1

Two and a half years later

I appreciate you coming to Phoenix to help me with Eli’s birthday party, Dee.”

Dee smiled across the table at Stacey. The two were enjoying lunch at Easterling’s, a favorite of hers whenever she visited Stacey. On special today was their mouth-watering chili. It didn’t matter to Dee that this was a sunny day in May. As far as she was concerned, chili was the perfect food. She could eat it any day of the week or any month of the year. Obviously, the restaurant staff agreed.

“You call, I come. That’s how things are between us. Besides, this is Memorial Day weekend. What better time to hang out with friends? And once I leave here, I’m headed to Virginia Beach for two weeks.” Dee loved teaching but she was glad the school year was over. She intended to enjoy her summer.

“Why Virginia Beach? I remember when we’d look for any excuse to head to Daytona Beach.”

When she didn’t say anything, Stacey placed her glass of tea down on the table. “Let me guess. It has something to do with Cohen, who lives less than a two-hour drive away, in Jacksonville.”

Dee wanted to look away but couldn’t. “Why would Cohen have anything to do with it?”

“Hmm, you tell me.”

Dee stared down into her tea. Although Stacey was her best friend, she’d never told her about what had transpired between her and Cohen. Mainly because Dee hadn’t wanted to make Stacey choose between her best friend and her brother.

“Uhhh…I kind of made a fool of myself over Cohen, once or twice.”

Stacey reached across the table and took her hand. “Trust me, Dee, we’ve all made fools of ourselves at one time or another.”

Somehow, Dee doubted she and Stacey had ever been in the same situation. “Maybe. But mine were whoppers.” She took a sip of her tea. “I guess it’s time I leveled with you about the secret I’ve been keeping all these years.”

“What secret? That you had a thing for Cohen? I already knew that. I’ve known for years.”

“And you never said anything?”

“No. I figured you would tell me when you wanted me to know. But honestly, it wasn’t hard to figure out. I think everybody knew. My aunt, your parents and even your brothers. Especially Justice.”

Dee raised a brow. “Why especially Justice?”

“Because he’s more observant, where you are concerned, than Lawyer is.”

Dee knew that was true. There was an eight-year age difference between her and Justice, while there was only five between her and Lawyer. As the oldest, Justice had always looked out for her and Lawyer. Now that she thought about it, Stacey was probably right. She hid her face in her hands. “Ohmigod. That’s all I needed to hear.”

“I’m convinced Cohen was clueless though, Dee. Being a doctor was his main focus.”

Dee knew all about Cohen’s devotion to his profession. No one could have been prouder of him when he’d gotten that chief of surgery position in Florida. But there was nothing between them now. She squared her shoulders. Since she was opening up to Stacey, she might as well get it all off her chest. “I seduced him. Twice.”

She hadn’t meant to blurt it out that way, but she couldn’t take it back now. Evidently, her voice carried, because two women in a nearby booth looked over at her. She wanted to crawl under the table. But Stacey, she noticed, was smiling.

Dee frowned. “What’s so funny?”

“Cohen is such a workaholic. I didn’t think my brother could be seduced.”

Dee rolled her eyes. She lowered her voice, so she didn’t send the women still staring at her into cardiac arrest, and said, “Any man can be seduced, Stacey. Even a workaholic like Cohen. Trust me, I studied hard and planned well.”

Stacey lifted a brow. “Studied hard and planned well?”

“Yes, I had no intention of failing. I bought every book I could afford on the art of seduction.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Dee shook her head. “No. Once I’d figured out how to pull it off, I went to his apartment. He’d been out of town, but I knew he would return that night. And when he did, I was there, waiting for him.”

Stacey’s eyes widened liked saucers. Now it was Dee’s turn to be amused. “What’s wrong? You didn’t think I had it in me?”

“Honestly, no. When was this? How did you get into his apartment?”

“It was when we were both right out of college, when you and I shared that apartment in Memphis. I borrowed your key.”

