Page 5 of Totally Off Limits

“I wouldn’t have missed it.”

“Johnny, this is Sierra Hayden. I used to babysit her when we were in high school.”

“Nice to meet you, Sierra. So tell me,” the groom said, his face looking serious, “how was Katie as a babysitter? I need to know since she’ll be the mother of my children. Was she mean and nasty, punishing you whenever you stepped out of line?”

Katie, his bride, frowned, her eyebrows jumping halfway up her forehead before she shook her head back and forth. Sierra thought it was adorable how playful they were with each other. It was moments like these when she really wondered if she was missing out.

But it was far better this way.

“She was a wonderful babysitter. Ridiculously patient with my brother and sisters.”

“That was thanks toyou. I don’t think I would have managed them as well without their big sister’s help.”

“I don’t know about that. Anyway…I just wanted to say congratulations again. I’m heading out.”

Katie stood up, leaning over the table. “Give me a quick hug.”

“Babe, you’re gonna—” Johnny started, but then just moved a couple of glasses closer to his side of the table.

“Thanks again for coming. You sure you don’t want to wait around for the bouquet toss? We’ll be doing that in just a bit.”

Oh, Jesus. “I don’t think I’d have a chance competing against the triplets.”

Katie laughed. “You might be right.”

Johnny echoed his new wife’s sentiments. “Thanks for coming. We’ll be back in town in about a month if you want to come visit.”

Nodding, Katie added, “Your mom should have our address in case you don’t remember how to get there. We’d love to see you.”

Visit them? That would be another awkward moment. As many fond memories as she had of Katie, it wasn’t like they had anything in common. Katie was five or six years older, not to mention the only other time Sierra had spent with her was before she’d been their babysitter. Her father and Sierra’s dad had been friends, and so their families had visited one another long ago. But the triplets had always drawn attention, so Sierra had curled up with a book and minded her own business, until Layne had decided to start some shit.

All that was to say that even though Katie was a sweet woman and Johnny seemed to be a decent guy, there would be no reason for Sierra to ever visit them. If she did, it would be like just about every other event in her life—pure obligation.

But that was also the reason why she said, “Okay, sure. Thanks. Congrats again.” Before anything else awkward happened, she needed to get the hell out of there. Besides, Mickey was bound to be nearby and she needed to escape while she could.

No averting her eyes. No wandering around. She made a beeline for the doorway leading out of the grand ballroom and felt like she could breathe again once she was in the elaborate hallway. She wasn’t even going to call a cab until she was outside. Only then would she feel that she had made a successful escape.

Soon, she was standing outside on the concrete and she made her way past the valet area of the hotel while opening her purse to fetch out her cell phone.

“Well, that’s perfect timing.”

She looked up at the voice not two yards away to see, once again, the handsomely irresistible Mickey Morton.

Holy hell. The best laid plans…

CHAPTER3

“Just the person I wanted to see,” Mickey said.

Fuck. As much as Sierra had planned to dodge him, now that she was in his presence, she found him impossible to resist. Ever since high school, she’d been drawn to him—there was something about his bad boy nature that had appealed to Sierra and, more than once, she’d psychoanalyzed herself, trying to figure out why. There was no longer any doubt in her mind that part of her attraction stemmed from her need to rebel against her mother.

But that wasn’t all of it. There was something about this guy that spoke to her soul. They’d always seemed to have some sort of connection.

“Hey, Mickey. Still smoking?”

“Yeah, hard habit to break.”

It was hard not to remember how his kiss had tasted all those years ago. There was a smoky flavor masking the taste of his tongue that she’d quickly grown used to…but she wondered how much better it would be if he didn’t smoke.

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