Susan Mallory - Sizzling

"Probably for the best. You wouldn't like prison."

"At least I wouldn't have to deal with my very tragic love life."

"It is a unique story," he said.

She smiled. "I agree. I doubt you can top it."

"I can't. So now what?"

"Now I find a new job and look for my father. Which is mostly your fault. You keep talking about the importance of family and now I have to go for it. I just don't know how to start."

"Have you tried a private detective?"

She shook her head. "I never thought of it before. Maybe one could help. I don't have very much to go on." In truth she had nothing, but miracles happened.

"I can give you a couple of names. Both really good at what they do."

She pulled her hand free. "Excuse me? How does a guy who teaches theology and math know about private detectives?"

"I'm a man of many talents."

"Apparently. Okay, sure. Names would be great."

He pulled a pen out of his jacket pocket and then passed over a napkin. "Why don't you give me your number and I'll call you with the information."

Fifteen minutes ago she wouldn't have hesitated to give him the information. Gay Gary was safe. But if he wasn't, and why would he lie about that, things were different. What if he called her for other reasons? Like to ask her out?

Dani wasn't sure how she felt about that. Getting involved should be illegal in her case. Yet this was Gary. She liked him and nothing about him even hinted that he could ever be a threat. Of course the neighbors of serial killers always went on about how nice they were.

Still she wrote down her cell number and passed it back to him. Sometimes you just had to take a chance on people.

* * *

LORI ARRIVED FOR WORK a few minutes early. She locked her car, then stared up at the imposing house. For the first time since being hired to help Gloria, she didn't want to go inside.

She could come up with a thousand reasons why, but they all covered up a single truth. She was scared. Truly, down to her bones, terrified.

Yesterday and last night had been incredible. Being with Reid had made her feel in the best way possible. They'd made love one more time before she'd finally gone home. It had been well after midnight and Madeline had waited up.

The teasing had been worth it, Lori thought as she walked toward the front door and let herself in with her key. She'd endured the teasing happily because she was still glowing from all that Reid had done to her body.

And it wasn't even all about the sex. It had been great- but not really the best part. The best part had been being with him. Spending time with the man and finding out she liked him even more than she'd thought possible.

Which made the morning after even more awkward. What had their time together meant to him? What was he thinking? Was he sorry? Did he want to pretend it had never happened? What were his expectations? She supposed she should be asking the same of herself and assuming she got a say in how things went, but that was a level of maturity she wasn't going to reach in this lifetime. She would have to settle for being terrified he had regrets.

Because she didn't. She wanted more of last night. She wanted to talk and laugh and touch. She wanted to be with him in every way possible.

She was realistic enough to accept that a good part of his interest in her was due to the fact that he was basically trapped in the house. There weren't the regular hordes of admirers all around. When that changed, so would his opinion of her. But until then…

She knew that as a strong, self-sufficient woman she should demand answers. Instead she decided that not acting scared out of her mind would be enough of a win for today.

She hung up her coat in the hall closet and set her purse on the shelf, then walked into the kitchen.

Reid was already there. He stood with his back to her, which meant she could look all she wanted, so she did.

Her gaze dropped to his butt, which deserved its own billboard campaign. A hot, needy quivering began low in her belly. She must have made a sound because he turned.

For a second he just looked at her. She couldn't seem to bring herself to move. Fear tightened her chest until her heart hurt. Then he smiled.

It was a slow, sweet, sexy smile. The kind designed to reduce a sensible woman to a puddle. It about did her in. Then he walked over, put his arm around her waist, pulled her to him and kissed her so thoroughly she practically floated.

"Morning," he murmured.

"Hi." Was that low, sexy voice hers?

"Did you sleep well?"

"Not really." She'd been too busy thinking about what they'd done to want to sleep.

"Me, either. You get inside my head. I can't decide if that's good or bad."

She couldn't, either.

He stared into her eyes. "I went out and got you scones. I know you like them. I didn't know what kind, so I got one of each."

Scones? He'd noticed she had a thing for scones?

