well as can be expected. I’m actually not at home. I got caught at a…um…a friend’s apartment and have been here since it happened. Thankfully my new roommates are gracious and welcoming.” I think about last night, and prickly heat pinches my cheeks. I hope they can’t see it.

“Kara, I’m Henry Wiseman. Good to meet you.”

I resist the urge to fidget with my hair, which is my go-to when I’m nervous, and return his smile. “Good to meet you, Mr. Wiseman.”

“Call me Henry, please.”

“Okay, Henry, it’s great to meet you.”

“And you can call me Melinda.” She picks up some papers and straightens them by tapping them on her desktop. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

The next hour is a blur of questions and answers, of me showing the best and brightest side of myself and my work. By the time it’s over, I know I’ve done everything I can to get this job.

“I think that’s all I have today,” Melinda says and repeats the paper stacking thing. “Henry, is there anything else you’d like to know about Kara?”

The man shakes his head while looking at what I know is my resume. My heart clenches. They haven’t asked why I left Worldwide Marketing. I’m not sure what I’ll say if they do.

“No, I believe she’s answered all the questions I have. Be sure to tell Rory thanks for recommending such a bright, capable candidate.”

My brain, which had been dancing around an appropriate response if they asked why I left my previous job, comes to a screeching halt.

Rory?

My Rory?

Rory Jacobs?

Why would Rory recommend me to The Campbell Group?

How does he know them?

What the hell is going on?

The answer hits me like a wrecking ball, and it’s all I can do to stay upright in the chair.

Melinda nods. “I will.” She leans her arms on her desk and looks straight into the camera. “I have to say, and I think I speak for both Henry and me, that you are the most promising candidate for this job that we’ve interviewed so far.” She checks her phone. “We have another interview in fifteen minutes. Then we’ll be making a decision. We’ll get back to you no later than tomorrow.”

I nod numbly. “Thank you both so much.” It’s a miracle that I can speak. It’s like I’m floating outside my own body.

After they sign off, I sit for several long moments, trying to piece everything together. Why didn’t he tell me he worked for The Campbell Group? Why didn’t he tell me that he recommended me for a job? I finally snap out of my funk and look around his orderly bedroom. One thing’s for sure. I’m not going to find answers in here.

I’m suddenly standing in the dining room, and I’m not sure how I got here. The walk from the bedroom to the dining room is a blur.

Rory sees me and takes off his headphones. “Hey, how’d it go?”

“Well. Really well.”

A smile splits his face, and I want to cry.

“Henry said to thank you for recommending me.”

The happy expression melts from his lips like a wax figure in a fire. For a moment, he doesn’t say anything. “Okay.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you work for The Campbell Group?”

“I started to yesterday, but we were interrupted when Sally came home, and then this morning you were so nervous, I didn’t want to say anything right before your interview. I wasn’t hiding it from you. I was going to tell you when you finished the call.”

“And the interview?”

He shrugs. “I didn’t know they were interviewing you. I told Melinda two months ago that she should look you up on LinkedIn when we knew this position would open up. I guess she did.”

I’m not at all sure what to say. The thought of what happened last time happening again is more than I can handle. “I can’t take the job if they offer it to me.” The words are as flat as my squashed dreams.

He gets up and puts his hands on my bent elbows. “Why? I don’t know anyone more capable for this job than you.”

I shake my head. “I don’t understand. I sent in my resume months ago and just got the call last week.”

“There was some rearranging in the organization, so they postponed hiring anyone until now. I recommended you, Kara, but your resume is what got you the interview. This job is perfect for you. Please say you’ll take it if they offer it to you.”

How could I? “I can’t go through what we went through at Worldwide Marketing again. I just can’t.” A fissure zigzags through my heart.

“The Campbell Group isn’t like that.”

I shake my head. “I can’t take that chance.”

He tips my face up to meet his eyes. “I know there are at least two more couples at the agency. Nobody flaunts it, and they’re very professional.”

My teeth come down on my bottom lip. “I guess it’s a moot point unless I get the job.”

“You’re going to get the job.” His smile is heartbreakingly sweet.

“If I do…”

He rests his forehead against mine. “If you do, we’ll work it out. I’m not losing you again, Kara. We belong together, no matter what.”

I wish I had his confidence, but I borrow a little and say, “No matter what.”

Six hours later, two of the best and worst things happen to me. I get a phone call offering me the job at The Campbell Group, and the quarantine is lifted.

“I’ll just get my things together and get out of your hair.” The words taste like sandpaper on my tongue.

