“That’s right. Kenny took you out.” Larissa smiled. “You had a nice time with him?”

“Yeah, he’s cool. He really likes football, though.”

Larissa felt her lips twitch. “Could be from being a professional and all.”

“I guess. But it’s just a game, man.” The teen glanced at Jack. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Jack put down his fork. “Basketball is more your game?”

“Uh-huh.”

Larissa saw where this was going. “No,” she said firmly. “No way and no. You can’t.”

Percy’s dark eyes widened slightly. “Can’t what?”

“Invite you to play with his friends.”

“Why not? I’ve got game.”

Jack’s expression turned smug. “Yeah, Larissa. He’s got game.”

“They’re grown men,” she told the teen. “Some of them are dangerous. This is basketball with blood.”

“Only sometimes,” Jack pointed out. “Percy, we play three days a week. If you want in, you’re welcome to join us.”

“I’m in,” Percy told Jack. They exchanged a high five.

It was a part of the male psyche she would never understand, she thought. The need to be so competitive about everything. On the bright side, at least Percy and Jack were connecting.

She accepted the inevitable and picked up her fork. “How was your meeting at the college?” she asked Jack.

Jack’s expression shifted to a scowl. “The athletic director is against starting a football program at the school.”

“Then he’s stupid,” Percy announced. “Football isn’t my thing, but even I know that it brings in the big bucks. Right? Money that pays for other stuff in the school. You know, like the library. Important to the students, but not exciting, like a football game.”

Larissa blinked at him. “You’re right. That’s very insightful.”

Percy sat a little straighter in the chair. “I’m an insightful guy.”

“I see that.”

“Don’t get too cocky, kid,” Jack told him. “Not until you’ve proved yourself on the court.”

“You’ll see.”

“Uh-huh.” He turned back to Larissa. “I’m with Percy. They’re idiots. They have the support of the regents and you know the alumni would be on board. The amount of money they could pull in is staggering, but you can’t push a rope. If they don’t want it, they shouldn’t do it.”

“Is that what you told them?”

“Among other things.”

“I’m sorry the meeting was frustrating.”

He shrugged. “I told them what I thought and now they’ll make their decision. I’m out of it.”

She wondered if he really was or if that was wishful thinking on his part. Jack wanted to get involved and pull away in equal measures. Conflicting emotions with a significant cause. No one could go through what Jack had and not have those events change a person. Some people would have gotten angry or depressed. Jack had moved on, but with emotional protection carefully in place.

He’d been nearly eighteen when his brother, Lucas, had died, but he’d been much younger when his twin had gotten sick. She would guess his life had been defined by Lucas’s illness. She knew his personality had been molded by it. While other kids were free to act out or be irresponsible from time to time, Jack never could. Lucas needed all the family’s attention. Jack had learned to do the right thing, to stay out of trouble and not call attention to himself.

Larissa understood and respected his boundaries. She knew he was a good guy and that was enough for her.

Conversation shifted to what was going on in town. The Máa-zib Festival was the following weekend and Larissa was excited to see all the activities.

“I don’t get it,” Percy said, after finishing his third serving of food. “There’s a dancing horse?”

Jack leaned back in his chair. “That’s what has you confused?” he asked. “Did you hear the part about some guy getting his heart cut out?”

Percy waved off the comment. “That’s not real, man. It’s like the movies. A fake knife and red food coloring. But the horse dancing is actually horses dancing? I didn’t know horses could do that.”

“I’ve never seen it,” Larissa told him. “We’ll have to go check it out.”

Percy started to say something but the word turned into a huge yawn. Larissa glanced at the clock. It was barely after eight, but she would guess the teen hadn’t slept much in the past few days. He’d been making his way back to Fool’s Gold and then last night he’d been in an unfamiliar place.

She stood. “Okay, go on.”

“What?”

“To bed.”

“It’s too early,” Percy protested. “I’m not a baby.”

“No. You’re exhausted. At least go lie down. You can watch TV or something.” And fall asleep in fifteen seconds, she thought, holding in a smile.

Percy yawned again. “Okay. Maybe I’ll go watch a show.”

He rose and reached for his plate. After carrying it to the kitchen, he returned and patted Dyna.

“Thanks for everything,” he said, staring at the cat.

“You’re welcome,” Larissa told him. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

He nodded and headed for the stairs. Jack got up and started clearing food. Most of the cartons were empty but a few still had a bit in them.

“Worth saving?” he asked.

“Might as well. Percy will eat them for a snack. Or breakfast.”

“I’m sure he will.” Jack grinned. “He’s a good kid. You have a knack for finding good people.”

A compliment that warmed her from the inside out.

Together they put food in the refrigerator, threw away cartons and loaded the dishwasher. Dyna checked out a few of the leftovers they offered her and daintily took a piece of chicken. When the cleaning was done, Larissa walked to the freezer.

“I think there are some brownies in here, unless you ate them all.”

She searched behind frozen roasts and single servings of her crockpot chili before finding a package of brownies, then bumped the freezer door closed with her hip.

“Perfect,” she said. “These won’t take too long to thaw.”

She put them on the counter and unwrapped them, then turned to get a plate, only to find Jack was right behind her.

Momentum carried her forward a half foot or so, until she was nearly touching him.

Everything about the moment changed. The easy, lighthearted evening they’d been sharing shifted until the atmosphere was so thick, she could nearly touch it. Her breathing stopped as she stared up into his dark eyes. Her skin heated, her heart rate increased and the world shrank to hold only the man in front of her.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Unexpected need pulsed through her, making her want to close the small distance that still separated them.

