From New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery comes the story of secret desires finally fulfilled…

After a family tragedy, former football hero Jack McGarry keeps the world at arm’s length—a challenge now that his PR firm has moved to neighborly Fool’s Gold, California.

Larissa Owens knows where she stands—Jack sees her as just another one of the guys. No matter what her heart wishes, Jack’s her boss, not her boyfriend. But then Larissa’s big secret is revealed…by her mother!

When Jack discovers the truth about Larissa’s feelings, her touch suddenly becomes tantalizing, and he’s not sure he wants to resist. But if he gives in to desire, heartache is sure to follow. Friendship or true love—will Jack go for the ultimate play?

Praise for New York Times bestselling author

Susan Mallery

“This book is a dynamite read filled with humor, compassion and sexy sizzle.”

—RT Book Reviews on Three Little Words,

Top Pick!

“Both smile and tear inducing. Mallery is one of a kind.”

—RT Book Reviews on Two of a Kind, Top Pick!

“Mallery delivers another engaging romance in magical Fool’s Gold.”

—Kirkus Reviews on Just One Kiss

“In her second Blackberry Island novel, Mallery has again created an engrossing tale of emotional growth and the healing power of friendship as these three ‘sisters’ meet life’s challenges.”

—Library Journal on Three Sisters

“The wildly popular and prolific Mallery can always be counted on to tell an engaging story of modern romance.”

—Booklist on Summer Nights

“Mallery infuses her story with eccentricity, gentle humor, and small-town shenanigans, and readers...will enjoy the connection between Heidi and Rafe.”

—Publishers Weekly on Summer Days

“Romance novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling.”

—Booklist

“Susan Mallery is one of my favorites.”

—#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

Until We Touch

Susan Mallery

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To 2013 Fool’s Gold Co-Head Cheerleader Jayme. Meeting you last summer was a highlight of my year. You embody the spirit of Fool’s Gold—you’re sweet, you’re fun, and you have a lot of heart. Thank you for everything! This story is especially for you.

Being the “mom” of an adorable, spoiled little dog, I know the joy that pets can bring to our lives. Animal welfare is a cause I have long supported. For me that means giving to Seattle Humane. At their 2013 Tuxes and Tails fundraiser, I offered “Your pet in a romance novel.”

In this book you will meet a wonderful cat named Dyna. She’s a beautiful Ragdoll with incredible eyes and a loving, gentle disposition. Her family was one of two auction winners, and this is her story.

One of the things that makes writing special is interacting in different ways with people. Some I talk to for research. Some are readers who want to talk characters and story lines, and some are fabulous pet parents. Dyna’s family is devoted to her. I loved hearing all the stories about her life. What a sweetie! She’s such a beautiful cat that she inspired a series of humorous conversations between my heroine and her new cat. Larissa, my human heroine, is a little nervous about measuring up to Dyna’s beauty. :)

My thanks to Dyna’s family, to Dyna herself and to the wonderful people at Seattle Humane (www.seattlehumane.org). Because every pet deserves a loving family.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

EXTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

“YOU KNOW WHY I’m here.”

Mrs. Nancy Owens made the statement with a firm voice and an unyielding stare. All of which were impressive.

Unfortunately for Jack McGarry, he didn’t have a clue as to what she was talking about.

He knew a lot of things. He knew the L.A. Stallions wouldn’t get to the Super Bowl this year, that his right shoulder ached when it was going to rain, that there was a saucy merlot waiting in his kitchen and that while every part of his being wanted to bolt right now rather than have this conversation, he couldn’t. Because Mrs. Owens was Larissa’s mother and even if she wasn’t, she was old enough to be his mother and he’d been raised better.

“Ma’am?”

Mrs. Owens sighed. “I’m talking about my daughter.”

Right. But the woman had three. “Larissa?”

“Of course Larissa. Who else? You moved your business to this godforsaken town and my daughter moved with you and now she’s here.”

An excellent recap, he thought, struggling to find the point.

“You don’t like Fool’s Gold,” he said, stating what was probably the obvious.

“I neither like nor dislike the town.” Her tone implied he was an idiot. “That’s not the point. Larissa is here.”

He knew that, what with signing her paycheck—figuratively rather than literally—and seeing her every day. But Mrs. Owens already knew that, too.

“She is here...with you.” Mrs. Owens sighed heavily. “She loves her job.”

Okay, fine. He was willing to admit it. He was just an average guy. Maybe a little taller, with a used-to-be-better throwing arm and a strong desire to win, but at his heart, he was pretty much like every other beer-drinking, truck-driving man in America. Ignoring, of course, the merlot in his refrigerator and the Mercedes in his garage.

Nancy Owens, an attractive woman in her early fifties, smacked her hands palm down on the table and groaned. “Do I have to spell it out for you?”

“Apparently so, ma’am.”

“Larissa is twenty-eight years old, you moron. I want her to get married and give me grandchildren. That is never going to happen while she’s working for you. Especially not after moving here. I want you to fire her. That way she’ll move back to Los Angeles, find someone decent to marry and settle down.”

“Why can’t she do that here?”

Mrs. Owens sighed the sigh of those blessed with intelligence and insight most could only aspire to.

“Because, Mr. McGarry, I’m reasonably confident my daughter is in love with you.”

* * *

LARISSA OWENS STARED at the blue-eyed cat standing in the center of her small apartment. Dyna was an eight-year-old Ragdoll, with big, beautiful eyes, a sweet face and a thick coat. She had white fur on her chest and front paws and bits of gray on her face. She was the cat equivalent of a supermodel. It was kind of intimidating.

Larissa’s instinct was always to rescue. Cats, dogs, butterflies, people. It didn’t matter which. She knew her friends would claim she jumped in without thinking, but she wasn’t willing to admit that. At least not without prompting. So when she’d heard about a cat in need of a home, she’d offered to take her in. She just hadn’t thought she would be so gorgeous.

“You’re a little overwhelming,” Larissa admitted as she crossed to the small kitchen and put water into a bowl. “Should I dress better now that we’re roommates?”

Dyna glanced at her, as if taking in the yoga pants and T-shirt that were Larissa’s work wardrobe, then continued to explore the small apartment. She sniffed the sofa, checked out corners, studied the full-size mattress in the bedroom and totally ignored the small bathroom.

“Yeah, I know,” Larissa said, putting the water on a place mat by the back door and then trailing after her. “The bathroom is really tiny.”

There wasn’t a counter—just a pedestal sink, a toilet and a stall shower.

Okay, so the apartment wasn’t grand. Larissa didn’t need much. Besides, the place was clean and the rent was cheap. That left her with more of her paycheck to give to her causes. Because there was always a cause.

“The windowsills are wide and you’ll get a lot of light,” Larissa told the cat. “The morning sun is really nice.”

The small apartment came with one unexpected feature—a laundry room. She’d tucked Dyna’s litter box next to the dryer. The cat perused the facilities, then jumped lightly onto the kitchen counter and walked to the sink. She glanced at Larissa, her gaze expectant.

Larissa knew this was why she’d always resisted actually adopting an animal before. She’d told herself it was her lifestyle—that she was so focused on saving them all that she couldn’t be with just one. But in her heart, she’d been afraid she simply didn’t have it in her. Now, as she stared into big blue eyes, she knew she’d been right.

“What?” she asked softly. “If you just tell me what you want, I’ll do it.”

Dyna looked at the faucet and back at her.

“From the tap?” Larissa asked, then turned on the cold water.

The cat leaned in and delicately lapped at the water. Larissa grinned in triumph. Maybe she could conquer this pet thing after all.

She waited until Dyna was done, then picked her up. The cat relaxed in her arms, gazing at her for a second, before letting her eyes slowly close. From deep inside, came a soft, rumbling purr.

“I like you, too,” Larissa told her new roommate. “This is going to be great.”

She settled Dyna on the sofa, then glanced at the clock. “I hate to bring you home and run,” she said, “but I have to get to work. It’s only for a couple of hours and then I’ll be home.” She grabbed her battered handbag and headed for the front door. “Think about what you want to watch on TV tonight. You get to pick.”

With that, she closed the door and raced down the stairs to the ground level of her apartment building, then out onto the street.

She’d only been in Fool’s Gold a few months, but she loved everything about the town. It was big enough to be thriving, and small enough that everybody knew her name. Or at least enough people to make her feel as if she belonged. She had a great job, friends and she was a comfortable 425 miles from her family.

Not that she didn’t love her parents, her stepparents, her sisters, their spouses and kids, but sometimes she felt a little overwhelmed by so much family. She hadn’t been sure about leaving Los Angeles, but now she knew it had been the right thing to do. Her mother’s two-day visit, while enjoyable, had been an intense campaign to get her to move back home.

“Not happening,” Larissa told herself cheerfully.

Ten minutes later she walked into the offices of Score, the PR firm where she worked. The foyer was huge, with high ceilings and plenty of life-size pictures on the wall. There was a photo of the four principles of the firm, but the rest of the wall space was devoted to all things Jack, Kenny and Sam.

The three guys had been NFL stars. Sam had been a winning kicker, Kenny a record-breaking receiver and Jack was the brilliant and gifted quarterback.

There were pictures of them in action on game day and others of them at various star-studded events. They were smart, successful, good-looking guys, who didn’t mind exploiting themselves for the betterment of their company. Taryn, their lone female partner, kept them in line—something of a challenge, considering the egos she was dealing with. Larissa was Jack’s personal assistant. She was also the guys’ private masseuse.

She enjoyed both aspects of her job. Jack was easy to work for and not overly demanding. Best of all, he supported her causes and let her manage all his charitable giving. As for being the company masseuse—each of the men had played a rough sport professionally. They all had injuries and ongoing pain. She knew where they hurt and why and when she got it right, she made them feel better.

Now she headed directly for her office. She had phone calls to return. There would be a Pro-am golf tournament in Fool’s Gold in a few weeks. She had to coordinate Jack’s schedule with the publicity folks from the tournament. Later she would go over requests from a charity that helped families with a member in need of an organ donation—the cause Jack supported the most. Sometimes he was asked to reach out to a family personally. Other times he provided direct funding for the family to stay near a child in the hospital. He’d done PSAs and been in several print and internet campaigns. Larissa was his point of contact. She could gauge how much he was willing to do at any given time and when it was better for him to simply write a check.

Her other duties were of a more personal nature. He was between girlfriends, so there were no gifts to buy or flowers to send. Because, in that respect, Jack was a fairly typical guy. He liked women and they liked him back. Which meant there was a steady stream of them through his life. Lucky for him, his parents lived on the other side of the world. So he didn’t have a mother demanding that he settle down and produce grandchildren.

She’d barely taken her seat when Jack walked into her office.

“You’re late,” he told her, sitting across from her and stretching out his long legs. His words sounded more like a statement than a complaint.

“I told you I would be. I had to see my mother off and then go pick up Dyna.”

One dark eyebrow rose. “Dyna?”

“My new cat.” She rested her elbows on her desk. “I told you about her, remember?”

“No.”

Which was so like Jack. “That’s because you weren’t listening.”

“Very possibly.”

“She’s a rescue.”

“What else would she be?”

She waited for him to say more or tell her why he was here. There was only silence. The kind of silence that she understood as clearly as words.

She’d first been hired in 2010 when Jack had left the L.A. Stallions and joined Score. He’d been a silent partner since the firm’s inception and Larissa would love to know how Taryn had reacted to Jack changing from the guy who had fronted her the cash to an actual working member of the team. She would guess there had been fireworks. Or maybe not. Jack and Taryn had a past.

Larissa had graduated from college with plans to work for a nonprofit. Paying jobs in her chosen field had been impossible to find and she’d quickly learned she couldn’t support herself on volunteer work. So she’d gone looking for another job.

She wasn’t the type of person who enjoyed faceless corporations and had settled into waitressing while putting herself through massage school. Then a friend had told her about a job as a personal assistant at a PR firm. That had sounded like a better paying option than her shifts at the diner.

Her interview had been with Taryn. It had lasted two hours and had ended with words that Larissa had never forgotten.

“Jack is a good-looking guy with beautiful eyes and a great ass. But make no mistake. He’s not interested in more than a couple of nights with any given woman. If you fall for him, you’re an idiot. Still interested?”