Rory smooths his hand down my arm and clasps my fingers. “Don’t go. Stay one more night. We’ll have one last family dinner together.”

The finality of that statement burns the back of my throat, and tears press against my eyelids. I’ve loved feeling apart of this little family for the last few days. “One last dinner?”

The stark look on Rory’s face eases the pain of my cracked heart a bit. “No.” He takes me by the shoulders. “No, that’s not what I meant at all. I meant that we could have dinner with Sally once more before you leave.” He bends his knees so he can look into my eyes. “Okay?”

I nod. “Okay.”

“In fact, I’m hoping you’ll let me take you to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate your new job.”

Something warm, deep, and lovely spreads through my body. I want to wrap myself in the sensation and cuddle up with it for a long time, but I resist the urge to fall into that loveliness. This thing with Rory is new and fragile, given that I’m about to go to work with him. But I can’t resist his invitation. “I’d love that.”

“Great. It’s a date.”

Chapter Twelve

Rory

Lugano’s is my favorite Italian restaurant in town, and the most romantic. I have a plan, and I hope that Kara is open to the idea. I don’t want to move too fast, but I also plan to be completely up front with her. I’ve learned my lesson about not being open and honest with her.

“How’s your pasta?” It’s not really a necessary question, if her closed eyes and moan are any indication.

“Oh, my gosh, it’s fantastic. Thank you for bringing me here.”

I get a little lost in how the candlelight illuminates her face and plays in the strands of her hair. “You’re welcome.” I pick up my wine glass. “Congratulations on your new position, and may you have a long and amazing career at The Campbell Group.”

She raises her glass to mine then drinks. “Thank you… for everything.”

“I keep telling you that I didn’t get you that interview. I only suggested they try to find you on LinkedIn. You know, since I didn’t have your contact information anymore.” I give her a pointed look. “You’re the one who submitted your resume. You’re also the one who won them over in the interview. Henry made a point of telling me how well you did and what a catch you are.”

Heat creeps up her neck and settles in her cheeks. “That was nice.” Then suddenly her eyes go wide. “You didn’t tell him we were seeing each other, did you?”

I’m a little offended that she seems to not want anyone to know about us, but given our history, I understand. “No. It didn’t come up. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were embarrassed by me.”

She leans forward and cups my face, and I lean my head into her open palm. “Rory, I’m not embarrassed. Look at you. Every woman in this place has checked you out. Also, your outside doesn’t even compare to how amazing you are on the inside.”

I turn and kiss the warm flesh below her thumb. It’s a heady moment, and one I feel is right for what I want to ask her. “Move in with me… with us.”

“What?”

“Move in with Sally and me.” I take her fingers in my hand. “I know I’m asking a lot because of Sally, but—”

“I love Sally.”

I can’t help the smile that eases over my face. “I know you do, and she loves you too.”

“It’s just that it’s so soon.”

“Maybe, but it feels really right.” I know it’s right. I know this woman is it for me, but the startled expression on her face tells me that it’s too soon for her. “It’s fine. We can take it slow.”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Yes, I’ll move in with you and Sally.”

I lift my butt off the seat, lean over the table, and kiss her. “This makes me so happy.” I return to my seat and enjoy the rightness of this moment.

“We’ll see how happy you are when my clothes dot your floor like landmines.” She says it like she’s blowing off my comment, but her smile is as big as mine. “When do we make this life-altering move?”

“Do you need to give notice at your apartment?”

She shakes her head. “No, I’m paid up through the end of the month, so I can leave whenever.”

“Great. How about this weekend?”

“You don’t think we need more time to ease Sally into the idea?” Her teeth sink into her pillowy bottom lip. “I don’t want this to be hard for her.”

I shake my head. “You saw how upset she was when you left this morning, right? She’ll be thrilled.”

A small shrug lifts one of her shoulders. “Okay, this weekend it is.” She stretches both hands out to me and I take them in mine. “This makes me happy too, Rory.”

“Let’s get out of—”

“Rory?”

I look up to see Henry Wiseman and his wife moving in our direction. “Mr. Wiseman.” I stand to greet them and don’t have to look at Kara to know that she’s freaking out. I know this isn’t how she wanted to meet our boss for the first time.

“Good to see you, Rory. You remember my wife, Deanne?” He indicates the middle-aged woman next to him with salt and pepper hair, who’s never seen the pointy end of a Botox needle. She’s a natural beauty who looks her age, and Mr. Wiseman seems to adore her. I’ve always respected him more for that.

“Of course. How are you, Mrs. Wiseman?”

