“Is there something wrong?”
Draco turned from the desk where he’d been standing, reading a sheet of paper. He placed the paper and the cut crystal tumbler he’d held in his hand on the glossy wooden surface of the desk and crossed the distance between them, concern pulling his eyebrows into a frown.“No, I’m fine, I just wanted to talk to you a while. That’s all.”Now that she was here, she suddenly felt nervous. She shouldn’t have changed into the nightgown that was for sure. While it had seemed a good idea at the time, right now she felt as if she’d put herself on display, when what she wanted was Draco’s total attention—and not in that way.“The night wear looks lovely on you.”Appreciation gleamed in Draco’s eyes, and Blair felt her body warm and stir under his gaze.“Thank you,” she said, her words a little breathless.She averted her eyes and sat downShe blinked back the tears that burned like embers against the back of her eyes. She’d been a fool to think she could come here and talk to Draco about a future together. It would never have worked anyway. She was probably just mushy-brained because of this pregnancy—wooed into the lifestyle andsurroundings and dreams of what she could never have or be. Summoning all the dignity she could muster, Blair rose from her seat. The soft folds of fabric of her nightgown and peignoir settled around her body like a lover’s caress, and she shuddered to think that, if things could have been different between herself and Draco, he would no doubt have been removing the garments by now. But instead of making plans for a new future she clung to every last shred of what she had left. She lifted her chin and met Draco’s glittering gaze head on. “Thank you for the reminder. You’re right. Of course. To be honest, I c
B y the time Blair staggered up the stairs to the flat above the restaurant she was shattered. The irony of flying from Rome to London and then making a connecting flight via Hong Kong to Auckland wasn’t lost on her. Briefly, she’d been in the same city as Draco and he hadn’t even known it. With the number of time zones she’d been through, she felt as if she’d been traveling for days, even if it had only been something over thirty hours. But she was here. Home. Where she was needed and wanted.It was nearing lunchtime, but all she wanted was to fall into bed and sleep. She made a quick call to the hospital and asked to be put through to her dad, but her call was intercepted by a nurse who told her he was resting comfortably. Blair left a brief message with the nurse for her father, disappointed she couldn’t speak to him. She’d only be able to manage a few hours’ sleep before she’d need to be on deck downstairs. Calling him again would have to wait until morning.Bu
H ow long he stood there on the side of the road he didn’t know, but a sudden movement near the back of the remaining ambulance caught his eye.Blair! She was all right. He covered the distance between them in a matter of seconds, reaching to take her into his arms and to confirm for himself that she was okay. Her face was smudged with soot, her clothes also, and the indentation of an oxygen mask on her face left him in no doubt she’d been in terrible danger not so very long ago. Blair batted away at his hands as he sought to touch her. Shoving hard at him when he tried again to hold her. “How could you?” she rasped, her voice raw and tears tracking pale lines down her face. “Was this what you meant when you said you’d make me stop working? Was it?” She was hysterical with grief. “Blair, no. How could you think such a thing? I would never do something like this to you. Never,
SUMMARYI have a secret. I’m in love with my best friend, but I’ve never told her. Sharing feelings is right up there with all-time terrible things. Instead of saying it, I show her how I feel every day. I watch Big Brother with her. We have scary movie night. I hold her hair when she’s puking. That’s love in my books. Only…she’s not been the same recently, and I don’t know how to fix it. I hope she knows I'd do anything for her.I have a secret. I’m pregnant with my best friend’s baby. One drunken night, one missed birth control, and boom, it’s baby time. I’m thrilled but…Mack is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. He’s celebrated my successes and held me during my trials. His family has become my family. If I'm being honest with myself, I've been in love with him for a long time. But if I tell him I'm having his baby, will it ruin everything?MACK“MAYBE I SHOULD GET A BOOB JOB,” SUNNY MOANS. “OR AT LEAS
MACK HER CO-WORKER WANTS TO FUCK HER. I CAN SMELL IT ON HIM, AND IT MAKESme crazy. I flip the page of the hiring manual.A set of knuckles strikes the wood next to my paper. “Is there an employee issue at the school?”I look up from the desk to see my dad standing with a worried look on his face, his forehead creased with concern. The school is his pet.“No.”“Why are you looking at firing policies? What aren’t you telling me?” He spins the documents out of my hand and searches the text, which he helped write.“I was just looking.” I shove away from the desk and stomp to the window, feeling annoyed and embarrassed. This Brad guy is a peach. Graduated top of his class, from a solid family, clean record. Even his students seem to like him. There’s nothing I can fire him for because wanting to screw your co-worker is not a fireable offense. It should be, but it’s not.“You don’t sound convincing, but I’ll ta
MACKHAD SHE SEEN ME JACKING OFF AND THAT TURNED HER ON SO MUCH THAT SHEhad to fiddle with her clit? The thought makes me lightheaded. Good thing I’m sitting down. It’s also a dangerous path that is going to lead nowhere. I shut that down immediately. No point in entertaining things that aren’t ever going to happen.I turn the volume down on the TV and double check to make sure the show is being recorded. On screen, Jeff massages sunscreen into Jordan’s back. I’m not sure how he’s not getting wood from all that contact with Jordan’s bare skin. He’s got more self-control than me, that’s for damned sure.Like Sunny, Jordan drifts off. Jeff gets up and looks around for a blanket. When he doesn’t find one on the pool deck, he heads inside. Another contestant, Chris, is debating the hot topic of pineapple on pizza with Nina. She hates it, but she would say the sky was green if Chris said it was blue because Chris broke an alliance with her
MACKSUNNY’S ACTING WEIRD, BUT SHE DOESN’T WANT TO OPEN UP TO ME, SO I’Mnot going to push it. Sort of feel like I’m on edge around her these days, which pisses me off. We never used to be like this, and I don’t know why things have changed now. It makes me uneasy. Taking her home is a twofer for me. First, it will get my parents off my neck but second, Mom can sometimes get things out of Sunny that I can’t. My parents have been standing in as parents for Sunny ever since her folks passed away years ago.“We’re here,” I holler as I gently push Sunny over the threshold. She takes a deep breath and pats her stomach as if she’s got a sudden onset of nerves. Like I said, weird.“You okay?” I question quietly. “Your tummy upset?”Her eyes shoot down to where her palm is resting and then quickly up to me. Something like guilt suffuses her face, and her hand drops away right quick. “N-no. Why would you ask that?”I narrow my gaze. “You’
MACK“NINA, THIS EVENT IS SO FUN!” CRIES SANDRA BENNINGTON AS SHE RUNStoward us, her hands outstretched. My date beams and catches the other girl in her arms.“Thank you for saying that. I thought people would find the games dumb. Some people”—she casts an evil look in the direction of her stepbrother, who is trying very hard not to stare at Nina’s chest, which is about to fall out of her dress—“were very skeptical of it all.”“Eric, why are you so dour all the time?” Sandra slaps the man across his biceps. He doesn’t move. “This is supposed to be fun. It’s for charity.” She reaches out her hand to hit me, but I’ve had enough of all this social contact. If one more society woman comes up and rubs her tits on my arm, I’m going to lose it.“He was born dour,” replies Nina.Over her head, Sunny’s eyes meet mine. I jerk my head to the side and then separate myself from Nina. She doesn’t notice as she’s too intent on arguing with Eri