Larissa had been intrigued. Then she’d met Jack and she’d been forced to admit Taryn hadn’t been lying about Jack’s appeal. She’d taken one look at his studly manliness and had felt the shivers clear down to her toes. But instead of flirting with her, the former quarterback had rubbed his shoulder and sworn.

She’d recognized the pain and reacted instinctively. She’d dug her fingers into the scarred and tense muscles, all the while explaining that she was only a few weeks away from graduating from massage school. She’d gotten a job offer thirty seconds later.

In the past four years Larissa had become a part of the Score family. By the end of the second week, she’d ceased to see Jack as anything but her boss. Six months later, they were a good team and close friends. She regularly chided him about his choices in women, made sure he used ice and anti-inflammatories when his shoulder acted up and offered a daily massage to any of “the boys” and Taryn. She loved her job and she loved that they’d moved to Fool’s Gold. She had a new kitty waiting at home. Life was very, very good.

She returned her attention to Jack and waited. Because that was the kind of silence in the room. The one that said he had something to tell her.

“You seeing anyone?”

The question surprised her. “You mean like a man?”

He shrugged. “You never said you dated women, but sure. Either sex will do.”

“I’m not dating right now. I haven’t met anyone in town and besides, I’m too busy.”

“But it would be a guy?”

Amusement danced in his dark eyes.

Jack was one of those men blessed by the gods. Tall, handsome, athletic, charming. He pretty much had it all. What very few people knew was that there were demons he carried around with him. He blamed himself for something that wasn’t his fault. A trait Larissa could relate to, because she did it to herself all the time.

“Yes, it would be a guy.”

“Good to know.” He continued to study her. “Your mother is worried about you.”

Larissa slumped back in her seat. “Tell me she didn’t talk to you. Tell me!”

“She talked to me.”

“Crap. I knew it. She stopped by, didn’t she? I knew there was something going on.” Her mother was nothing if not determined. “Let me guess. She wanted to know if I was seeing anyone. I hope you told her you didn’t know. Or did you tell her I was? Because that would seriously help.”

“She didn’t ask me if you were seeing anyone.”

“Oh.” She straightened. “What did she ask?”

“She wants me to fire you so you’ll move back to Los Angeles, fall in love, get married and give her grandchildren.”

Larissa felt heat flare on her cheeks. Humiliation made it hard to think, let alone come up with something reasonably intelligent to say.

“She already has two married daughters,” she muttered. “Why can’t she leave me alone?”

“She loves you.”

“She has a funny way of showing it. Are you going to fire me?”

Jack raised both brows this time.

She drew in a breath. “I’ll take that as a no. I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to keep her away from here. The good news is Muriel is due in three months and the new baby will be a distraction.” In the meantime Larissa would figure out a way to convince her mother that she’d moved to Borneo.

“Anything else?” she asked.

“Yeah, there is. Your mother said you’re never going to settle down and get married because you’re secretly in love with me.”

* * *

JACK HADN’T KNOWN how Larissa was going to react, but he’d guessed it would be a show. She didn’t disappoint. Her face went from red to white and back to red. Her mouth opened and closed. With her jaw tightly clenched, she muttered something like “I’m going to kill her,” but he couldn’t be sure.

Nancy Owens’s words had hit him like a linebacker. Larissa in love with him? Impossible. For one thing, she knew him better than anyone except Taryn and to know him was to understand he was all flash and no substance. For another, he needed her. Love meant a relationship and having a relationship meant she would eventually leave. No. There was no way Larissa could be in love with him.

But he’d been unable to shake the words and had realized he had to get the truth from the only person who actually knew.

Larissa drew in a breath. “I don’t love you. We’re friends. I like working for you, and the charity work is terrific, and I know you have my back, but I’m not in love with you.”

Relief eased the tension in Jack’s always aching right shoulder. He kept his expression neutral.

“You sure?” he asked.

“Yes. Positive.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m pretty hot. I could understand you having a thing for me. You’ve seen me naked. Now that I think about it, your reaction is inevitable.” He sighed. “You love me. Admit it.”

Larissa’s mouth twitched. “Jack, you’re not all that.”

“But I am. Remember that fan who had my face tattooed on her breast? And the one who begged me to father her child? And the woman in Pittsburgh who wanted me to lick her—”

Larissa rested her arms on the desk and dropped her head to her arms. “Stop. You have to stop.”

“Stronger women than you have been unable to resist my charms.”

“In your dreams.”

“No. Apparently in yours.”

She looked at him then, her blue eyes wide, her mouth smiling. “I give.”

“In the end, they all do.”

The smile faded. “I’m sorry about my mother. She shouldn’t have said that. I swear I am not, nor will I ever be, in love with you. I love my job and you’re a big part of that. But we’re friends, right? That’s better. Besides, you have terrible taste in your ‘let’s end this now’ gifts.”

“Which is why I let you buy them.” He hesitated a second. “We’re good?”

“The best.” Her smile returned.

The last of his worry faded. This was the Larissa he knew. All funny and earnest. Hair pulled back in a ponytail and not a speck of makeup on her face. She wore yoga pants and T-shirts and always had some cause to discuss with him. She believed the world was worth saving and he didn’t mind if she used his money to try. They made a good team. He didn’t want to have to do without her and having her love him...Well, that would have changed everything.

* * *

JO’S BAR WAS the kind of place you’d only find in a quirky small town. From the outside, it looked perfectly normal, but the second you stepped inside, you knew that this was a bar unlike any other.

For one thing, it was well lit. There were no dark shadows, no questionable stains on the floor. The colors were girl-friendly mauve and yellow, the windows were uncovered and the big TVs were always tuned to the Style Network or Project Runway.

Larissa walked inside. She saw the countdown sign that pointed out the number of days until the new season of Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team started and grinned. Yup, life was different here and she liked it.

She glanced around and saw her friends in a booth by the windows. They looked up and waved her over.

When she’d first decided to leave Los Angeles for Fool’s Gold, she’d been nervous about starting over. What if she didn’t fit in? What if she couldn’t make friends? But those fears had been groundless, she thought as she waved back and crossed to the big table.

“I saved you a seat,” Isabel said, patting the empty space beside her. “You’re just in time to join the debate about whether we’re going to order nachos for the table and have margaritas and pretend we don’t have to get back to work or if we’re going to be good and order regular lunches and drink iced tea.”

Larissa settled in the chair. She glanced at Taryn and grinned. “My vote depends on my boss. If she’s drinking, I’m all in.”

Because right now, a drink sounded great.

What had her mother been thinking? The same question had circled in her brain for much of the morning. Talk about humiliating and inappropriate. As soon as she’d calmed down and could talk about it rationally, she was going to have a very long chat with her mother.

She was lucky that Jack had handled the situation with his usual easy charm, but jeez. What if he’d thought her mother was telling the truth? She didn’t want to think about it.

Love Jack? She had flaws but being an idiot wasn’t one of them. Besides, they were a great team. She would never mess with that.

“You okay?” Taryn asked quietly.

“Yeah. Great.”

Because faking it was much easier than telling the truth.

Taryn, ever stylish in a designer suit that probably cost more than half a year’s rent on Larissa’s apartment, tossed her menu onto the table. “What the hell. Let’s be wild.”

Dellina, a local party planner and Sam’s fiancée, tossed her menu down, as well. “I don’t have any client meetings this afternoon.”

Isabel laughed. “I have a store to run. I’d better be careful or I’ll accidentally put the new merchandise on sale.”

“I love being bad,” Taryn announced. “I just love it.”

“You’ve always been bad,” Dellina told her. “You’re the type. I can tell about these things.”

Larissa leaned back in the booth and prepared to listen. She enjoyed being around these women. They were smart, successful and yet so very different. Taryn was one of the partners at Score. While all four partners were equal owners, the three guys would admit that Taryn was just a little more equal than the rest of them. She was good at keeping her “boys” in line.

Larissa had always admired her. Taryn dressed in beautiful clothes, walked around in five-inch heels and had a handbag collection that belonged in a museum. Better than that, Taryn was a good friend.

Dellina handled events of all kinds in town. Birthday parties, weddings. A couple of months ago she’d planned and managed a big weekend event for Score’s biggest clients. She was also recently engaged to Sam.

Isabel owned Paper Moon. On one side, a clothing store, on the other, wedding gowns. All three women were professionally dressed in suits or dresses. Larissa glanced down at her yoga pants. Maybe in her next life she would inherit the fashion gene, she thought wistfully. Until then, she was going to dress for comfort and practicality.

Jo, the owner of the bar, came over and took their order. Taryn ordered nachos for the table and a pitcher of margaritas. Jo raised her eyebrows.

“Not planning to work this afternoon?” she asked.

“We’re going to see how it goes,” Taryn told her.

“I’ve heard that before.”

“She doesn’t think we’re behaving responsibly,” Dellina murmured when Jo had left.

“Then my work here is done,” Taryn said. “So what’s new with everyone?”

“I’m busy with fall clothes.” Isabel smiled. “You have to come in and see what’s new. There are some beautiful things.” She turned to Taryn. “There’s a suede jacket you’ll love.”

“I’ll come see it when we’re done here.”

Dellina shook her head. “No way I’m stopping by,” she told her friend. “You tempt me with gorgeous clothes.”

Isabel laughed. “That’s the point.”

“I’m saving my pennies.”

“For a wedding?” Larissa asked, her gaze settling on Dellina’s shiny new engagement ring.

“No. I’m going to be moving into an office. Sam’s house is great and he’s mentioned that I can set up my office there, but I think it’s time I joined the real world and had an actual office.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m kind of getting to the point where I need to hire an assistant. That means more space.”

“Wow! Good for you.” Isabel leaned over and hugged her friend. “That’s a big step. Congratulations.”

“Yes, congratulations,” Larissa said, pleased her friend was doing so well.

“You’re a tycoon,” Taryn teased. “Impressive.”

“I’m no tycoon, but I’m doing well. So what’s going on with everyone else?”

Taryn mentioned a new account Score had just signed, then all eyes turned to Larissa. She froze, painfully aware that her life wasn’t like theirs. She didn’t own her own business. In fact, there was a sameness to her days that was kind of sad. The newest thing in her life was her mother’s talk with Jack and there was no way she was mentioning that.

“I adopted a cat,” she said instead. “A lady died. She was ninety-three. Her kids couldn’t take in her cat, so I did. Her name is Dyna. She’s a Ragdoll cat. Really beautiful.”

She pulled out her phone and showed them a couple of pictures.

Dellina’s eyes widened when she saw the photograph. “She’s stunning.” Her mouth twitched. “Taryn, if she were human, she’d give you a run for your money in the fashion department.”

“I’m more impressed you committed to an animal,” Taryn told Larissa.

Isabel frowned. “I don’t get it. Larissa is always jumping into causes. That cat rescue last month was fantastic.”

Larissa squirmed in her seat. “Taryn means that I tend to give in big gestures. Saving forty cats, not adopting one.”

Jo appeared with a very large pitcher of margaritas and four glasses. She poured and said the nachos would be out shortly.

Isabel raised her glass. “To the women I adore. Thank you for getting drunk with me. One day very soon Ford and I are going to be getting pregnant and then I’ll be on a drinking hiatus.”

“Anytime,” Larissa said. She was going to add something else when Taryn slapped her hands down on the table.

“Okay,” her friend said. “Here goes. I’m getting married.”

Larissa looked at both Isabel and Dellina. They seemed equally confused by the statement.

“You’re engaged,” Larissa pointed out gently. “You have a really big ring. We all noticed.”

“Yes, but I’ve decided on a wedding. Angel and I are going to have a real wedding.”

Larissa nodded slowly. “That will be nice.”

“I’m happy to help you plan it,” Dellina added, sounding equally cautious.

“I have some gorgeous dresses I want you to come see,” Isabel told her. “Designer stuff that will make you look like a sexy fairy princess. Or a slutty one, depending on what you want.”

Taryn squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. “Really? You think it’s okay?”

Then Larissa got it. Taryn and Angel weren’t young kids. They’d both been married before. Taryn wanted the fabulous dress and traditional service, but she wasn’t sure she deserved it. Because everybody had their weak spots. Some were just better at hiding them than others.

She reached across the table and touched her friend’s hand. “You should have the biggest wedding ever. In a dress so beautiful, it will make us cry.”

Taryn’s mouth quivered. She squeezed Larissa’s fingers then shook off the emotion and reached for her margarita. “Thanks.”

