2

Cohen was in Phoenix…

Dee tried her best to put the thought out of her mind but couldn’t. She and Stacey had decided to go shopping and instead of concentrating on finding something to wear to the party tomorrow night, her mind was consumed with thoughts of him, the man she’d tried so hard to get over.

“Found anything you like yet?” Stacey asked.

“Not yet, but I see that you have,” she said, glancing at the outfits Stacey had across her arm.

“Yes. I’m going in the dressing room to try these on. By the way, Brittany called. She, Hunter and Nikki are in the area shopping as well. I invited them to join us for dinner later. I hope that’s okay.”

Brittany was married to Galen Steele. Nikki was married to Jonas Steele and Hunter had married Tyson Steele--who was Cohen’s best friend--nine months ago. “That’s fine. It’ll be fun.” And it would give her the chance to finally meet Hunter. Stacey had been going on and on about what a nice person she was.

“I’m sure you’ll find something for the party,” Stacey said over her shoulder as she headed toward the dressing room.

“I just need to keep looking,” Dee assured her. That is, if I can keep my mind off Cohen. He didn’t deserve her interest, so why was he getting it?

“May I help you?”

Obviously, Stacey wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Dee’s preoccupation. A salesgirl who barely looked a day over twenty had come to help her out. “I’m looking for a party dress.”

“How daring?”

Dee lifted a brow. “How daring?”

“Yes, how much skin do you want to show?”

Typically, Dee dressed conservatively—after all, she was usually in a classroom--but she didn’t have a problem wearing something sexy now and then. “Do you have any outfits that push the envelope?”

The younger woman nodded with a huge smile. “Yes. And I can think of a few that will look great on you.”

Umm, pushing the envelope might not be such a bad idea, especially since Cohen would be at the party. She had no problem showing him exactly what he’d turned down. “Then please show me what you have.”

**

Several hours later, Dee and Stacey walked into Maxell’s, a popular restaurant in town for evening dining. Dee had ended up purchasing two outfits—she hadn’t been able to make up her mind which one she liked best.

“There they are,” Stacey said excitedly, waving at the three women sitting at a table that had a view of the mountains.

Hugs were exchanged all around and finally, Dee was introduced to Hunter. She liked Tyson Steele’s wife immediately.

“So where are the twins?” Dee asked Brittany. Galen and Brittany had one-year-old twins, an adorable boy and girl.

Brittany smiled. “They are spending time with my in-laws. Drew and Eden are the greatest! They love being grandparents. I have a feeling I’m going to have to watch that they don’t spoil the twins rotten.”

Dee smiled. She’d met Drew and Eden Steele. All six of the Steele brothers had inherited Eden’s beautiful green eyes. Eden was a former international fashion model whose face had graced the covers of several magazines, the likes of Vogue and Elle.

“I love your hair,” Nikki said to Dee. “You have the perfect face for that style.”

A smile touched Dee’s lips. “Thanks.” She’d received a lot of compliments since she bitten the bullet and got her hair cut, leaving it short and curly. It was just the carefree style she needed for the summer months.

After the waiter brought out glasses of water and took their dinner orders, Brittany asked Stacey, “Everything all set for the party tomorrow?”

A huge smile covered Stacey’s lips. “Yes. I spoke with the caterer today to finalize the food menu.”

Dee took a sip of her water and listened to the conversation around her. It was easy to see the bonds between the women. Although she hadn’t yet seen Tyson and Hunter together, there wasn’t any doubt in her mind that the Steele brothers adored the women they’d married. Some women, she thought, had all the luck.

She had to believe that one day, she’d find her happily ever after. A vision of Cohen flashed in her mind and she quickly forced it back out. He’d had his chance with her. She only hoped that one day, he would realize just what he’d thrown away.

**

Cohen entered his hotel room. He had enjoyed hanging out with friends. Back in Florida, he’d met a lot of good guys at the hospital, but he hadn’t struck up a close friendship with any of them. And as far as dating went, he’d been out a few times, but truthfully, he hadn’t been interested in a woman since making love to Dee.

