Thea couldn’t sleep all night. She tossed and turned until she finally gave up around five in the morning. Going downstairs, she made coffee, bringing Sneaky along with her.Setting up a pen of sorts with various furniture while lining the floor with towels, she let Sneaky begin to explore his new digs. At first he stayed in the corner, but eventually he found the courage to venture further out. It helped that Thea had placed a nice pile of lettuce and carrots for him to munch on in the middle of the pen. Sneaky was still favoring his right leg, though. Once they were able to get out of this cabin, she’d take him to a vet to be looked at.She blew out a breath as she sat down on the oversized leather chair near the remains of the fire from the night before. The candles she’d lit had burned down to puddles of wax. She shivered, wishing she knew how to start a fire. It couldn’t be that difficult, right? She’d watched Anthony do it last night.Thea lined the fireplace with newspaper an

Anthony stared into his glass of beer before drinking the entire glass in one long gulp.“That bad, huh?” his good friend Carter Roberts asked with a grimace.A pro baseball player for the Seattle Falcons, Carter always had a posse of fans following him around wherever he went. Tonight was no different. He’d already taken at least five photos with people, and Anthony could see a group of girls ogling him at the table behind them. It would only be a few more minutes before they got the courage to approach one of the most famous baseball players in the country and one of the most eligible bachelors around.One of the girls, a brunette who was so tan that she looked orange, stepped up to their table with a giggle. “Are you Carter Roberts?” she asked breathlessly, like she didn’t already know the answer.Carter shot her a grin. “I am. But the more important question is: who are you?”The girl tittered. Anthony snorted and motioned at the waitress to bring him another beer.Carter and

Thea wondered if she’d fallen asleep and was dreaming that Anthony was here, kissing her as fiercely as he’d kissed her that first time. And the second time. His hands skimmed down her back and cupped her ass as his tongue delved into her mouth.No, this definitely isn’t a dream. It’s all real.Thea could barely put two coherent thoughts together right then. But one single thought did come to the foray: what was he even doing here at her apartment?She put her hands on his chest, pushing at him. He finally broke the kiss, although he didn’t step away from her.Thea swallowed. Her voice none too steady, she said, “Why are you here?”“Do you really want to talk right now?” He slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close again. “Because I don’t want to talk, Thea.”She was tempted to give in. God, was she tempted. He looked delicious, with his dark eyes looking at her with such heat that she was pretty sure she would go up in flames in the next few seconds. He wore a dark sweater

“Thea, darling, sweet, adorable, ridiculous friend of mine. Unless you tell me what’s wrong, I’m going to torture you until you fess up,” said Mittens.Thea tried not to smile but failed miserably. “Should I find that comforting?” she joked.After much persuasion, whining, blackmailing and coaxing, Mittens convinced Thea to come out for drinks that Friday night. They’d gotten coffee a few times since she’d returned from her trip, but she’d avoided him because she didn’t know how to answer his questions about Anthony.It was hard not to be happy around Mittens. Currently, he had orange hair with red tips, along with purple nails with pink rhinestones glued to the tips. In regard to his hair, he’d claimed he’d done it because he was already “flaming gay” and liked to ruffle the feathers of the local soccer moms at various coffee shops. Fair Haven was progressive, but it was still a small town with small-town values. Mittens also enjoyed trying out different lip colors and had a bigger

Anthony was gone when Thea woke in the morning. His side of the bed was already cold, so he must’ve left hours ago. Yawning, she went to take a shower, the hot water clearing the cobwebs from her mind.Her conscience pricked at her. She’d driven down here to tell Anthony the truth, and she’d failed utterly. She’d tried to get Anthony to listen, she told herself. But he hadn’t wanted to talk. Then he’d kissed her and it had all gone downhill from there. It was like the second he touched her, every thought in her brain disappeared.Thea dressed, sick with guilt and frustrated at how weak she was for this man already. Although it terrified her, she texted Anthony, saying, We still need to talk. When do you get home?When he didn’t reply, she hoped it was because he was in a meeting and not ignoring her. She wandered downstairs and got some food from the kitchen. After she’d eaten, Anthony finally replied. Back late. Feel free to stay at my place as long as you want.Well, that was hel