name came out with a guttural cry. She felt the tension in him and knew he was close. His gaze locked with hers as he struggled to hold back.
She was close, too, on the edge of her release. But not yet there. Not yet ready. She needed...
“Come for me.”
Apparently she needed for him to ask, she thought as she arched against him and shuddered. Her orgasm ripped through her, making her hang on as she flexed and writhed and pulled his release from him. They drove toward each other, calling out, their contractions matching and growing before easing into complete satisfaction.
When she was conscious again, she felt the trembling in his arms and suspected it had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with exhaustion.
“Put me down,” she told him.
“I’m not going to drop you.”
She smiled. “Let’s not test that theory.”
He lowered her to the floor, but didn’t release her. Instead he held her close. She felt his heart pounding in his chest. They were both sweaty and breathing hard and she never wanted to let go.
“Amazing,” she breathed, then wondered if she should have been slightly more restrained.
He chuckled. “I agree. If this is you with no practice, I’m going to have to be careful. In another couple of weeks, you’ll be so good you’ll kill me.”
“I promise not to let things get that far.”
He straightened and kissed her. “I’m willing to risk it.”
When they parted, she had a moment to realize that while she was completely naked, he was nearly fully dressed. But while the clothes-gathering could have been awkward, it wasn’t. Justice steadied her while she slipped into her panties and insisted on doing up her bra himself. That led to him making sure it fit right and checking out whether or not he could squeeze his hand between her breast and the cup, which led to more kissing, so it was a while until she was clothed again.
When they finally returned to the main room, she was feeling relaxed and smug. She wanted to think she’d just forgotten how good sex could be but had a feeling making love with Justice was in a special category. Which meant she was unlikely to duplicate the experience with anyone else.
Nerves surfaced, but before she could squash them, someone knocked on the locked front door of the store.
Patience crossed to open it. She didn’t recognize the woman standing there and wondered if she was a lost tourist.
“Can I help you?” she asked, taking in the other woman’s long, wavy hair and warm smile. Her irises were cat’s-eye green. She was tall and lean, but with a hint of perfect curves under her tailored black pantsuit.
She looked so happy to be there, Patience couldn’t help smiling back. Only to realize the happiness wasn’t aimed at her.
“Justice!”
The tall, elegant woman brushed past Patience and launched herself at Justice. Just as horrible, he caught her in his arms and swung her around.
“You made it,” he exclaimed.
“Of course. I couldn’t let you be here all by yourself.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
All the pleasure Patience had just experienced bled away, leaving her with the sense of having been played for a fool.
PATIENCESTOOD THERE, watching the happy couple. Shock didn’t describe the combination of dismay and mortification burning through her. Not three minutes ago, she had been naked and making love with Justice. Now he was hanging on to some other woman? The chasm of the years he’d been gone had never stretched so far between them. She wanted to run but couldn’t make herself move. Then she remembered this was her store and her town. Even if Justice wasn’t her man.
Justice and the woman hugged again, laughing happily. Patience glanced around, idly wondering if there was anything she could throw at them. China. A bucket of water. She wasn’t feeling particularly picky.
Justice finally looked up and saw her. Amazingly, there wasn’t any guilt in his expression. Just contentment.
Sure, she thought bitterly. Why not? Talk about having his cake and all that.
“Patience, let me introduce my business associate Felicia Swift. Felicia, this is Patience. The girl I knew when I lived here.”
The tall, elegant beauty moved toward Patience, her intentions obvious. They were going to greet each other politely. Because that’s what civilized people did.
“I’m so happy to finally meet you,” Felicia said with a brilliant smile. “Justice told me a little about your past together.” She gave him a wry look. “Not that he talks about his personal life very much at all, right?”
“Right,” Patience said. “He’s very secretive. Not necessarily a good quality in a man. In fact, it can be annoying.”
Justice looked at her, his brows pulling together.
She wanted to stomp her foot. Seriously? He was going to pretend to be confused?
Felicia laughed. It was a low, throaty, sexy sound that made Patience hate her instantly. Not that she’d especially liked her before.
The other woman patted Justice’s arm. “And for the record, I’m not your associate. Not anymore.”
Justice kept his gaze on Patience. “That’s right. Felicia is going to help us set up the business, but then we’re on our own.”
“How sad,” Patience murmured.
“It is. She’s a logistical expert.” He turned back to the stunning redhead. “You’ve saved my ass more than once.”
“Just doing my job.” She smiled at Patience. “As I’m sure he’s already told you, I worked with Justice when he was in the military. Then we both went to work for the private security company. Now we’re here.”
“How very special.”
Patience pressed her hand against her stomach. It was writhing again, but this time for very different reasons. She’d never experienced jealousy before. Not like this. When Ned had announced he was leaving, she’d been stunned and upset, but not jealous. Her pain had mostly been for her daughter—losing her father before she’d even gotten to know him.
It was her ability to let go that had convinced her she hadn’t loved Ned at all. Theirs had been a marriage of convenience, brought on by her pregnancy.
This time was different. This time the jealousy burned hot and bright. The need to throw or possibly destroy was still there. Reminding herself this was her store and any damage would be hers to fix helped keep her in check. As did her basic grasp of normal behavior. But she was furious and devastated. Crying
