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“Just for the Night is a witty, sensual contemporary romance that will have you quickly turning the pages to see what happens next. ”

—Romance Junkies

“Just for the Night is a terrific character-driven romance, well worth a spot on your ‘must read’ list.”

—Eye On Romance

“Tawny Weber’s newest release, Breaking the Rules, is a thrilling story that will have readers laughing out loud at the surprising situations that arise throughout the story.”

—Romance Junkies

“If you’re looking for a great read that will warm

you up on a cold night look no further!”

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“A Babe in Toyland delivers a stunning performance that completely satisfies.”

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“A Babe in Toyland is absolutely hysterical sexy fun! … I was giggling the whole time.”

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“Great characters, an excellent story and heat enough

to ignite the senses makes Riding the Waves an excellent read to lead us into September. Another fantastic tale from Tawny Weber!”

—CataRomance

Dear Reader,

I recognise a lot of myself in my heroine Maya Black. She’s stubborn, unflinchingly loyal and a total daddy’s girl. And like myself, she found her perfect guy. Simon is not only sexy, but he’s clever enough to keep her guessing and smart enough to accept her—family and all.

Sex, Lies and Midnight also features another character who’s very close to my heart—Dottie the cat, who lives at the Furry Friends Animal Shelter. You can check out Dottie, and all the other Blaze® Authors Pet Project pets, on the Blaze® Authors blog: http://blazeauthors. com. Please, come by and say hi! And if you’re on the web, be sure to drop by my website at www.TawnyWeber.com. While you’re there, check out my members-only section with its special contests, excerpts and other fun.

Happy reading!

Tawny Weber

About the Author

TAWNY WEBER is usually found dreaming up stories in her California home, surrounded by dogs, cats and kids. When she’s not writing hot, spicy stories for the Blaze® line, she’s shopping for the perfect pair of shoes or drooling over Johnny Depp pictures (when her husband isn’t looking, of course). Come by and visit her on the web at www.tawnyweber.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TawnyWeber. RomanceAuthor.

Sex, Lies and

Midnight

Tawny Weber

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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To my first ever hero. Thank you for your

acceptance, your encouragement and for being

such a wonderful example for me.

You’re amazing. I love you, Dad.

Prologue

“YOU MUST BE PLEASED with yourself.”

“Definitely pleased,” Tobias Black agreed with the caller. “And a little surprised that our own sheriff turned out to be the dealer of sex drugs.”

“The drug ring is broken but it doesn’t end with him. Someone higher was pulling strings. Any idea who?”

Taking the phone off Speaker, Tobias lifted the handset to his ear, then stared at the glowing tip of his cigar and considered the question. A month ago, he’d chosen to bring the FBI in to help bust the drug ring specializing in a new-fangled form of Ecstasy that’d been blazing through his small town. His eldest son, Caleb, had helped the FBI bust that ring.

He’d brought the FBI in knowing than someone had more in mind that peddling sex drugs. Someone with a grudge against him. But as far as he was concerned, the FBI could butt out now. Tobias preferred to figure out who was trying to knife him in the spine himself. He was funny that way.

“No idea who was issuing Kendall’s orders, but I’m not worried,” Tobias lied smoothly. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Even with the new sheriff in your corner, this time you just might be in over your head. My resources have uncovered yet more criminal activity and quite a few rumblings of something big coming soon.”

Shit. He didn’t need this. In his mind, the FBI had had a single purpose. To use their connections to bring his son home. That plan had worked, Caleb was now the acting sheriff, engaged to a pretty little thing in town, and slowly allowing Tobias to rebuild a bridge between them.

Right now, Tobias was busy setting into action goal number two. Better known as luring his daughter, Maya, back home. He didn’t have time to keep playing these cop games.

He stared through the smoke at the awkwardly shaped ceramic bowl, glazed a brilliant red with fingerprints all along the edges. Every once in a while, he wondered if he was still smoking his daily cigar just for the joy of using the ashtray his five-year-old daughter had made. A dynamic, controlled man, he didn’t consider overt sentiment a weakness. But he did consider not having more to be sentimental about a waste.

“I’m sure your associates at the FBI are looking at Kendall’s associates and haven’t given up on discovering who’s behind it all,” Tobias said. No longer having the taste for a relaxing cigar, he stubbed it out and stood to pace. “In the meantime, we’ll handle things here in Black Oak. Caleb has years of experience with the DEA, and he’ll make a fine sheriff. There’s nothing to worry about here.”

“That’s not what I’m hearing,” the man on the phone reminded him. “Someone is gunning for you. And instead of dealing with that, you’re busy playing footsie with a woman young enough to be your daughter.”

Tobias gave a wicked grin. “You make me sound like a dirty old lech, saying it that way.”

“What else should you sound like?”

“A clever man who knows just which buttons to push?”

Eight years ago, Tobias had made a vital mistake. After years of pulling cons on his own, of only working, occasionally, with his children, he’d taken on a partner.

Greta von Lautner.

It’d been the last straw for his volatile children.

Caleb had left to join the DEA, tired of his father’s life of crime. Gabriel had accused his father of thinking with his penis, and walked out vowing to prove himself a better con than his old man had ever been.

And Maya? Tobias’s sweet little angel had been heartbroken, not only at the change in dynamics, but at what she saw as being ousted from her place in her father’s life. She’d tried to stick around, though. Then Greta had blown the con they were in the middle of; she’d left Maya vulnerable. Tobias had worked fast to clear the evidence and spring Maya from jail, but it’d been too late.

She’d walked out of that police department and his life in the same hour. Now, seven years later, it was time to reel her back.

“Those buttons you’re pushing are trouble. Give me a good crime to solve any day over anything that involves women.”

Tobias sighed, knowing he was treading a dangerous line.

“There’s no other way. I want Maya home, and the only way she’s going to return is if she thinks she’s saving me from repeating a huge mistake.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game. You want to con your kids, do it after we’ve figured out who is trying to set you up.”

“No game worth playing doesn’t carry an element of danger,” Tobias returned with a wicked laugh. “And the ball is already rolling. I can’t stop it now.”

“But you didn’t plan for these stakes when you started. You just wanted your kids home. Now you’re fighting for your reputation, your freedom and possibly your life.”

Tobias looked out the window at the holiday lights twinkling merrily, making the view of Black Oak almost magical.

“If it reunites my family, even those stakes are worthwhile,” he declared.

“You’d just better hope they aren’t reuniting for your sentencing hearing.” There was a pause, then a deep sigh. “Or if the rumblings I’m hearing are correct, at your funeral.”

1

THERE WAS NOTHING like a short, glittery skirt, long legs encased in smoky stockings and spiked do-me heels to make a man sit up and take notice.

