Damaged Goods (19 page)

sweet-talked into—”

“He"s a grown adult, Shel,” Austin said. “I"m sure he can see what he"s getting

into. If he"s comfortable being their stepdad and happy with the idea of being her

husband, then…” He trailed off and shrugged. “More power to him, I say.”

“I still think he"s going to get screwed,” she said. “Maybe I"m just jaded from

experience, but most of the single moms my male friends have hooked up with have

been gold-digging whores who just want someone to replace their kids" deadbeat

dads. I have yet to meet one who
isn’t
.”

Austin squeezed my leg, and I wasn"t sure if it was to restrain me or himself.

“Well, in that case.” I rose. Austin looked at me, eyes wide with alarm, when I

extended my hand across the coffee table to his sister. “Evidently we haven"t been

properly introduced. I"m Jocelyn, and I"m a single mom of two who makes her own

money, has her own house, and has no desire to replace their father. I also have the

audacity to go out on dates once in a while because I might be tired of being alone

after seven years.”

Jaw slack, she stared wide-eyed at me and shook my hand. I took my seat

again. Awkward silence hung between the three of us for a long moment before

Sharon called from the other room.

“Austin, Shelby, would you two mind helping your father bring the groceries

in?”

They both jumped to their feet, probably as eager as I was to be anywhere but

here, and I followed, if only to see if Sharon needed help in the kitchen. On the way

out of the room, though, Shelby stopped me.

“Listen,” she said. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. I had no idea you were

a single mom.”

“Sounds like you aren"t too thrilled with women like me,” I said, almost

snarling.

She looked at the floor between us. “I know, and I apologize. The thing is, I"ve

known a few guys who"ve gotten screwed, and I…” She shook her head. “Really, I

apologize. I was out of line. Could we start over?”

I wasn"t quick to forgive those who judged me for being a single parent, but I

figured I could give her another chance, if only for the sake of keeping the peace

while Austin and I were here.

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Lauren Gallagher

“Yeah, okay.” I shifted my weight. “We can start over.”

She exhaled. “Thank you. I"m really sorry. I don"t think I"ve had my foot quite

that far down my own throat in a long time.”

I laughed. “It happens to the best of us.”

“I suppose it does.” She smiled. “Okay, so, since my brother never brings

women around this house, I have to know.” She lowered her voice. “Just how serious

are things with him?”

Shrugging, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Oh, we"re taking things

slow. He hasn"t even met my kids yet.”

“They"ll love him.” She beamed. “I didn"t bring mine with me on this trip, but

he is so,
so
good with them.”

“I"m hoping to introduce them eventually,” I said. “Just seeing where things go

for now. Don"t want to get their hopes up or anything.”
And there’s the small matter

of what your brother really does for a living, and how my ex-husband might be less

than thrilled…

Dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, she said, “You must have made

an impression, though. I mean, he has to know that now that you"ve shown your

face to Mom, he isn"t going to hear the end of it until he puts a ring on your finger.”

My cheeks burned. “I don"t know if we"re going down
that
road any time soon.”

Is it wrong of me to wish we could
? I banished that thought as quickly as it had

come.

“Well, keep an eye on Mom, then,” she said. “She"ll probably be naming your

kids before dinner"s over.” Her teeth snapped shut, and her cheeks darkened. “I

mean, I"m not trying to imply… It—” She closed her eyes and let out a breath. “I"m

really on a roll today, aren"t I?”

I laughed. “It"s okay, I know what you meant.”

Austin appeared in the doorway. “You two aren"t talking about me, are you?”

“Of course we are,” Shelby said. “Someone has to warn her about you.” She

looked at me and deadpanned, “You know he used to be a stripper, right?”

“What?” I glared at Austin. “You told me you only danced like that for me.”

“Oh, Jesus.” Shelby rolled her eyes and exhaled sharply. “You two were
made

for each other.” She patted my arm. “Consider yourself warned.” She brushed past

him, both siblings elbowing each other before she disappeared into the kitchen.

Austin looked at me. “Is it safe to assume you two aren"t going to claw each

other"s faces off?”

“Yeah, we"re good.” I eyed him. “Even if you did abandon me with her.”

He put his hands up. “Hey, I thought you were right behind me. I didn"t realize

you two were in here.”

“Uh-huh.”

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93

“Oh, come on,” he said. “Like I"d leave you with a member of my own gene pool.

Worst-case scenario, assuming you two didn"t have a catfight, was her telling you

all the things I don"t want you knowing about me.”

I snorted. “Like what? Your job?”

“
Jocelyn
.” He shot me a playful glare.

“Kidding, kidding.”

“You"d better be.”

“Or what?”

He snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me to him. “Or I might have to

put you over my knee and leave a handprint or two on your ass tonight.”

“Ooh, well if you"re going to put it like
that
…”

“Brat.” He kissed me lightly.

“So were you really a stripper?”

“Please. I may be a shameless whore, but I do have some standards.”

“And those standards preclude dressing as a cop and shaking your booty with

twenty dollar bills sticking out of your drawers?”

“Yes. Yes, they do.”

“Now, now, Austin.” I inclined my head and raised my eyebrows but kept my

voice quiet. “You"re not discriminating against other kinds of sex work, are you?”

He grinned. “No, just saying I wouldn"t be caught dead doing that particular

variety.”

“You sure?” I gestured toward the front door. “I have a couple of twenties in my

purse.”

“Uh-huh.” He kissed me lightly, then turned me around and nudged me

toward the kitchen, following it up with a gentle swat on the rear.

