She opened her cell phone, feeling only slightly guilty at the dozen or so messages she had yet to listen to. She reasoned she was on vacation. And she was in Hawaii. Anything going on in Austin would have to wait. But this could not.

"Audrey? It's me."

"Well, my, my. The little mermaid has surfaced."

"Very funny." She paused. "I need a therapy session."

"Oh, good Lord. You're several time zones away. Surely not."

Jay heard rustling and frowned. "Where are you?"

"In bed."

"Who with?" she asked in a whisper, only to hear Audrey's familiar laugh.

"I'm alone. Unfortunately."

"What time is it there?"

"Early. Not even nine."

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm exhausted. And if you must know, I spent the night with someone last night. We didn't exactly sleep, if you know what I mean."

"Slut."

"I know you're just jealous."

Jay laughed. "Well, I spent the night with someone too."

"I do not want to hear about your boring married life."

Jay's smile vanished. "Speaking of that, do you still have the alarm code for the house?"

"The mansion? Yes. Why?"

"Because I need you to go there and pack up my stuff."

Silence. Then, a sigh.

"Do I want to know what's going on?"

"Probably not. But Katherine and Jenna are having an affair. Or they were. Not quite sure what's up with that now. And I slept with Drew."

"Oh, my God! You slut!" Audrey shrieked, then squealed with laughter. "Tell me more."

"Today Katherine took me to a fancy hotel to have makeup sex. I broke up with her. She's plenty pissed. She's leaving in the morning and—"

"Wait, wait, wait. You broke up with her?"

"Yes. But since she's kicking me out of the house, she's technically the one breaking up with me. Which is fine. I don't care."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm relieved, actually."

"And she's leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes. She got two tickets changed. She and Jenna are both leaving."

Another laugh. "And you and Drew are staying?"

"I suppose. Right now, Drew and Jenna are on a romantic dinner cruise of the islands."

"Oh, my God! My head is spinning."

"Yes, well, so is mine. Katherine is as pissed as I've ever seen her."

"Because you slept with Drew? But if she was having her own affair—"

"No. She doesn't know about Drew."

"How can she not know? Why did she think you wanted to end things with her?"

Jay rubbed her forehead. This was too much for a phone call. She should have known Audrey would have a hundred questions. "Look, she's just pissed because I found out about her and Jenna, that's the main thing. And she's, you know, pissed. And so she got kinda ugly with me, and well, I don't want to go into it. I'll explain it all when I get back. But I need you to get my stuff. If I can help it, I'd rather not have to go over there when we get back."

"So you want me to break in?"

"If you know the alarm code, is that really breaking in?"

"Okay, I guess not."

"Great. Park in the back by the garage and use the patio door. Put whatever you can into my van. I've got to have my computer. Basically, everything that's in my office. And if you forget my Cowboys mini helmet I'll never speak to you again."

"Yeah, yeah. So, get your stuff in your office. What clothes do you want?"

"Just whatever you can get. Shorts, jeans. Whatever. Forget the stuff in the closet. Most of that is what Katherine bought me whenever I needed to dress up for one of her functions." Jay thought for a moment, trying to picture anything else she couldn't live without. "I'm assuming you can get someone to go with you to drive my van, right?"

"I'll find someone. You'll want to bunk with me for awhile, I suppose?"

"If you don't mind."

"Of course not. It'll be fun."

"Just for a week or so. Until I find something." She smiled. "I love you, you know."

"Yeah. Me too. I just hope this doesn't cut into my social life."

"Sex with strangers is not considered a social life, Audrey." She laughed. "But there is a word for that."

"If you don't want me to put your precious little mini helmet on eBay, I'd be careful what you call me, Jessica."

Jay laughed delightfully, having missed the teasing banter between them. "I'm so sorry. You're the best, Audrey."

"Much better. Now, I'm going back to bed to plan my heist in the morning. And Jay, if I get arrested for breaking and entering ... I will kill you. And I will kill you slowly."

Jay leaned back in her lounge chair, a smile still on her face.

Audrey always made her feel better, always made her laugh. And was always there when she needed her. So maybe it wouldn't be so bad. At least she'd have her stuff. And now Katherine would be gone and she and Drew would have two days to... to what?