And Simon Barton considered it his duty to watch this particular woman currently shimmying her hips rhythmically on the dance floor. The investment firm’s holiday party was in full swing, complete with barely dressed women, many soon-to-be-regretted-when-sober PDAs, an open bar and a lush buffet.

For a people watcher, this party was better than the circus, juggling clowns and—Simon noted one guy slipping his hand down the dress of the sloshed woman draped over his lap—a porno flick, all rolled into a single package.

But he only had eyes for one woman.

Not because she was gorgeous. Although she was.

Long black hair fell in curls almost to the tiny waist of a vivid green dress that had as much sparkle as her hips had personality. The fabric hugged a body made to bring grown men to their knees, long sleeves and a high neck giving the illusion of modesty at odds with the sexy placemat that passed for a skirt. Legs way too long for such a petite body were encased in smoke black stockings leading all the way down to a pair of strappy sandals so high, Simon could only wince.

The woman was fascinating.

Not because she seemed to have this knack for making herself invisible, despite her striking looks. Although she did. Every time one of, from what Simon could tell were the high muckety-mucks wandered past, she shifted. Unobtrusively placing another dancer, diner or chit-chatter between her and the higher-ups.

And not because she was a puzzle. Although, oh yeah, she was. One he was sure he’d solve. Sooner or later.

Because she was the key to his future.

He felt, rather than heard, his cell phone ring in the pocket of his slacks.

His gaze still locked on the overblown beauty on the dance floor, Simon pulled out his phone. He glanced at the readout, grimaced, then stepped into a quiet corner where his view was unimpeded, but the sound was muted.

“Barton.”

“I thought you were on assignment.”

“I wrapped it up. Now I’m on personal time.”

“Watching Maya Black is a personal thing for you?”

Christ. Did Hunter have eyes everywhere? Simon gave an infinitesimal wince, his eyes still on those lush hips encased in holiday green. “A man would have to be three-times dead not to have a personal reaction to watching a woman like her.”

“How’d you find her?”

“I’m a trained FBI agent,” Simon said sardonically. “An assumed name is a piece of cake.”

“You hacked her file?” Hunter’s words were matter-of-fact.

Simon shifted his eyes off the sweetly swaying hips to inspect his fingernails. “Would I do that?”

“In a heartbeat.”

Simon grinned.

Whether he knew it or not, Hunter was Simon’s mentor. The man whose career he’d used as a template for his own. Simon wanted nothing more than to climb the same ladders and spark the same attention. The Deputy Director was considered the elite of the elite. A man with a reputation for making the rules work for him, even as he worked around them. Assignment to Hunter’s department was Simon’s Holy Grail. There he’d rise through the ranks at least twice as fast as anywhere else. But Hunter’s team was so exclusive, he only brought in major players. Agents who’d made huge busts.

Busts like the Black case. Simon’s gaze wandered back to the tempting sway of Maya Black’s hips. Since it was totally inappropriate to lust after a suspect, he tried to convince his body that the surge of energy he felt at the sight of her was because she was his ticket to a major promotion.

“Why are you watching her?” he challenged, tossing the ball back in Hunter’s court.

“Who says I am? I might be watching you.”

Simon’s laugh garnered more than one appreciative female glance. Not unusual. He got a lot of looks from ladies. Sometimes he used the advantages his tall, well-built golden-boy looks offered. Other times he ignored them.

This time, he nodded at a couple of them, but shifted his weight, making it clear he wasn’t looking for more. He might not be on the job, per se, but this was all business.

“Maya Black isn’t a person of interest. You’re out of bounds.”

Simon shrugged that off. He figured boundaries were a fluid thing. He only paid attention to the ones that served him.

“She’s got a record,” he pointed out.

“Ar rest, no conviction.”

“She was guilty.”

“We don’t know that. No,” Hunter interrupted before Simon could haul out his well-worn argument, “we don’t. We have conjecture, speculation and a whole lot of circumstantial supposition.”

What they had were sloppy agents who had obviously been incompetent. Maya Black had been busted for computer invasion, breaking into the files of a well-placed businessman with a bad reputation. The case should have been open and shut, but the arresting officers had neglected to confiscate all of the computers on site when they’d brought her in. Within hours, the evidence had disappeared, the arrest compromised. Maya Black released.

Simon shook his head in disgust.

“She was running a Ponzi con with her old man and bungled it. If the agent in charge had been patient, he’d have had a solid case.”

“That’s your opinion,” Hunter said, his tone one degree colder than before. It took Simon a heartbeat to remember that the agent in charge of the Black case was Hunter’s father.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not here on official business. I’m just here, checking out the view,” he hedged, returning to the reason for Hunter’s call.

“You’re stepping on dangerous ground,” Hunter warned.

“I live for danger.” That wasn’t the official FBI motto, but Simon had seen enough of it in his nine years with the agency that he figured he had the right to use it as an excuse.

“Don’t die for it,” Hunter responded in typical fashion before hanging up.

Simon grinned. You had to like the guy. He was crazy smart, scary intuitive and could kick some serious ass, too. And he didn’t hold the reins too tight on his agents. Which was why Simon wasn’t too worried about stepping outside the lines in this matter. Hunter was more about results than he was about micromanaging. Yet another reason Simon wanted that transfer. Working with the elite would let him hone his skills, and fast track him toward his own shot at Deputy Director.

Something he’d dreamed of since he was a kid. That dream had been the impetus to haul himself out of the dregs that was his childhood. Not just to survive, but to thrive. Making that dream come true would prove, not just to him, but to everyone who’d ever doubted him, that he was more than the loser with no future.

Which brought him back to the voluptuous delight laughing and doing the twist by the twinkling lights of the ten-foot Christmas tree. She was hot. She was sexy. And she was his ticket. Not to the next rung on the ladder, but to jumping up three or four rungs at once.

Tobias Black was a legend. Reputed con artist who’d done more jobs than a hooker in the financial district at lunchtime. He was slick, quick and according to most, untouchable. Intel had him retiring to go straight about five years back, but the statute of limitations wasn’t up on all of his crimes yet. Simon knew that busting the old man, where so many had failed over the years, would be a guarantee of fame, accolades and a corner office in FBI headquarters, D.C.

He hadn’t figured out how, yet. But he was pretty sure the guy’s only daughter would be his key. He just had to wait for the right break. That he’d already been waiting for two years, checking in on Maya from time to time, didn’t bother him. Patience was a weapon he’d honed to a razor-sharp edge.

Every few months he laid over in San Francisco to do a little recon and see what she was up to. Sooner or later, she’d get edgy and tire of this straight game she was playing.

