Her aggravated sigh only made him smile wider. “You boys, it’s a miracle I still have any hair left.”

“So did you throw up after?” Clayton asked.

“Tell you what, Clay. We’ll talk about it—all about it—once we’re home. Grandma doesn’t wanna hear about puke and stuff. We don’t want to make her unhappy.”

“Oh. Okay.” Clayton was quiet for a second and then veered onto the next topic. “When are you going to be done? I miss you.”

“Soon, buddy.” At the knock, he rolled off his bed and moved to the door. A quick look through the security hole had him frowning. No. He didn’t think he wanted to open the door. Turning away, he moved out of the bedroom to the narrow little strip that served as a balcony. There was another knock just as he shut the door.

He had no idea what Ressa wanted, but he’d already decided it was better to just let it go.

“I want a Darth Vadar backpack for school.”

At that, Trey pulled his attention back to what mattered—focusing on the excited boy on the other end of the line.

He’d surprised himself, though.

He’d taken the ring off.

He’d asked her out.

Start living again.

Yeah, he’d do that. Later. He could still feel something inside, he’d proven that. But he’d try again . . . later. With somebody who didn’t have the power to rip a hole in him with just a look.

He wouldn’t lock himself back up again.

He’d made himself that promise when he came back inside his room and saw the ring on the floor. It wasn’t meant to be a shield and it shouldn’t have been worn as a reminder of . . . whatever had happened that night.

It had been a sign of a promise, one that both he and Aliesha had honored, until death had come between them.

Now he just had to accept it—and let go of those things he couldn’t remember.

*   *   *

Feeling a little sick, Ressa stared at the coffee she held—a peace offering—and then back up at the door.

He was in there. She knew it for a fact, because she’d heard him, the low rumble of his voice. She had no idea who he was talking to and she hadn’t heard anybody else, but he was in there—ignoring her.

Sighing, she lifted her hand to knock a third time, but in the end, she turned away. Eying the narrow table behind her, she shrugged and figured it wasn’t going to hurt.

She left the coffee sitting there, with a note scrawled across the side in scrawling black.

T.

I’m sorry.

R.

*   *   *

“It’s the hottest one yet, I’m telling you.” Ellie Barrister leaned across a table roughly the size of a dinner plate and tapped the postcard she’d slapped on the table earlier. They’d made it through the first days of the book fair—tomorrow was the final day. Tonight was for chatter, a few drinks . . . and brooding.

“I hear you. L. Forrester, whoever she is, puts some of the best I’ve ever read to shame. I just wish she’d do interviews.” Tori Caldwell clicked her beer to Lynnette’s cosmo. “Signings, a book tour . . . something. She’s practically a hermit.”

Ressa snorted and shook her head. Sitting at a table surrounded by her friends, they were talking books and men and life in general. “Sounds a lot like somebody else I know.” Although, to be fair, there was information out there on Trey. She just hadn’t looked.

At the curious gazes directed her way, she shrugged. “Actually, there are a few authors I can think of who fit that bill. Some of them are weird. You ought to know that by now.”

“True. And if weird translates to amazing . . . then fine. Be weird. But she could at least talk to me. I mean, listen to this . . .” Lynette flipped through the book and stopped close to halfway through.

Ressa winced. “If you spoil that book for me, I’ll smack you over the head with it.”

“I’ve already finished mine.” Ellie grinned at them. “If you’re nice, Ressa, I might let you borrow it, as long as you return it. I need to read it another three, four . . . ten times to decide if it’s my favorite or not.”

“Nothing is going to top You, I Desire,” Ressa said, absolutely certain.

“Guys? Hush.” Lynnette reached for her cosmo, took a sip and then started to read.

“She shouldn’t be here.” Lynnette looked up, winked. “This is our heroine, by the way. Nina. She’s seducing a billionaire.”

“She’s telling us to hush,” Tori muttered, shaking her head.

“Another billionaire?” Ressa rolled her eyes. “You know I hate billionaire books.”

“Me, too.” Tori slumped in her chair, her gaze roaming the room. “I want another drink. Should I go to the bar or hope we can flag our server?”

“The bar. It’s packed,” Lynnette said. “Ya know, I’m not big on billionaire books, but sometimes they work for me. I was kind of surprised Forrester did one. But this one was fun, and Ressa, you especially are going to love it. The guy is a geek. And borderline awkward. He made eggs explode when he tried to hard-boil them because he got distracted reading Patricia Briggs. He goes to SF/F cons and the first time he saw her, he had this crazy thought that he might believe in love at first sight.”

Ressa started to laugh. “Shows that a woman is writing it. Men don’t believe in love at first sight. Sex, yeah . . . but love?” She shrugged. “I don’t know if I believe in love at first sight.”

“I do.” A wide, satisfied smile settled over Ellie’s face. She had just celebrated her tenth anniversary—and she married a guy she’d known under a month.

“I think I could believe in it . . . if I met the right guy. Now let me read.” Lynnette cleared her throat, and then she started to read, getting into it, too by the way her voice changed oh, so slightly.

“She shouldn’t be here. She liked this guy—she wasn’t supposed to like him. It was a job—he was a job. She was supposed to get to know more about him, understand what kind of guy he was now and how he’d gone from Geek Central to Mr. GQ and then . . . then . . .

“‘Nina? Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you—’”

Fuck the job. With need and want a vicious tangle inside her, she launched herself at him. His mouth opened under hers and it was a vivid, almost vicious delight when his tongue rubbed against hers. His arms came around her and her head started to spin—

“Oh. Oh, wow. Who in the hell is that?” Tori whispered, interrupting Lynnette. She jabbed Ressa in the side, staring at somebody in the doorway. “Damn. Isn’t he pretty?”

Ressa looked over her shoulder and damn near choked. “Sweetheart, you don’t want that.”

“Yes, oh, yes I do.” She hummed a little under her breath as she leaned forward.

“You all are killing me.” Lynnette put the book down with a snap. Ressa took advantage of that and snagged it, flipping through and looking for the spot where Lynnette had been reading.

“Hey!”

Grinning, Ressa continued to turn the page even as she glanced up at Tori. “Girl, that man is a prick—with a capital P. He loves the sound of his own voice. Shit, he probably loves his voice so much, he jacks off to the sound of it.”

Lynnette and Ellie laughed while Tori shot her a dark look. “You could let me have my fantasies, you know.”

“Okay. Fantasize away.”

“Ah . . . he’s coming over here, ladies.” Lynnette lifted her cosmo. “I don’t know about any of you, but I have absolutely no time for—”

“Ressa. How lovely to run into you again.”

She didn’t bother smiling as she looked up at Baron. “Baron.” Then she looked back at the group. “So, has anybody speculated much about—”

“Ladies, I was wondering, if maybe—”

Teeth grinding together, Ressa turned her head. Jack-ass.

With a sweet smile, she met his gaze. “Yes, Mr. Capstone? Did you need something?”