“Well, if you find someone to work for you—”

“I won’t.”

The usual sigh escaped Ryn. Someday Maddie would understand that no amount of money justified selling both of their souls to the Devil. And Preston Iverson was the devil.

“Madison … I love you.” Ryn ended the call before her stubborn daughter had a chance to respond. Of course she loved her only child, but she had too much respect for herself to tolerate any more snide comments. It was like strikes—after three, Ryn ended the conversation.

“That went well.”

Gunner did another head tilt. He had her back, licked her tears, and never once complained. Maybe she needed to take Maddie to obedience school too.

Chapter Three

Jillian meandered home after leaving Dodge and Lilith’s. She wasn’t ready to go inside and deal with Jackson, the second text, and the ramifications of AJ’s diagnosis. Choosing the temporary sanctuary of the front porch stoop, she plopped down and watched her neighbors grilling out and tending to their yards and plants. The breeze ebbed and flowed, carrying the smoky aroma of Stan’s charcoal grill and the droning screech of cicadas.

A small part of her waited for AJ to come home, which was ridiculous because she had no idea what to say to him. Maybe if she could see him, fall into his arms, the right words would come to her. If only he could feel the conflict that warred inside of her, he’d realize that her past didn’t matter. Maybe. If only. But doubtful.

“Hey, kiddo. Did you look over the notes and the profit and loss statement?” Stan asked, hobbling his way up her driveway, shoulders slumped, sweat dripping from his brow, and muddy gardening knee pads still strapped to his legs. The guy never stopped working.

“I did.” Briefly.

“Anything we could improve on?”

“You spend too much money on snow removal. Granted, I’m not from around here, but I have a feeling your plow guys show up the second there’s a light dusting in the middle of the night. Then there’s the insane amount of money going toward insurance. When lightning struck the Dickson’s house and caused damage to the roof, that was a legitimate claim for the association’s policy. But the most recent claim from the kitchen fire started by the Anderson’s college-aged daughter, who doesn’t even live there? That should have been a claim for their personal homeowner’s insurance.”

“Well, we try not to discriminate.”

“I think the association needs to worry less about discrimination and more about taking it up the backside. It’s okay to be neighborly at picnics, but when you’re responsible for people’s money, you have to treat it like a business and have guidelines and boundaries in writing.”

Stan nodded. “I’ll talk to Dodge about it.” He seemed a bit disappointed in her opinion.

“Sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear, but you asked my honest opinion.”

“No, no … that’s fine. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that. It’s not like this is your area of expertise.”

Yes, it was. But he would never know that.

After Stan left, she lay back on the warm concrete stoop, letting the setting sun hit her face. Everything she shared with Lilith replayed like a highlight reel to her favorite movie. Since AJ went AWOL, Luke filled the empty void—which was ironic because up until that point, her entire existence as Jillian Knight felt like one big Luke-shaped void.

*

Day

Jessica awoke alone and naked from what had to be a dream. Restraints. Tears. Love. Sex—the best sex ever. Covering her face with a pillow, she grumbled into it, “Please tell me it wasn’t a dream.”

“It wasn’t a dream.”

“Jones!” She bolted up, tossing the pillow to the floor.

“Good morning.” The god of all gods stood in the doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist, wet hair, sexy smile.

“Hi,” she breathed. “You stayed.”

“I stayed … on the couch.”

Her eyes wandered along his body with her breath held captive. The mark on his shoulder wasn’t new. It was from Long Beach. “Turn around.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t make me bleed.”

On a slow exhale, she extinguished her nerves. She’d had sex with him, more than once. He’d released her from the restraints, and she didn’t. Make. Him. Bleed.

“You’re not cured.”

She nodded. “But it’s a step.”

The sexy lips she craved curled into a hint of a smile. “A small step.”

“I’m better for you.”

“You’re better with me.”

She squinted at him with her brow tensed. “I’m like a dog that’s well behaved with its owner.”

His teeth peeked through his growing smile as a soft chuckle vibrated from his chest. “I’m not sure you’ll ever be ‘well behaved.’”

Everything about him captivated her. The vulnerability she felt under his control nearly broke her. It wouldn’t matter how many blankets covered her body or layers of clothing concealed her nudity, she would forever feel stripped naked in his presence.

“I have to get home and change for work.”

The lilac sheet slipped from her breasts. “Could I convince you to stay?”

He looked at her bared chest. No hesitation. No guilt. She was so completely his. He knew it and she knew it.

“Yes, but my patients would be grateful if you didn’t.”

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Make me surrender without taking my sense of control.”

He dropped his towel and stepped into his jeans. “Surrendering is the ultimate control.”

“Now you’re just messing with me, Jones.”

He buttoned his shirt. “Take a shower. Go to work. Be productive today and I’ll reward you later.”

“So I am your dog. Will we play fetch? I’m pretty good with a Frisbee.”

Luke tied his shoes. It thrilled her to see him struggle a little more every day to keep his smile hidden. “I’ll pick you up around seven.”

“Seven-thirty. I’m teaching class until seven.”

“Class?”

“Self-defense.”

He nodded, giving her a thoughtful look. “The battered women’s shelter?”

“Yep.”

“Seven-thirty then.”

“Hey!” she called as he began his escape. “That’s it?” She slid out of bed, baring her entire naked body to him. “No kiss goodbye?”

He looked back over his shoulder, puckered his lips, kissed the air then continued to the front door.

“Jones!” She jogged to catch up, stopping him before he opened the front door.

“Do you still love me?”

He sighed as if the sight of her naked body pained him. “I adore you.”

“You adore me? What? You no longer love me?”

Inspecting the choices on the coat tree, he grabbed a long gray sweater from it then wrapped it around her. She returned a single raised brow.

“People love chocolate, surfing, and their gold fish. Adoration is better … it means to both love and admire.”

The tough-as-nails woman melted into a teenaged girl for a bit. “You admire me?” Her voice softened in disbelief.

“I do.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips and pulled away as she began to lean in.

She shoved the sweater off her shoulders. “But you don’t admire my body?”

He made a swift move out the door. “I do … way too much,” he called as he fled down the stairs.

Her smile beamed with uncontrollable delight from his adoration confession. “He thinks I’m adorable.” That smile faded to a frown as she ran to her window and slid it open. “Dammit, Jones!”

He looked up a second before closing the door to his GTO.

“It was another dog reference. Puppies are adorable.” She scowled.

Luke shook his head, a big grin plastered to his handsome face as he shut the door.

“God, he’s adorable.” Jessica giggled as she made her way to the shower.

*

Jessica cursed the traffic and the tourist-filled cable cars that slowed her journey home. By the time she pulled into her single-car garage stall, the GTO that she adored sat parked in front of her place.