Feeling heavy and lethargic, she finished up her work, shut down her computer and gathered up her purse and suit jacket.

A short time later she walked into her apartment, dropped her keys on her new table inside the door, kicked off high-heeled pumps with a satisfying lob across the living room, and winced when one crashed onto her glass-topped coffee table. She threw down her purse and shoved both hands into her hair.

Dammit. She could’ve been getting ready for a date. With Jake. Which could have turned into another night of hot sex.

She allowed her bottom lip to pout as she padded barefoot down the hall to her bedroom and changed into the black yoga pants she’d thought of earlier and a soft, gray T-shirt. In her bathroom, she popped out her contact lenses and slipped her glasses on.

Moments later, a glass of wine in one hand and the remote control for the television in the other, she reclined on her couch and leaned her head back.

Andrew had been cool and distant all week. Especially every time he’d suggested they have lunch or a drink or dinner and she’d turned him down. For Jake. That was what she’d wanted. So why did she feel so depressed?

The knock at her apartment door had wine sloshing over the edge of her very full glass, darkening the gray T-shirt with a small wet spot. Damn. Who the hell was that? She set the glass down and climbed to her feet, still tired.

Jake.

He stood outside the door, visible in her peephole. She leaned her forehead to the carved wooden door for a brief moment, her body going all quivery, her heart lurching into a thuddy rhythm.

Then she opened the door. He stood there, holding a large flat box—pizza?—with a paper bag on top and a six pack of beer.

“Hi.” He gave her a small sexy smile, eyes steady on hers.

“Hi.” Her breath slid out of her. “What are you doing here?”

He lifted his packages. “I brought dinner. Since you were too tired to go out.”

Her heart swelled up so big she thought it might burst. “Oh.”

“And beer.” He held up the other hand. “And…” He lowered his chin toward the paper bag. “Ice cream. Butter pecan.”

She just stood there, blinking at him, her throat tightening, her mouth trembling. She couldn’t believe he was there and he’d brought food and beer and her favorite ice cream. He’d actually been listening when they’d talked that night before the company picnic. Her throat ached and she squeezed her eyes closed.

“Are you okay?” He peered at her closer. “Hey, Shelby Rose, what’s wrong?”

“I’m just…just…stressed.” She stepped back. “Come in.”

He walked past her and went straight to the counter separating her small kitchen from dining room, and set the packages down. He turned to her. “C’mere. You look like you need a hug.”


She wasn’t wearing a bra.

He was a pig for noticing that when she was so visibly upset, but he couldn’t help but observe the enticing jiggle of her breasts beneath the thin T-shirt as she moved across the room toward him. Heat rushed to his groin and he went hard as a post.

Then she was in his arms, her cheek pressed to his chest, those soft breasts pillowed between them, and his arms went around her small body and tightened. Damn, she felt good there.

“Hey little girl,” he murmured, his face pressed against her silky hair. “It’s okay.”

He had no idea what he was talking about, but comforting her seemed the thing to do. “Are you hungry?” He was starved and the smell of the pizza, all spicy tomatoes and pepperoni, had driven him crazy all the way over there.

“Mmm. Yeah.” She lifted her head and gave him a shaky smile.

“I didn’t know you wear glasses.” He smiled down at her, studying the rectangular frames, stylish and a bit funky.

“Oh. Yeah. I don’t wear them often.”

“I like them.” He tipped his head. “They make you look very intelligent.”

“I am very intelligent.”

He laughed and gave her butt a little pat. “Yes, you are.” He moved into her kitchen. “I better put the ice cream in the freezer,” he said, making himself at home in her kitchen. She pulled plates out of a cupboard and they piled slices of cheesy pizza on them then sat on her couch. Jake popped the top off a beer while Shelby wiped up a small puddle under her wine glass.

“So what are you so stressed about?” he asked.

Duh. Stupid question. One of her best friends’ husband was dying.

But she gave him a wary, indecisive look and said nothing.

“What?” He took another bite of pizza.

“I’m stressed about a lot of things,” she admitted. “One of them being you.”

“Me?” He gazed at her.

“Yeah.” She took a breath. “I didn’t mean to act like a bitch on the phone.”