Dellina reached for her bag and pulled out an appointment book. “I’ll call you in a couple of days and we’ll talk.”

Isabel turned to Larissa. “I nearly forgot. Your mom was in yesterday. She bought a dress and a handbag. She’s my new favorite person. Did you two have a nice visit?”

Larissa grabbed her margarita and took a big gulp.

“Uh-oh,” Taryn murmured. “That’s not good. I thought the visit went fine. That’s what you said this morning.”

If only, Larissa thought. “That was before I found out what my mom did.”

Her three friends stared at her. “And that would be?” Isabel prodded.

These women loved her, Larissa reminded herself. They wouldn’t laugh and point. Or if they did, it would be when she wasn’t in the room, which was almost the same thing.

“My mom went to see Jack. She asked him to fire me so I’d move back to L.A. and get married and give her grandchildren.”

Dellina frowned. “Okay, that’s not great, but it’s not horrible, either.”

“There’s more,” Larissa admitted. “She said the reason I had to leave Fool’s Gold was that I was secretly in love with Jack.”

She paused, waiting for the hysterical laughter. Or any laughter. Instead, the three women exchanged a look.

Larissa felt herself start to blush. “I’m not in love with Jack,” she insisted. “I’m not. I work for him. He’s great. But there’s nothing between us.”

“If you say so,” Isabel said knowingly.

“If Felicia were with us, she would say that the boss-secretary romance is a classic archetype,” Dellina said.

“I’m not his secretary.”

“Close enough,” Taryn told her, then picked up her drink. “If you say you’re not in love with him, then I believe you.”

Just then, Jo appeared with the nachos and the subject got dropped. Larissa reached for a chip, but found that she wasn’t the least bit hungry all of a sudden.

This was all her mother’s fault, she thought grimly. She’d opened a can of worms. Larissa was going to have to find every last one of them and put them back where they belonged.

CHAPTER TWO

BEING CALLED IN to see Mayor Marsha was a bit like playing against a rival team, without knowing anything about them, Jack thought as he headed up the stairs toward the good mayor’s office. There was always the potential for something unlikely to happen—and not in a happy way.

Mayor Marsha was California’s longest-serving mayor. Not only did she get intimately involved with the residents of her town, she seemed to know everything and no one knew how. Jack tended to be wary of people like that. He preferred life to be blurry. Honesty could be uncomfortable. Like his talk with Larissa’s mom. He could have gone his whole life without hearing those words.

Larissa had reassured him, which he appreciated, but being relieved and forgetting were two different things.

He paused outside the mayor’s office. A pretty redhead smiled up at him. “Hi, Jack. You can go on in.”

Jack nodded, thinking he should know the receptionist. He was sure he’d met her before. She was friends with Taryn and Larissa, he thought as he entered the mayor’s office.

Mayor Marsha was in her sixties, with white hair and a habit of wearing pearls. Now that he thought of it, he wasn’t sure he’d seen the woman wearing anything but a suit.

What concerned him more than her appearance, however, was her habit of getting other people to commit to things they didn’t want to do. No way he was going to be guilted into something, he told himself. He was a tough ex-jock. She was no match for him.

“Jack,” she said warmly as she stood. “Thank you so much for coming by to see me.”

“Ma’am.” He crossed to her desk and shook her hand.

She motioned to the seating arrangement in the corner. “Let’s get more comfortable.”

As they crossed the floor, he remembered something about her having been gone for a couple of weeks. “How was your vacation?” he asked.

“Very relaxing.” She settled on one of the chairs.

He took the sofa and realized immediately he was now sitting below her. Clever, he thought, respecting her power play. He was right to be wary.

“I went to New Zealand,” she continued. “Beautiful country. Did you know a lot of our skiers go there to train in the summer? Of course, it’s during their winter.”

Jack did his best to look interested as he waited for the mayor to get to the point. He hadn’t been summoned to talk about skiing.

Her gaze settled on his face. “I’ve followed your philanthropic work with some interest.”

Jack felt himself tense. He consciously relaxed and waited for her to continue.

“With the organ transplants,” she added.

Because that was his cause, he thought. Being a star with the NFL came with plenty of perks and some obligations. One was the expectation that he would take on a cause. Finding his had been easy and over his career he’d often spoken out about the importance of organ donation and transplants.

“I’m happy to help where I can,” he said easily, knowing it was true. Larissa handled the logistics and he showed up every now and then. She was able to serve a cause, which she loved, and he got to pretend he was involved. A situation that worked for both of them.

“The family connection must make it even more meaningful,” the mayor said.

Jack had known that was coming so he was able to nod. “Of course.”

“You lost a brother,” the mayor said. “Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“A twin?”

“Yes.”

An identical twin, Jack added silently. Only somewhere in utero, Lucas’s heart hadn’t formed right. Cells had misstepped or stopped dividing or something. The doctors had never been able to explain it well enough for him to understand. Or maybe they just didn’t know, he thought grimly. So one brother had been born perfectly healthy and the other...hadn’t.

Jack didn’t want to go there. He didn’t want to remember what it was like to grow up always worrying about his twin. He didn’t want to feel the guilt that came with being the one who never got sick, never felt weak, never wondered if he was going to make it to his fifth birthday or his tenth.

Jack knew where this was going now. Mayor Marsha wanted his help. Or more specifically, the money his presence would bring. She knew a family who needed help paying for surgery or finding temporary housing while their child went through a grueling but lifesaving surgery.

Easy as pie, he thought. Or in his case, as easy as telling Larissa what needed to be done.

“Who’s the family?” he asked.

The older woman smiled. “Oh, I don’t need your help with a transplant patient, Jack. It’s something else entirely. Are you aware that we have a four-year college here in town?”

The change in topic surprised him. “Uh, sure. UC Fool’s Gold.”

“Cal U Fool’s Gold, actually, but yes. They have an excellent academic reputation and they’re doing some work with UC Davis to expand the enology department.”

“The what?”

“The study of wine. Our vineyards are doing very well here and we’re starting to be known as a small but prestigious region. We’re petitioning the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to make Fool’s Gold an AVA.” She paused. “American Viticulture Area. For example, the Napa Valley is an AVA here in California. There’s also Red Mountain in Washington State. We want a Fool’s Gold AVA.”

“Okay,” Jack said slowly. “I don’t know anything about growing wine or AVAs.” Although he did enjoy a nice merlot.

“Of course you don’t,” Mayor Marsha told him. “I invited you here to discuss football.”

Jack’s head hurt from the lightning fast change in topics. The old girl sure knew how to keep a guy confused.

“You want help with your fantasy team?” he asked cautiously.

The mayor laughed. “No, but thank you for that offer. My problem is more real world than that. Cal U Fool’s Gold needs a new football coach. Well, more than that. The school needs a whole program.”

Coaching? A program? “Not my area of expertise. The athletic director handles that sort of thing, in conjunction with the chancellor and the president of the college. There are also headhunters who specialize in finding coaches.”

“All of which is being explored. However, there is a citizen advisory position on the search committee. That’s where you come in, Jack. I want you to be our citizen adviser. You’re an experienced player, you know what makes a good coach and knowing you’re helping will inspire the group. You are uniquely qualified for this. You’ve made Fool’s Gold your home. I hope you’ll be willing to give back to the community that has taken you in and made you feel welcome.”

He grinned. “You’re not even subtle with the guilt,” he said.

“I don’t see any point. We both know you’re going to agree. Sooner rather than later suits me best, but if you need to be persuaded, I can do that, too.”

“Somehow I know that would involve Taryn.”

“She is only one of many options I have at my disposal.”

“I appreciate the honesty.”

She smiled, but didn’t speak.

Jack shook his head and knew there was no point in avoiding the inevitable. “I’m sure you have better things to do with your day than manipulate me. Sure, I’ll serve on your committee. Give them my contact information.”

Mayor Marsha rose and held out her hand. “I already have. Thank you, Jack. I appreciate your volunteering.”

He shook hands with her. “You’re a scary broad, you know that, right?”

Her smile turned mischievous. “I count on it.”

* * *

LARISSA DIDN’T LIKE feeling unsettled. It wasn’t her way. When there was a problem, she dived in headfirst. If something needed saving—she was there. But as far as she knew, no mammals, birds or reptiles needed her help. Not that she was allowed to help reptiles anymore. There had been an unfortunate incident a couple of months ago involving venomous snakes and Taryn’s fiancé, Angel. Larissa still felt really bad about that.

She walked around in her too-large office. It was attached to Jack’s. She had a computer where she managed his calendar and some file cabinets that were mostly empty. She wasn’t really a filer. She preferred to pile and when the piles got too tall, she shoved them into a cabinet. Maybe a messy system, but it worked for her.

This office was something she accepted but didn’t really like. Her tiny kingdom was the massage room at the other end of the building. There the space was exactly how she wanted it. From the color of the walls to the sound system to the massage table she’d had customized to fit her specifications. The linens were soft yet absorbent. She special ordered oils with an increased capacity to reduce inflammation and deaden pain while keeping the guys from smelling like flowers. For Taryn, she had a collection of organic oils. She had music playlists customized to each of her clients and had personally chosen all the robes and towels used in the massage room, showers and saunas.

In that place, she was comfortable. Calm. In control. But in the rest of her life, well, it was always a crapshoot.

Larissa shut off her computer and walked down the hall to Taryn’s office. Her friend was on the phone, but waved her in. Larissa crossed the thickly carpeted floor. The plushness was required because Taryn had a habit of kicking off her shoes the second she got to work. She spent most of her day barefoot—something Larissa had never understood. Why buy shoes that were too uncomfortable to wear? But then she didn’t get any part of Taryn’s wardrobe.

Today her boss had on a black-and-white color-block sleeveless dress. There was a jacket slung over the visitor chair and some lethal-looking shoes by the desk. The shoes were also black and white. Some kind of fur, with wide stripes and a scary four-or five-inch geometric, sculpted heel.

While Taryn wrapped up her call, Larissa kicked off her own comfy flats and carefully stepped into Taryn’s ridiculous shoes. The additional five inches made her totter precariously and she had to hang on to the desk to stay upright. Once she was fairly confident of her balance, she shrugged into the jacket and then carefully made her way to the closed doors behind Taryn’s desk.

“Sure, Jerry,” Taryn said, her voice thick with suppressed laughter. “I’m all over that. Does Tuesday work for you?”

Larissa pulled open the right-hand door and studied herself in the wide full-length mirror.

The jacket was too small. Taryn might be taller, but she was a good size thinner. But even with it pulling across the shoulders and not coming close to closing, she could see how the cut defined her upper body and made her waist disappear.

The shoes might technically match her black yoga pants, but they looked ridiculous with the casual style. And they were impossible to walk in. Still, they were sexy, she thought wistfully. Sexy and sophisticated.

“I swear to God, you’re going to kill yourself one of these days,” Taryn said, coming up behind her. “You know you can’t walk in high heels.”

Larissa carefully turned to check out the shoes from more than one angle. “I know, but you always look so stylish. I look like I shop at a resale store.”

“Because you do.”

“My clothes are new,” Larissa said, trying not to sound defensive. Which was hard, because she felt defensive. “New-ish. They were when I bought them.”

“Uh-huh,” Taryn said, sounding unconvinced. “We have this conversation every few months. You say you want to dress better, I offer to help. You promise to set up a shopping date with me and never do.”

Larissa stepped out of the shoes and handed the jacket to her friend. “I know. I’m not really the makeover type. I like to keep things simple.” She studied her face in the mirror. It was clean and her skin was nice. Her hair was a good color. Medium blond and the only color she used was for highlights, which she got done maybe every six or eight months.

“Mascara wouldn’t kill you,” Taryn informed her. “I’m not saying you have to dress like me. You could still be comfortable but more pulled together.”

“Are you saying that as my friend or my boss?”

Taryn rolled her eyes. “You work for Jack. He’s the one you have to make happy. I’m simply pointing out that about once a month you come in here, try on something of mine and then talk about making a change. That has to mean something.”

Larissa was pretty sure it did, but that wasn’t why she was here.

“I need to talk to you,” she said instead.

Taryn immediately pointed to the sofa in her office. “Sure. What’s up?”

Larissa sat in a corner of the comfy couch and tucked her legs under her. She angled toward her friend. “It’s about what happened yesterday. With my mom and Jack and what she said.”

