A Night of Misbehaving (5 page)

“Wait, we’re not done.”

Yanking herself from his hold, she cleared her throat and said, “That’s exactly what we are. Done.” She stormed out of his house, slammed the door behind her, and crossed the street with powerful strides, lifting her hand to wipe the tears rimming her eyes. She did not look back.

“What do you mean, you’re too busy to go out for lunch?” Alice asked, pacing around Georgia’s office. “C’mon, girl. My boss is out of town, and that’s my ticket for long lunches.”

Georgia opened her mouth to repeat the same excuse she’d given her best friend via text message, before Alice dropped by to check on her anyway.

It’d been three agonizing days since her heartbreaking shenanigan with Brent. She’d used every cuss word in her vocabulary to exhaustion. Her pulse raced every time she remembered how he’d deceived her. And, hell, she had been mulling over Brent too often.

Erasing his emails without reading them and deleting the unheard voicemails was the right thing to do. Even the bouquet of wildflowers he’d sent, she’d tossed into the trash bin. Although…she often glanced at the still thriving flowers.

I want to be with you. I want to get to know you.

She clicked the pen in her hand. The relief that should fill her never came. Wasn’t it better to end it before things got complicated? A sourness spread across her stomach.
How much longer will I be able to lie to myself?
Well, one thing was for sure: lying to Alice about that night was just as bad as omitting, which had been her coward’s way out.

Alice threw the gum wrapper in the trash bin and winced, hands on her waist. “Are you going to tell me the story behind these flowers?”

“They’re from Sexy Dad.” Georgia wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand and pushed the words out before she changed her mind. “Alice, last Saturday I went on a date with him.”

Alice parted her mouth, a slight frown forming on her forehead. “Come again?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was him. He was my internet date, and I should have left, but I stayed and…” She swallowed hard. “Made a huge mistake. I just hope you can forgive me?” She stood up, her fingers fidgeting with her pearl necklace.

“I’ll never forgive you.” Alice’s eyes narrowed, and Georgia touched her stomach as if to will the nauseating throb away. “Not for leaving me out of this juicy gossip.” Alice’s infectious laugh filled the room, and amusement shimmered in her big, brown eyes.

“I thought you’d be mad at me. I know he was rude to you in the past, and—”

“He talked to me yesterday actually and apologized. Didn’t mention you, but now everything makes sense.”

Georgia folded her arms. “He apologized?”

“Yeah, and he said he’d have to drop out of the barbeque party, which is weird. I guess he’s busy.”

“You haven’t mentioned him for weeks, so I thought you either hated him or still were into him.”

“Nah.” Alice made a gesture to brush it off. “I’ve moved on. As far as I’m concerned, you can have Sexy Dad all to yourself.”

Georgia took a deep breath. “Thanks, but that’s not going to happen.”

Alice placed her hands on her waist and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

She was. Even though the memories from their night together lurked. The scent of his skin was imprinted in her mind. The way he had treated her for those couple of hours often threatened to override whatever resentment remained. “He lied to me when we met…pretended to be someone else.”

Alice shook her head. “How could he pretend to be someone else when you already knew who he was?”

“Well…it’s complicated.”

With her inquiring Bambi eyes, Alice looked squarely at her friend. “Georgia, you’re a great mom. I know you’ve had it hard with guys, but you can’t use that or Ella to shield you from giving yourself a chance. So what if Sex—Brent isn’t perfect? No one is perfect.”

Georgia dug her nails into her skin. “He was going to use me to get a contract with A.W.”

Alice chuckled. “Girl, are you for real? That would never happen. I had to sweet talk you for days until you let me borrow that pair of gold earrings.”

“Which you still haven’t returned,” Georgia said in a teasing tone.

Alice grinned.

Georgia massaged her temples. “Alice, what if it doesn’t work out?”

It was Alice’s turn to cross her arms with an exasperated sigh. “What if it does? How will you ever know?”

Maybe I already do. Isn’t that why I’ve sent him away? Because believing him and trusting him scared the hell out of me?

…

Brent rolled the coin between his knuckles, then rubbed it on his palm. Three days.

He had tried every idea that occurred to him and hoped she wouldn’t slap him with a restraining order soon. Shit.

He leaned back in his leather chair and his shoulders sagged against the soft fabric. What else could he do? His heart galloped like he had just finished a 10K. The sweat on his palms slicked the coin.
I lost her.

Swiveling the chair, he peered at the frames full of high school football medals, pictures of Grace’s milestones, and a childhood snapshot of Dad. The memories displayed in his sophisticated and spacious office reminded him that all he’d achieved had been through hard work.

Hard work had shaped him into a successful businessman. He tossed the coin, just for the heck of it. Heads. He held the coin at eye level and bit back a smile. She had danced with him because of heads.

He outlined the rough edges. What if it had been tails? Would he still be in this predicament? Losing sleep over a woman who wanted nothing to do with him? Because he’d acted like an idiot. A fool.

Something told him they would have ended up together no matter what…something he couldn’t explain or describe…and it scared the hell out of him. He jerked forward on the chair and slipped the coin into his pocket. He surged to his feet and grabbed his car keys from the bowl. Of course. Some things…were just meant to happen. And he’d be damned if he lost her.

…

“Georgia, you have a visitor,” Tessa said.

Georgia raised her head from the computer screen to find her assistant holding a velvet jewelry box in her hands and a smile on her face.

“He asked me to give you this.” Tessa gave her the box. “He said he won’t leave until you see him.”

Georgia accepted the box. She sucked in her breath, and the oxygen in the room seemed to disappear. With trembling fingers, she outlined the box and untied the silky white bow around it.

