Unleashed

“Then that’s something you need to work on. I can’t help you there.”

“Tomorrow was supposed to be our wedding day. Remember?”

He nearly choked. Of course, he remembered. How could he forget how close he’d come to making the biggest mistake of his life? “Yes. Why are you bringing all this up?”

“I don’t know. But sometimes I wish things were the way they used to be, and that I was still marrying you tomorrow. I messed up so bad. I know I need to make some changes.” Her soft weeping had dampened, but he could hear it starting up again. “I’m so sorry I did this to us.”

“You know who really deserves your apology? The one person who never got one. Kelsey.”

“I…I can’t talk to her. There’s no way I could face her.”

“And she might very well not want to face you. But it’s something you should think about, on this path to betterment you’re talking about. Now I mean it, I have to go.”

She finally hung up, and he breathed a huge sigh of relief. Damn girl was depressing the hell out of him. And to think she wanted to come over tonight and drive the knife deeper. Remind him of all the ugliness. Perish the thought.

Of course, in her own way Kelsey would serve as a reminder of everything that happened. Her quiet heartbreak was palpable. But the strength behind it was a freaking inspiration to him. She hadn’t backed down, she hadn’t run back home even though her parents lived two states away. He loved to see that quality in someone, be it his dear friend or the people he stood up for in court.

He rushed through food prep so he could grab a quick shower before she arrived, since he was probably redolent with the lingering odor of huge, slobbering dog. It didn’t surprise him how excited he was to see her; he always was. But now there was just a hint of scandal and possibility there that had his heartbeat ratcheting up a notch. It might be wrong, but it was undeniable.

They’d never lost touch throughout the years and her disastrous marriage, but they’d lost the closeness they once shared. He looked forward to gaining it back now without jealous significant others questioning their every conversation.

Even if Todd had come to realize what a jackass he’d been, he didn’t deserve Kelsey after what he’d done to her. He hoped she realized that.

A vigorous shower later Evan headed back outside to fire up his grill beside the glowing kidney-shaped pool. It was a gorgeous night, still and musical with the sound of crickets. He lived far enough from the lights of town that every visible star winked from the expanse of velvety black sky unfurled above, but the late July humidity hung in the air like a sopping wet blanket. He was going around lighting the tiki torches when Brian stuck his head out the sliding glass door. “She’s pulling up.”

“And you’re still here.” Evan swept past him on his way into the kitchen.

“Lay off, man. I’m going over to Michelle’s. I just got her on her cell and she won’t be home for another half hour or so.”

Evan swept a glance around the kitchen, rubbing palms that had become strangely damp on his jeans. Thank God Friday was the day his housekeeper came by. Everything was clean. Not that he ever let it get dirty. “That girl hasn’t come to her senses yet?”

Brian perched on a barstool. “You’d better hope she doesn’t. Where else would I go?”

“Good point.” Satisfied that everything was presentable, Evan headed into the living room just as the doorbell rang. Reaching for the knob, he blew out a breath and pulled the door open.

Kelsey stood framed by the buttery glow of his porch light, smiling at him, looking delicious in denim shorts and a little pink top with spaghetti straps. Her dark hair—naturally curly, he knew—fell in a straight cascade from her white headband. “Hey,” he drawled with a grin, holding his arms open.

She flew across the threshold to hug him, and God, she was so insubstantial in his arms. The tremor that went through her as he pressed her against him couldn’t have been his imagination. Her familiar scent flooded his nostrils—she always smelled like cool spring breezes, like honeysuckle. Clean and sweet.

“I missed you,” she said softly and, though the top of her head only reached his chin, he heard that voice as if it had whispered in his ear.

This was right. This was how they should be. He vowed in that moment to never let anyone come between them again.

“I missed you, too,” he murmured, and when he finally went to release her, he realized he’d picked her up off her feet. He eased her down, staring into her gray eyes as if he hadn’t seen them in years. It felt that way, for some reason. The trembling smile she was wearing for him didn’t seem to reach the melancholy in her gaze. That sadness wasn’t as pronounced as it had been at her divorce hearing almost two months ago—that had nearly torn his heart out—but it was still there.

As he shut the door she stepped back, looking him up and down. “You look great.”

“Not as great as you.” He put an arm around her shoulders and walked her through his living room toward the kitchen. Brian looked up and grinned as they entered.

“What’s up, K?”

“Brian!”

“Don’t worry, Evan’s giving me the boot. I’ll be gone in a few.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here now, because I have something to ask you.”

Evan looked down at Kelsey in surprise as she left his side and walked over to his brother, who’d raised one dark, pierced brow in inquiry. And Evan could only see her from the back, but surely she wasn’t doing what it looked like—which was raising her shirt up just an inch or two in front of Brian. “Does this thing look okay? It was doing fine, but now it’s a little red and it bothers me. I’m afraid it’s getting infected or something.”