Stacey lifted a brow. “My key?”

“Yes, the spare one he’d given you. You kept it on that key-rack that hung in the kitchen.”

“You used that key to get into Cohen’s apartment?” Stacey asked, shocked.

“Guilty as charged. I overheard your phone conversation with him earlier that day. He told you he was on his way back to Memphis from a medical convention in Dallas. So I put my plan into action, while I had the nerve to do so.”

Dee saw that Stacey, who took another shaky sip of her iced tea, was hanging on to her every word, so she continued. “When he got home, I was there waiting for him.” There was no need to tell Stacey that she’d also been in his bed, naked.

Stacey swallowed. “And he didn’t ask you to leave?”

“Yes. In fact, I thought he was going to toss me out. We were arguing and then the next thing I knew, we were kissing. Things happened pretty quickly after that.”

When Stacey didn’t comment, Dee added, “He wanted me as much as I wanted him. I took advantage of that. It was the best night of my life and one I won’t ever forget. But the morning after left a lot to be desired.”

“What happened?”

Dee sighed deeply. “Guilt set in on his part. I saw it in his eyes, all over his face. He wouldn’t even look at me. He told me that we’d made a huge mistake. That it should never have happened.”

Dee didn’t say anything for a long moment, then continued. “I thought he needed time and would eventually come around, but he never did. He avoided me like the plague after that. Then three months later, you came home and announced he’d accepted a job offer in Phoenix. A part of me knew he’d done that to get away from me.”

So many times, Dee had thought about reaching out to Cohen, to let him know that he didn’t have to do anything as drastic as move away. But a part of her resented his decision to put so much distance between them.

“I admit, at the time, I couldn’t believe he was leaving Memphis,” Stacey said, breaking into her thoughts. “But I didn’t think much about it because the job was a great opportunity for him,” Stacey said.

Dee nodded. “Yes, but Cohen would not have left, leaving you behind, had it not been for me. And then, when that incident happened between you and Wallace, and you left Memphis to join Cohen in Phoenix, I felt he blamed me. He probably figured that if he’d been in Memphis to protect you, you would never have gotten involved with Wallace in the first place.”

Stacey waved off her words. “I would have dated Wallace and he and Gail would have screwed around on me regardless. I believe that time in my life was meant to happen. Had I married Wallace, I would not have met Eli.”

Dee knew that to be true. The Wallace Flowers incident had definitely spurred Stacey on to make some changes. “But still, for the longest time, I felt guilty for being the reason Cohen left Memphis.”

She took another sip of her drink. “Although I knew I was probably the last person Cohen wanted to see, I loved coming to see you. You are my best friend—there was no way I wasn’t going to visit you. Still, I don’t know if you noticed, but he made himself scarce whenever I came to town.”

“Yes, but the two of you looked pretty cozy at his going-away party. I know you left with him that night.”

“Yes. That was the second time I managed to seduce him. But like before, he said sleeping with me had been a mistake. That’s why I returned to Memphis earlier than planned.”

“I’m sorry, Dee.”

“Don’t be. I brought it all on myself. Cohen let the ten-year difference in our ages get in the way. Personally, I don’t believe it. I just don’t think he finds me attractive.”

Stacey snorted. “If he hadn’t found you attractive, he would not have slept with you in the first place.”

“Then what do you think, Stace? At my parents’ anniversary party, he tried avoiding me. And when I cornered him on the terrace, we had words. I told him that I hoped he had a long and miserable life. At the time, I meant it. Then weeks later, I saw him at your wedding and…”

“And what?”

“I decided that I didn’t want Cohen to have a miserable life. I want him to be happy. So I’ve moved on. It was hard, but I’m not going to give Cohen the chance to hurt me again.”

“When was the last time you saw him?” Stacey asked.

“Not since your wedding.”

“That long ago? It’s been well over two years.”

“I know, but I felt I needed the time to get over him.”

“And have you?”

