Page 32 of Unlawful Seduction

“I’m not dating.” We just had sex.

“And you never will, given your obvious dislike of men.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Fine. We’ll talk about this later.”

“No, we won’t.” I didn’t dislike men. I adored them. I just had no desire to live with, date long term, or marry one. Not after… Shit. Memories. I hated all of them. I shoved my phone into my purse and grabbed my heavier jacket, thankful I’d tossed the snow boots into the truck before leaving to return.

But I would admit to myself at least that the one night had changed my outlook. Maybe not entirely, but enough I wouldn’t bad-mouth the idea of a sexy one-night stand ever again.

It was time to stop thinking about him. We weren’t dating and I doubted I’d see him again even in town. Stowe wasn’t that small.

After turning off the lights, I thought about the leftover Chinese food. It would add a pungent aroma to the office on Monday morning. Nope. I wasn’t going to have that. I grabbed the bag he’d brought everything in, tossing in all the containers. I couldn’t believe I’d eaten so much in front of the man.

A chuckle formed in my throat as I kicked the fridge door with my foot. At least I knew what was on my dinner menu for the evening.

I headed out, scanning up and down the road. There were still plenty of people on the roads, either ignoring the winter weather warnings or waiting until the last moment to hunker down. That took a lot for true Vermont folks to do.

Thank God it was Friday, and I’d have the weekend to relax and enjoy life for a change.

As I walked to the truck, I scanned the street and parking lot one more time. “You are so pathetic.”

It had been far too long since I’d found a man attractive. Pining away for what I knew I wouldn’t touch wasn’t necessarily a sin, now was it? Not in my broken world. It was a method of getting by.

Which was all I was doing at this point in my life.

Beckett

Why had I fucked her?

The question would haunt me even if I already knew the answer. I hadn’t been with anyone in years. At least two. She’d captured my attention from minute one, but it was her spunk and refusal to back down from me that had held me in a suspended state of need.

Things had gotten out of hand. I’d let my guard down and it couldn’t happen again.

Not that I anticipated Mallory would insist we enjoy ourselves again, but I’d need to make certain she knew it wasn’t going to occur.

I would admit that I was grateful she’d offered me her card.

For Jax’s sake, of course.

The fire was roaring, extra wood cut and piled on the extensive hearth and real beef stew providing comforting scents in the house. When the fuck had I cared about scents?

Jax sensed my discord and lifted his head. At least his eyes had returned to the normal brightness from before.

“Just rest, buddy. You’ll get a treat later.”

I’d almost felt guilty for taking him early in the morning. He’d been as antsy as I’d been to return home and I’d heard his stomach growling.

His tail thumped once and he rested his head on his soft bed. Thankfully he’d acted like his normal self through the entire day.

I’d already begun thinking about alternative states to live in. I’d scoped out various locations where I could hide in plain sight, becoming one of the locals. One thing I’d been smart about years before was using a contact that had nothing to do with the Valenti world. The talented man had created several aliases complete with social security and credit cards. They were foolproof. They’d also been pricey, but well worth the money.

When my phone rang, I knew instinctively it was Mike returning my call. I rarely bothered him by phone, preferring a more secure environment, but I needed to hear from his lips there wasn’t something going on I hadn’t been made aware of.

“Mike,” I growled.

“Oh, I don’t like that tone. What’s going on?”

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