He gave a crooked smile. “When you hung up like that, I was just going to suggest doing this.” He gestured with the piece of pizza in his hand. “If you were too tired to go out. And then you hung up on me.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry. Like I said, I’m stressed about a lot of things.”

“Hey.” He reached out and touched his fingertips to her cheek. “It’s okay. Wanna talk about it?”

She gazed back at him thoughtfully. His gut tightened.

“Okay,” she finally said. “What are we doing, here, Jake?”

“Uh…eating pizza?”

He’d been putting off the conversation about what exactly they were doing all week. Now he was going to have to deal with it.

She gave her head a small shake, a smile playing on her mouth. “Men. All I want to know is…why are you doing this? Is this still just to make Andrew think we’re going out?”

Andrew. Fuck. He’d forgotten all about Andrew. Annoyance tightened his insides. He’d overheard Andrew asking her out for a drink. Andrew, a married man. Jake’s back molars ground together briefly. What had started as a little help had now become a mission. He sure as hell wanted to protect Shelby from Andrew, but there was also Gianna, who didn’t deserve to be screwed around on.

Jake had called to ask Shelby out, not even thinking about that, and he wasn’t even sure himself why. He could tell her it was all about pretending, but deep inside he knew that was a lie. He just couldn’t offer up any reason other than he didn’t like her turning him down. Which made him sound like a perverse little kid who only wanted what he couldn’t have. Shit.

“What do you want it to be?” he finally asked.

She met his eyes. “Here’s the deal. I don’t have a good track record with men. I don’t want a real relationship, not right now when I’m trying to rebuild my career. But…” She bit her lip. “But the sex was pretty good. And I want Andrew to think I have a relationship.”

“Pretty good?” He lifted one eyebrow.

She blushed. “Okay, better than pretty good. It was unbelievable.”

He grinned. “That was my opinion too. Okay then. Sounds like we’re on the same page here. I don’t do relationships, either. And I don’t mind helping you out with Andrew.”

She tipped her head to one side. “And what do you get out of this deal?”

“Same thing as you.” He gave her a wink and a look that made her cheeks even pinker. “Hot sex.”

There. They’d both said what they wanted and it was the same thing. It was a sweet deal all around. Win-win. No need to feel guilty, because they understood each other.

He met Shelby’s gaze and held it. He did like her. A lot. She was so much more than the sex kitten he’d tried to flirt with in the coffee shop last week. She didn’t deserve whatever sinister plans Andrew had for her, Andrew a married man with a wife who also didn’t deserve to be screwed around on.

“Okay,” Shelby said softly, her smile tipping up the corners of her lips. “We are on the same page.”

Guilt smacked him in the back of the head even though they’d been honest with each other, because he hadn’t been completely honest, and he guzzled down half his beer. He wasn’t pretending to care when he asked, “What else is stressing you? Work? Your friend?”

“Yes and yes.” She told him about the power struggles going on with her new project and she’d barely gotten started on it. He knew what she was talking about, had experienced similar issues.

“That’s one reason I wanted to start my own business. Be my own boss. Be the one calling the shots and if the client doesn’t want to listen, fine. In my experience, businesses who’re paying a consultant big bucks to make the changes they know they need usually pay a lot more attention than they do to someone inside the company, even if that person is trying to tell them the exact same things.”

“You’re probably right about that.”

Yeah, the economy had been part of his decision not to start his own business, but the truth was he and Andrew had planned to be partners. Their strengths and weaknesses complemented each other, they’d worked out the whole business strategy including the financing, and they’d been solid in their plan. There was just no way he could have worked with Andrew after what had happened, so not only had he lost the woman he loved and his best friend, he’d lost his business plan too. And ended up stuck at Coast Power.

But Shelby wouldn’t be hearing any of that story. He knew he should tell her, but at this point it felt…weird. Too late. And besides, he didn’t want her pity, either.

They talked about her friends too, and the fact that Adam was probably going to be released from the hospital on the weekend with nursing care at home. Their goal was to keep him comfortable by pumping him full of morphine, which made him pretty much out of it, but aware enough that he wanted to be in his own home when the end came. And Kiara wanted to be with him.