Sooner or later, she’d give him the opening he needed.

Then he’d have her.

And his future would be set.

“WHEW, I NEED A BREAK.” Maya DeLongue slid the fingers of both hands into her hair and lifted it, trying to get some cool air on the back of her neck. “It’s crazy hot in here. Can we get a drink?”

“Sure, sugar.” Her date wrapped his hand around her waist, pulling her close. Always wary of public displays of affection that might call attention to her, Maya shifted, taking Dave’s hand off her waist and making a show of holding it instead as he led her from the dance floor.

Braverment Investments knew how to show their employees a good time. Plenty of alcohol flowing, just enough food to blunt the worst of the booze overload and music loud enough to prevent the employees from actually having to socialize. It was a hit.

A tension headache brewing, Maya already regretted coming.

She’d spent the last three years trying to be average in her version of the witness protection program, or in her case, the criminal protection program. Her position in IT at Braverment was perfect for her. It paid enough to keep her in the style her tastes required, in a company large enough to let her hide in plain sight. But the powers-that-be probably wouldn’t be too big on hiring a gal who’d spent her formative years specializing in computer hacking.

But average was lonely.

So she’d promised herself that this season she was going to quit hiding away. She had to be able to hide her true identity and have a fun, average life at the same time. So she’d forced herself to shimmy into a little green holiday dress and play the part of a social butterfly.

Sighing, she shifted in her Jimmy Choos and stepped through the wide glass doors onto the rooftop balcony. The cold December night wrapped around her body, making her shiver. The view of the fog-shrouded Golden Gate Bridge more than made up for the chilly weather, though.

“Hey, Carly,” she greeted when they reached one of the many tables scattered under the night sky. “Can we join you?”

Maya wasn’t especially fond of the other woman, another assistant at the investment firm they both worked for. The busty blonde was ambitious, backstabbing and didn’t play well with the other girls. But Maya knew she had to play nice with people like Carly to keep their knives as far away from her own back as possible.

“Sure,” the blonde agreed, puffing on her cigarette and checking Dave out before waving a hand to indicate the empty chairs.

“Can I get you ladies drinks?” Dave offered.

“Martini,” Carly agreed instantly.

“I’ll stick with water,” Maya said. Seeing their looks, she excused, “I’m a little dehydrated from all the dancing.”

The truth was, she didn’t drink alcohol. Ever. But neither did she like explaining herself, so she kept that little fact private.

She folded herself into one of the chairs, enjoying the way Dave’s gaze roamed over her legs. In her quest for a normal, average life, she’d finally given herself permission to date a guy she might have a future with. Sure, this was only their third date, but she had high hopes for Dave. He was nice.

“A martini and a water,” Dave said, his eyes glommed on to her thighs. “Got it.”

With a grin and a wink, he turned on his heel and hurried back into the party. Maya sighed. It was pretty obvious that someone thought he was getting lucky tonight.

“He’s hot. Are you two serious?” Carly asked.

Maya glanced at the blonde before her gaze followed the path Dave had taken. He was hot. Sorta. Sorta-tall, sorta-dark, sorta-handsome. Sure, that sexy bad-boy edge that usually drew her was missing. But that was the point. That made him safe, which was priority number one.

“We’re having fun,” she said, sidestepping the question. “How about you? Are you here with someone?”

They spent the next few minutes exchanging desultory chit chat. Maya’s gaze wandered, noting the twinkling lights framing the balcony, the few occupied tables and the noted lack of excitement she was feeling.

She’d been doing this normal life thing for three years now. In part, to prove she could. But mostly because she’d never had normal growing up. Like some kids craved the exotic, she’d craved average.

But she’d come to realize that average, after a while, was pretty damned boring. Hence Dave. And he was a nice guy. She just didn’t feel any real excitement, any wildly hot energy between them.

Maybe it was time to move on?

She was still mulling that idea, and just what it would mean to her life, when Dave returned with the drinks. She listened to him and Carly chat and wondered what it was like to be that carefree. For a girl who’d been calculating the odds since her toddler years, the concept was totally foreign.

“Maya, you don’t mind if I borrow your friend for a dance or two?” Carly asked, slinking to her feet in a move worthy of the most sinuous snake in the jungle.

Maya smirked when she saw the slight bulge of Dave’s eyes as he got the full impact of Carly’s double Ds. She couldn’t blame him. The view was mesmerizing, in a train-wreck kind of way.

“Sure,” she said. Then she added, “But just a couple dances. I expect him back in the same shape you’re borrowing him.”

Dave laughed like a giddy schoolboy, but Carly caught the message. Her vamp smile dimmed a notch, then she nodded before leading Dave away. As they entered the room, though, Maya saw the other woman’s hand slip over Dave’s ass.

She should be jealous. Pissed, even. But she wasn’t. Why not? He was a nice guy. And he fit perfectly into her average life. Her nice, average boyfriend. Someone to ease her loneliness. Maya sighed, wishing the cool night air would clear her head of all the confusing thoughts.

She stood to walk toward the balcony wall and get a better view of the Golden Gate, but accidentally knocked her water bottle off the table as she rose.

It spun across the outdoor carpet toward the shadows. She hurried over to grab it just as it rolled to a stop at a pair of feet clad in high-end cowboy boots.

Maya sighed. A cowboy in California? Oh, please.

Keeping her eye roll to herself, she stopped a foot away and checked out the rest of the wild west show. Her mental sneer shifted as her gaze climbed up long, long jeans-clad legs, a leather belt around a narrow waist and a chest that begged to be nuzzled. The collar of a dark green shirt was opened, his jacket looked pricey and… she let her gaze finish the climb.

And felt the earth shift just a little.

Oh, baby, he was gorgeous.

A square jaw and slashing cheekbones were the perfect frame for a face that could sell magazines, cars and women’s souls. Long-lashed eyes echoed the green of his shirt, his lips were kissably full and the only thing keeping him from being a pretty boy was a scar, high on his cheekbone.

One side of his mouth quirked in amusement at her inspection as he bent down to grab the bottle.

“Yours?” he asked, his voice declaring his right to wear those thousand-dollar cowboy boots. Cultured, rich and definitely Southern.

“Thank you,” Maya murmured, taking the water. Her brow knit. “Have we met?”

Her face heated and wished she could take back the words. Oh, man, what a cliché. She’d have done just as well to offer to strip him naked and dance around his body like a stripper’s pole.

Since she couldn’t erase the words, instead she gave a short laugh and shook her head. “I know, it sounds like a cheesy pickup line. But I swear, I’ve seen you before.”

Gifted with a near-photographic memory, she never forgot numbers and she never forgot a face. The former made her a prized assistant among the investment bankers in her department. The latter kept her past from tripping her up.

