Tough Love

Eyes wider, she said, “But—”

Stack put his mouth over hers, kissed her quiet and then softly admitted, “I’m lingering because I wasn’t ready to let you go.”

She didn’t look spooked by his possessive admission. Actually, she looked really pleased.

A good time to state his intentions. “New agreement—when you have free time, you save it for me.”

Her eyes widened. “I wasn’t seeing anyone else right now anyway. Were you?”

“No.” With Vanity around, how could he even think of another woman? “You’re it.”

She looked startled by that bold statement. You’re it. True enough for him, but would it scare her off?

Showing uncertainty, she licked her lips and spent far too long thinking about it. “Sooo...neither of us will mix it up?”

“Right.” Truthfully, he couldn’t bear the thought of any other man touching her.

It irked that she tacked on, “For as long as it lasts?”

He’d make it last as long as he needed. “Fine.”

Vanity gave it quick consideration. “Fine.”

He started to exhale in relief.

“But I have a stipulation.”

Damn. “Let’s hear it.”

“A onetime thing would be no big deal. Anything more could get awkward if we let it. So promise me now, when it ends, it ends. No blame and no hard feelings.”

So she already expected it to end? Until she said it, he had, too. With his career on the fast track, he didn’t want to complicate things with a time-sucking committed relationship. But all the same, he didn’t like having it spelled out. “You do seem to have a thing for stating the rules up-front.”

She gave him a stern look. “I relocated all the way from California. Your friends are, for the most part, my only friends, too. I don’t want there to be a falling-out.”

Like a knockout blow, it hit him. Vanity had lost her entire family, then followed her best friend to Ohio. She and Yvette were close, he and Cannon were close. Vanity didn’t want to risk losing anyone else, not for any reason.

Definitely not for a fling with him.

With a lot to think about, Stack opened her car door and waited for her to get in. Once she’d fastened her seat belt, he leaned down, cupped her face and took one more taste to last him through the night. “No awkwardness, I promise.” How the hell he’d keep that promise, he didn’t know. But he knew he wouldn’t let her be hurt, so if it came to that, he’d work it out. Somehow. “If you need help with the dogs, let me know.”

“I won’t.”

Always unexpected confusion from Vanity. “Won’t need help, or won’t let me know?”

She smiled. “Either.” She started up her car, looked him over again, and said with ripe anticipation, “Tomorrow.”

He nodded. “Tomorrow.” He closed her door, stepped back, and watched her pull away.

Before Vanity had even reached the next block, Whitney started toward him. Cold inside and out, Stack took in her leggy, swingy stride—then turned his back on her and went to his own car.

“Stack!”

He wouldn’t reply. She had nothing to say that he wanted to hear.

“Stack, please. Talk to me. Let me explain.”

For a single heartbeat he hesitated, curious as to what excuse she’d give for showing up here, now. He had a feeling Phil had manipulated things. He wondered why. But he wasn’t an idiot.

Vanity might act cool about him “carrying on,” as she’d once put it. But he knew women better than that.

They’d clicked, and for right now, he didn’t want to do anything to rock the boat. What he wanted was Vanity. Again. Repeatedly. And he wanted to hear more about her work, the loss of family members.

He wanted to discover all the different facets to her personality, because so far what he’d seen had been pretty impressive.

Whitney had almost reached his car when he pulled away—leaving her without a backward glance.

He thought only about tomorrow. About Vanity.

About the fact that she was slowly reeling him in, and she didn’t appear to be trying. More unsettling than that—he enjoyed her efforts.

CHAPTER TEN

THE LIGHT TAP sounded on her door just as she poured her third cup of coffee. Blowing over the top to cool it, she padded barefoot to the front room, peeked out the window, and saw Stack wearing a big sweatshirt, jogging pants and running shoes.

The chilly morning fogged his every breath, and he had this small, sexy, maybe anticipatory smile on his mouth.