She waited, hoping Taryn would jump in with a laugh and an “Of course no one believes you’re in love with Jack. How ridiculous.”

But Taryn was silent.

Larissa drew in a breath. “I don’t love him. We’re friends. We work well together. I like him—he’s a likable guy. It’s just my mom wants me married and I guess I want that, too. Eventually.”

Because from the outside, marriage seemed really great, but from the inside—at least what she’d observed with her parents—it sucked.

She supposed that assessment was harsh. After her parents had gotten divorced, they’d both been much happier people. Everyone agreed. Her parents liked to joke that they never should have gotten married. And they wouldn’t have. If there hadn’t been an unexpected pregnancy. Namely her.

“I could just as easily find the right guy here in Fool’s Gold as in Los Angeles. Probably more easily. It’s hard to date in Los Angeles. There are a lot of unrealistic expectations what with the movie business so close.” She pressed her lips together. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Because you’re doing fine without me,” Taryn told her.

“Do you think I’m in love with Jack?”

“I think you have an interesting and symbiotic relationship.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Maybe, but it’s the truth. Jack wants to make a difference in the world, without getting too involved. You want to save the world, but you lack resources. You have heart and Jack has money. Together you make a great team.”

“Exactly,” Larissa said quickly. “We’re a team. Not a couple. We’re friends. There’s love between friends, but it’s different. It’s not romantic. Like when I needed a temporary place for those three fighting dogs to stay. Jack let me use his house.”

Taryn’s mouth twitched. “You mean you put the dogs in Jack’s house before telling him and they wouldn’t let him inside his own home so he had to stay at a hotel for a week but he didn’t get mad at you?”

“You don’t have to put it like that,” Larissa told her. “But, yes, that would be an example of us working as a team.” Although she wasn’t completely sure Jack would agree with her example.

“Jack’s a good guy,” Taryn said. “He goes along with what you want because it allows him to be connected without getting involved. You like that Jack is always there in the background to rescue you if you need it. You get to take risks without actually putting yourself out there.”

Larissa winced. “I am not so excited about the total honesty part of this conversation.” She wanted to disagree with her friend’s assessment, but didn’t think she could.

Taryn touched her arm. “I love you, but I can’t help with this. What you have going on with Jack is complicated. You’re both getting something out of it, but the relationship also keeps each of you from looking for more. You know Jack’s a bad bet, so you are careful not to take things too far. Which is smart. But I wonder if what your mom meant is that you’re just committed enough that you’re not interested in looking for someone else.”

Larissa sprang to her feet, crossed to the door, then stopped and turned back.

“I’m not hiding from falling in love.”

Taryn raised her eyebrows.

Larissa frowned. “Not completely. I just... I’m not in love with Jack.”

“Prove it. Go fall in love with someone else.”

“Not everyone wants to get married.”

“What does that have to do with being in a relationship? Don’t you want more than friendship? Don’t you want passion and sex and romance and knowing there’s someone you can call at two in the morning and he’ll be there, no matter what?”

Larissa nodded because it was the answer Taryn expected. The truth was more complicated. Yes, she wanted passion and sex and romance. But if she needed to call someone at two in the morning, she knew all four Score owners would be at her side in a heartbeat, with Jack leading the way. Was that what Taryn was trying to say? That the reason Larissa hadn’t found the one was because she didn’t need to?

She doubted the truth was that simple.

* * *

HUNAN PALACE WAS conveniently located in Larissa’s neighborhood. The vegetables were fresh, the sauces delicious and Jack had to admit they had the best egg rolls he’d ever tasted. As he wasn’t the kind of guy who cooked and Larissa was too busy saving the world to provide a meal, their regular Tuesday-night dinner meant takeout. They met at her place. He brought the food. She provided the beer or wine. It was nice. Easy.

As he crossed the street, he nodded at the people he knew, or at least recognized. Fool’s Gold was that kind of town. You were expected to get involved. Hell, even Sam was teaching finance classes for small businesses a couple of times a month. Kenny would be sucked into something before long, Jack thought. Which meant being asked to help find a new coach wasn’t much of a surprise. Plus, it was the kind of thing he would enjoy. Even though he couldn’t still play, the love of the game had never gone away.

He reached Larissa’s apartment building. She had an upstairs unit in a place without an elevator—which was just like her. He happened to know she could afford something much nicer and larger, but that wasn’t her way. She wanted her money to go toward her causes. His money, too, he thought with a grin. But what the hell. He had enough.

He knocked once, then opened the door. Larissa wasn’t one for locks.

“It’s me,” he called and he stepped into her small one-bedroom apartment.

Larissa looked up from the book she’d been reading. “Hi. Meet Dyna.”

He glanced down and saw a cat hurrying toward him. She had long hair and almost-human blue eyes.

“You really got a cat.”

“I told you I did.”

“I know, but I thought you were kidding.”

Dyna wound her way around his legs in a tight figure eight, depositing light-colored cat hair on his suit pants with every step.

“Nice,” he murmured, making a mental note to change into jeans before visiting again, even if that meant keeping an extra pair at the office.

Larissa stood and crossed to him. “Don’t whine. Isn’t she beautiful?”

She picked up the cat, who immediately relaxed in her arms.

Dyna’s fur was a creamy white in the front of her body, darkening to a taupe-beige, then darkening even more until it was a deep brown on her tail.

“She’s great,” Jack said.

“She intimidates me a little,” Larissa admitted. “I’ve never had a cat this gorgeous before.”

“Your eyes are the same color. That’s a little weird.”

Larissa laughed and set down the cat. “Afraid we have an otherworldly connection? That together we can move objects and read minds?”

“It’s never good when a woman can read my mind,” he said honestly. “By whatever means.”

She took the bag of food from him and led the way into her small kitchen.

The eat-in table was already set with two place mats, plates and flatware. A vase filled with a few carnations sat in the center. The pink petals were turning brown on the edges, he noted. Probably because Larissa had bought them at 70 percent off at the grocery store. You wouldn’t want to waste money on something like flowers at full price. What if there was a mad squirrel in need of therapy?

She picked up a bottle of merlot. “Wine or beer?”

He considered the question. “Beer.”

She carefully put the bottle back into the rack on her counter. It was one he’d brought over, along with the inventory of a few of his favorite merlots. While he trusted Larissa to buy beer, he was not willing to drink the cheap wine she favored.

She pulled two bottles of beer from the refrigerator, then nudged the door closed with a bump of her hip. He set down the bag of food and crossed to the drawer to pull out the opener. While he was there, he also grabbed a few serving spoons for their dinner.

He turned in the small kitchen and handed her the opener. She walked back to the table.

The windows were open and a nice breeze drifted through the kitchen. Dyna had settled on the back of the sofa to watch them from a safe and regal distance. Larissa opened both bottles, then unpacked the containers of food. She turned to him and smiled.

“You got the crispy shrimp,” she said happily. “Thank you.”

“You like it.”

“You don’t.”

“Yeah, whatever. Eat the rest for lunch.”

“Real men don’t eat shrimp?” she asked.

“I love shrimp. Just put it in a butter sauce and drop it over pasta. Is that too much to ask?”

She sat down and motioned for him to do the same. Jack started to move toward the table, or at least he planned to, but suddenly he found it difficult to move.

From this angle he could see Larissa’s bare shoulder. She’d replaced her usual work T-shirt with a tank top. One of those cottony, billowy ones with little ruffles around the arm and neckline. The soft fabric dipped low enough for him to be aware of feminine curves.

He shook his head. So Larissa had breasts. She was a woman—it wasn’t unexpected. Only he wasn’t sure he’d ever noticed them before. Or how long her legs were in her shorts. She had great legs. Tanned and toned.

No, he corrected himself. Lanky. She was lanky. His gaze drifted to her bare feet. She’d painted her toes a dark purple and added little pink dots. Who did that?

“What?” she asked. “You okay?”

“Ah, fine.”

He sat across from her and reached for one of the containers. It was the damned crispy shrimp and he quickly passed it over to her.

“How’d you get her?” he asked, motioning to the cat.

“Mayor Marsha mentioned she knew an older lady who had passed away. Her family couldn’t keep Dyna—everyone’s allergic. So I took her.” Larissa lowered her voice. “I think she’s starting to like me. When I pet her, she purrs.”

Jack wanted to point out that liking or not liking wasn’t the issue. Larissa was Dyna’s meal ticket and the cat was smart enough to know that. But the words sounded harsh, even in his head, so instead he said, “What’s not to like?” and then wondered why he felt weird saying that.

Something was wrong. Or different. Or both. And he didn’t like it. He was comfortable around Larissa. He understood her. They were friends. So what was off tonight?

“Speaking of Mayor Marsha, what did she want with you?”

Jack told her about the need for a new coach and a football program, and how he was going to be on the committee.

“That will be fun for you,” Larissa told him. “College kids are great. So much enthusiasm. And you have a good eye. You’ll be able to see who has real talent.”

“Don’t get carried away. I’m not mentoring anybody or paying for their mother’s goiter surgery.”

Her blue eyes twinkled with amusement. “You sure about that?”

He sighed. “I won’t tempt fate by fighting with you on that. Besides, you know what I mean. I’m helping with a committee, not getting involved.”

“You like getting involved.”

He picked up his beer. “No. You like getting involved and dragging me with you. There’s a difference.”

“You’re an excellent role model.”

Only in her eyes, he thought as he took a drink. He knew the truth. In his heart, he was about as selfish as the average Joe, only with more resources.

Larissa chattered on about her various causes and he half listened. This was what he liked, he thought. Just being with his friend. Their relationship was uncomplicated, although apparently a mystery to the outside world. Why else would Mrs. Owens have made such a bonehead statement? Larissa in love with him? Impossible.

Jack relaxed back in his chair and watched Larissa’s hands move as she talked. Her face was expressive. He supposed on a purely impersonal basis he could admit she was pretty. Her skin was smooth and soft-looking. She never wore makeup, as far as he could tell, which was a change from the other women in his life. The long hair was nice, especially when she wore it down. At work it was always back in a ponytail. He remembered a client spotting her and asking if it was bring-your-daughter-to-work day. Because she could look kind of young.

He grabbed another egg roll and bit into the crispy shell. Yeah, he was a lucky man, he thought. Good friends, good food and very few problems.

“Mary’s not doing well,” Larissa said with a sigh.

“Who’s Mary?”

Larissa’s mouth twisted down. “She’s the little girl who got the liver transplant last year. She’s been running a fever on and off for a few weeks now. Her parents are worried and the doctors are running tests.”

Jack nodded as if he knew what Larissa was talking about, but in truth, he didn’t. Mary was just one more kid his money had helped.

“I’ve been checking in with her family regularly,” she added. “I sent her an American Girl doll book. Kit Saves the Day.”

Okay, now he was lost. “Who is Kit?”

“Kit Kittredge. She’s one of the American Girl dolls. I showed you them before.”

“Was I paying attention?”

“Probably not.” Some of the sadness left her eyes. “You never were into dolls.”

He winked. “Not unless they were anatomically correct. What other causes should I prepare for?”

“There’s going to be a chiweenie rescue.”

“A what?”

“Chiweenies. They’re a Chihuahua-dachshund mix.”

“Someone has a sense of humor,” he murmured. “And this is my problem how?”

“A breeder is being investigated. There’s concern it’s not a good situation. That she has more of a puppy mill than a healthy program.”

Jack could figure out the rest of it pretty easily. If it was a puppy mill or a hoarding situation, then there would be an intervention and Larissa would get involved. Which meant somehow he would end up involved, as well.

“Don’t bring any to my house,” he told her, but without a lot of energy. Telling her no didn’t help and for the most part, he didn’t really mind whatever she dragged into his life. It always made for interesting conversation.

“I don’t always get you involved,” she protested.

“What about the butterflies?”

She wiggled in her seat. “That was a special situation.”

Yeah. One that required him to not make noise or turn on lights for several days. Of course, butterflies in a cage had been a lot easier to take than the fighting dogs that wouldn’t let him in his own house.

“You’re never boring,” he told her. “I’ll give you that.”

Later, when they were done eating and he’d helped her clean up, he gave her a brief hug goodbye and left. Once on the sidewalk, he breathed in the cool night air and started back for his place.

