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Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for the novels of Mia Sheridan
  3. About the Author
  4. NOTE TO READERS
  5. Dedication
  6. prologue
  7. chapter one
  8. chapter two
  9. chapter three
  10. chapter four
  11. chapter five
  12. chapter six
  13. chapter seven
  14. chapter eight
  15. chapter nine
  16. chapter ten
  17. chapter eleven
  18. chapter twelve
  19. chapter thirteen
  20. chapter fourteen
  21. chapter fifteen
  22. chapter sixteen
  23. chapter seventeen
  24. chapter eighteen
  25. chapter nineteen
  26. chapter twenty
  27. chapter twenty-one
  28. chapter twenty-two
  29. chapter twenty-three
  30. chapter twenty-four
  31. chapter twenty-five
  32. chapter twenty-six
  33. chapter twenty-seven
  34. chapter twenty-eight
  35. chapter twenty-nine
  36. chapter thirty
  37. chapter thirty-one
  38. chapter thirty-two
  39. chapter thirty-three
  40. chapter thirty-four
  41. chapter thirty-five
  42. chapter thirty-six
  43. chapter thirty-seven
  44. chapter thirty-eight
  45. chapter thirty-nine
  46. chapter forty
  47. chapter forty-one
  48. chapter forty-two
  49. chapter forty-three
  50. chapter forty-four
  51. chapter forty-five
  52. chapter forty-six
  53. chapter forty-seven
  54. chapter forty-eight
  55. epilogue
  56. acknowledgments

I almost laughed, but held it in. I was irritated, but I was also slightly amused by the natural way she and I seemed to fall back into childhood bickering. Truthfully, I wasn’t planning on “cavorting” with Caycee. I didn’t need any complications. But I wasn’t opposed to finding a willing woman at a local bar to relieve some pressure. “No. But if you’re going to make amendments to my contract, I’ll have to sign a new one. My job duties should be spelled out in black and white. I wouldn’t want to misstep because you and I weren’t clear about what was expected of me.”

“That seems fair,” Charlie cut in, taking a few steps toward Emily.

She looked up at him, appearing almost startled by his presence. “Sure. I’ll have a new contract drawn up,” she said.

“Great.”

“Great.”

I felt a hand on my arm, and Caycee came up next to me. “Ready?” she asked.

“Sure. See you tomorrow,” I said to Emily, offering Charlie a chin tip. Just before we both turned away, something crossed Emily’s face that looked vaguely like hurt. I felt a punch in my gut and for just a moment, she looked exactly like the girl I’d once known despite all the ways that she had changed. I paused, feeling as if I should say something to…what? Soothe her? Make it so we were parting on terms that weren’t as strained? There were all these weird lines I kept spontaneously crossing. But it didn’t matter anyway. The moment had passed, and she was already moving away.

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chapter eleven

Emily

My pillow was too hot. I sat up, turning it over, punching the middle blindly and falling back onto it with a frustrated grunt. Maybe I’d turned the heat up too high before going to bed, because my apartment was sweltering. I tore off my black velvet sleep mask and tossed it onto my bedside table. Instead of getting up right away to check the thermostat, I crossed my arms, staring up at the ceiling and watching the shifting lights from the street below.

I didn’t see anything about cavorting in the contract. The memory of Tuck’s words wound through my mind, the disdainful look he’d worn on his face as he’d challenged me, causing a zing of anger. Less than a week on the job and he was already pissing me off. I’d been right about this arrangement being a bad idea.

But I guess I was stuck now.