She opened it.

“Is it a pair of earrings?” Tessa brought her hands together in a soundless clap. “A ring?”

“Better.” Georgia’s heart flipped. She contemplated the bronze coin. Her assistant leaned forward and stared at its contents with a frown.

“Let him in.”

As Tessa left, Georgia smoothed her hand over her brown blouse and black pencil skirt.

The door creaked, and her gaze landed on Brent walking in. Unsteady heartbeats followed, and her stomach knotted. They stared at each other for a moment and time stilled. Their connection, their thing, whatever it was called, didn’t respect their time apart.

She placed the box on her desk and cleared her throat. “Brent. Nice touch with the coin, but I can’t accept it.”

His emerald eyes were gentle and contemplative. ”Why not?”

She abandoned the protection of her desk and managed to sound casual as she walked around it and crossed her arms. “Because it was your father’s, and I know it means a lot to you.”

He glanced around her office with a slow nod, then turned his attention to her. “I’ve always carried it with me, because of Dad. Never quite understanding his words. Till you came along.”

A ripple of excitement skated up her spine. She took a step back, leaning against the desk just in case her knees betrayed her.

“I get it now.” His gaze undressed her. “Even though I wasn’t honest with you when I showed up in Carl’s place…I believe this whole thing was supposed to happen.” He made a circular gesture with his hands. “Which brings me here. I met you in a social atmosphere with a professional goal in mind. And now I came to your place of work with nothing but personal intentions.”

“How can I believe you?” What if, for some reason, he still wanted to butter her up just to get the pitch? What if he thought she was that stupid?

He opened the door behind him wide and proceeded to open the blinds of her office, which led to Tessa’s and the other assistants’ desks. “Because I’m about to kiss you in front of whoever wants to see. That’ll ruin my chances of getting approval from this company because your opinion will be biased.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Want to bet?” Each step he took toward her provoked a pounding in her chest. The smaller the step, the harder the thump. “I’ll show you that you are the only woman I’ve ever met who took my mind off work.” The smile faded from his face and he raised his brow. “I lost my marriage to work. But not you, Georgia Taylor. I won’t lose you to work as well. Because the way my heart races when I’m with you, the longing to hear your voice…these sensations aren’t going anywhere.”

He was so close she could smell that he’d recently taken a shower. So close, she could stretch her fingers and touch his light green shirt.

She swallowed hard, her brain trying to process his logic but failing miserably. “W—what are you saying?” She massaged her temples, closing her eyes to think straight without looking at the gorgeous man in front of her. The man who demanded an answer. A reaction. Anything.

“If you think for one moment I’ll give up, you are wrong. I can’t lose you,” he whispered.

He’s not…giving up?
His stare pinned her in place. She gripped the edge of the desk with her fingers, praying for clarity. All of her throbbed with anticipation. With the naked truth quickly unfolding inside her mind.

There was only so much she could deny herself. She could avoid. And Brent Turner wasn’t one of them. But she needed to tell him.

“When Shawn found out I was pregnant and left me, I was hurt, but deep down I was relieved, because I’d have full control over my daughter’s well-being.” She twined her fingers together, trying to extract courage. She couldn’t stop. Not when freedom surpassed the fear of letting someone in. Of letting him in. “And when I was with you, I felt light and free, like I hadn’t in a long time. But a part of me was also scared.”

“You don’t have to be,” he whispered.

I know that now.
“When I heard that phone message and found out you lied, I wanted you out of my life. I knew it would hurt, but I never thought getting over you would be so damn hard.” A tear made its way out of the corner of her eye and rolled down her heated cheek.

Smiling, he wiped it off her skin. “I’m falling for you, Georgia Taylor. And until you found out about Carl, I sensed you felt the same way.”

She gasped, and he took that moment to kiss her, sliding his tongue inside her mouth and proving with his body what she could no longer deny. Cupping her head, he deepened the kiss, their bodies molding to each other as if they had never parted. Like they’d found home.

She arched toward him and linked her arms around his neck. “Well, you are perceptive, I’ll give you that.” She deposited small kisses on his cheek.

“I’ll show you…I’m not that bad,” he whispered in her ear. A tingle of happiness spread through her. Sexy Dad was a wild card she was willing to pull again. And again. And again…

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Acknowledgments

One day, when I was watching my daughter at her gymnastics class, inspiration struck me from out of the blue—and Sexy Dad and Super Mom came to life. I wanted to write a short It-Could-Happen-to-You story, where readers could really relate to the characters. But beyond that, I knew I couldn’t finish the project alone.

I’m so lucky that Entangled Publishing offered me a contract—and that would not have been possible without my editor Karen Grove’s wonderful insights. She helped me strengthen the story and was so resourceful and downright fabulous.

Big thank you to my other fantastic editor on this project, Nicole Steinhaus. I’m grateful for Kerri-Leigh Grady, Liz Pelletier, and, of course, the great Alethea Spiridon Hopson for jumping aboard. Also, the publicists, cover artist, and anyone who worked on this book: I salute you. You all rock!

Writing a short story was, and is, a challenge for me. These amazing individuals really made the difference and I won’t forget their generosity: Cara Carnes and Aurelia B. Rowl, who helped me on the early version; and my critique partners and support system, Michele de Winton and Hayson Manning, were critical for the improvement of this work. Yes, as you can see, it does take a village!

I can’t forget to thank my friends for their outpouring of support when it comes to writing, especially Marci Protsman, Yvette Savage, Kristina Redmon, and Dina Hillier. All the peeps from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter—you make procrastination so much fun!

To my readers: Thanks for embarking on this journey with us. Hope to see you next time!