Page 102 of Diagnosis Attraction

“I went there. I mean, I was drawn there by …” She lifted her shoulder. “I don’t know. I guess there was some kind of connection between us.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t in town. It would have avoided that boat chase.”

“Yeah, but the guys in the other boat would still be alive,” Jake said sternly. “It worked out.”

Matt looked at him and knew that it was a lot better to be friends with Jake Harper than his enemy.

Jake answered with a slight nod.

They talked for a while longer, each couple telling how they’d met and what had happened to them as a result.

Finally, Gabriella said, “You must be worn out. There’s an empty cottage on the property. Why don’t the two of you go overthere and relax? And we can all meet back here for dinner.” She looked at her watch. “At six thirty.”

“Yes. Thanks,” Elizabeth said the thought of something. “Matt’s car is still at the nursing home. Do you think it’s safe to go back for it?”

“Maybe not. What’s in it besides your clothes?”

“My computer,” Matt answered.

“If you give me your car keys, a couple of us can go back for it,” Luke Buckley said.

His wife gave him an alarmed look.

“Carefully,” he assured her. “If it seems like anyone’s watching it, we’ll have to leave it there.”

“I don’t want anyone else getting hurt on my account,” Matt said.

“We’re all in this together,” Luke answered. “And I can handle myself. I spent a couple of years dodging the New Jersey mob.”

“And I’m a private detective,” Craig said. “I think we’ve got it covered.”

Matt gave him the keys, and he and Luke left to retrieve the car before Gabriella showed them to the cottage.

Elizabeth looked around admiringly at the antique pieces and classic fabrics. “It’s charming.”

“Stephanie’s the one with the visual smarts. She did the decorating, but we’ve all been going to country auctions and estate sales—picking up furniture for the cottages and the main house.”

Elizabeth nodded.

“I’ll leave you alone.”

When Gabriella had walked out of the cottage and closed the door behind her, Matt turned to her.

“In my wildest dreams, I didn’t imagine anything like this,” she whispered. “People like us. Friends.”

“Yeah. And the two of us—safe at last.”

He reached for her, and they embraced. He wanted to take her straight to the bedroom, but they were still covered with dried bayou water.

She grinned at him, and he knew what she had in mind. They both headed for the shower, discarding their clothing as they reached the bathroom.

Matt turned on the water, adjusted the temperature, and stepped under the spray. Elizabeth followed, and he reached for the soap, slicking his hands and running them over her bottom, her hips, and up to her breasts.

She made an appreciative sound, leaning into him as she soaped her own hands and caressed his back and butt, then clasped his erection, stroking up and down, making him gasp.

“Not like this,” he muttered.

“You don’t like it?”

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