LITMIR.BIZ

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first, leaving with Chaz and indulging in that wickedly erotic encounter at the bank; and second, running out on him right before they went into his house to have the kind of wild sex she knew would have lived in her memories forever.

      Her brain was more regretful about the first, her body the second.

      “You are so stupid,” she reminded herself as she rolled out of bed and eyed her wild, red-tinted hair in the mirror over her dresser. “Not to mention a damn coward.”

      She’d been all set to risk it, to take a chance and hope Chaz wouldn’t recognize her after they had the kind of sex that was probably illegal in some states.

      Then his spoiled kid sister had shown up—to complain about Lulu’s sweetheart of a kid brother. It had taken a lot of willpower to stay quiet when Sarah had made the comment about Lawrence living with a girlfriend, which was news to Lulu. She’d gasped so loud she’d had to turn the sound into a cough to cover the reaction.

      Plus, not only had Sarah brought reality crashing down on Lulu like a ton of cement, but she’d also upped the risk factor. If Lulu hadn’t gotten out of there, it was very possible Chaz would have invited her over to meet his sister. And while Chaz hadn’t seen or heard her in years, Sarah definitely had. They had spoken last summer when they’d both been visiting their respective parents. If Sarah didn’t figure out who owned the face behind the mask just on sight—by the shape of her mouth or the darkness of her eyes—she would almost certainly recognize Lulu’s voice.

      Overhearing part of their conversation had added fuel to the fire beneath her feet for another reason, as well. There was just too much baggage between her and Chaz. It hadn’t been easy hearing Sarah remind her brother of how much he disliked Lulu, and ask why he’d ever agreed to help her with anything.

      Did Chaz really hate her? His sister had made it sound as if he had reason to. Oh, yes, she’d been a little shit to him on occasion, but she’d never been vicious or deliberately cruel. God, she hated to think he might be carrying scars even deeper than the ones she’d taken for granted.

      The very idea had made the whole escapade seem tawdry and unkind. She had no business tricking a night of sensuality out of a guy who hated her guts. Going home with him like that was akin to stealing. He had every right to know who she was and shoot her down, and she’d taken away his chance.

      So she’d played the coward and darted away while Chaz and Sarah had been talking. She’d slipped around the side of the townhouse row, heading for her own building down the block and entering the back door. Watching through her window as he’d gone looking for her, she had bitten her lip and let tears fall from her eyes as she recognized his frustration.

      “Frustration is better than fury.”

      Right. And Chaz would be furious if he found out who she really was. Meaning she had to be more careful than ever not to give him any clue that she was the woman who’d been on her knees giving him the blow job to end all blow jobs last night.

      Although she loved her cute apartment, and her neighbors, and the area, she suddenly found herself wishing she’d found a place in another part of the city. Now that he was home, chances were good she would run into Chaz sometime soon. She only hoped she was ready to come face to face with him again, without revealing everything she was thinking.

      Trying to put the memories of the night before out of her mind, she went to take a long, hot shower. The spray-in hair color was temporary, but she still had to wash her hair three times before she felt confident the glittery stuff was completely gone. And after she got out of the shower, brushed her hair, and spotted a few incriminating auburn streaks, she went right back in and washed it again.

      Finally, when she’d made sure to remove every wisp of color and had thrust her witch costume into the darkest corner of her closet, she pulled on jeans and a sweater, wanting to get out of her apartment. It was a beautiful fall day—sunny, breezy, the sky clear and Robin’s egg–blue—and she was determined to stop hiding inside and go out to enjoy the weather. Winter wouldn’t be far away now, and while it would never be as bad as the winters in the mountains of western Maryland, where she’d grown up, she knew she’d soon be missing these sunny, cool days.

      Heading out her door and down the stairs, she bumped into the couple who lived in the apartment directly above hers. She hadn’t known them long, but she already liked them a lot, appreciating the way the women had immediately been neighborly without being intrusive.

      “Hey, Lulu,” said Marcia, who was carrying a bag of groceries in one hand and was shoving her glasses up her nose with the other.

      “Morning,” she replied, holding the front door of the building open so Marcia and Peggy could come inside with their groceries.

      “Did you have a good Halloween?” asked Peggy.

      “It was...interesting,” she admitted.

      That was an understatement.

      “It must have been if you slept so heavily this morning that you didn’t notice all the commotion around here,” Marcia said, her voice filled with amusement.

      “Why? What happened?”

      “Peggy played hero for some kid whose kitty got stuck in the tree out front. She climbed up to rescue it.”

      Lulu’s eyes widened in surprise. The tree was a monster; she’d seen last spring’s kites still tangled in its branches. “You didn’t go too high, did you?”

      Peggy groaned, embarrassed.

      “Yes, she did,” said Marcia, dropping an arm across the other woman’s shoulders. “She made the mistake of looking down.”

      “I never knew I was afraid of heights,” Peggy said, gazing at her feet and scuffing her toe on the tiled floor.

      “I had to call 911 and a fire crew came and helped her down.”

      “Damn, I missed hot firefighters?”

      “Well, there was one hot one,” said Peggy, “but I don’t think she was your type.”

      “She wasn’t yours, either,” said Marcia with a smirk as she held up her left hand, on which glittered a gold wedding band. The two had gotten married this past summer, happy to be in a city that celebrated freedom and let them live their lives exactly as they wanted to.

      “And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Peggy, lightly kissing her wife’s cheek. Turning to Lulu, she asked, “Where you off to?”

      “Just out for a walk. It’s too nice to stay inside.”

      “Definitely. Tomorrow’s supposed to be even nicer. Why don’t you join us out back for dinner then? We’re going to have one final grill-out of the fall. The couple from the first floor is coming. It’ll be a BYOM party.”

      “BYOM?”

      “Bring your own meat.”

      Promising she would join them the next day, Lulu said goodbye to the couple and headed outside. She turned right at the sidewalk, as usual. Then she hesitated. Chaz’s house was so close, she’d have to walk right past it. He might be sleeping off his travel jet lag. Or he might be sleeping because he’d been up all night wondering about the woman who’d run out on him. Or he might be wide awake, plotting his revenge.

      Hell. It was worth taking a different route today.

      She spun around, ready to do exactly that, when a male voice called out, “Hey, you! Wait a minute—stop!”

      There was no denying that voice, or the demanding tone.

      It was Chaz.

      Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she turned around to face the music. There was no point delaying the inevitable. She’d have to see him sometime and part of her just wanted to get it over with and stop worrying about it.

      Another part was wondering how, exactly, she would react if he recognized her not as his childhood

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