“Yes. Rejection hurts and I’m not a masochist. At some point, a girl has to decide when she’s had enough.” Dee refused to love a man who evidently didn’t want it. So she’d dated a bit, but so far, hadn’t met anyone who held her interest.

“At least I don’t have to worry about seeing him at Eli’s party. Thanks for letting me know that he won’t be there,” Dee said.

“Umm…I forgot to mention, those plans have changed.”

Dee felt her heartbeat jump. “What do you mean?”

“Cohen will be coming after all. In fact, he arrived earlier today. He’s here in Phoenix.”

**

“What about you, Cohen? You in?”

Cohen took another sip of his beer as glanced across the room at Zion Blackstone. Zion, who’d until recently been living in Rome, was a friend of the Steele brothers. Zion was also an internationally renowned jeweler. Cohen shook his head. “No, I’ll pass.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.” Zion was soliciting members for the Guarded Hearts Club. To become a member of this single guys club, where no married men were allowed, you had to take a pledge to remain a bachelor. Although Cohen didn’t intend to ever marry, he still didn’t want to belong to any club. Besides, from what he’d seen, the group wasn’t particularly effective. Most of the men who’d pledged never to marry, had. Then they’d dropped out of the club, which was why Zion, the lone member, was now desperately recruiting new comrades.

Zion shifted his gaze from Cohen to Gannon Steele, the youngest of the Steele brothers and the one Cohen knew was the most impressionable. “What about you, Gannon? You in?”

Gannon’s smile was huge. Anyone would think someone had offered him the key to a brothel in Las Vegas. “Hell, yeah, I’m in. And I know five other guys who might be interested, as well.”

“That’s great!” Zion said. “When can I meet them?”

“Tomorrow night. They’re coming with me to Eli’s birthday party.”

Eli frowned at Gannon. “Hey, wait a minute. They weren’t invited to my party. They’re your friends, not mine.”

“I asked Stacey if I could invite them. She said yes.”

Eli stared at Gannon as if he wanted to strangle him.

Cohen couldn’t help but grin. When he’d moved to Phoenix five years ago, he hadn’t known a soul. But on his first day at the hospital, he’d met Tyson Steele, another surgeon. They had immediately hit it off, and quickly became the best of friends.

Tyson had a personality that made people let their guard down. He was a dedicated surgeon who always put his patients first. But outside the hospital, he was very different. Before settling down and getting married last year, Tyson had been the ultimate ladies’ man, one who never got tired of the thrill of the chase.

“Want another beer?” Tyson asked him, interrupting his thoughts.

“No, I’m fine.”

“You’re quiet,” Tyson said, his green eyes sharp with concern.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind,” Cohen said, before taking a swig of his beer.

“Work?”

“No, personal.”

Tyson nodded, and then downed a mouthful of his own beer. Cohen knew his best friend would leave it at that. Tyson always respected his privacy. He knew that if there was anything Cohen needed to talk about, he’d eventually get it off his chest.

“How’s married life going?” he asked Tyson.

Tyson smiled. “I never thought I’d say this, but married life is wonderful. I can’t imagine a life without Hunter in it.” He put his beer bottle to his lips and took another swallow. “You sure you don’t want to crash at my place instead of that hotel, Cohen? You know you’re welcome.”

Cohen nodded. “Thanks, but you and Hunter are still practically newlyweds. You need your privacy.” He knew he could have stayed with Tyson or his sister, but had declined both invitations, and checked into a hotel, instead. He had to prepare himself for when he saw Dee. It would be the first time their paths had crossed in two and a half years.

At first, he’d taken the coward’s way out and told Stacey he couldn’t make it. But the more he thought about it, the more he decided not to let Dee’s presence be a factor. He couldn’t avoid her forever. Besides, he planned to attend her brother Lawyer’s wedding next month, so he’d have to see her then. She was his sister’s best friend and their paths would likely cross many times in the years to come.

He figured that he might as well bite the bullet now, accepting how things were and how they would always be.