Yup, he had it all, he told himself. His Score coworkers were his family, Larissa was his best friend and, when he got the itch, there were plenty of women to be had. Best of all, he could go back to his quiet, empty house whenever he wanted. He was a blessed man. Most days it was very good to be Jack McGarry.

CHAPTER THREE

SCORE STAFF MEETINGS were generally short and to the point. Because of that, no one tried to get out of them. Larissa sat at one end of the big conference table and took notes on the items that affected her or Jack. She also had a short presentation prepared for when Kenny called on her.

The areas of expertise were delineated by ability. Jack and Kenny brought in new clients, Sam took care of the money and Taryn handled the existing clients, while keeping her “boys” in line.

The day-to-day management was mostly shared between Sam and Taryn, but Kenny had an active role in most of the hiring and he ran the staff meetings.

Larissa listened to him now and idly wondered how many people would be surprised to know the former receiver had a degree in English. A degree he’d earned the hard way—by going to class and writing papers. As a star football player, there had been easier options for him, but he hadn’t taken them. He’d earned his B+ average by studying and doing well on his tests. Kenny joked that his first year of college, his teammates had been forever stealing whatever he’d been reading on the bus or plane, convinced there had to be secret porn hidden in the pages of his book. They couldn’t understand that a guy who could play like Kenny might also like to read.

Taryn shifted in her seat. Larissa smiled, thinking how her boss sort of reminded her of Dyna. Sure the coloring was different, but they were both beautiful females, confident of their place in the world. Dyna had adapted well to the small apartment and had spent the past two nights sleeping on the bed. Progress, Larissa thought happily. This morning Dyna had awakened her with happy purrs and snuggles.

Like the cat, Taryn had mellowed when she’d found security in her personal life, i.e., when she’d fallen in love with Angel. The sharp edges that kept the world at bay had softened a little. Larissa supposed it wasn’t a surprise. Everyone was different when he or she fell in love. Or so she’d observed. It wasn’t as if she’d ever felt the emotion herself.

Someday, she promised herself wistfully. If she was lucky.

“Larissa’s going to report on the golf tournament,” Kenny said.

She drew herself back to the meeting and glanced at her notes. “The charity event is a fund-raiser. Raoul Moreno’s foundation runs it and you three are on the schedule to play.” She went through a few more details.

“Think what we could have done with the Stallions if we’d had Moreno,” Sam mused.

Larissa looked at Taryn and rolled her eyes. Taryn nodded in agreement. They went down this same path every time they talked about the tournament. The humor of the comment was that Jack had been the Stallions quarterback while Kenny and Sam had been with the team and they’d done just fine. Including a Super Bowl win. But they liked to joke that if they’d had Raoul Moreno, a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, everything would have been better.

Kenny leaned back in his chair and sighed. “That would have been great.”

“You don’t deserve as good as you got,” Jack told him. “You’re lucky I was willing to play with you at all.”

He kept talking, but Larissa wasn’t listening. Her part of the staff meeting was over. She had a massage in twenty minutes and there was prep work to do.

She collected her notes and stood. Taryn looked at her.

“Run while you can,” her friend murmured.

Larissa grinned and did just that.

After dropping off her notes in her office, she walked toward the locker rooms. Her space was between the two, down a short hallway. Once inside, she clicked on the lights and turned up the thermostat.

When she wasn’t working, the room adjusted to the ambient temperature of the building, but when she was with a client, she liked the air to be warm. Less comfortable for her but better for the massage.

Her ritual was always the same and she found that soothing. First she warmed up the room; then she turned on the music. Jack was up first today, so she chose his MP3 file and pushed the start button. She started the countertop machine that heated the thermal packs. When she took them out for use, they would be about 160 degrees.

She cleaned the massage table when she was done for the day so that when she began her work, she only had to put the heating pad in place, cover it with a thick padding, then tuck in the linens on top. She did that next, securing the sheet.

For Jack, she used moist heat on his shoulder. That was where he hurt all the time. He had a lot of general aches and pains, but his shoulder was where she concentrated her work. Kenny had injuries all over. He’d been hit the most and there wasn’t a part of him that didn’t cause him pain every now and then. Sam, as the kicker, had the fewest injuries.

Larissa found it interesting to work on them. They were athletes, yet so different from each other. Especially Taryn. She was smaller. Muscled, but compared with the guys, she was puny. Her massages were always later in the day. If all three guys needed Larissa in one morning, her hands, arms and shoulders were tired for hours. By contrast, massaging Taryn was practically a vacation. There weren’t any thick ropes of muscles to manipulate. No scarred cartilage to break down, no stiffness to ease.

Larissa crossed to her cabinet and pulled out the bottle of oil she used on Jack. Everything was personalized. That was the advantage of only having four massage clients, she thought. And the point of them having her on staff. She knew what they liked. She and Taryn talked about girl stuff. Sam never spoke at all. Kenny was friendly enough. He would mention a book he was reading or a movie he’d seen.

But with Jack it was ninety minutes of hanging out. They discussed everything from current events to restaurant reviews to the various causes he was supporting through her.

She glanced at the big clock on the wall and saw it was nearly time. She turned down the lights, then checked the temperature of the heating pad on the table.

Perfect, she thought, feeling the warmth through the soft sheet. She folded the top sheet back, and then pulled open a drawer and picked up her brush. She smoothed her long hair, then pulled it back into a ponytail. She pushed the drawer shut as Jack walked into her massage room.

“Hey,” he said by way of greeting.

“Hey, yourself.”

Jack wore a white terry-cloth robe, as he always did, along with shower shoes. Everyone came to her like that. She politely turned her back so he could hang the robe on the hook and slip onto the table.

In a spa setting, she would step out of the room. After all, during a massage, her clients were naked. But the first time she’d tried that with the guys here, they’d told her not to bother. As Kenny had put it, “None of us have anything you haven’t seen before.” There was also the fact that she was frequently called into the sauna to rub aching muscles and they were all naked there. It was weird, but she’d gotten used to it.

During her massage training there had been plenty of instruction on how to handle the awkward “you’re naked and I’m touching you” part of what she did. There were specific laws and codes of ethics that had to be followed. Not that her guys ever pushed the boundaries. They weren’t like that.

None of them wanted to be covered at all when they were facedown. Larissa had fought that battle and lost the first year. When they turned over, she draped a towel across the, ah, private areas. Taryn didn’t even want to bother with that. As for the natural male reaction to a woman touching his body...Kenny sometimes got an erection, but he laughed about it. His humor made her completely comfortable with the situation. Sam rarely got hard. The man had a will of iron. And Jack, well, he seemed to fall in the Sam camp.

Now she waited until she heard Jack slide onto the massage table.

“Why do you always put out that stupid sheet?” he asked.

“Because it’s my job.”

She turned and saw the top sheet had been kicked to the floor, just like always. The regularity of the event made her smile.

She picked up the sheet and tossed it in her dirty linens bin, then collected the moist heat pack. She worked quickly to slide it into its cover, then wrapped the ribbed warmth around Jack’s right shoulder. There it would loosen the muscles and scarring while she worked on the rest of his back.

She began the massage by touching his upper arms, then moving across his back. She felt for any new tension, any areas of tenderness. Her touch was sure as she lightly kneaded familiar muscles. She worked her way down to the small of his back before retracing her steps.

“Taryn’s keeping a stash of bridal magazines in her office,” she said conversationally. “But when I asked her if she and Angel had set a date, she wouldn’t say. I think she’s weirded out about what to do.”

As she spoke, she dug into his left shoulder. While it was nowhere near as beat-up as the right, he’d suffered plenty of hits on that side.

“Taryn can’t figure out if she wants a big wedding or to run off,” Jack said, his voice slightly muffled.

“I know. A couple of days ago she announced she’s having a big wedding. Yesterday she said they were going to elope. I hope she decides on having a wedding. She would totally rock a great designer dress. It would be like theater.”

“You’d have to dress up, too,” he pointed out.

Not her favorite thing. “I could manage for a day. Would you give her away?”

She asked the question without thinking, then remembered Jack and Taryn had been married briefly. She’d gotten pregnant and he’d insisted they do the right thing. When she lost the baby a few weeks later, they’d gotten divorced. As far as Larissa knew, they’d never been in love and the topic of their marriage wasn’t the least bit sensitive. At least not on the surface.

“Taryn wouldn’t appreciate the idea of being given or taken,” he said. “My guess is if she goes the big wedding route, she’ll hustle herself down the aisle.”

Larissa began to work on his back. His skin was warm and the oil she used allowed her hands to slide easily. The rhythm of her movements anchored her in place. The music was nice. Soothing, she thought.

“I got another call about the chiweenies,” she told him. “They’re going to make one more visit to talk to the lady. They’re pretty sure it’s a hoarding situation. The animal-rescue people are working with local law enforcement to get her to surrender the animals to avoid charges.”

“You’re not bringing dogs to my house.”

She smiled. “Would I do that?”

“In a heartbeat.”

* * *

JACK DID HIS best to give himself over to the massage. Much of the time, being worked on by Larissa was the best part of his day. His shoulder provided a steady ache and as he wouldn’t take drugs for it, he’d learned to live with the pain.

The heat pack she used eased some of it. Later she would dig her needle fingers into the joints, searching out scarring and grinding it into submission. That part wasn’t fun, but the result was relief—at least for a few hours.

Her voice washed over him. She told him about her causes and what was happening in town. Sometimes he listened and sometimes he didn’t. He’d learned that if it was important, she would tell him again.

But today he couldn’t relax. Not the way he usually did. Something was off. Not the massage table. It was the same, as were the sheets and the music. Even the oil she used was familiar.

But there was something. He tried closing his eyes, but that didn’t help. Her hands continued to move on his body, sliding down his back. Lower and lower. She worked his shoulder last—leaving it until he was ready to turn over. That way she could attack it from both sides. That’s what always happened. She put heat on his shoulder, did the whole back of him, then his shoulder. He turned over, she did the front of the shoulder, wrapped it in heat and then tackled the rest of him. They had a routine. It worked. So what was his problem?

Her hands stroked lower and lower on his back. He knew what was next. She would slide down his hip, then come up to the side of his butt and dig in to some pressure point. She would grind until he was about ready to come off the table, and then suddenly it would ease. Pain would flow out of him as if she’d pulled the cork on a bottle.

Sure enough she started on his right side. He wasn’t sure if she used her fingers or knuckles or what, but she unerringly found that damned spot every time and pushed to what felt like the center of his pelvis bone. The pain was sharp and white, almost like a knife. Nerve pain, he thought, recognizing the difference. He began to tense. Just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, there was a sudden absence of pain and he went limp.

Larissa walked around to the other side of the table and rested her hand on the small of his back, as if silently telling him she was there. Her fingers slipped down the side of his hip then up to his butt where she dug in again. Her free hand rested on the back of his thigh.

Did she always do that? Rest her hand there? Because it felt nice. She had good hands. Strong. The way she moved them. There was a confidence a guy could get used to. If she would just move that other hand a little higher and toward the center. If he parted his legs a little she could—

The sharp pain grew, but it wasn’t enough to distract him, and when it faded, there was a new ache in its place. A growing ache that he couldn’t immediately place. It was as if—

Jack silently swore as he realized he had an erection. What the hell? Now? During a massage? What was he—fifteen?

Stop it, he told himself. No way could he be aroused. Not like this. He never had been before. Okay, maybe a couple of times when it had been a long time between women, but then he thought about his relationship with Larissa and knew that was never going to happen. They were friends. He cared about her. He knew better than to sleep with someone he cared about.

The realization had always been enough to take care of the problem. But it wasn’t today. The more he thought he shouldn’t, the bigger he got. The more he told himself not to, the more he imagined what it would be like. Her hands moving all over him. Him touching her in return. His mouth exploring every part of her before he settled between her thighs and—

Shit!

Without having anything close to a plan, he grabbed the sheet below him and pulled it free of the pad. It came up easily.

“Jack?” Larissa stepped back from the table. “What are you doing?”

“I have to go,” he said, scrambling to his feet. He was careful to keep the sheet bunched around his raging hard-on and then bolted.

The locker room was across the hall. He raced inside, then headed directly for the showers. He turned on the cold water, then stepped into the spray.

Ten minutes later, order had been restored in his personal universe. Jack dried off and dressed. He picked up the soggy shoulder wrap and wondered how he was going to explain what had happened to Larissa. Maybe he could tell her he got sick. Would she believe that?

