Read Online Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery - Free Book Online Page B

she’d spent so much of her life by herself. Separate from everyone else—never quite fitting in. She must have been lonely.
    Emotion stirred inside him. The need to protect. He knew the danger of getting involved and vowed that he wouldn’t, but damn, she was something.
    She smiled. “It seems unfair to only discuss my emotions. Are you okay with what happened between us?”
    “I’m feeling a little used, but I’ll deal.” He cocked his head. “You show up at my place in the middle of the night and demand sex. What’s a guy to think?”
    She laughed. “I think you can handle the pressure.”
    He was about to ask when she wanted to pressure him again, but stopped himself. He wasn’t the picket fence kind of guy. Maybe he had been once, but that part of his soul had long since turned to dust.
    She reached for something on the counter and picked up a small brightly colored card. “Do you want to—”
    The smile faded, and uncertainty filled her big, green eyes.
    The battle was clearly visible. Her shoulders drew back as she steeled herself to continue what she’d been about to say.
    “My friend Charlie and her fiancé are having a party in a couple of weeks. At the new casino and hotel. It’ll be open by then. She said I could bring a date.” Felicia paused. “I’ve never been on a date before. I’d like to know what it’s like, if you’d like to go with me.”
    He would rather she’d shot him. Or immobilized him with a Taser. Or cut out his heart.
    No. His answer was no. He didn’t date, didn’t get involved, didn’t...
    The card shook slightly in her pale fingers. The woman who had calmly removed her shirt and bra and put his hands on her breasts only a few days ago had never been asked out by a guy? How was he supposed to ignore that? Ignore her? How was he supposed to squash her hopes and dreams?
    “I’m not that guy,” he told her. “The forever guy.”
    “I assume you’re referring to marriage and not immortality.”
    “I am.”
    One corner of her mouth twitched in amusement. “It’s a party, Gideon, not an eternal commitment.”
    “Yeah, I know. Sure. I’ll go.”
    Relief joined amusement. “Thank you. I look forward to it.”
    “Me, too.” Which was actually kind of true. He started for the door, then turned back. “Felicia?”
    “Yes?”
    “Just so you’re clear, it’s a date.”
    * * *
     
    “THE NEW OFFICE space is available,” Pia said. “It has been for a while now. I feel kind of guilty for not taking advantage of it, but there was no way I could take on the task of moving, along with everything else.” She motioned to the tiny office, overflowing with filing cabinets and boxes of promotional material. “It’s a mess.”
    Felicia glanced around. “You’ve clearly outgrown your space.”
    Pia sighed. “Clearly. I feel like such a slacker. I used to be able to stay on top of things.”
    “Before you had a husband and three kids?”
    Pia nodded. “But other women work with families.”
    Felicia had never understood why women took on guilt when they were overwhelmed, but she recognized the symptoms. “Pia, from what I’ve heard, you went from being a single working woman to married with three kids in less than a year. Two of the children were twins.”
    And not even biologically hers. When a close friend of Pia’s had died, leaving her custody of embryos, Pia had had the tiny babies implanted. Then she’d fallen in love with Raoul Moreno. Before the twins had even been born, they’d adopted ten-year-old Peter.
    “Your expectations are unrealistic,” Felicia continued. “In less than two years, everything about your life changed completely. Yet you’ve carried on with the festivals and created a successful family unit. You should be proud of yourself.”
    Tears filled Pia’s eyes. “That’s so nice,” she said, sniffing. “Thank you.” She waved her hands in front of her eyes. “Sorry for the breakdown. I’m hormonal.”
    Felicia would guess she