She swats my shoulder. “I’m fine, Rory, and how many times have I asked you to call me Deanne?”

Her husband laughs. “Not as many times as I’ve told him to call me Henry, and you heard how he addressed me.”

The three of us share a friendly chuckle. “Sorry, you can blame my mother. She instilled respect into my brain from an early age.”

Mrs. Wiseman rubs my back. She knows about my parents. “Then you had a good mama.”

I smile down at her. “The best.”

My boss clears his throat and steps back to include Kara in our little semicircle, even though she’s still sitting.

I motion to my date. “Um, sorry, Mr. Wiseman, you know Kara Lawson.”

Henry does a double take, looks to me, then back to Kara. “Oh, of course, I thought you looked familiar.” He extends his hand. “It’s good to meet you in person.” His dark gaze scans to me, then a calculating look comes over his craggy face. “I didn’t know you two were…um…so friendly.” He winces on the last word like he can’t believe he said so friendly. Then his expression clears, and his gaze narrows in on me. “That’s right, you recommended Kara for the job at The Campbell Group.”

“Yes, I knew Kara would be a great fit for the team.”

Kara pulls her shoulders back and smiles up at our boss. “How do you do, Mr. Wiseman?”

“Better than I deserve.” He puts his hand on Mrs. Wiseman’s back. “My wife, Deanne. De, this is our newest employee. In fact, she starts tomorrow.”

Mrs. Wiseman’s smile is broad and genuine. “Nice to meet you, Kara. Are you enjoying your meal?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.” The words coming from Kara’s mouth are as tight as a bowstring. And while she’s answering Mrs. Wiseman, she keeps flicking her gaze to Mr. Wiseman. Who has a speculative look on his face.

“Well, we shouldn’t bother these young people anymore, De.” He extends his hand to my date. “It was nice to see you, Kara.”

“Nice to see you too, Mr. Wiseman.”

He slaps me on the arm. “Rory, always a pleasure.”

“You too, Mr. Wiseman.”

Once they walk away, I sit, and my heart rate begins to take on a normal rhythm. Crisis averted.

But before I can completely relax Mr. Wiseman comes back to the table. “Sorry to interrupt again, but could you two see me in my office first thing in the morning?”

“Um, sure,” I say, because it’s clear by the look on Kara’s face that she isn’t going to be able to speak.

He nods. “Nine a.m. I’ll let Sandy know to put you on my schedule.” Then he’s gone.

I glance across the table at Kara and know that any hope of a relationship with her disappeared with Mr. Wiseman’s exit.

Chapter Thirteen

Kara

I can’t freakin’ believe this. I cannot. What are the odds that my new boss would be dining in the same restaurant as Rory and me? About a you’re fired to one.

“Kara?”

I don’t say anything, only stand and loop my purse over my shoulder. I’m not sure where I’m going.

“Kara?”

“I have to…” I look around for the exit. “I have to leave.” Rory’s warm hand clasps mine. It should soothe me, but it only breaks my heart. Because…well, just because.

“Let me pay the bill. Then we’ll leave.”

I nod and head for the door. I need air. Once outside, I fill my lungs with oxygen, then exhale. I repeat the exercise several times, trying to make sense of what just happened and decipher Mr. Wiseman’s expression when he said he wanted to see us in his office tomorrow morning.

I lean against the wall of the restaurant and bury my face in my hands. “Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod.”

Rory wraps his warm arms around my shoulders. “Hey, I’ve got you.”

I pull away immediately. If I let him comfort me, then I’ll never be able to do what I’m about to do. “We can’t see each other anymore.”

“What? Why?”

“Why? Are you kidding me?” I point back at the restaurant. “After what just happened in there.”

He takes me by the shoulder and speaks very softly like he’s talking me off a ledge, which in a way, he is. “Kara, stop. Nothing’s happened.”

“How can you say that? He wants to see us in his office in the morning.” I can’t help but flash back to the last time we were called into our boss’s office.

“We don’t know why he wants to speak to us. For all we know, it’s because he has a project for us to work on.” He tries to sound confident, but I can hear the uncertainty underneath his bold statement.

“You don’t believe that.”

“It’s as possible as anything else.”

“Possible, yes. Probable, no. I’ll tell you what’s going to happen tomorrow. I’ll be let go before I even start, and at best, you’ll get a slap on the wrist. At worst, you’ll be fired too.”

“That’s not going to happen. I’ve told you. The Campbell Group isn’t like that.”

