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body to the center of her. His
touch gentle, teasing… arousing.
    She closed her eyes as new sensations hit
her. Her hands roved over his damp skin as she urged him to take
her, make her his … and he had. She took all he gave, until she
spiraled up and over, carrying him with her into the bliss of first
time lovers.
    At the time, she had no way of knowing that
night would be a memory to soothe her far into the future, when he
was no longer at her side.
    "Hey, are we going to play pool or not?"
Buddy whined, whipping Jolie back to the present.
    Whisper put her arms around Jolie and Tye's
shoulders as she positioned herself between them. "How about a
contest," Whisper said, "to see who can tie cherry stems into knots
with their tongue the fastest?"
    Buddy threw back his head and laughed.
"Honey, I can do that simple trick in my sleep."
    "Wanna make a wager?" Tye challenged.
    "What's it going to be?" Jolie put her hands
on her hips, playing along.
    Tye glanced at Jolie then to Buddy again and
said, "If I win, Jolie kisses me."
    "She's been doing that all night," Buddy said
with a wave of his hand. "What do I get if I win? Do I get a kiss
from Jolie too?" Buddy's eyebrows bounced.
    "No," Tye answered, his eyes narrowing.
"Jolie's my girl. If you win, you get a kiss from Whisper – if
she's game of course." He turned toward her for the answer.
    Whisper looked Buddy over, her gaze sliding
over him as she tapped her chin with her index finger. "Oh honey,
if you win, I'll give you a kiss to knock your socks off."
    "Jesus." Buddy inhaled deeply and let it out
again as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Where are
those cherries?"
    Who knew the night of innocent game playing
would turn into something so much more…
    Note to self, Jolie
thought sometime later. Never agree to have a
drink with an old boyfriend, and definitely never play pool with
him either.
    Too bad she hadn't heeded those words
sooner.

Chapter Seven

    With a groan, Jolie rolled over in bed to lie
on her back. Her hands held her head, hoping to steady the
throbbing between her temples. She peeked one eye open, then two,
when she realized the popcorn ceiling above her was not the smooth
ceiling of her bedroom. A movement beside her had her sitting up
with a start and she groaned again as a shot of pain ricocheted off
her skull.
    When she could manage, she focused her gaze
on the man lying next to her. Not just any man – Tye Casper. How much did she have to drink last night? Apparently, enough to
have her fall into bed with Tye. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she
murmured under her breath. Her gaze took in her surroundings – king
size bed, dresser and mirror in the corner, thick drapes to ward
off the morning sun, trying desperately to stream through the
window, and a bathroom to the right near the door. She was in a
hotel – probably Tye's room he rented for his stay in Skeeter
Blue.
    She glanced at Tye, who hadn't moved. On the
end table by his side of the bed, she spotted wrappers – condom
wrappers – at least she'd only been partially stupid. She focused
on the alarm clock where the digital numbers read 7:16. Still
early. She gingerly removed the covers, determined to dress and
sneak out of the hotel before Tye woke up, but as her toes hit the
carpet, the weight of the bed shifted.
    "Where are you going, darlin'?" Tye's voice
was rough and worn from sleep.
    There went her escape plan. She whipped
around ready to scold him for taking advantage of her in her
drunken state, but he sat up rubbing his head. Great, he'd been as
intoxicated as she'd been last night. Boy, weren't they a great
pair?
    "Darlin', what the hell were we drinking?" He
turned toward her, his gaze sliding over her naked body. She
grabbed the sheet and pulled it around her, yanking it free from
its confines of the mattress.
    "Listen," she began, trying to think of the
right words, "about last night…" What did she want to say? It had been fun. See ya. She cleared her
throat.