LITMIR.BIZ

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have given him the chance to get the hell outta Dodge.

      And, he admitted silently, since Angelina knew him well enough to know that he would have left, that’s probably exactly why she hadn’t told him about Tina’s visit. The older woman had never made it a secret that she thought the two of them still belonged together. It would be just like Angelina to try for a little long distance matchmaking.

      Too late to do anything about it now, anyway, Brian thought and told himself to get a grip. It wasn’t easy.

      Tina took the steps down from the back porch, opened the gate and the minute she did, the two little fleabags were on him. Stalking and pouncing as though they were the size of wolves instead of especially hairy rats, they attacked the laces of his tennis shoes and grabbed at the hem of his jeans. He glanced down at them, almost grateful for the distraction. “Cut it out.”

      “They really don’t like you, do they?” Tina mused. “I mean, Nana told me they weren’t very fond of you, but I figured she was exaggerating.”

      Brian heard her, but he wasn’t listening. Instead, he was watching her and wishing to hell she’d stayed behind the safety of that gate. It was just as he’d thought. She was wearing denim shorts that hugged her hips and displayed way too much smooth, tanned leg.

      Blood pumped and rushed to the one spot in his body that had always responded to Tina. From their first date, the attraction between them had been electrical. And time hadn’t changed a damn thing.

      Which just made his black mood even blacker.

      It had been two solid weeks since he’d made that stupid bet with his brothers. Two full weeks of no sex and he was already a man on the edge. By the end of three months, he’d be a gibbering idiot. And Tina’s presence wasn’t going to help anything.

      “Damn it, Angelina should have warned me you were coming.”

      She stiffened slightly and lifted her chin in a defiant, I’m ready to rumble pose he remembered all too well. Damn. Their fights had been almost as good as the sex. And the sex had always been incredible.

      “I asked her not to tell you.”

      “Why in the hell would you do that?” he demanded, and kicked his foot, trying to dislodge Peaches from his ankle. It didn’t work. She managed to hang on.

      “Because I knew if she told you that you’d find a way to disappear.”

      That rankled a little, but only because she was right. He would have signed on for extra duty, pleaded for a top-secret mission, asked to be deployed to a base several thousand miles away.

      When, Brian suddenly wondered, had he become a coward about Tina?

      Then he dismissed the question, because it wasn’t relevant at the moment.

      “Why would I do that?”

      “I don’t know, Brian,” she said and cocked one hip as she folded both arms across her chest.

      Well, under her breasts, pushing them higher, giving him a closer look at the smooth, tanned curve of flesh peeking up from the top of her low-cut shirt. He forced himself to lift his gaze to meet hers.

      “But,” she continued, keeping her gaze locked with his, “you always do. Every time I’ve visited Nana in the past couple of years, you’ve ‘coincidentally’ been called away.”

      Nothing coincidental about it. Ever since the divorce, he’d purposely avoided running into Tina. He reached up and shoved one hand across the side of his head. “I just wanted to make it easier on you. Visiting family without having to—”

      “—see the man who divorced me without an explanation?” she finished for him.

      She was still mad. Easy enough to see in the sparks shooting out of her dark brown eyes. He couldn’t really blame her, either. “Look, Tina…”

      “Forget it.” She waved whatever he’d been about to say away and shook her head until her hair whipped back behind her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to start anything. I just wanted to see you. That’s all.”

      Brian studied her and wished to hell he could read her mind. Dealing with Tina had never been easy, but it had always been an adventure. And if he knew her, then there was something else going on besides just wanting to say hi to her ex.

      Still, he told himself, did he know her anymore? They’d been married for one year and divorced for five. So maybe he didn’t. Maybe she’d changed. Become a stranger. The thought of which left him a lot colder than it should have.

      “Why’d you want to see me?” His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

      Her eyes went wide and innocent. “Jeez, Brian, lighten up. Can’t an ex-wife say hello without getting the third degree?”

      “An ex-wife who flies in all the way from California to say hello?”

      “And to take care of two sweet little—”

      “—furry monsters,” he finished for her and snarled at Peaches who was trying desperately to crawl up his leg. Probably wanted to bite through his jugular.

      Tina laughed and everything inside him went still.

      He looked at her from the corner of his eye and watched her like a hungry man eyes a steak. Divorced, he reminded himself, but still just the sound of her laughter could reach down inside him and warm all the cold, empty spots.

      Five years since the last time he’d touched her and his fingertips could still feel the softness of her skin. Her perfume, a soft blend of flowers and citrus, seemed always to be with him, especially in his dreams. And the memories of their lovemaking could make him groan with need.

      Hell.

      Especially now.

      Man, he so didn’t need Tina in town with this stupid bet going on.

      “I don’t know why they don’t like you,” Tina said as she bent down to scoop Muffin into the crook of her arm. The little dog quivered in excitement and affection and gave Tina’s neck a couple of long swipes of its tongue.

      Brian wouldn’t mind doing the same.

      He spoke up fast, to keep that image from coalescing. “Because they know it’s mutual.”

      Tina scratched Muffin behind her ear, giving the dog a taste of heaven and giving herself something to do with her hands. If she hadn’t picked up the dog, she might have given in to the urge to grab Brian. Her mouth watered just looking at him.

      His black hair was still militarily short, showing off the sharp angles and planes of his face to model perfection. His dark blue eyes were still as deep and mysterious as the ocean at night. His black USMC T-shirt strained over broad shoulders and a muscular chest and his narrow hips and long legs looked unbelievably good encased in worn denim.

      She’d forgotten, God help her.

      She’d forgotten just how much he could affect her.

      Maybe Janet had been right. Maybe this wasn’t

      such a good idea after all.

      She wanted a baby, sure.

      And she wanted Brian to be its father.

      But if simply standing beside the man could make her weak in the knees, what chance did she have to keep herself from falling back into the stupid-withlove category?

      As soon as that thought flitted through her mind though, she firmly pushed it aside. She could do this. It had been five years. She wasn’t in love anymore. She wasn’t a kid, trusting in one special man to make her dreams come true.

      She’d worked long and hard at her career. She was respected. She was mature enough to handle Brian Reilly without getting her fingers burned again. And if she was still breathlessly attracted to him, that was a good thing.

      It

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