“I can’t believe you’re just blithely abandoning me,” Parker said, tugging her fingers lightly as if to draw her back into bed.

“Too bad for you,” she said, pulling her hand free, then laughing as she danced backward out of his reach. “I mean, I can only spend so much time with my boy toy.”

“Mmm. I think I like the sound of that,” he said, twining his hands behind his head as he sat up, leaning against the headboard. Then he reached over and pressed the button for the electronic drape, flooding the penthouse condo with light. “Hop back in bed and play with me some more.”

She let her eyes roam appreciatively over his truly exceptional bare chest that she’d come to know so intimately. Her gaze dipped lower to the sheet that covered the rest of him, but was tented just enough to prove that he’d been serious about his offer to play.

“Hold that thought,” she said, forcing herself not to laugh.

“Why don’t you hold it for me?”

The laugh bubbled out. “Perv.”

She took a step toward his bathroom. Like everything else in his condo, it was brilliantly appointed and wonderfully luxurious, with the most incredible shower she’d ever seen, complete with a rain-style head above and a series of jets that sprayed from three of the four walls.

She turned back to him. “Although it is a big shower, and I really should clean up before I meet the girls…” She was having breakfast at Magnolia Cafe on Lake Austin Boulevard with Taylor and Mina. Originally, they’d planned to go running, but they’d unanimously agreed that being lazy and catching up on gossip would be much more fun.

“You really should,” he said, tossing the sheet aside, and then striding toward her. She glanced down, her pulse kicking up as he walked toward her, his erection hard and huge.

She swallowed. “Wow. You’re really excited about that shower, huh?”

His smile was pure sin. “You have no idea.”

She narrowed her eyes as she watched him approach, her own bare skin feeling hot and itchy with anticipation. “Just promise me you won’t make me late to meet the girls.”

“Cross my heart,” he said, then took her hand and led her to the shower.

---

She was twelve minutes late for breakfast, and although she swore it was because of traffic, she saw the knowing glint in the other women’s eyes.

“You’re off the hook,” Taylor said, her hair tucked under a BoHo style bandana. “We just got seated. The wait here just gets worse and worse.”

“Worth it, though,” Mina said. “I’m splurging on gingerbread pancakes.” She gave both of them the evil eye in turn. “And we are running tomorrow. Otherwise my ass will not survive the way I’ve been eating lately.” She leaned back in the booth, looking smug. “Great sex makes you hungry.”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “I don’t even want to hear about it. You and Cam. This one and Parker. Honestly, I feel like I’m going to shrivel up and die if I don’t get laid soon.”

“Don’t die,” Megan said, squeezing her friend’s hand. “Who’d stage manage the contest?”

“Bitch,” Taylor said mildly, then smiled sweetly at the waitress who arrived to take their order.

“Speaking of great sex,” Mina said after the waitress left, “you’re looking chipper this morning.” She raised a brow, focusing on Megan. “All brimming over with vim and vigor.”

Megan laughed. “I deny nothing. But I’m also not sharing details.”

“Totally unfair,” Mina said, as Taylor rolled her eyes.

“Vim and vigor?” Taylor said, glancing toward Mina. “Who talks like that?”

Mina ignored her. “Come on. Tell us everything.”

“Oh, great,” Megan said. “It’s analyze Megan time.”

“It’s going well, then?”

She sighed, remembering the morning. Heck, remembering all their time together. “I think I’m really falling for him.”

“And it’s mutual?”

Megan thought of Parker’s touch. The way he talked about her struggles to rebuild her business and his support of her ambition to take it further. She thought of the way they laughed, the heated way he looked at her. About the way he made her feel safe and loved and special. “Yeah. It really is.”

“That’s so great.”

“I know, right? After the weirdo I dated in LA, I thought…” She trailed off, not wanting to let Carlton-the-prick into her thoughts. “At any rate, let’s just say that Austin’s been very good to me.”

“Excellent,” Mina said.

“Talk about reaping the rewards,” Taylor added. “First you screw him with the flyer, then you end up getting screwed right back. Only in the best possible way of course.”

Megan tossed her napkin at Taylor. “Crude, much?”

“But true,” Taylor said.

And since Megan couldn’t actually deny it, she just shook her head in mock exasperation.

“Do we want to catch a movie after this?” Taylor asked.

“I’m in,” Mina said, but Megan shook her head.

“I need to run by work first, and then I have to do laundry and change the cat boxes.”

“You really know how to have a good time,” Taylor said.

“It’s because she’s having a good time that she’s avoided all those things,” Mina quipped.

Megan laughed, then batted her eyes innocently. “She’s not wrong.”

“So why are you going into work?” Taylor asked a few minutes later when the waitress delivered their food. “I thought you were off for the next couple of days.”

“Technically, I am.” She had a few makeup gigs lined up, so she’d pulled back on her schedule at The Fix. “This morning was supposed to be a bridal shoot, but they pushed it back a week—I guess the dress isn’t ready. So I thought I’d pop in and run something by Jenna and Tyree.”

“Yeah? Tell.”

“I was thinking that since Tyree’s releasing the cookbook with the calendar later in the year, maybe we should do a big, fancy food fair. The Fix could sponsor it, but we could invite other bars and restaurants. A community building thing, but also great promo. Because the other bars would have flyers at their locations, too, and the flyers would all prominently feature The Fix, what with us being the main sponsor.”

Taylor and Mina exchanged glances.

“What?” Megan asked, a little paranoid.

“That’s a really great idea,” Mina said.

“You’d need to do it someplace other than The Fix.” Taylor said. “Neutral territory, you know?”

“Hmm,” Megan said. “You’re right.” She was silent for a minute, then sat up straight. “That guy who Parker introduced me to the night of the Mr. June contest. Darrin or Derek or something. He’s some big shot hotel dude.”

“There you go. Ask Parker for an introduction.”

“I will.” She dug into her breakfast, moaning in ecstasy because the gingerbread pancakes really were like a slice of heaven. “But first, I’ll make sure Jenna and Tyree like the idea.”

Megan was so psyched by the idea that she finished the meal in record time, then actually left her friends before they even got the check, tossing enough cash on the table to cover her share and then some.

She hurried to The Fix, dragged Tyree and Jenna into the office, and was thrilled when they both thought the idea was fabulous.

Giddy, she walked home, planning to ask Parker for an intro that evening.

She was still smiling when she reached her building. And even the fact that some annoying person had used their bike to prop open the pedestrian gate didn’t spoil her mood. But she had to wonder why people went out of their way to make secure properties insecure.

She was slipping inside, beside the bike, when a woman in leggings and a helmet hurried toward her, apologizing as she grabbed the bike. “Forgot my water bottle,” she said, then gave Megan a wave as she headed off down the street.

Megan rolled her eyes and started walking the few yards to her entrance, only to see someone waiting on the single step up to her door. A man, sitting with his head down as he tapped out something on his phone.

She felt the chill first, even before she recognized him, and she started to back away. But then he looked up, his smile wide and welcoming and utterly charming.

“Megan,” Carlton said. “I’ve been waiting for you.”