I looked over my shoulder and winked at him.

Austin just laughed.

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Lauren Gallagher

Chapter Thirteen

When my cell went off around eleven thirty one Friday night, a jolt of panic

surged through me. I lunged for the coffee table to get my phone, certain it was

Michael calling to tell me disaster had struck our kids somehow.

The LCD screen offered both relief and confusion when a single word

appeared:

Austin.

That was strange. He had a client tonight. He never called on those nights,

just texted to say good night. What on earth was he doing calling me?
Oh, please tell

me he didn’t accidentally dial my number at an inopportune moment
. I shuddered.

There were things about this arrangement that I could deal with. The thought of

actually hearing him with a client? Not so much.

Hoping to God that wasn"t the case, I flipped open my phone. No barely

muffled moans or squeaking furniture. That was promising.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” he said.

“What"s up?” I glanced at the clock. “I thought you were booked tonight.”

“I was. Just left her pl—” He paused, clearing his throat. “I"m on my way

home.”

“Getting ready to call it a night, then?”

“Well, sort of.” He took a breath. “I, um, I wondered if you wanted some

company tonight.”

That caught me off guard.

“Uh, I, sure,” I said. “I figured you"d be tired, though.”

“I"m exhausted. And I can"t promise more than just some conversation.” He

paused again, and when he spoke this time, his voice was softer. “I just really want

to see you tonight.”

“I"ll be up for a while,” I said. “Come on over.”

“Let me swing by my place and grab a shower,” he said. “You sure you don"t

mind me coming over this late?”

“Not at all.”

“See you in a while.”

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95

After we"d hung up, I stared at my dormant phone. Of course I didn"t mind him

coming over. I never did. Still, I was more than a little surprised. He had few

complaints about his job, but there were only two things that ever crossed his mind

after a session with a client: a shower and sleep.

I tried not to think too much of it. So it wasn"t his usual routine? So he wanted

to see me in the middle of the night, even if he had neither the desire nor energy for

sex? That didn"t necessarily mean bad news. I tried to ignore the fact that more

than a few “I really want to see you, and it can"t wait” evenings in my past had

ended with tears and breakups.

It was almost one when the soft hum of an engine crept into the stillness of my

street. Headlights came through my front window and arced across the wall, the

familiar trajectory signaling that the car in question had pulled into my driveway.

The lights dimmed, and the engine quieted, returning the neighborhood to its silent,

sleepy darkness.

The car door opened. Closed. Muffled footsteps came up the walk, so I stood

and started for the door, pretending not to hear the way my heart pounded in time

with his approaching steps.

I opened the front door in the same instant he stepped onto the front porch. I

didn"t have time for a hello, a thought, or even a breath before he cupped my face in

both hands and kissed me. His lips were gentle against mine, but his fingers

trembled just enough to betray some undefined desperation, some need I couldn"t

quite identify. It wasn"t the kind of hunger that would have us tearing clothes off

and trying to get to the bedroom before desire got the best of us. If anything, the

way he kissed me now said
this
was what he wanted. This and nothing more.

I wrapped my arms around him and held on, willing my knees not to buckle. It

wouldn"t matter if they did, though. He"d have kept me upright just like he kept me

breathing right then.

His lips left mine. Opening my eyes, I wondered how long we"d been standing

here. I looked up at him in the low light from the single overhead bulb and what

little spilled out from the lamp I"d left on in the living room. His hair was damp, and

his heavy-lidded eyes looked even more exhausted than he"d sounded on the phone.

“Hey you,” I said when my mouth could form words again.

“Hey.” He caressed my face. “You don"t mind me showing up this late, do you?”

“No, of course not.” I ran my fingers through his hair. “But you didn"t have to

come over tonight if you"re this tired.”

He smiled. “I didn"t have to; I wanted to.” He kissed my forehead. “I wanted to

see you, and I didn"t want to wait until tomorrow.”

I gulped. In spite of his kiss and the way he held me out here beneath my

porch light, something about this unsettled me. Old habit, I supposed, but if he

wasn"t here for sex or to end it, then what?

Only one way to find out, though. I gestured into the house, and we separated

enough to cross the threshold and close the front door. I leaned against it. Austin

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Lauren Gallagher

looked at me, and there it was again, this time in his eyes, that undefined hunger

for…something.

Then it was in his kiss again. Up against the door, one hand caressing my face

while the other arm held me close to him, he kissed me like…like…

Fuck, I couldn"t put my finger on it. Everything about this was sexual, but not.

Quietly passionate, desperately gentle. Every breath was made of desire and…was

it?

Relief?

Austin, what’s on your mind?

Our lips separated, and our foreheads touched.

“I thought you weren"t in the mood for anything,” I whispered.

“I"m always in the mood when I"m around you,” he said. “And if I wasn"t so

tired, I would. Believe me, I would.”

“But you"re…” I paused. With a playful and slightly cautious grin, I said, “So

you"re just teasing me, then?”

Austin dropped his gaze and swallowed hard. He loosened his embrace. “No,

I"m not trying to tease you. I"m sorry, baby. I"m—”

“Don"t apologize.” I ran my thumb back and forth along his jaw. “Just tell me

what you
do
want.”

“This.” He cupped my face in his hands again. Leaning in, he tilted his head

slightly and whispered, “This is exactly what I came for.”

He wasn"t here to call this off. Of that much, I was certain.

But he held me like a man starved of physical contact. No need to arouse, no

need to get hands on bare flesh and seek release. His touch was gentle, his kiss

light, and though he didn"t make any effort to get past my clothes or find those