The problem was, she couldn’t remember exactly who he was. She’d seen him a few times around Braverment events, so he must work for the company in some form or another. Probably one of their out-of-state branches.

“I’d remember if we had,” he returned with a smile that did wicked things to her libido.

“My mistake,” she excused, irritated to hear how breathless the words sounded. She cleared her throat and plastered on her brightest smile. “Are you with Braverment?”

“No. Old man Braverment is a friend of the family and he suggested I drop in. I’m actually here looking for capital. A few investors interested in a new app platform to integrate social media.” He flashed her a smile so wicked with charisma she figured he raked in investments like crazy.

Amazing. Even boring investment talk sounded sexy in that delicious accent. Pretending her knees weren’t wobbling, she asked, “Are you enjoying the party?”

“I appreciate the view,” he returned. His voice was as sexy as his face. Husky and low, making her think of magnolia blossoms and mint juleps, silk sheets and naked bodies. Maya wished it were a little cooler on the patio, since her body was feeling very, very hot.

He nodded toward the doors leading to the Christmas festivities, and asked, “How about you? Are you having a good time?”

The tiny hairs on the back of Maya’s neck stood up. She didn’t know why. Other than being way too sexy for his own good, he shouldn’t make her feel threatened. Should he? She’d seen him before so he was legit, and he was gorgeous.

It was probably the gorgeous part that was setting off her warning signals. To say nothing of making her body go into sexual hyperdrive.

Once or twice, she’d thought she could have her cake and eat it, too. That she could be average and still give in to the wild, passionate side of her nature. But she’d been burned, badly. So she avoided all guys who tripped her passion meter. It’d only been a few months ago that she’d even felt safe dating a mellow, safe guy like Dave.

But this guy would not only trip the meter, he’d send it spinning out of control. Because he’d demand everything. He’d plumb the depths of passion, he’d discover untapped levels of sensuality that Maya was pretty sure were hiding beneath the surface. He had the potential to drive her straight over the edge to crazy.

But average girls who didn’t like to attract attention didn’t do crazy.

“I am enjoying the party, thanks,” she responded, shifting her tone from friendly to distant. Then she gestured toward the door. “And I should be getting back to the dance floor. They’re playing my favorite song.”

“Merry Christmas,” he called as she walked away.

Maya glanced back. Yes, his eyes were glued to her. She swallowed hard, then offered a quick smile. “Merry merry to you, too,” she said.

Whew. She bypassed the dance floor to find the ladies’ room instead. She needed cold water. Or better yet, an ice bath.

“IT WAS A GREAT EVENING, Dave, thanks so much for going to the party with me,” Maya said.

“We don’t have to end the fun yet,” he said, rubbing his hands up and down her arms in a gentle caress. “I’m still in the party mood.”

To prove his point, he zoomed in with an enthusiastic kiss. Maya sighed, leaning in to enjoy herself. This was nice, she realized. But—she pulled away with a sigh—not exciting.

What was wrong with her?

“I’d invite you in, but my roommate is waiting up,” she excused.

With that, and a quick little finger wave, she slipped through her front door, threw the lock and leaned back against it with a heavy sigh. “I hate dating.”

“It is a necessary evil,” Tiffany declared, looking all comfy in her Snuggie on the couch. Her engagement ring flashed bright in the light of the TV, declaring that while she respected the dating evil, it wasn’t a game she had to play any longer.

Which was just one of the many reasons Maya had chosen her as a roommate. She was sweet and fun and tidy. She was totally involved in her own life, so didn’t have a lot of spare time to poke into Maya’s. And best of all, she was temporary, without that being an apparent requirement.

She was also Maya’s fifth roommate in the three years she’d owned the sweet Victorian here in San Francisco. The few people at Braverment who knew her well enough to be aware of her living arrangements teased her about her bad luck with roommate turnover. Maya always played up her faux despair, secretly thrilled at how well it all worked in her favor. After all, she hated living alone, but knew that a real long-term roommate would mean an element of intimacy she couldn’t handle.

So, like everything else in her life, she kept her shared-living arrangements short and sweet. And more importantly, totally superficial.

“How was your night?” Maya asked as she shrugged out of her black velvet opera coat and hung it in the hall armoire. “TV, ice cream and a stack of bridal magazines? It looks like a good time to me.”

“Throw in a honey-oatmeal facial and call me a wild woman,” Tiffany joked.

Maya grinned, bending down to pry her darling strappy sandals off her dance-swollen feet. “You are one crazy gal.”

“You had a phone call.”

Maya’s brows shot up. How weird. Usually, if someone wanted to reach her they called her cell. The only reason she even had a landline was for internet and to give pesky telemarketers someplace to call.

“A sexy sounding guy, said his name was Caleb and that he’d get a hold of you later.”

Missing a step, Maya stumbled over her bare feet, her precious Jimmy Choos flying into the wall. She reached out to keep herself from following and took a mandatory deep breath to try and gather her thoughts.

By any standard, Maya had had an unconventional upbringing. Motherless by a year old, she’d never been a sweet little girl in the traditional sense. Instead, she’d learned the art of the three-card monte before she’d learned to read. By four, she’d learned to call up crocodile tears on command, the first time to keep her father from being arrested. She had amassed enough through computer hacking to pay her own tuition to Yale before she’d graduated high school.

So it was rare for her to be shocked.

“Caleb called?” she repeated faintly.

“You okay?” Tiffany asked, swinging her feet off the couch, concern clear on her face. “What’s wrong? Is he an ex-boyfriend? A bad guy? Should I call Mark?”

That made Maya smile. Mark was Tiffany’s fiancé—a bespeckled orthodontist who bowled on weekends—and she definitely saw him through the eyes of love. The idea of his sweet self coming up against the likes of six-foot-two, muscle-bound Caleb Black, the baddest of the bad Black boys, was a little funny.

Scary funny, but still enough to make her want to giggle.

“No,” she said, gathering her scattered composure. “No, that’s okay. Caleb isn’t any kind of threat.”

At least, not unless he mistakenly suspected her of suddenly having a yen to deal drugs. Her big brother was a badass DEA agent, usually so far undercover he probably didn’t even remember her existence. So why was he calling her? And on the house phone? The house, like the phone and everything else she had here in California, was under the name of Maya DeLongue. So how had he tracked her down?

And why? Panic shot through her, making her heart race and her ears ring. Worried sick, her mind spun from one horrible scenario to the next. In the half-dozen times she’d heard from her brother since she’d left home seven years previous, he’d always called her cell. Why would he call the house?

Was he hurt? Had something happened to Dad? To their brother, Gabriel?