The locker room door opened. Jack groaned and turned, prepared to lie his way out of the problem. But luck was with him and instead of Larissa, he saw Kenny strolling toward him.

“What?” his friend demanded. “Larissa is out there, wringing her hands. She says you ran away without an explanation.” Kenny put his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Bro, she’s worried. What’s up?”

Not the best choice of words, Jack thought, not sure if he was going to laugh or start swearing again.

He dropped the soggy pack onto the bench and settled next to it. He rested his head in his hands.

“I got a boner during the massage,” he admitted.

Kenny snickered. “Seriously? That’s what all the fuss is about? It happens. It’s no big deal.”

Jack dropped his hands and glanced at his friend. Kenny’s blue eyes were filled with amusement.

“You, too?” Jack asked.

“Sure. Larissa doesn’t care. We joke about it. Eventually it goes away. Why did this time freak you out?”

“Because I don’t usually have that problem.”

“You and Sam,” Kenny said. “You make things too complicated. Look, you’re not seeing anyone, you’re naked and a beautiful woman is rubbing on you. Biology, man. It’s all about biology.”

Maybe, Jack thought, but that didn’t explain why he felt so strange about it all.

“She’s out there, worrying,” Kenny told him. “Tell her you’re fine.”

“You do it.”

Kenny shook his head. “You’re making this more than it is. If you don’t talk about it now, you’re going to have to explain it later. It’s not going to get easier with time.”

Jack shrugged. That was a problem he would deal with when he had to. Until he figured out what had happened, avoiding Larissa seemed like a damned good plan.

* * *

LARISSA WALKED UP the front walk of Jack’s house. The imposing two-story structure was elegant. One of several sleek custom homes on the golf course. The yard was perfectly manicured, the windows large, the paint fresh. Jack was a big believer in hiring the right person for the job and it showed. Everything in his life was well tended.

So not her style, she thought as she crossed to the front door, knocked once and then let herself in. Because the door was almost never locked.

“It’s me,” she called as she entered. “Jack?”

She knew he was here. His Mercedes was in the driveway. Still, she half expected him not to answer, mostly because he’d been avoiding her all day.

She didn’t like that. Didn’t like him running out of her massage and then not talking to her. To quote her mom’s favorite movie, “There was a great disturbance in the Force.” She’d been restless and on edge. Kenny’s assurances that Jack was fine hadn’t helped at all.

She heard something and looked up. Jack stood on the landing of the second floor. He’d changed into jeans and T-shirt. He looked tired, she thought. And in pain.

She put her hands on her hips. “What?” she demanded. “Tell me what happened. I’m not leaving here until you do.”

He walked down the stairs toward her. For the first time in years, she was unable to read his face. How could she not know what Jack was thinking?

“You’re scaring me,” she admitted. “Are you mad at me or something? We have to talk. This isn’t right.”

He reached the main floor. He wasn’t wearing shoes, but he was still taller than her. And oddly broad across the shoulders. A guy, she thought. Jack, the guy, made her nervous. She did much better with Jack, her friend.

“Say something,” she told him.

He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and sighed. “I’m not mad.”

“Okay.” That was good. “So?”

His dark gaze settled on her face. “I got a hard-on during the massage. I don’t usually. I didn’t know what to do, so I left.”

Ran was more like it, she thought before her brain went to a completely different place.

A hard-on? As in an erection? As in arousal? He was still talking but she wasn’t listening. Not when there was so much to process.

She knew the women in Jack’s life. Not personally, of course. While she met them, they didn’t hang out or anything. It probably took too much time to be so beautiful for them to have friends. His women were all models or actresses. There was also the unfortunate two months of him dating a Playboy bunny. She’d been a stunning girl, but not so much in the conversation department.

Larissa got it. Jack liked beautiful women. Why wouldn’t he? They were available. Which was probably why she was having trouble with the idea of him being aroused because of her. She knew that she was pretty enough, but firmly in the normal category. He was used to perfection and she was just kind of...ordinary. So how could he have gotten turned on by her?

She supposed it was because he hadn’t had a girlfriend for a while. He’d been in Fool’s Gold and there was no sneaking around here.

“...asked Kenny to talk to you,” he finished.

She’d missed the middle bit, but figured that was fine.

“That sort of thing happens,” she told him, still confused but willing to go with it. “They cover it in massage school. Sam never does, but Kenny’s pretty regular. We joke about it and then it’s gone. It’s a biological function. I know it’s not personal.”

Jack’s guarded expression started to relax. “You’re okay with that?”

“Sure. I was touching you intimately. We know each other. We’re friends. You’re comfortable. You got a little too relaxed.”

She was saying all the right things. The professional things. But what she was really thinking was that she kind of wouldn’t mind for it to be personal. She’d kind of like him saying he’d been swept away.

Even as the thoughts formed, she mentally retreated from them. What on earth? Where had that come from? She and Jack were friends. She liked him, but not that way.

He touched her arm. Just a light touch, but it seemed to burn all the way to her gut.

“Thanks,” he said sincerely. “Why didn’t I come talk to you earlier?”

“You didn’t come talk to me now. I came to you.”

He flashed her a smile. A sweet sexy smile that made her knees weak.

“Right as always,” he told her. “Come on. I’ll buy you a glass of wine.”

She automatically followed him into his big, open kitchen. He pulled a bottle of merlot from the built-in wine cellar and walked to the drawer that held the opener. She collected glasses. Because they’d done this a thousand times before, they had a ritual. A ritual she liked.

Only tonight she wanted something different. She wanted him to pull her close and kiss her and... Well, she wasn’t exactly sure what they would do next, but she wasn’t feeling that picky. As long as it was Jack, she was happy.

For the second time in as many minutes, she was mentally backtracking. No, she told herself firmly. They weren’t involved. They never had been. She’d learned that lesson early and she’d learned it well. Jack was heartache. Jack wanted the most beautiful woman in the room...for fifteen minutes. And then he was done. He wanted sex and easy conversation—he didn’t want to get involved. And she...she didn’t know what she wanted but it wasn’t that. Was it?

She took the glass of wine he offered and followed him into the big open living room. When they watched movies they went downstairs to the media room. Because Jack had, if not the biggest house in town, then one that was certainly close. Five or six bedrooms, a fully finished basement, a three-car garage. He had space and gadgets and lots of shiny surfaces. But sometimes she wondered if he ever got lonely in his big house.

His place in L.A. had been similar. Maybe that explained all the fast-food women he favored. He got to pretend he was a part of something, even for a few hours, and then didn’t have any relationship messiness.

There was a large curved sofa facing a massive fireplace. Paintings hung on the walls. Real paintings of beaches and trees. Not quasi–pop art representations of him playing football.

She spotted a small oil painting by the antique writing desk in the corner.

“Is that new?” she asked. She put down her glass of wine and walked to study it.

The colors were all shades of the ocean and forest. There was a rough sea and an island beyond. She could barely make out the tiny sign by the boats. “Blackberry Island Marina.”

“When did you get this?” she asked, turning to face him.

He set his wine next to hers and grinned. “You don’t know everything about me.”

“I usually do, but this is unexpected.” Her smile widened. “You have a secret life.”

“I wish. A little privacy in this town would be nice, but I’m not holding my breath.”

She returned to stand next to him. “What would you want to keep private? It’s nice that we know everything about each other.”

“It’s a guy thing.”

She rolled her eyes. “A convenient fallback statement that has no basis in reality. You’re trying to distract me and it’s not going to work.”

“Larissa, if I wanted to distract you, there are better ways.”

He was being fun. Or playful. She knew that, because she knew Jack. But when he made that statement, in a firm voice that was both teasing and slightly sexy, she could only think of one thing.

Her muscles tensed even as her gaze involuntarily settled on his mouth. Breathing was tough and the only thought she could hold on to was an intense desire to have him kiss her. Not on the cheek or the forehead, like he usually did. She wanted him to kiss her on the mouth. Like he meant it.

Jack’s startled expression quickly changed to something she couldn’t read. He took a step back and held up his arms, as if warding her off. But in the next movement, he grabbed her, hauled her against him, then pressed his mouth to hers.

The contact was unexpected and exactly what she wanted. She went willingly into his embrace. Her hands settled on his broad shoulders as her thighs nestled against his. But the best part was how he kissed her.

Gently, at first. Light, barely touching, then more firmly. His mouth lingered. Her eyes sank closed as she melted against him. Yes, he was definitely lingering, she thought. Lingering and moving back and forth. There was a tenderness, but also a hint of something else. Something more.

Heat began to bubble deep in her chest. It flowed in all directions, making her body warm and sensitive to every touch. His fingers stroked her back, holding her with just the right amount of pressure. Thinking became more difficult and the world reduced itself to this man and what he was doing to her.

His tongue brushed against her bottom lip. She sucked in her breath even as she parted for him. He slipped inside. The kiss deepened and then they were straining against each other. She moved her hands up and down his back, wanting more. Needing him to touch her everywhere. He responded in kind. One hand slipped to her rear while the other slipped around her waist and up her rib cage until it settled on her left breast. His fingers brushed against her tight nipple. Electricity shot through her and she jumped back.

They stared at each other, both breathing hard. Passion darkened his eyes. It made her tremble. She tried to speak, but honest to God, what was there to say? Larissa did the only thing that made sense. This time it was her turn to run.

CHAPTER FOUR

“I KISSED JACK.”

Larissa supposed “Hi” or “Can I come in?” was a more conventional greeting, but the words just sort of spilled out. Bailey stared at her a second before motioning her into her small house.

“Wow,” her friend said. “I’d been thinking I was going to have a quiet, if slightly boring, evening at home while Chloe is with one of her friends, and then you come along. Well done.”

“I’m sorry,” Larissa breathed. “Is this an okay time?”

“Of course. Like I said, Chloe’s gone. And you are better than anything on TV. Let’s go into the kitchen. I have some very cheap wine and I made brownies yesterday.”

Another offer of wine, Larissa thought, determined to actually taste it this time.

She followed Bailey into her kitchen. The contrast between the open, modern new space at Jack’s place and this tiny, aging but homey one couldn’t have been greater. Here the counters were yellow and green tile—a holdout from the previous century. The cabinets had seen better days and there was barely room for a tiny table and chairs.

Yet the room felt cozy. There were dozens of brightly colored drawings held to the front of the refrigerator with magnets. A big, bright calendar dominated one wall. It showed lots of activities and dates with friends.

Larissa inhaled slowly and started to relax. Nothing too horrible had happened. Nothing that she couldn’t recover from. Order and balance would be restored. And if they weren’t, she would find another cause and lose herself in that.

Bailey unscrewed the top on the wine and poured them each a glass, then set out a plate of brownies. They sat across from each other at the tiny table. Bailey leaned forward and grinned.

“Okay, start at the beginning. How long have you and Jack been kissing?”

Larissa groaned and covered her face with her hands. “We haven’t. Ever.” She straightened and reached for her wine. “It just happened.”

“When?”

“Like twenty minutes ago. We were talking and then we were kissing.” At least she thought that was how it had happened. The memory was already blurring. At least the memory of the conversation—not the one of the kiss itself. That had been spectacular.

“It’s all my mother’s fault,” she added.

“Telling Jack you were in love with him?” Bailey’s voice was sympathetic. “Yeah, I heard about that. And I can sure see how that would change things. Even if it’s not true, you’re suddenly aware of everything happening with Jack. It’s awkward.” She reached for a brownie. “Unless you are in love with him.”

Larissa grabbed a brownie for herself. “I’m not. I swear. I like Jack. He’s a great guy. But like isn’t love.”

“He’s very sexy. Is that the problem? It’s not love, but something more...earthy?” Bailey smiled. “I’m trying to be subtle. It’s not my greatest strength.”

“I can see that.” Larissa considered the question. “Do I want to have sex with Jack?”

“You did kiss him and sex is nice.”

Larissa stared at her. “Wow. Do you want to have sex with Jack?”

Bailey had just taken a bite of her brownie. She shook her head as she chewed. When she swallowed, she said, “No, he’s all yours. It’s just sometimes having a warm body in the bed can be really great.”

Larissa remembered that Bailey’s husband had been killed in Afghanistan. While it had been over a year ago, she was sure the memories of the loss were still fresh.

“Is there someone else you want to sleep with?” she asked quietly.