"You didn't have to do that," she murmured.

"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to."

And just like that, the walls that had protected her so well, for so long, tumbled into dust.

* * *

REID MET PENNY in her office at The Waterfront. He and Penny had been friends through her first marriage to his brother, during the divorce and the years she and Cal had been apart. They were still friends now that she and Cal had remarried.

"You didn't bring Allison into work today?" he asked as he took a seat. "I like holding her."

"Because like every other female on the planet, she adores you." Penny tossed down her pen. "I don't get it. She's only a few months old and the second you hold her, she gets spacey. It must be chemical."

He grinned. "I've got it. Not my fault, but there it is."

"Oh, please. Did you want to talk about yourself or did you want to visit with me?"

He loved riling Penny. "I get a choice?"

"I'm ignoring you," she said. "Did you know Walker and Elissa are ready to start looking for a wedding venue? I was hoping they'd have it here, but Walker wants a non-Buchanan location. Which makes no sense to me. If it's not here, I won't be cooking."

"Maybe he doesn't want you to cater his wedding."

The wrong thing to say, he realized as Penny glared at him.

"Why not? Are you saying my food isn't fabulous enough? Is there even one chef in the entire state who is better than me?"

Reid held up both hands. "Truce," he said. "Deep breath. This isn't about your cooking. Did it occur to you that your brother-in-law might want to have the wedding somewhere else so that you could come and enjoy yourself as a member of the family rather than have to sweat cooking for a couple of hundred people?"

"No," she admitted. "But my food would be way better."

"It would. Think of how much Walker loves you. He's willing to make the sacrifice and give up your talent."

"You're playing me," she grumbled.

"Maybe, but I'm doing a hell of a job at it."

"You don't stink," she said and leaned back in her chair. "Okay. Maybe I'll allow them to go somewhere else. But I'm going to insist on catering the rehearsal dinner. What do you think about something with crab? And maybe- "

He groaned and dropped his chin to his chest.

"What?" she demanded.

"Not menus. Please. Anything but that. We can even talk about shopping. Just not menus or food choices or anything food-related."

"All right. Another topic. My choice." She studied him. "Are you dating Lori yet?"

Trust Penny to find a new way to torture him. She was good and he could respect that.

"We're not dating," he said calmly. They'd had a hell of a good time in bed the other night, but that wasn't dating.

"Why don't you ask her out? You like her. And don't bother denying it. I can tell when I see you together."

"I'm not going to deny it. I do like Lori. She's great."

She was a whole lot more than that. Pretty and sexy and smart. She didn't let him get away with crap, which he respected.

Penny's eyebrows rose. "Oh, my. So it's possible I phrased the question incorrectly. Let me try again. Are you and Lori involved?"

He couldn't seem to stop the grin he felt pulling at the corners of his mouth. He had a feeling Penny could see just about everything she wanted from the look on his face.

"We're involved," he admitted.

She shook her head. "I don't know what to say. You like a woman you're involved with. It's not convenience or something to do to fill the time. This means something to you. Have you figured out that makes you practically normal?"

"I'll never be normal, but don't sweat it. Lori can handle me. No problem."

"SHE WAS JUST SO imperious," Lori complained. "Ask for Ramon. Tell him I sent you. Who does she think she is? European royalty? She's some old woman with a broken hip. I don't take orders from her."

Madeline smiled serenely from the other side of the leather couch in the quietly elegant, upscale salon.

"Poor Gloria," she said. "All this angst because she gave you the name of her hair person, as a favor, in case you forgot. As for taking orders from her, you kind of do. It's part of the job description."

Lori cupped her impossibly large latte and scowled. "If you're going to be logical, we're not having this conversation. I just can't believe I'm here. What was I thinking? Nothing can be done with my hair. It's impossible. Reid won't even notice, and if he does he'll think it's hideous."

Madeline sipped her own coffee. "Reid?" she asked innocently. "Why would he matter?"

Lori stared at her sister. "I'll kill you, I swear. Don't test me."