“Did he say when he’d be calling back?” she asked, trying not to sound like she was going to cry. Her dad was indestructible. Superman. He had to be okay. He just had to.

“No,” Tiffany said, pushing a strand of toast-brown hair off her worry-creased forehead.

“Caller ID?”

“Unknown caller.”

Maya cursed softly. Tiffany’s frown deepened and she started chewing on her thumbnail. “I’m sorry. Should I have pushed him for more information? I didn’t want to give him your cell number, you know, just in case he was a crazy or something.”

That made her laugh. Caleb, crazy? Oh, yeah, definitely. Maya took a deep breath and shoved both hands through her heavy curls. This was ridiculous. She was overreacting. Christmas was in two weeks. He was probably just calling to wish her a happy holiday, or to see if she’d heard any news of their father.

Everyone was okay.

They had to be.

Because while she might have cut her family so far out of her life that she denied their very existence, didn’t use their name and hadn’t seen any of them in six years, they were still the most important thing in her entire world.

And, she vowed, if everybody was okay, she was going to kick Caleb’s ass for giving her such a scare.

2

MAYA SHOT STRAIGHT UP OFF her pillow, her vision obscured by a tangle of hair as she tried to figure out what had woke her.

The chirping phone answered her question.

“Hello?” she asked in a sleep-roughened tone. She’d gone to bed in the wee hours after midnight, then tossed and turned while worrying until almost five. She squinted through the dim light, noting that it was now eight. Yuck.

“Morning, Maya. How was the party?”

Her smile spread so big she was sure her ears were creasing. He sounded good. Calm, happy even. Not the tone of a man about to share bad news.

“Caleb, you brat. How’d you find me?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Maya rolled her eyes. “The house isn’t in my name. Shouldn’t that slow your kind down a little?”

“That’s child’s play for my kind.”

“So what’s the deal? You lost my cell number and needed to prove you’re not a child?”

“What? A big brother can’t call his little sister on Christmas?”

“Christmas isn’t for two weeks, you called last night and I had my yearly call from you back in July. Seriously, what’s going on?”

Not that Maya cared. She adored her big brother, so any reason to hear from him, barring injury or bad news, was good by her.

Almost giddy with delight, she plumped one of her half-dozen pillows behind her and pulled the silk sheet high over her Garfield T-shirt. These days Caleb was her only connection with her family. And he made that connection very rarely. So this was a treat to be savored.

Their middle brother, Gabriel, was like a ghost. He flitted in and out at will to remind them that he existed, but was rarely heard from and even more rarely seen. Unlike Caleb, who flitted because he was undercover DEA, nobody knew what Gabriel did. But his disdain for law enforcement was so deeply entrenched, Maya knew he wasn’t undercover anything. Unless it was under some woman’s covers, she thought with a grin.

Their father, on the other hand, was easy to find. Ensconced in Black Oak, California, he ruled the little town at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains like a benevolent despot. He had no place in the town government, he ran a custom motorcycle shop instead of a bank or big business and he had a hazy history other than being a descendant of the town’s founder. But he was still the man in charge, and everyone in Black Oak knew it.

Dynamic, charming and ruthless, Tobias Black was a force to be reckoned with.

Her smile faded, a little tug of pain aching in her chest.

As she settled back in preparation for the big news, Dottie, the cat who’d adopted her eight months before, jumped up on the bed. She curled around a couple times, making the down comforter puff before she settled on Maya’s stomach with a purring sort of sigh.

“What’s the big deal that inspired a holiday phone call?” Maya prodded as she rubbed the cat’s chin. The adorable black-and-white face lifted for better scratching access.

“I’m back in Black Oak,” Caleb told her.

Maya’s smile dropped away and her fingers stilled. Her stomach jumped before taking a slow, swirling dive down to her bare toes. The room tilted and her brain scrambled. Was this some kind of code? Was Caleb being held prisoner by a drug-crazed lunatic and this was his goodbye call? Was there a hint in his words that she was supposed to use to save him?

“Quit hyperventilating,” he chided, as if he were reading her mind. “I’m here by choice. Well, now I am. I came back as a favor to a friend and sort of got hooked.”

She wanted to ask if he’d seen their father. But she knew he had. Nobody came through town without Tobias knowing, and he wouldn’t let Caleb come and go without a confrontation.

She wanted to ask how Dad was. How he looked and if he’d aged. Was he still pining after that horrible bitch, Greta? Or had he finally accepted the idiocy of falling for a woman so fake she’d have smiled and batted her false lashes while she shivved him in his sleep?

Did he miss his daughter? Even a little?

Her stomach churning, Maya twisted her sheet between her fingers, the slick fabric bunching in puffs as she thought of seeing her dad again. How did Caleb feel about it?

Before she could ask, hell, before she could even figure out exactly what question to ask, Caleb continued.

“I’m engaged. To, you know, get married.”

Shock slammed through Maya. She made a squeaking sound. Dottie rolled onto her back, batting at Maya like she was looking for the rubber mouse that’d made that noise. Before Maya could come up with a response, before she could think to ask who’d be crazy enough, or amazing enough, to capture her big brother’s heart, he continued.

“And I’m moving back permanently.”

Her next squeak was a pitch higher. Moving? Back? No way. Usually lightning-fast, her brain struggled to accept what he was saying. Dottie—apparently deciding that if it wasn’t a toy making the noise, she wasn’t interested—padded to the foot of the bed where she curled around herself in a ball of black and white fur.

“I can’t believe…”

“There’s more.”

More? What more? Her big, bad brother, the man who avoided real life to the point that he spent most of his pretending to be other people, was tying himself to another person—and their hometown—for the rest of his life?

Her head spinning like she was on an amusement park ride, Maya made a noise for him to continue.

“I’ve taken on the temporary post of Sheriff.”

Maya couldn’t even squeak this time because her jaw had dropped in shock. She pressed her hand to her churning stomach, wondering if this particular ride was going to make her throw up.

“Maya?”

Staring blindly at her rich purple bedroom wall, she gave a humming sort of response.

“Maya? C’mon. Say something.”

She opened her mouth to respond, then had to swallow. She cleared her throat, pulled the phone away to check the caller ID, which claimed Unknown, and shook her head again.

“My little sister—the chatterbox of North America—with nothing to say?”

“Fine,” she snapped, hating that nickname. She’d worked hard all her life to control her chattering impulses and Caleb knew it. “Who are you and what have you done with my real brother?”

His laugh was rich and warm, coming through the phone and wrapping around her like a brotherly hug.

“It’s a good thing. It’s all good.” He sounded… Maya squinted in the morning light, trying to figure it out. He sounded content. Why the hell would he want to be content?