“We’re not here to talk about me,” Bailey reminded her. “You’re the one who showed up and announced the kiss. Speaking of which, how did you leave things with him?”

Larissa took a sip of her wine. She was going to need more than a glass to forget that particular memory. “I ran.”

“As in...”

“I just took off. Yeah, not my finest hour. I didn’t know what to say. We’re not supposed to kiss. We’re friends. I depend on him to be there for me.”

“Doesn’t kissing mean he’s totally there?”

Despite everything, Larissa smiled. “Now you’re making me feel better and I’m not sure that’s allowed.” The smile faded. “This is so crazy.”

“Why?” Bailey asked. “You work in really close quarters with three hunky guys who run around naked.”

The smile returned. “They don’t run around naked.”

“Practically. I’ve heard the stories of meetings in the steam room. Taryn talks about it. Plus, you give them massages. I think the real surprise is that it took so long for one of them to come to his senses and kiss you.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

Bailey sighed dramatically. “Have you seen yourself? You’re this tall, leggy blonde with big blue eyes and a tiny butt. It’s discouraging for the rest of us.”

The description was so at odds with how Larissa viewed herself that she wanted to turn and see if there was someone standing behind her.

“I’m boring and normal,” Larissa pointed out. “I wear yoga pants all the time and never bother with makeup.”

“Yoga pants that show off your perfection. I, on the other hand, am carrying around twenty-five extra pounds.” She reached for another brownie. “Pounds I have accepted as a permanent part of my life.”

Larissa looked at her friend. Bailey was a beautiful redhead with lush curves and a sexy twinkle in her green eyes. She would imagine most of the single men in town were trying to figure out how to get her attention.

“You’re sweet, but I’m not all that,” she said.

“Uh-huh. We could take a survey.” Bailey tilted her head. “Unless you are secretly in love with Jack.”

Larissa finished her glass of wine and reached for the bottle. “I’m so not and I swear, next time I see her, I’m going to kill my mother.”

Bailey smiled. “Unlikely.”

“I know.” She sighed. “So what do I do about the kiss?”

Bailey considered the question. “What do you want to do about it?”

“Pretend it never happened.”

“That sounds like a plan to me.”

* * *

WHILE KENNY HANDLED company-wide staff meetings, Taryn was firmly in charge of partner meetings. Both of which happened far too often for Jack’s peace of mind. Did they really all need to know what the other was doing? Apparently so, which was why he found himself sitting in Taryn’s office, listening to her go on about the status of various client projects.

Normally he found this kind of thing interesting, but not today. Not when he was wrestling with the fact that he and Larissa had kissed. What the hell? He wasn’t even sure how it had happened. One second they’d been joking and talking like always and the next she’d looked at him with an expression he’d never seen before. Okay, he’d seen it before, but not from her. And not like that.

She’d wanted him. That had been clear. And being wanted by Larissa had been irresistible. Of course, he’d been dealing with his own crap about the erection, so maybe she’d seen something in him that had triggered her feelings and that had led to the kiss.

He tried to tell himself it was just a kiss; only, could it be just that where Larissa was concerned? As far as he knew, she was careful about who she kissed. Which meant what?

Crap. It was all crap. And if his mind kept running in circles like some damned hamster on a wheel, he was probably going to turn into a woman.

“Jack,” Taryn said, her voice cool. “Do you mind joining us for the meeting today?”

He looked up, startled. “What?”

His business partner glared at him. “You’re somewhere else. Do you care to share with the rest of the class? There’s obviously a problem.”

They all knew? How was that possible?

Kenny sniggered. “Jack got a boner during his massage yesterday. It freaked him out.”

Jack nearly corrected him by saying the real problem was the kiss, but stopped himself in time.

Taryn rolled her eyes. “Seriously? That’s what has you distracted? It can’t be the first time it’s happened.”

“Not in life,” Jack said stiffly. “You would know that personally.”

She drew in a breath, obviously trying to be patient. “Yes, I’m aware that sexually, you’re a functioning male. If only it were true in the rest of your world. I was saying I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before during a massage.”

“I don’t get a boner when I get a massage,” Sam said.

Taryn barely spared him a glance. “No one here is shocked by that.”

“Hey, what does that mean?”

Taryn’s grip on her papers tightened. She looked at Sam. “That you have extraordinary powers of control, Sam.”

“Oh. Okay. I accept that.”

“It happens to me all the time,” Kenny admitted cheerfully. “I’m naked. She’s touching me. It’s nice.”

“And the road from nice to boner is less than three seconds?” Taryn asked.

Kenny grinned unapologetically. “Sue me.”

Taryn turned to Jack. “Did you talk to Larissa about it?”

“Yes. We’re fine. Let’s change the subject.”

“Fine by me.” She sighed. “I find you all desperately annoying. You know that, right?”

Sam grinned. “It’s what keeps us going.”

* * *

PATIENCE GARRETT HURRIED toward Larissa. The other woman was obviously excited and grabbed both of Larissa’s hands when they met on the sidewalk.

“There’s been a sighting,” Patience announced.

“Of a yeti?”

“What? No. Of course not. Oh, look. There’s Isabel.” Patience waved, as if to hurry her friend.

About fifteen minutes ago Patience had called Larissa and told her to meet her outside of Jo’s Bar immediately. Apparently others had also received a call.

Isabel practically ran up the street. “Is it true?” she asked when she reached them. “There’s been a sighting?”

“Of what?” Larissa demanded. “What are you talking about?”

Patience still had hold of her hands. She squeezed them and practically danced with excitement. “Zane Nicholson.”

Larissa wasn’t one to follow the gossip magazines. From knowing the guys, she understood everything the publications got wrong. But she thought she had at least a working knowledge of most major celebrities.

“I don’t know who that is,” she admitted.

Isabel pressed a hand to her chest. “Zane Nicholson. Absolutely the sexiest guy in high school. I mean seriously sexy.”

Patience released Larissa’s hands and nodded. “He was voted ‘the guy every girl most wanted to sleep with’ four years straight. And the last vote was after he’d already graduated.”

“You really had that category in your yearbook?”

Isabel grinned. “Of course not. It was a private poll. But still, he totally won.” She sighed. “Those eyes. That walk.”

“That smile.”

Isabel nodded. “Rarely seen and all the more to be treasured. How do I look?”

“Married,” Larissa murmured. “You look married.”

Isabel brushed off the comment. “I’m not going to sleep with him now. I’m just saying, back then, he was totally all that.” She turned to Patience. “He’s really in Jo’s?”

“That’s the rumor.”

“Then let’s go.”

Larissa walked with them, not sure if she was being treated to a rare event only locals could appreciate or simply the victim of wrong place, wrong time. So some guy had come into town. Big whoop.

They crossed the street and walked up to the bar.

“My heart is pounding,” Patience whispered. “I feel like I’m sixteen again. He danced with me once. At homecoming. I thought I was going to die.”

“I remember and I was bitter,” Isabel said cheerfully. “He smiled at me once in the hall, but I would rather have had a dance. Or a kiss. Or maybe have given him my virginity.”

They giggled at that. Larissa shook her head. “I’m glad you called me,” she said as she pulled open the door. “Someone needs to be here to keep you two out of trouble.”

They stepped into the bar.

It looked as it always did, with flattering lighting and TVs turned to shopping and HGTV. The only thing out of place was the fact that there was a man at the bar. A tall man with broad shoulders and an air of confidence about him.

Larissa spent her day with three former NFL greats. She understood about power and egos and having a body that was a whole lot better than the average guy’s. Most mortals couldn’t measure up. This man would be able to hold his own.

Larissa watched Zane and wondered what it was about him that made him different. There were muscles, but it was more than that. Not his clothes, she thought, taking in the chambray shirt, worn jeans and cowboy boots. There was also a straw Stetson on the bar next to him.

Isabel and Patience inched toward the man in question. He turned and saw them, then gave a slow, sexy smile that had even Larissa’s toes curling in her flats.

“Ladies.”

“Hi, Zane,” they said together.

“It’s been a long time,” Isabel said.

“It has.” Patience nodded. “So, what brings you to town? Are you meeting with the mayor about the annexation?”

One dark eyebrow rose.

“Everyone knows about it,” Isabel added. “It shouldn’t change anything for you.”

“So I heard.”

His eyes were dark blue and his gaze steady. He wasn’t looking at Larissa and a part of her was grateful to avoid all that male attention. She had enough stress in her life with Jack. She wasn’t looking for a crush on a taciturn cowboy.

“How’s Chase?” Patience asked.

Isabel turned to Larissa. “That’s his younger brother,” she said in a low voice.

“Good.”

“And the, um, steers and everything?”

He nodded, as if to say it was all fine.

Patience and Isabel looked at each other, then back at him.

“We won’t keep you,” Patience said. “It was good to see you.”

Zane nodded again.

The women turned around and left. Larissa trailed after them. When they reached the sidewalk, the two of them hung on to each other and jumped up and down.

“He’s so amazing,” Isabel said. “He smiled.”

“I saw. We talked to him.” Patience sighed. “That was so great.”

Larissa shook her head. “You do realize he spoke maybe eight words, right?”

“That’s not the point,” Isabel told her. “I got to be sixteen again. Even if it was just for a minute. That was totally fun. I can’t wait to tell Ford. He’ll probably remember Zane and tease me unmercifully.”

She sounded cheerful at the prospect.

Patience laughed. “Yes, I’m sure Justice will do the same.” She hugged Larissa. “Thanks for joining us.”

“You’re welcome. And you’re weird.”

“We know.”

Larissa waved at them and started back toward Score. She loved the town, but there were elements she would never understand. Like Patience’s and Isabel’s wild crush on cowboy Zane. But it was sure fun to be a part of it all.

* * *

LARISSA RUBBED HER hands across Taryn’s back. Her movements were long and slow, designed to relax, rather than heal. Taryn was easy, she thought humorously. While her friend would think she was muscled, compared with the guys, she was a wimp. Not that Larissa was ever going to say that.

She liked working on Taryn. The movements were different and they talked about girl stuff, which was nice. There was no discussion of the latest score for whatever game was in season. And during play-offs, she didn’t have to remind Taryn to stay relaxed during the massage. Because the guys always got riled up during play-offs.

Later she would see Jack, then Kenny. By the end of the day, her hands would be tired, but that came with the job.

Her fingers moved against smooth skin. The oil—a calming blend with a nice moisturizer—always left her skin silky.

She liked the differences between her clients. Sometimes she wondered what things would have been like if she’d actually gone into massage therapy instead of going to work for Score. She wondered if she would be at a spa of some kind or out on her own. While her room at the company was hers to do with as she liked, it wasn’t exactly the same as having her own business. Of course, the upside of that was she also didn’t have to worry about her budget. If she wanted a new table or different linens or new anything, she simply had to tell Sam and he ordered it for her.

But to be her own boss would be a different kind of challenge, she thought. First she would have to get certified. Easy enough. She had the education and the work experience. One day, she told herself. One day.

She pressed in around Taryn’s scapula. The tension there surprised her.

“Why aren’t you relaxing?” she asked.

Taryn sighed. “Sorry. I have stuff on my mind.”

“Like?”

“The wedding.”

“I thought Dellina would be handling the details. No one plans a party better.”

“It’s not the planning. It’s the having.” She raised her head and looked at Larissa. “I can’t decide. On the one hand a big wedding would be nice, but doesn’t a small one make more sense? It’s not like Angel and I are twenty.”

“All the more reason to do what you know you want. Taryn, seriously, you don’t do anything small. It’s not your style. Have a dream wedding that makes us all envious and wear a killer dress. We need that in our lives. You’re our inspiration.”

Taryn smiled, then lowered her head. “You’re very good to me.”

“I’m your friend. Be happy. March your skinny-assed self down a long aisle somewhere fabulous. Have a band and your Acorns as bridesmaids.”

“They’re Sprouts.”

“What?”

“The girls. They were Acorns last year. They’ll be Sprouts this year.” The Acorns, or Sprouts, were part of a group called Future Warriors of the Máa-zib. It was Fool’s Gold own version of scouting, based on the ancient tribe that had first settled in the area.

“Whatever. Have your Sprout bridesmaids and little tuxedo-decorated truffles as favors for the guests. Go for it—just because you can.”

Taryn raised her head again. “How do you know about tuxedo decorated truffles?”