I still hate the thread of insecurity that I hear. I shake off his hold. This is what happens when I get too attached and hopeful that I can have everything I want. “It doesn’t matter. I need this job. I don’t need a relationship, especially one with so much baggage.” I want to call the words back as soon as they’re out of my mouth, but it’s too late.

Rory releases me and steps back with his hands up in surrender. “I get it. I do have a lot of baggage. I’m the one with the thirteen-year-old, special needs sister who I’m responsible for.”

“No, Rory, that’s not what I meant.” And it’s not. “I was talking about what happened before with us.”

He nods. “Which is basically because I have a thirteen-year-old, special needs sister who I’m responsible for. Like I said, I get it.” His keys are in his hand before I can say anything else. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

“Rory…”

“It’s fine, Kara. I need to get home to Sally anyway.” His dejected posture twists the knife in my gut.

We ride to my apartment in silence. What is there to say? My heart is breaking, but it’s broken before, and I’ll be fine.

Just keep moving.

Rory pulls the car in front of my building. “Don’t worry about tomorrow. I’ll take care of it.” His tone is flat, and he speaks to the windshield.

“No, I can fight my own battles. I’m…sorry.”

His only response is to nod.

“Good night,” I say, then exit the vehicle.

He pulls away without a word.

It’s better this way.

Just keep moving.

I make my way to my apartment and find my roommate, Lori, on the sofa watching some streaming service.

“Hey.” I throw my keys onto the counter.

She glances over at me. “Oh, hey.” Her attention goes back to the TV. “I didn’t think you’d be back tonight.”

I slip my heels off and move into the living area. “Yeah, well…”

Her gaze slides over me again, more closely this time. “Did you guys break up?”

I’m so surprised that she cares enough to ask that I don’t answer for a second. Finally, I say, “Yes.”

“What did he do? Or did you just ghost him again?”

“I don’t ghost people.”

She chuckles. “Yeah, right. You ghosted him last time. You ghosted me when we had that minor disagreement right after you moved in.” She tosses a few kernels of popcorn into her mouth. “I swear, I hardly know you live here. If you’re home, you stay in your room, anything to avoid conflict.”

“That’s not what…” But I can’t finish the sentence because, of course, that’s what I do. “I didn’t know you wanted to work things out.”

“How could you? You basically never spoke to me again.”

I drop into the chair next to the sofa. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

She shrugs, but I can see now that I hurt her. “No, really, Lori, I’m truly sorry. And you’re right. That is what I do.”

“I guess I can see why you’d do it to me. We hardly know each other. But you seem to care about this guy, and I don’t see how you could do the same thing to him.”

“It’s complicated.”

A laugh bursts from her throat. “It always is.”

I laugh, and it feels so good to laugh with someone. “I guess you’re right.”

“So why do you do it?” She turns the TV off and adjusts her position to look at me. “You isolate. Do you just like being alone, or are you too lazy or scared to fight for relationships?”

“Wow, Lori, don’t hold back.” I look at her no-bullshit face and realize that we could’ve been friends if I hadn’t been so insecure and… “I’m scared.”

“Ah, I thought so.” She reaches for the glass of wine in front of her. “You probably have good reasons why you’re scared, but the bigger question is, what are you going to do about it? Because you’re going to end up alone and lonely if you don’t figure it out.”

I just stare at her. She’s right. This woman I barely know has nailed me in one. “I… I don’t know.”

She stands and squeezes my shoulder. “I’m going to bed. I’m glad we talked.”

“Me too.”

“And Kara, there are things worth standing and fighting for.”

Again, she’s right. But I’m not sure I know how to fight.

Chapter Fourteen

Rory

I toss the full paper cup of my coffee into the trash as I make my way into the The Campbell Group’s building. One sip, and it was clear that my stomach is prepared to stage a full-on revolt.

The foyer’s mirrored wall isn’t necessary for me to know that I look like living hell. Zero sleep and a meltdown from Sally this morning because she got used to being home and didn’t want to go to school has me looking and feeling like the walking dead.

My steps through the building are slow and sluggish like I’m sleepwalking. I’m numb. I know we’re not about to lose our jobs. I called Mr. Wiseman when I got home, and he told me what he wanted to talk to us about, but honestly, that only makes my life harder. He wants me to train Kara on some of our systems and get her up to speed.

The problem is, I’m not sure if I can work in the same building as Kara and not be with her, so I may be on my way out anyway.

It’s become obvious to me over the last week that I’m in love with her, or should I say, I’m still in love with her. I fell hard eight months ago and never recovered. And as much as it sucks that she doesn’t feel the same about me, she’s also a reminder of everything I’ve lost.