He doubted he would ever forget the night he’d first noticed Deidre Lewis was no longer a kid. He had been passing through Columbus and dropped by the apartment that Stacey shared with Dee while attending Ohio State University. Stacey hadn’t been home, but a twenty-year old Dee was, and she was just about to go out to a party. She had looked good. Too good. She was dressed differently than he’d ever seen her. Gone was the t-shirt, jeans and sneakers he was used to seeing on her. That night, he’d thought she was showing way too much skin with the short dress that had a cut-out at her stomach that proudly displayed a belly-ring. But what had really caught his attention were the legs that seemed to go on forever and the pair of stilettos on her feet. He’d been speechless.

She had invited him to hang around while she finished getting dressed since Stacey was on her way back home. By finishing, he’d hoped Dee had meant she would either be changing her outfit or covering up all that exposed skin. She’d done neither. In fact, she had spent ten minutes in her bedroom doing something he thought was way too sexy-looking to her hair. By the time Stacey returned home, he had felt as if he needed a stiff drink.

From that night on, he’d become even more aware of Dee. And he didn’t like it. He had tried putting distance between them but that was hard to do, considering she was Stacey’s best friend. He suddenly remembered the time Dee’s parents and brothers had gone on a cruise and left a sick Dee behind. Stacey and Dee had moved back to Memphis after college and were sharing an apartment. During this particular time, Stacey had been in Dallas at an International Technology convention, but she’d called and asked him to drop by the house to check on a sick Dee.

Dee had managed to drag herself to the door, then had practically passed out at his feet. She’d been burning up with a fever. The doctor in him had kicked in and he had carried her into her bedroom, put her back to bed and had spent the next twenty-four hours working to get her temperature down and get liquids into her dehydrated body. He’d refused to leave her, until Stacey had arrived the next day.

Cohen had seen Dee two weeks later, when she’d shown up at his apartment to thank him. Though he’d told her there was no need, she’d insisted and entered carrying bags of groceries. To show her appreciation, she’d intended to make his favorite dish, a pot of seafood gumbo.

He still wasn’t sure which had gotten to him first, the thought of eating gumbo or the fact that she’d shown up wearing a halter top, a pair of shorts that should have been outlawed and a pair of stilettos. The shoes were red with gray wiggly lines on the back and heel. He couldn’t help noticing, again, that Dee had the legs for them.

Against his better judgement, he had let her stay, thinking he would just ignore her, reading his medical journals, while she worked. But it was hard to ignore a woman who’d taken over his kitchen as if it had been her own. And watching her move around in those shorts and high heels had nearly driven him crazy.

He hadn’t counted on her hanging around to eat with him, but would admit it had been nice sharing a meal with her. He’d found out that she liked kids, which was why she’d gone for a degree in education. She also had plans to return to college for her Master’s degree and was even tossing around the idea of getting a PhD. He was a big supporter of higher education and had applauded her for considering the idea.

Before leaving, she had insisted on helping him with the dishes and that’s when it had happened. While removing the plates from the table, their hands had touched. The next thing he knew, he’d lowered his mouth to hers in a kiss. Even now, the memory made him feel hot all over.

That single kiss had lasted way too long, and had awakened his senses, completely removing his blinders where Dee was concerned. But the thought of a thirty-two-year-old man lusting after a twenty-two-year-old woman had bothered him. He’d finally ended the kiss. But all the apologies he’d made afterwards couldn’t erase the taste of her from his mouth.

Dee had waved off his apology, then told him something that had stopped him in his tracks. She had licked her lips as if he’d left behind the sweetest of tastes and looked him in the eyes. Then she’d said that she’d loved him forever and intended to marry him one day.

Her words had shocked the hell out of him. He’d told her that such a thing wasn’t possible and had asked her to leave. Acting as if she hadn’t been bothered by his rebuff, she had strutted out of the kitchen on those stilettos, grabbed her purse off the living room table and given him an I-will-be-back smile before leaving.

As he began stripping off his clothes to take a shower, he wished he had taken her words as a warning. Because three months later, Dee had come back. And she’d seduced the hell out of him.