Larissa grinned. “I have two married sisters. I went through all this twice. When it comes to a wedding it’s all about the dress and the details.”

“I guess. It just feels weird.”

“Because you never thought you’d fall madly in love.”

Taryn put her head down. “Maybe. Mostly.” She sighed. “Angel is so amazing.”

“Yes, he is,” Larissa said, thinking that he was also a tiny bit scary. Taryn was his equal. There weren’t many women who could say that.

She moved down her friend’s back. “Jack won’t mind if you have a big wedding,” she said quietly.

Taryn tensed, then relaxed. “I hate it when you read my mind.”

“It doesn’t take a lot of skill. You’re family, which is sweet, but you were also married before. That makes it weird.”

“A little,” Taryn admitted. “You know how much I love him, just not that way. I never did.” She paused. “He was good to me. I was able to trust him and I don’t trust easily. Our wedding was like our marriage. Very quick and purpose driven.”

Larissa knew that Taryn had gotten unexpectedly pregnant. Jack being Jack had insisted they marry.

“Would you have stayed with him?” she asked. “If you hadn’t lost the baby?”

“I have no idea. Probably not. One of us would have gotten restless. I was still in shock about being pregnant and then married. I hadn’t figured any of it out. Before I could, the baby was gone.”

“That must have been hard,” Larissa said, thinking she would be crushed. No matter how her mother made her crazy, the other woman was right about one thing. Larissa did want to get married and have kids. The problem was she couldn’t see a way to get from where she was to there.

“It was,” Taryn murmured. “I felt so guilty for getting pregnant in the first place. Then to lose the baby.... I filed for divorce the same day.”

Larissa knew the rest of the story. Taryn had been a junior PR person for the L.A. Stallions. When management found out that their star quarterback was getting a divorce, they did everything they could to make the situation easier. That meant firing Taryn so she wasn’t around to make Jack uncomfortable. Jack had protested. The last thing he’d wanted was for Taryn to lose her job. But the team had stood firm.

Not knowing how else to help, Jack had given Taryn the money to start her own firm. He’d been a silent partner and had thrown plenty of business her way. She’d thrived and had reached the point where she was going to buy him out when Kenny had taken that last hit. Jack had decided it was a good time to retire, as had Sam. Suddenly Jack and his friends had lots of free time on their hands. Then Jack had remembered he was half owner of a PR firm. They’d joined Score and the rest was history.

“I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Jack came to tell you he and Kenny and Sam were joining Score,” she said.

Taryn groaned. “There was a lot of swearing. I felt invaded and manipulated. I was not happy.”

“Still, it worked out.”

“It did. But you can’t tell Jack.”

Larissa chuckled. “I think he already knows.”

She wondered how things would have been different if there had been a baby. Imagining that made her chest tight, which was strange. Jack would be a good dad, she thought wistfully. Despite the fact that he pretended not to care, she knew things touched him deeply. His goal was to keep the world at bay and he mostly succeeded.

He’d lost so much already. His brother. After his brother’s death, his parents had gone away. Both physically and emotionally. Then his child with Taryn. She understood why he protected himself. She enabled that, she knew. Her causes became his causes. He could be a part of things without ever truly being touched by the circumstances.

They were a team. Maybe one that could do with a little therapy, but a team all the same. She counted on that. Needed it. As far as she was concerned, nothing was going to get in the way of their connection. Not her mother’s crazy statements or a kiss she still couldn’t quite explain.

CHAPTER FIVE

JACK HOVERED IN the hallway. Taryn’s massage had ended ten minutes ago and now it was his turn. He liked his turn. He liked knowing that in ninety minutes, his shoulder wouldn’t hurt and that he would sleep better that night because of it. He liked that he could completely relax because Larissa knew what she was doing and she always took care of him.

Except relaxing today seemed impossible. He and Larissa hadn’t spoken since that kiss. If he didn’t know better, he would say they’d been avoiding each other. Which meant they were going to have to talk now and he didn’t want to. Talking about kissing would remind him of the act, and going down that road was dangerous. Not to mention humiliating.

He was determined to keep things under control, so to speak. Which meant vigilance. He couldn’t allow his mind to wander. He had to stay focused on the pain. On staying ahead of his body. Because if he wasn’t careful, he would start to think about her hands on his body. Or worse, that damned kiss. And they all knew what would happen then.

The door opened and Taryn stepped out. She smiled at him. “Larissa’s on her A game today, big guy. Enjoy.”

He nodded and waited for her to walk past him. Then he started toward the half-open door, only to stop. He was naked, he thought suddenly. Buck-naked, except for the robe he would take off as soon as he got into the room. Naked and alone with a beautiful woman. Under what circumstances was that a good idea?

He swore under his breath. Why hadn’t they hired some guy to do the massages? It would have made all their lives easier, especially his. But it was too late now. Everyone liked Larissa and there was no way he wanted to replace her. It was just, dammit all to hell, why couldn’t he shut off his brain?

He walked purposefully toward the door and flung it open. Larissa looked up and smiled at him.

“You are not my last massage of the day,” she said. “A couple of days ago I was trying out some techniques on Dyna and she loved them. Now I get feline requests in the evening. I give her a kitty massage, then brush her. It’s becoming a ritual.”

Jack nodded because he couldn’t seem to speak. Had the massage table always looked so suggestive—with the top sheet pulled back? And what was up with the soft, sexy music? He glanced around the room, half looking for an escape, then told himself to suck it up. As long as he stayed focused, everything would be fine.

She looked at him, then away. Her shoulders rose and fell with a sigh. “It doesn’t mean anything. It just happened. I’m going to ignore it and I think you should, too.”

At first he thought she meant his erection. While ignoring it made the most sense, a part of him felt a little snubbed. Only then he realized she was talking about the kiss.

The one that had rocked his world and left him hard for the rest of the night. Kissing Larissa had been an impulse—one he couldn’t regret. Not that he would repeat it. Because that led to yet another dangerous place.

“You’re right,” he said. “Ignoring it would be best.”

“Good. Then let’s get on with it.”

She politely turned her back, as she always did. He shrugged out of his robe and hung it on the back of the door, stepped out of his shower shoes, then walked to the table. He stared at it for a second.

“I want to start on my back,” he said.

“Sure.”

He figured he would have a better shot at staying in control during the first half of the massage, when he wasn’t so relaxed.

“I want you to really dig in on my shoulder.”

“Is it bothering you more than usual?”

“Yes,” he lied, hoping the pain she inflicted would help.

He got on the table, faceup, and draped the sheet over himself. Larissa moved next to him. She already had the moist pack out of the hot water. She draped it across his shoulder, then tucked it under. The warmth immediately went to work. He began to relax.

“Should I leave the sheet on or put on a towel?” she asked.

Because she always draped a towel across his groin, he thought. “The towel is fine.”

She crossed to the cabinet and pulled out a towel. He closed his eyes and thought about the last offensive play of the regular season game during the 2010 season. The Stallions had been on the twenty yard line with fifteen seconds left. They’d been down by three and—

She pulled off the sheet. Truly pulled it so that yards and yards of warm, soft linen rode against his penis. It was like silk, he thought, enjoying the sensation. Not as good as Larissa touching him, but still nice. What would make it better was if she was pulling it away to crawl in next to him. Then they would—

He swore silently and opened his eyes. Larissa draped the towel across him, then turned away. She pumped oil onto her hands, as if she hadn’t felt anything. Which she hadn’t, he reminded himself. He was the only idiot in the room.

He forced his brain back to the game, reliving the entire play. He’d thrown a perfect pass to Kenny who had caught it, scoring the winning points. As he remembered the elation of the moment, Larissa slid her hands across his chest.

She’d done it a thousand times before, to stay connected as she moved from one side to the other. It was normal and expected and not in the least bit sexy. The only problem was the light touch was just enough to get his blood pumping a little too fast.

No way, he thought, grinding his teeth together. He would not be controlled by his dick. He was a bigger man than that. Only thinking the word bigger wasn’t his smartest idea.

Sports, he thought frantically, as his blood heated and the familiar growing ache began. Ah, a game they’d lost. Right. Against Dallas. He’d been intercepted in the third quarter and it had all gone to shit after that. He relived the play and the subsequent disaster. It seemed to be enough to cool himself down. He breathed a little easier.

She massaged both arms. She would do his right shoulder before he turned over, so it made sense that her next move was his legs. She walked around the table and put her hands on his left thigh. As her thumbs dug in, her fingers slid along his skin and by the time she got to his knee, he was hard as steel. He had to give Larissa points. She never faltered in her work. Even though his dick formed a good-size tent in the towel. Heat burned in him—half from arousal, half from humiliation.

“I’m ignoring it,” he said at last.

“Me, too.”

He couldn’t tell for sure, but it seemed like her voice was a little strangled. Humor or mortification? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know which.

She continued to work her way down his leg before circling the table and starting on his other leg. She half turned to reach the oil. As she moved, the towel got caught or something because he suddenly felt it sliding off. He opened his eyes and started to sit up. Instinctively he reached for it, just as she did the same. He grabbed and she stretched and their hands met, right on his erect penis, her hand trapped beneath his, his long, hard shaft below that.

For the first time ever, Jack got the real appeal of a “happy ending.” In that split second, all he could think was how much he wanted her to touch him there. With her hands or her mouth—he didn’t much care which. As long as they stopped before he came so he could please her as much and then they would finish the whole thing with some old-fashioned intercourse.

Which was not to be, he thought, instantly releasing her hand and half expecting her to jump back and shriek. She didn’t jump or yell, instead she studied him.

“If you want to go take care of that, I can wait,” she said.

It took a second for the meaning of her words to sink in and when they did, he deflated like a popped balloon.

“Excuse me?”

She shrugged. “It would solve the problem.”

She expected him to go masturbate? Like some kid? “No,” he said firmly, gathering the towel and his dignity as best he could and sliding off the table. “No.”

He crossed to his robe and pulled it on. Only then did he let the towel drop to the floor. He slid into his shoes and stalked out of the massage room.

It was only when he was back in the relative safety of the locker room that he realized she probably thought he’d retreated to do just what she’d suggested. And there didn’t seem to be a way to tell her otherwise.

* * *

LARISSA FINISHED CLEANING up her massage room, then turned off the lights and walked toward her office. Jack’s inexplicable behavior still had her shaking her head. She didn’t like that he was making a habit of running out on her. Plus, she hadn’t finished her massage, so she knew he would be in pain. Her job was to prevent that. They had a really big problem—all penis puns aside—and she didn’t know how to fix it.

Yes, the whole erection thing had been a bit awkward. Personally, she’d found it difficult to think about anything else and she would guess he’d had the same problem. While she wanted to take credit for his aroused state, she had a feeling it was a lot more about circumstances than any allure on her part. She also knew exactly who was to blame.

She walked into her small office only to find her cell phone ringing. A single glance at the screen warned her the caller was the person who had started all this mess.

“Hi, Mom,” she said when she answered.

“Larissa, dear, I’m checking in. How are things?”

Complicated. Embarrassing. Confusing. There were so many words, she thought, not sure if the situation was comical or tragic. Probably a little of both, she thought.

“Things are good,” she said, taking the easy way out. “How about with you?”

“The usual. Your sister is finally admitting she’s pregnant.”

“The baby’s due in a couple of months.”

“You know that and I know that, but she’s been avoiding the truth. Your stepfather and I are going over this weekend to help with the nursery. A little paint, some new bedding and they’ll be ready.”

Larissa settled in her chair. “I’m sure they appreciate your help.”

“I’m sure they do. How are things with Jack?”

Larissa caught her breath. “That was subtle.”

“I wasn’t trying to be. He told you I talked to him.”

“Yes, and what you said.”

“I’m not wrong.”

Larissa drew in a deep breath and told herself to stay calm. “Mom, I’m not in love with Jack.”

“Really? When was the last time you went on a date?”

“I haven’t met any single guys here, yet. I’ve only been in town a few weeks.” It was more like months, but why say that. “I’ve made lots of girlfriends and that’s more important right now. I want a support network.”

“Why? You have a loving family, but fine. Have your girlfriends.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Oh, Larissa, I’m not trying to be difficult.”

“Maybe not, but you embarrassed me, Mom. You shouldn’t have said what you did to Jack. He’s my boss.”

There was a pause. “All right. You might be right about that, but I only did it for your own good.”

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