I step onto the elevator and push the button for the third floor. Just as the doors are about to close, a slender arm shoots through the opening and stops them. Kara steps in, a bit disheveled and with her own dark circles under her eyes. Even so, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

I push the button again, and for a few moments, we stand in silence. Then she turns to me with fire blazing in her eyes. “Listen, Rory, I’m going to handle this. You don’t have to do anything.”

“What are you—”

“I’ve decided that I’m not running. I’m staying and fighting for you and this job. I deserve this job, I deserve family dinners and family game night, and I deserve to be happy with you and Sally. And I want all of those things, desperately.”

It’s the most romantic thing she’s ever said to me, and she looks like Xena Warrior Princess, which turns me on a lot. Then the gravity of what she said hits me. “Wait, you don’t understand.”

She adjusts her jacket and shakes her curls from her face. “Oh, I understand plenty, and I’m not going to let them push us out.” Before I can reply, she grabs my shoulders and plants a kiss on my lips. It’s fast, and she’s back on her side of the elevator by the time it opens.

I reach for her, but she’s gone. “Kara.”

For a second, she stops and looks around like she’s lost, which she probably is. She’s never been in the building before. I’m so fascinated with her kickass attitude that I only point her to Wiseman’s office and follow.

As we approach the boss’s assistant, I say, “Morning, Sandy. He’s expecting us.”

She nods. “Go right in.”

Good thing she let us in or Kara might’ve kicked the door down. We enter the room, where Mr. Wiseman is standing at his window. He turns when Kara clears her throat. “Good morning. Have a seat.”

We sit, but instead of relaxing back into the chair, Kara’s balanced on the edge, like she’s poised to go over the desk if provoked.

“First, let me welcome you again to The Campbell Group. And second, I’d like to talk about your—”

“Mr. Wiseman, I’m sorry to cut you off, sir, but there are a few things that need to be said.” She pulls a stack of papers from her satchel and sets them on our boss’s desk. “I stayed up all night reading the employee handbook, and—”

“That’s very impressive.”

“Yes, well, nowhere in there does it forbid inter-office romances. It does say that they will be treated on an individual basis and that the relationship should not interfere with your job performance.” She points to a particular bit on the paper. “See right there.”

He leans forward. “And so it does.”

“I don’t see how you can assume anything about mine and Rory’s relationship without spending time around us in a work environment.”

“We’re still in a relationship?”

Her head jerks my way, and her fierce expression softens. “If you’ll forgive me and still have me, then yes.”

“I already forgave you.”

The smile she gives me is blinding, and tears shimmer in her eyes. Mr. Wiseman clears his throat, and she remembers we’re not alone. “I’m sorry, where was I?”

“Me making assumptions about your relationship.”

“Oh, yes, as I was saying, I intend to fight for this job that I got on my own merits and keep my relationship with Rory because I’ve earned the former and desperately want the latter.” She sits back and places her hands in her lap.

“Are you finished?”

“I am.”

“Well, thank you for sharing those things with me. It does put a new light on why I called you both into my office this morning.”

She nods as primly as a schoolmarm. “I’d hoped it would.”

Mr. Wiseman puts his fist to his mouth, and I can see he’s trying to hide a smile behind his hand. “Yes, indeed. My reason for meeting with you today was to ask Rory to show you the ropes and to get you up to speed on our systems and on a couple of accounts that you will be perfect for.”

“You…” Kara looks like a ten-pound bass that just got hooked on the line. “I just said all that for nothing?”

“Oh, no, it was good that we talked about it and got it all out in the open.”

“But I just—”

“Plead your case brilliantly.” I stand to take her hand and lead her to the door. “Good talk, Mr. Wiseman. See you at roundups this afternoon,” I call as I push Kara through the door. We don’t stop until we get to the stairwell. As soon as I have her through the exit, I lean against the wall and pull her to me.

My lips crash down on hers. It’s a kiss of possession and promise, and my heart swells to see I’m not alone in the declarations.

She pulls back and looks me in the eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

“I love you.”

She freezes, and I think I’ve gone too far until a tear rolls over her cheek. “I love you too, Rory. So much.”

I hold her for only a few heartbeats, then I step back, business face fully in place. “We should get back. There’s a lot I need to show you.”

She nods and turns toward the door. “This thing between us will be like the mullet of relationships—business at work and party at home.”

“Does that mean you’re still moving in with Sally and me?”

She hits me with a smile so happy and unguarded that it takes my breath away. “Just try and stop me, Rory Jacobs.”

“Never, Kara Lawson. We’re locked in love and it’s forever.”