This was Jack, she thought, confused and determined at the same time. She knew every inch of him. Knew the feel of her hands on his skin. She wanted that now, but not in the usual way. She didn’t want to give him a massage—she wanted to be touching him the way a woman touches a man. She wanted to be next to him, exploring him as he explored her.

The sexual image was powerful enough to make her knees weak. She sucked in a breath and waited for whatever would happen next. Did he sense the tension between them or would he simply joke about the brownies and suggest they find a baseball game on TV?

His dark eyes were impossible to read. For several long seconds, he didn’t move at all, then he raised his hand and cupped the side of her face.

“Larissa.”

The single word was spoken on a whisper of air. Before she could know what it meant, he bent down and kissed her.

The feel of his mouth was heaven. Gentle, with only a hint of passion. Then the hint grew as the pressure increased. He drew her along with him, building need inside of her.

Without thinking, she raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck. He put his free hand on her waist and drew her against him. They were touching everywhere, hard to soft, male to female. She surrendered to his strength and melted against him, even as their kiss stayed chaste.

He brushed his lips against her cheek, then her closed eyelids. He nuzzled her ear before touching the tip of his tongue to the sensitive skin below her lobe. When his mouth returned to hers, she parted immediately and felt the sizzle that accompanied the first stroke of his tongue against hers.

Heat poured through her, settling low in her belly. Wanting exploded, surprising her at first with its presence, then with its intensity. She had to consciously keep from grinding into him—pelvis to pelvis. At the same time her breast ached for his skilled touch.

The kiss continued—a passionate game of tag, where losing was delicious and winning meant going into overtime.

Jack put both hands on her waist, then slowly slid them up and down her back. On the second pass, he slipped down over her hips. He moved slowly, exploring unfamiliar territory. Anticipation built. Her ni**les hardened.

More, she thought, ready to go wherever this led. Definitely more.

But instead of reading her mind, he drew back enough to break the kiss and put space between them. They stared at each other, both breathing more quickly. She felt as wide-eyed as he looked. Emotions flooded his eyes. Confusion, affection and, most of all, desire. Exactly what she was feeling. Because while she’d always liked Jack, until recently she hadn’t thought about liking Jack.

Indecision had her biting her bottom lip. Because this night could go in two very different directions. While wanting him was great and making love would probably rock her world, what would happen the next morning? What would she have lost?

She nearly stomped her foot. This was all her mother’s fault, she thought bitterly.

“I have to go,” she said suddenly, darting around him.

“Larissa, we have to talk.”

“We don’t. Not really.”

She found Dyna curled up on the sofa. Her cat didn’t take kindly to being disturbed, but allowed her regal self to be placed in the carrier.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. At work.”

With that, she raced for the front door and didn’t allow herself to relax until she was safely in her car. Before starting the engine, she drew in a few breaths and told herself living in a state of denial wasn’t all that bad. People did it all the time and she could, too.

* * *

JACK CHECKED ON Percy and found the kid was out like a light. After that, he wandered through his too-large house, then tried to find something interesting on TV. When that didn’t work, he grabbed his phone and scrolled through the numbers, looking for a way to ease his troubles.

A woman seemed like the best solution, he told himself. A safe nonLarissa kind of woman. A woman who understood who he was and that he wasn’t looking for more than a night. But after two passes through the names, he couldn’t find a single one he wanted to talk to let alone have sex with.

He tossed the phone onto the coffee table and sighed.

What the hell? When had he and Larissa started kissing? This was the second time and like the first, he had no idea how it had happened.

Sure, she was pretty, and sure, he liked her, but so what? She was Larissa. His assistant, his friend. She mattered to him. A guy didn’t mess that up for something as meaningless as a night of sex. He could get that anywhere. What he couldn’t replace was her. So what had he been thinking?

Only he hadn’t been thinking. He’d been minding his own business, helping in the kitchen when bam—she was in his arms and he wasn’t holding back. The thing was, no matter how he tried, he couldn’t figure out the steps that had made it happen. It was as if those seconds had never existed.

He stood and grabbed his phone. After starting for the door, he turned around and sat on the couch. Thirty seconds later, he was walking out into the night. But instead of heading over to Larissa’s place, he went in the other direction. When he reached the small house with the motorcycle parked in the driveway, he turned up the walk.

Angel answered the front door. He was wearing jeans and nothing else. Jack stared at him for a second before putting the pieces together.

“Were you having sex?” he asked before he could stop himself.

Angel raised an eyebrow. “Not your business and if you’re asking to join us, the answer is no. Any threesome would go the other way.”

Angel walked off but left the front door open. Jack stepped into the foyer and waited. A couple of seconds later Taryn appeared. She wore a T-shirt over jeans and was barefoot. Her long blue-black hair hung straight and she didn’t have on any makeup.

“Sorry,” he said, immediately turning away.

She grabbed his arm and drew him back. “It’s fine. Don’t leave.” She studied him for a second. “What’s up? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re lying and not very well.”

She linked arms with him and led him to the kitchen. An open bottle of red wine sat on the counter. She poured them each a glass and handed him one, then moved into the living room.

“Angel isn’t joining us?” he asked.

“Probably not. I think he still worries about you. Well, us, really. The ‘you and I’ us.”

“Why? We work together. We’re friends.” Taryn was his best friend, except maybe for Larissa. The relationships were different, though.

“We used to be married,” Taryn reminded him.