What the hell?

Brian, suddenly in his element, leaned down to examine what looked like the area around Kelsey’s navel. “Nah. It’s fine, just keep up your routine. It can take months to heal and it’ll be a little red until it does.”

Dumbfounded, Evan stepped around to see for himself. She’d gotten her bellybutton pierced, a silver barbell with a little butterfly on it. It was hot as hellfire. “When did you do that?” he asked.

She grinned at him. “The night my divorce was final. Brian did it for me.”

Evan slapped the top of Brian’s head. “You didn’t tell me.”

“Because I respect my clients’ confidentiality. I do what they tell me. Who they show it to is their prerogative. Ass.”

And she certainly hadn’t minded showing it to Evan. He bit his lip on a grin as she turned to him. “I just felt like I needed to do something crazy…or crazy for me, anyway,” she explained, lowering her shirt. Todd probably wouldn’t have gone for it, he thought. “Lisa went with me.”

Brian burst out laughing. “Yeah, the pregnant chick. She was hilarious. You were fine afterward, but I thought she was about to pass out on the floor.”

“And she’s the one who’s gone through the rigors of childbirth twice already. I didn’t let her live it down, don’t worry,” Kelsey said. Brian held out his fist and she punched her knuckles against his, laughing.

Evan shook his head. “I’m still reeling from the fact that you willingly let my brother drive a needle through your flesh.”

“It was a very liberating moment,” she told him with a dead-straight face.

“See? These are the rewards of my profession,” Brian said to Evan. “Giving hot chicks their first taste of the wild life. We love to get our hands on virgin flesh in my line of work.”

“You’re twisted,” Evan said, and it didn’t escape him that Kelsey was laughing good-naturedly but covering her mouth with her hand and flushing bright red to the roots of her hair.

He shifted the conversation before she could somehow bolt. “Yeah, you love it when you go do your line of work.”

Brian popped the tab on the beer that had been sitting next to him. “They love me so much there, I can come and go as I please. Much like Michelle. Speaking of which, I’m out.” He rose from his barstool and grabbed his keys from the counter. “You kids have fun. Don’t do—”

“Not with that.” Evan gestured toward the can in Brian’s hand. “Open container law. You do this on purpose to bait me, don’t you?”

“Jesus Christ. You’re such a lawyer.” Brian always spat the word as if it were a curse.

“That may be, but right now I’m big brother and you’re not leaving my house drinking. Wait till you get to Michelle’s. Hand it over.”

Kelsey was watching the heated exchange with her eyebrows in her hairline. But she’d get used to it, if she hung around the two of them for any length of time. If she really wanted to see ugliness, she should watch Evan’s older sister lay into Brian. Or his mother, who reverted to Italian when she was really pissed off.

“Fine.” Brian shoved the beer into Evan’s hands. “Enjoy with my compliments, you rat bastard.”

“I surely will, since it’s mine.”

Brian flipped him off as he exited through the patio door.

“Well,” Kelsey said in the silence that followed, during which they both stared at the door where he had disappeared. “That was…”

“Minor. Trust me. Sorry you had to witness it.” He took a swig of Brian’s abandoned beer and walked around the counter to the refrigerator. “Want a drink?”

God, did she ever. If anyone had told her a month ago this would be happening, she would have accused them of being insane. “Sure.”

“Margaritas?”

“Sounds good.”

He set to work making them and she took a moment, as always, to envy him his kitchen. It was a hodgepodge of rugged brick, wrought-iron scrollwork and stainless steel, making her think of an old Italian bistro with plenty of modern upgrades. She loved this entire house…a log-cabin style with pale, nak*d wood walls and hardwood floors. It wasn’t too big, wasn’t too small…just right for him. And maybe one other person, of course. It had two bedrooms downstairs and a loft that overlooked the living room—he used the upstairs as his home office. It was filled with law books. Right now she had a couple of quilts her great-grandmother had made that would look gorgeous hanging over the loft railing. It was a crime they were bagged up in her closet, but she had nowhere to display them that did justice to their beauty or their preciousness to her.

I’m redecorating his house in my head. Crazy, girl. Crazy.

He’d bought the place shortly after proposing to Courtney and they’d lived here around eighteen months before she decided she liked Kelsey’s life better. For whatever reason.

Now that was a crazy girl.

Evan looked incredibly edible tonight—she couldn’t recall ever thinking he didn’t. He was wearing a pair of worn, faded jeans, and he was owning them. A white polo shirt hugged his broad shoulders, so stark and sexy set against his olive complexion and his raven-black hair. Hair that was still damp and redolent from a recent shower. She could spend her entire day doing nothing more than inhaling his scent. Or staring at that ass. It was one fine ass. What she wouldn’t give to feel it bare and cupped in her hands, urging him deeper……