LITMIR.BIZ

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      Chev swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed to his feet. Gemma watched him under her lashes, conceding a thrill at the sight of his lean buttocks and broad, muscled back.

      “Are you there?” Sue asked.

      “Yes, I’m here,” Gemma said, yanking her attention back to the phone call. “And that’s okay, you don’t have to apologize.”

      With his back to her, Chev picked up his pile of clothes and walked across the hall to the bathroom. The door closed with a dull thud.

      “Do you have company?” Sue asked, her tone suspicious.

      “What? No, of course not.” But Gemma heard the false, tinny ring to her own voice.

      “Oh, my God, you do have company! It’s the neighbor, isn’t it?”

      In her confusion, Gemma waited too long to respond.

      Sue whooped. “Yes! Was it fantastic?”

      Gemma stood and reached for a robe, eager to be covered when Chev reemerged. “Um … can we talk about this later?”

      “Only if you promise me the play-by-play.”

      “Goodbye, Sue.”

      She was tying the belt on her robe when Chev came out of the bathroom, fully dressed. She finger-combed her hair self-consciously, hating the awkwardness that reverberated between them, hating that she was the cause. She sensed that with one signal from her, he’d carry her back to bed. Her nipples hardened and he noticed, but she crossed her arms over them.

      “Do you want to talk about last night?” he asked.

      “Not really,” she said, being honest. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled. “I told you I’m better at keeping things at a distance.”

      “Really? Then you faked it pretty convincingly.”

      Her traitorous body started humming in remembrance. “Chev, we both know this can’t go anywhere.”

      His dark eyes bored into hers for several long seconds, then he nodded. “You’re right. I guess that’s my cue to leave.”

      But when he turned to go, she experienced that same horrible empty feeling she’d experienced when he’d left the museum. She realized with a sinking heart that while her mind knew what was best, her body knew what felt best.

      “Would you like to see the mural before you go?” she asked, gesturing to the room she’d turned into a studio.

      He pursed his mouth. “Sure.”

      She led him inside the room, feeling a little lift at the sight of the simple but colorful landscape that had emerged on the piece of canvas.

      He looked at it thoughtfully for a few seconds, so silent that she began to feel nervous.

      “If you don’t like it,” she said hurriedly, “don’t feel compelled to hang it.”

      “I think it’s wonderful,” he said solemnly. “You’re very talented, Gemma.”

      A flush warmed her cheeks. “I haven’t painted anything in years. I enjoyed doing it. It should be dry enough to install soon.”

      “Okay. I’ll let you decide when,” he said, his gaze level.

      She realized he was referring to more than the painting. Gemma swallowed and nodded, following him downstairs. But she needn’t have. After a glance at Jason’s things still cluttering the living room, he was out the front door and had closed it behind him before she reached the bottom step. She glanced guiltily through the front window, wondering if any of her neighbors had noticed the strange man leaving her house at the unseemly hour. After deeming that Petal Lagoon was deserted, she heaved a sigh of relief, feeling as if she’d dodged a bullet.

      Déjà vu. Like years before … a close call.

      But on the heels of relief came that nagging feeling of watching Chev walk away … and not liking it. Still, she couldn’t have it both ways, and this was how things had to be. She couldn’t undo last night, but it would be foolish to let her relationship with Chev become more complicated.

      She climbed the stairs and stepped into the shower brimming with self-recrimination. Leaning her forehead against the cool tile, she groaned. She should’ve maintained distance between them, like she’d planned. Then she wouldn’t be haunted by the memories of making love with the man all night long. Her body sang with latent longing. Unbidden, delicious chills ran over her shoulders and down her arms.

      The chemistry between them was undeniable, unbelievable. For the first time, she understood what Dr. Alexander had been trying to tell her female students about the almost magical occurrence of having sex with a partner who was physically compatible in every respect.

      Gemma leaned back to let the warm water fall over her breasts and find a natural trail down to the juncture of her thighs. At one point last night, she had felt as if she were having an out-of-body experience. Dr. Alexander would definitely approve.

      She had to admit that sex with Chev had been more satisfying than performing for him. On the other hand, performing for him had stoked them both to the fever pitch that had catapulted them into bed. And kept them there for hours and hours … and hours.

      And while it probably wasn’t fair, it was impossible not to compare his lovemaking to Jason’s. They were, after all, the only two men she’d ever slept with.

      Where Jason had been tentative, Chev was fearless.

      Where Jason had been reserved, Chev was expressive.

      Where Jason had been missionary, Chev was acrobatic.

      But you can’t stay in bed twenty-four hours a day, her mind whispered. And what happens after the spontaneous fire burns itself out?

      Loneliness.

      Sobered, Gemma climbed from the shower and forced herself to matters at hand. The museum was closed today, so she didn’t have to work. She spent the morning paying bills and balancing her checkbook, a task that took twice as long as it should have because her mind kept straying to the noise of the equipment and activity next door. Then she reasoned that since the weather had improved, she might as well clean up the mess the peacock had created in her yard before the neighborhood association left a threatening note in her mailbox.

      The mailbox … changing her name was one more thing she’d been stalling on.

      She wondered if some small part of her thought that if Jason did return, seeing the mailbox unchanged would be a sign that their marriage could be repaired.

      Adding to her mental to-do list, she gathered her yard tools, hat and gloves.

      It was a glorious day in the neighborhood. The rain had given summer a nudge, turning pale greens to deep emerald and dark greens to teal. The bird-of-paradise plants had bloomed riotously, with vivid orange petals and arrow-shaped blue-and-white “tongues.” From the thickened grass, Gemma picked up a vibrant peacock feather and stroked the fringed edges, admiring the iridescent colors of green and teal and gold. She shaded her eyes and looked up into the trees that the peacock had favored, but the flamboyant pest was nowhere in sight. After creating upheaval in her life, it looked like he had finally moved on.

      As she raked the yard and filled lawn trash bags with debris, she found herself stealing glances next door. More trucks and bodies than she’d ever seen before rambled over the property, apparently trying to make up for the day lost to rain. She saw Chev moving among the men in his work clothes, a red bandanna tied over his jet-black hair. Just watching him interact with the other men made her midsection pulse and her breathing accelerate. He looked in her direction once, but she couldn’t tell if it was accidental or if he was seeking her out.

      But why would he? She’d made it clear that she didn’t want to sleep with him again. She should be relieved that he had indicated he would respect her wishes.

      Wait

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