Page 31 of Wanted

He stepped closer and tipped up her chin. “You still want that? Just you and me?”

“Of course. We’re just having a good time. Right?” A good time that was already entering two-night territory, which made it dangerous for all sorts of reasons. But she hadn’t instigated it tonight. That had been all Cale’s doing. And Tony’s.

“Right.” He threaded his fingers through her hair. All of a sudden, his eyes seemed too serious. Her heart thudded in her chest. “Marsh, I l—”

“Marcia!”

Marcia turned at the girlish squeal. The person who’d exclaimed her name was not who she’d expected. Or it was, in that she’d recognized the voice but she didn’t match the woman Marcia remembered.

“Leigh?”

“Yes, it’s me.” Leigh enfolded Marcia in a hug she wasn’t prepared for. As small as Leigh was, she had a heck of a grip on her. Not to mention Leigh had never been a hugger. Or one to shout out hellos.

Marcia pulled back as Leigh smoothed down the bent cover of the book she’d been clutching. A book that had “orgasm” in the title.

Marcia’s eyes widened. Whoa. Had Leigh been snatched by the Borg and replaced by a lookalike? Was that why she wore sultry eye makeup and a coat of plum lipstick that managed to make her look vampy even in her café apron and sedate skirt and top?

Leigh didn’t look vampy. Ever. Her makeup matched her attitude. Cool, aloof. Nice enough but forgettable.

Thisgirl had arresting green eyes. The rest of her verged toward the knock-you-out, slay-you-dead side too.

Marcia frowned. Damn, should she really be noticing how sexy Leigh had become? Had last night’s threesome somehow made her horniness grow to encompass everyone, including petite female bakery managers?

Nope, it was the sex book.Hadto be the book. She was just more aware, that’s all.

“Well, uh, hi. How’ve you been?” Marcia shot a helpless look at Tony, who appeared amused at the way Leigh stared up at Marcia as if she’d hung the moon and draped it in tinsel. “You look nice.”

“Thank you. I had a makeover this morning at Bailey’s department store. They kind of went overboard.” Leigh fussed at her low-hanging ponytail, trying to bring more of her hair over her face.

“Don’t do that.” Marcia stilled Leigh’s hands. “You want to show off, not hide.” Without thinking, Marcia pulled off the band around Leigh’s hair and fluffed the waves around her shoulders, taking a moment to envy her reddish-gold waves. “You’re a beautiful girl.”

“I, um—”

“Don’t hide,” Marsh said again, tilting her head to the side to survey her work. “Much better.” Smiling, she stepped back. “So what’s new? How’re things at the den of dirty Diana?”

With a laugh, Tony hooked his hand around Marcia’s waist and pressed a kiss to her neck. “Gotta get back to work, babe. Have fun.” He patted her ass. “Can’t wait ’til tonight.”

She smiled. “Me neither. Have a good afternoon.”

“He’s really in love with you,” Leigh murmured once Tony had gone into the Nook.

Marcia’s gaze snapped to Leigh. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“He eats you with his eyes.” Leigh’s shiver didn’t speak of envy as much as distaste.

Uh oh.Marcia curled her fingers into her hand. Coupled with Leigh’s look of adoration in her direction, that wasn’t good.

It had been months since Marcia had seen her former coworker. Last fall, actually. A lot could change in a season.

Maybe Leigh had switched teams.

Marcia tossed the door of the Nook a desperate glance. How did she get herself into these situations when she was just minding her own business? She had to get home to write her book.

The book she sucked at. She couldn’t write. Who was she kidding? She excelled at sex but writing about it was a whole different bowl of latex.

Shut up, doubt demons! Shut up!

“So, ah, Leigh, how are you?”

---