“I wanted to tell you and…” He trailed off, sounding a little unsure for the first time since she’d spied on him while he asked the head cheerleader on a date. If Maya recalled correctly, Caleb had been fourteen to the cheerleader’s seventeen. And he’d tied Maya to a kitchen chair the night he’d gone on the date to keep her from following.

She wondered if he ever found out that Gabriel had freed her so they could both spy on him, then had covered her eyes and hauled her back home when it appeared that big brother was going to score.

Was it any wonder she couldn’t settle for a guy? None could ever live up to the men in her family.

“And, what?” she prodded, not sure she was ready to hear it but figuring he needed to share. Probably something sappy and sentimental about their father. Begging her to come home, to reconcile. “You’ve already sent me into a state of absolute shock. Believe me, big brother, there isn’t much left you can say to top you’re back home, engaged to a real woman and leaving the DEA to be a small-town sheriff news.”

But her heart pounded anyway. Maya shoved a hand through her hair, wincing when she hit sleep-roughened snarls.

Overcome, she threw the covers back, not realizing until she heard an angry meow that she’d buried the cat in down and silk. She flipped the covers off Dottie and stormed out of her room toward the kitchen. She needed a drink.

“Well, here’s the thing. I’m hoping you’ll come home. Just to visit. I know you have no reason to want to see Dad, or anyone in Black Oak. But I hope you’ll consider it. Pandora’s mom is throwing a party. Some big to-do to celebrate our engagement. I don’t want it. Pandora doesn’t want it, but Cassiopeia is insisting and Dad’s backing her.”

Conflicted over the idea of going home—of seeing her family for the first time in years—Maya paused in the act of squeezing the chocolate syrup into a tall glass of full-fat milk to frown. “Cassiopeia? The psychic?”

Caleb’s sigh was so loud she was surprised it didn’t ruffle her hair through the phone.

“Is your fiancée woo-woo, too?” Maya teased. Then, realizing her glass was now half chocolate to half milk, she quickly uprighted the squeeze bottle and closed the lid. She considered the glass of sugar-overload, then considered this phone call and grabbed a spoon to stir.

“Pandora’s more a student of human nature with woo-woo overtones,” he said. Her glass halfway to her lips, Maya lowered it and sighed as a wave of happiness enveloped her. He sounded so in love. Not gooey, but just really happy and filled with a joy she’d never thought her big, tough brother could feel.

“So, you know, I get it if you don’t want to come back for the party. I don’t blame you and honestly don’t know if I’d come back if the situation was reversed. But I wanted to tell you about it.”

Blinking fast to keep the tears at bay, Maya set her glass back on the counter, untouched. No point ruining fabulously chocolate milk with salt.

“You’d have come back,” she said quietly. “A chance to play big brother, flex those muscles and boss me around a little? You’d have done it in a heartbeat.”

He laughed, but didn’t deny her words. Because for all that Caleb had spent a whole bunch of years lying for a living, he was a painfully honest man.

And he was her big brother. Getting married. Maya grabbed the glass and took a big gulp, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Is Gabriel coming?” she hedged.

“Can’t reach him. You know how it is, he’s probably in the middle of some big scam and flying under the radar.”

Unlike Caleb, who’d taken the complete opposite route as their con-artist father and gone into law enforcement, and Maya, who tried to pretend her father and his criminal habits didn’t exist, Gabriel embraced his heritage. She was pretty sure he was determined to outdo their father’s rep before he was thirty.

“Look, you’re still pissed at Dad,” Caleb said quietly.

Maya winced, wishing like crazy he’d be a typical guy and avoid the tough discussion.

“Actually, I am, too. But if you can’t get past it, I’ll understand. Pandora and I will take a weekend and come up to San Francisco so you can meet. No pressure, you do what you feel’s right.”

With that and a murmured goodbye, he was gone.

And her world was effectively turned upside down.

“SO WHAT D’YA SAY we skip the big parties and spend New Year’s together at my place?” Dave was saying in a continuation of his campaign to take their relationship to the next level. “The two of us, a bottle of wine, a little fun.”

Maya’s smile was stiff enough to hurt her face. She was having major second thoughts about Dave. Sure, he was a nice guy. A perfect fit for her average life. Sure, he didn’t make her heart race or her body melt. But racing and melting probably weren’t average. But was it fair to lead him on if she really wasn’t interested?

Ever since Caleb had called three days ago, she’d felt like this average life was suffocating her. All the more reason not to go home. Who knew what craziness she’d crave once she was exposed to the extravagant personalities that were her family.

“Well?” Dave prompted. “Are you going to be my New Year’s date?”

What did she do? Choose average but boring? Or go back to her lonely life, hiding away in her house and staying away from any real relationship? Before she could decide, her cell phone rang. A little ashamed at how grateful she was to hear the bluesy tone, Maya offered an apologetic smile, then glanced at the readout. Shocked, her hand trembled just a little as she lifted it for a better look.

Lilah Gomez? Her best friend from high school? The lying, cheating slut who’d stolen Maya’s boyfriend?

How had she gotten Maya’s number? What the hell was she doing calling?

And why wasn’t the past staying nicely tucked away like it was supposed to?

She debated ignoring it. She had nothing to say to the woman. Then she recalled Caleb’s news about home. And her innate curiosity flared, making it impossible for her to resist.

“Excuse me,” she murmured to Dave, giving him a smile with enough charm to make him preen. “I have to take this.”

She slid out of the booth, hurrying through the brightly lit restaurant with its loud lunchtime crowd. She waited until she reached the garden enclosure just outside the restaurant before answering. “Hello?”

“Maya! Hi there. It’s me, Lilah. You know, from the good old days?”

“Is that how you remember them?” Maya mused aloud.

Lilah’s giggle was even more irritating than it’d been in the good old days.

“Your dad gave me your number. He’s hoping you’ll come home for the New Year’s Eve engagement party. I hope you do. I mean, can you believe Caleb is getting married? She’s so not worthy of a hottie like your brother. Yowza did he grow up into one delish hunk. And when he finally comes back to town, what does Pandora do? Grabs him up before anyone else gets a shot.”

Anyone else, meaning Lilah.

“Why, exactly, are you calling? You know, after eight years of absolutely no contact?” Maya wasn’t surprised that her father was keeping tabs on her. That was typical. But that he’d share anything with Lilah was a shock.

“I told you, I wanted to see if you were coming back for the engagement party. We have so much to catch up on. I want to hear all about your life, and I know you’re dying to hear about mine,” she said. Then, clearly not wanting Maya to die of curiosity, she started filling her in on the past eight years.

