Page 54 of Burning Love
“The rugged appeal.”
“He’s not your type, I know.”
“My type and your type are different.” Laken rubbed her arm. “He’s a little like Dad.”
“What?” she screeched.
“Dad had this look to him that he could do anything. Nothing could stop him. He’d find a way to tackle it. Dad was a big guy too, muscular.”
“I don’t remember any of that,” Talia said. Her eyes filled some. “I’ve only seen old pictures of him, but my memory is dim.”
“I know,” Laken said gently. “You sound like you’ve got as good of a handle on this as you can. I’m here if you need to talk.”
She hugged her sister. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. Normally you’re busting on me or joining in with the rest of them to gang up.”
“I’ll do that too when the time is right. But it’s not now.”
“What are you two talking about in here?” her mother asked, coming into Talia’s hotel room. Her mother had gone to talk with one of her aunts.
“Just girl talk,” she said. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with.”
“Nope, Mom,” Laken said. “Girl talk between sisters.”
Her mother looked back and forth between them. “The way it should be.”
Maybe her mother wasn’t so bad after all.
17
QUITE A STORY
“Jace, Talia Carlisle is here to see you.”
Jace looked up from the report he was reading on his computer to see Cheryl standing there. She worked part time at the firehouse and did some office work.
“She’s here now?”
“Yes,” Cheryl said. “She has something for you. It looks like an envelope.”
He’d had no idea she was stopping over. He hadn’t seen her since last Wednesday night when the two of them got naked for the first time.
Seven long days ago.
She’d been in New York for a family event for three days and their schedules hadn’t worked out since she returned on Sunday afternoon.
They had been texting and talked last night.
Which didn’t explain why she hadn’t told him she was stopping into his job.
“I’m coming.” He stood up and followed Cheryl to the front area.
“Hi,” she said.
She was dressed business casual in navy pants that were fitted to the body he’d been seeing in his dreams naked for a week. They stopped at her calves, nude pumps on her feet. She had a yellow and white shirt on that looked silky. He’d bet anything it was. Short sleeves and tucked into the waist of her pants.
Her blonde hair down and falling around her shoulders, her makeup minimal. Fresh faced and effortless.
“Hi. What can I help you with?”