To talk? To make plans? To decide the direction of their relationship?

"To make love," she murmured quietly, letting her eyes close, remembering—for the first time that day—Drew's hands upon her skin, Drew's mouth upon her breast. Her body had come alive, responding to Drew's touch like never before. Drew made her feel beautiful, sexy. She lost all her inhibitions when she was with Drew. She became the physical, passionate lover she always wanted to be, always knew she was.

Not with Katherine, no. With Katherine it was always so civilized, so restrained. There was never any urgency, there was never any ripping off of their clothes. There wasn't any passion.

But with Drew, there was that crazy, crazy need to touch and be touched that drove her to heights she'd never reached before.

Because Drew made her feel alive.


CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Drew rode with the window open, her arm hanging out, her fingers impatiently tapping the side of the car. It had been a very long day and she was more than ready for it to come to an end. The island dinner cruise, while nice, would have been much more enjoyable had Jay been her company instead of Jenna.

"Your tapping is not going to get us there any quicker."

"Sorry."

"And I don't know why you're in such a rush. I told you they were staying at a hotel tonight."

Drew shook her head. "And I told you that wasn't going to happen."

"I hope for your sake you're right, but don't hold your breath. Katherine is very persuasive."

Perhaps. But Drew had been over the whole thing a dozen times in her mind. And she knew in her heart that Jay would not stay with Katherine tonight. And what had finally convinced her wasn't necessarily Jay's words to her, but the look in her eyes. That morning, out on the beach, when Jay had looked at her, it was all there. Anyone could utter words, but that didn't mean they really meant them. But Jay... she had turned those blue eyes on her and Drew had seen everything she wanted— needed—to see. Her eyes were honest. Her eyes were true. And her eyes were filled with love. Love for her.

And if she hadn't forgotten her phone, hadn't left it hidden in a drawer, she could have called. But then Jay's phone was probably also still hidden, a pact they'd made on their first day there, a pact to leave their cell phones behind so they wouldn't be bothered.

"And what exactly are you going to do if Jay's not there? Are you going to crash their hotel room?"

"She'll be there."

"Well, I'll say this, you don't lack for confidence."

Drew turned, smiling. "We were... we were together last night," she said.

"Together?" She raised an eyebrow. "You mean together? Sex?"

Drew nodded.

"You devil." Then she laughed. "How ironic. Katherine is sneaking off with me thinking Jay doesn't have a clue and Jay is having her own affair. Isn't that hilarious?"

"Yeah, just hilarious."

"Katherine is going to be so pissed."

Drew shrugged. "She has no right to be pissed."

"Oh, I agree. But that's hardly going to matter." Jenna laughed again. "This could really be fun."

Drew pointed up ahead. "Slow down. You're going to miss the turn."

"Sorry."

The light had all but faded from the sky but the long driveway to the cottages was well-lit. Jenna parked near the office and Drew bounded out of the car, impatiently waiting as Jenna gathered her things.

They went through the courtyard behind the office, the pool and garden area still humming with activity. They both stopped up short as Katherine walked quickly toward them.

"About time," she snapped. "Do you not have your cell?" she asked Jenna.

"Oh, sorry. I turned it off during the tour. I forgot to turn it back on."

"Well, whatever. We're leaving."

Drew's eyebrows shot up. "Leaving?"

"Not you. Jenna and I. You, unfortunately, are stuck here with Jay." She squared her shoulders. "I'm leaving her."

Jenna glanced quickly at Drew, then back to Katherine. "What's going on?"

"I have finally gotten her out of my life, that's what is going on. We've got a flight out in the morning."

"Where is Jay?" Drew asked.

"Perhaps she went into the ocean and drowned... I don't care. I'm just glad to be rid of her. She did nothing but bring me down. She's the most negative—miserable—person I've ever met."

"Jay?" Drew shook her head. "You obviously don't know her very well."

Katherine laughed. "Oh, I know her plenty. She may have put on a good show for you this past week, but I know her. She's a gold-digger, a leech. She brought nothing to this relationship. Nothing. She was an embarrassment to me." She turned to Jenna. "Come on, sweetheart. I have a wonderful hotel picked out for us. We don't have to pretend any longer. Your things are already packed and in Manko's car."