Tuning her out while she tried to figure out the angle Lilah was playing, Maya’s eyes swept the restaurant. Dave was happily texting away, sneaking bites of her slice of chocolate cake.

Her eyes caught on another man at the other end of the garden. She recognized the sexily tousled sun-streaked hair and wide, do-me-baby shoulders. Desire did a slow, loopy swirl deep in her belly. Was that the same gorgeous Southern stud she’d encountered at the company party? Or was she just imagining a resemblance because she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the man?

“So, you know, I’m hoping it’ll be a double celebration,” Lilah was babbling.

“Sorry, what?” Maya asked, standing on tiptoes and craning her neck around the jungle of plants to see if it really was him. Yes, the man was off-limits due to his gorgeousness, his sexual magnetism and the fact that she was pretty sure she couldn’t be in proximity to him for more than forty-five minutes and not jump his bones. A bad idea for a woman trying to contain her wilder impulses. But still… She had the right to enjoy the view.

“Double engagement,” Lilah clarified, her words syrup sweet. “Caleb and Pandora. Me and Tobias. You know, your father.”

Maya’s jaw dropped. So did her feet as she fell from her tiptoes and almost landed on her butt. Knees like jelly, she reached out to grab the wall.

“No,” she breathed.

“Oh, yes,” Lilah said, her delight reaching through the line like a slap to Maya’s face.

“No,” she blurted out. “My father wouldn’t do that.”

He couldn’t. Hadn’t he learned anything from Greta the Grinch? The woman had used him, had tried to ruin him. She’d destroyed his life. Through her little hacking habit, Maya had kept track of Greta, finding comfort in the fact that her father had ended things with the bitch a few months after Maya had left home.

And now he was seeing Lilah Gomez? Had he fallen into senility? What the hell was wrong with the man?

“Poor Maya. I promise, I won’t make you call me momma,” Lilah said with a giggle. “But this will be so fun, won’t it? Your dad, he’s just so dreamy. And rich, of course. I love the power he holds over the town, too. That’s so sexy in a man, don’t you think?”

The only thing Maya thought was that she might be sick.

“He’d have to be crazy to go down this path again,” she muttered. Was he trying to ruin his life again?

“Crazy in love. I mean, he hasn’t asked yet,” Lilah acknowledged reasonably. But Maya knew her well enough to recognize the gleeful spite in her tone. “But he will, eventually. I mean, think of everything I have to offer. And Caleb’s engagement party is the perfect time, too. You know, New Year, new life. New wife.”

Her giggle was like nails on a chalkboard to Maya’s nerves.

“Too bad you’re all alone,” Lilah crooned. “Is that why you’ve avoided coming home all these years? Because you didn’t want everyone to ask questions about the lack of a guy in your life? Your dad said you were single. Still. That’s too bad. Maybe I can fix you up with someone when you get here?”

“I don’t need—”

Before she could reject Lilah’s offer, the other woman’s mouth was off and running, listing the variety of losers she figured might condescend to a date.

“Then there’s Marty Lankin. You remember him? Played tuba in the marching band. He moved back in with his mom last month after his gastric bypass and he’s ready to start dating,” Lilah continued.

Maya’s knees wobbled. What could be worse? Going home to the emotional pain and stress of seeing the father who’d betrayed her? Or touring the dregs of the Black Oak dating pool to affirm Lilah’s assurance that Maya was a loser?

No way in hell she was going back.

Maya’s heart sank as she shoved her hand through her hair.

This was her father, though. He might have let her down, he might have disappointed her. He was a criminal, a con and now apparently a lech. But that didn’t mean he deserved the likes of Lilah Gomez.

“I’ve got to go,” she muttered, disconnecting over the other woman’s protests.

Maya didn’t know how long she stood there with her fist clenched around the now-dead phone. The jungle of plants was a big green blur and her mind was filled with the sound of her own harsh breathing.

Finally, with a quick shake of her head and a couple of deep breaths, she forced herself to saunter back into the restaurant, putting a little extra swing into her hips as she did. Dave’s gaze locked on her like a missile on a target.

See. She didn’t need to be fixed up with momma’s boy losers who lived in their parents’ basements. Grateful to Dave for saving her ego, she gave him an extra-warm smile.

He responded with a loud gulp.

“Maybe we can do something special after the party this weekend,” he suggested.

“This weekend?”

“It’s my company’s Christmas party,” he reminded her. “I’ve got to go. Big promotion in the works, appearances count and all that. You’re still going with me, right?”

A loud, raucous party filled with people she didn’t know? Or preparing to go home and face her past, with all its nasty little demons and emotional pitfalls.

“Of course I’m going with you,” she gushed. “There’s nothing I’d rather do.”

SIMON DIDN’T KNOW EXACTLY what Maya’s intentions were, but she was definitely a woman on a mission. From what he’d overheard at lunch the previous week, Tobias was up to something new. Something she wasn’t happy about.

He wondered if that had anything to do with the news he’d gotten two days ago. An ATF connection of his had let it slip that there were a slew of stolen guns spreading through Northern California. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms had narrowed the epicenter of the leak to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Which just happened to be where Tobias Black was. Coincidence? No way in hell.

This was Simon’s shot. If he could bust Tobias Black, his career would skip the fast track and hit rocket speed. All he had to do was make a solid contact with the old guy’s daughter. She was his entrée. A couple more conversations with her and he’d be able to claim her a friend when he visited Black Oak.

As if proving she was ready to be his new best friend, Maya chose that moment to stroll in, her arm tucked into the elbow of her guy friend. Despite the party in progress, Simon could clearly see the tension in the set of her shoulders, and the way she kept her body from curving into pretty boy’s.

It shouldn’t be too hard for Simon to move himself in. A little charm, a little distraction and a little luck were all he needed to pull this off.

He timed it carefully, putting himself in Maya’s line of sight, careful to look like a guest by exchanging friendly chitchat with strangers. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her frown, satisfied when it turned to heated curiosity.

He had to wait about an hour before pretty boy left to head to the bar and refill their drinks.

Then Simon made his move. He strode over to where she stood silhouetted against the wide bank of windows.

“Hello,” he said. “We’ve met, haven’t we?”

It was a lame line, but he was interested in seeing what she’d do with it. Gold eyes considered him for a second, then she nodded. “You were at the Braverment party last week, weren’t you? I’m Maya.”

“Simon Harris,” he introduced himself, using one of his covers. Then to put her at ease, he spent the next five minutes making idle chitchat.

Mid talk about the party and the potential for investors, they heard a soft chime over the music.

“Excuse me,” she said with an apologetic smile. Pulling her phone from her tiny purse, she glanced at the screen. The blood drained from her face, making her look like a wax doll in a horror movie.

“Are you okay?” Simon asked, quickly moving to her side. He glanced at the screen and winced. Having seen plenty of pictures of Tobias Black, he easily recognized the man in the photo. The brunette plastered over his chest like a wet T-shirt was new to him, but Simon figured no daughter wanted to see her father being used as a stripper pole.

A text flashed across the screen next.

Aren’t we a cute couple?

Well, now, that was interesting. Simon watched as red heat washed over Maya’s previously ashy complexion. Fury? The pictured coupledom clearly didn’t sit well with her.

“Friend of yours?” he asked, knowing it was a risk to get so personal. But he figured she was pissed enough to ignore the impropriety in her need to vent.

Maya shifted her glare from the phone to his face. She shook her head like she was trying to toss off the anger. “An idiot determined to ruin his life, is more like it.”

Perfect opening.

“That is a shame,” he said, leaning in just a little more. Not for the job this time. But because he liked feeling the warmth of her, seeing her golden eyes dilate so they were almost all black, and hearing her breath catch in such a sexy little way. Nice to know he could pull her out of her anger.

Then, as if knowing Maya’s attention had shifted, her phone chimed again.

They both looked down.

Simon frowned. What the hell? It was a picture of a wedding dress.

“Oh, hell no,” she hissed. Muttering cursewords under her breath, her fingers flew over the tiny keyboard at the speed of light.

He watched the text fly into the ether, excitement stirring in his gut.

“So you’re going home this weekend?” he asked, his tone as innocent as he could make it. “Where’s home?”

Maya wasn’t paying him any attention, though. Her gaze flew over the crowd until she gave a little hum. Then she absently patted Simon’s arm and said, “Excuse me.”

Shit. Just like that, she was gone. She didn’t even bother with a backward glance. Simon’s ego screamed almost as loud a protest as his body at the loss of her floral-scented warmth.

Dammit. He wasn’t finished yet. He needed to make a stronger contact. To get some information that he could drop into casual conversation that’d lead her father to believe that the two of them were really friends. He watched her stride away, trying to decide if that had been a good contact or a wasted one. Your daughter hated the girly accessory you were wearing in that photo wasn’t much of a topic starter.

DESPERATE FURY PROPELLED Maya across the dance floor and through the throngs of people surrounding the bar. Anger and worry duked it out in her belly as she thought of that picture. Tobias was a brilliant man, except when it came to women.

She couldn’t stand it. No way she could let her father suffer a lifetime, or even another month, with the likes of Lilah Gomez.

“Dave?” She offered her date a bright smile that was only a little shaky with nerves, and tilted her head toward the patio. “Do you have a second?”

Frowning at either the nerves in her tone or the fact that she’d interrupted his golf story, he gave his work buddies a be-right-back gesture. Taking her hand, he led her into the relative quiet of the atrium. “What’s up? You look a little tense.”

Maya almost winced. Oops. Tense wasn’t the kind of thing that made a guy want to run off for a wild weekend of family stress. She forced herself to smile, bright and cheery like she wasn’t ready to scream. Or cry.

Remembering her father’s basic rule of the con, distraction, she ran her hand up and down Dave’s arm in a gentle caress. He leaned into her body as if ready to let her take those strokes in any number of other directions.

“I just found out I have to take a trip,” she told him.

“Now?”

“No, for New Year’s,” she explained. Sliding her fingers down his arm, she trailed them over the back of his hand to play with his fingers. His eyes blurred satisfyingly. “I was hoping you’d want to go with me. You were saying you wanted to spend more time together. I thought this might be a fun way.”

“The two of us? Go away together?” His grin was huge as he pulled her into his arms and gazed down at her face like he’d just snagged a fab Christmas present. “I’m in. Just say when and where.”

“I’d planned to leave the day after Christmas,” she explained. She let herself relax into his body as if confirming his assumptions of just what kind of entertainment that trip would include. But fairness demanded she share, “I’m going back to my hometown. My brother just got engaged and is having a big party for New Year’s. I haven’t been back in years, and everyone is going to be really excited to meet my boyfriend.”

She lost him a little more with each word she spoke. His arms stiffened and he slowly leaned away from her body. Clearly that translated to horror and damnation in guy-talk. It was like watching the fog roll over the Golden Gate.

This, she realized, was yet more proof as to why she’d sucked as a con artist. She could have just led him on. Let him think they were off for some kinky sex fun and then used that lure to keep him at arms’ length during the trip. But no, she had to be all honest and crap. She felt like smacking herself in the forehead.

“Look. Maya. Um…” He looked around desperately, as if hoping someone would come and rescue him. Then he grimaced and told her. “I like you. I’d like to go to bed with you. But that’s it. Nothing personal, but I’m not a meet-the-family kind of guy.”

“But—”

“Look, I’ve got to get back inside.” Clearly torn between running away in a commitment-phobic hurry and being a polite date, his gaze bounced between the door with its freedom, and her face. “Can you… Um… I need to go.”

She debated trying to save the situation, but realized it was pointless. She couldn’t lie. She didn’t feel strongly enough about him to take things to the next level. Not even to save her father.

“I’ll see myself home,” Maya said, her words as heavy as her shoulders. “Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s not you,” he claimed.

Before he could pitch the worn-out spiel, she waved him away. If she hadn’t been so upset already, the speed at which he gratefully scurried off would have done serious damage to her ego.

This sucked. Swearing she could feel the wind from Dave’s speedy retreat, she paced the cement walkway of the atrium. With its impeccable timing, her phone chose that second to chime. Like a reluctant witness to a train wreck, she forced herself to look at this round of horrible text news.

I told everyone you’re coming. We’re all so excited to see you. I’ve even got a date for you on your first night home. We’ll double.

“Just shoot me, it’d be less painful,” she muttered.

“But such a waste.”

Shocked, Maya jumped and gave a tiny scream. She spun around, one hand trying to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest, and glared.

Simon Harris. The Southern-fried sex muffin.

“Where’d you come from?” she asked, desperately hoping he hadn’t overhead Dave’s rejection.

“I saw your friend inside,” he told her, tilting his head toward the bar where Dave was back, chatting with his friends. “You seemed upset earlier, so I figured I’d check on you. Make sure you’re okay.”

He was so sweet. Maya sniffed, trying to contain the emotional overload of the night.

“So how about I cheer you up?” he said in that jovial tone guys used to try and get past emotional scenes. “What are your holiday plans? A big family get-together, I’ll bet?”

That was the wrong thing to say, though. His words were the last straw. Tears gushed, frustration tangling with a sudden burst of homesickness.

Looked like the night actually could get worse.

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