Awakened (Intimate Relations) Read Free

slid Rico a little bit farther along the leather seat and sat between the old dog and Mandy.
    He put his bare feet on the coffee table. “You’re not going to yell at me, are you?”
    “No. What for? You’re not wearing shoes.” Lola had strict rules about feet on furniture with shoes.
    He grinned at her, and damn but he had the sexiest smile. “Not the feet on the table, silly. This.” He settled close beside her on the well-worn couch and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You’ve gotta have an arm around the girl if you’re at the movies.”
    He had to be kidding if he thought she’d yell at him for this. Kidding or just terribly dense. She welcomed the weight of his arm resting over her shoulders. Snuggled close and inhaled his scent, subtle but so very much his own. “No,” she said. “Not gonna yell.” Then she sighed. “Too bad we’re out of popcorn.”
    “So we drink instead.” He raised his glass as he settled back. Rico grunted and resettled himself closer to Marc, and the only sound was the DVD cycling through the legal notices before the opening credits to the first movie started. That, and the pounding of Mandy’s heart.
    It took her only a few more heartbeats to relax against Marc. He was warm and solid and strong, and so welcome, tonight of all nights. He was offering friendship and comfort, but she was greedy. Mandy wanted more. Tonight, if Marc seemed willing, she’d take whatever she could get.
    *   *   *
    He knew the moment Mandy finally let go and fell asleep. She sort of nuzzled his chest and the next thing he knew she was all scrunched up against him, her lips slightly parted, taking slow, even breaths. He carefully lifted her and settled her slight frame in his lap with her head tucked up against his shoulder.
    She was so much tinier than Lola, barely five three to Lola’s five eight, her slight but perfectly proportioned frame giving her a pixie quality that hid what Marc and Ben privately referred to as a personality that was a force of nature, and a spine of pure steel. Mandy might be kind and loving, a truly good-hearted soul, but he’d heard tales of her bravery that gave him chills. The thought of her calmly facing down Lola’s crazy ex-boyfriend when the guy barged in armed with a gun made Marc really glad he and Ben had decided to put better locks on the doors, even though they’d done the upgrade a couple of years after the actual event.
    Of course, that hadn’t been the entire reason—when Ben showed up in search of his brother Jake a few months ago, he’d unknowingly brought a whole lot of unexpected trouble home from his tour in Afghanistan, including some scary guys with guns trailing him.
    Putting extra deadbolt locks on the bedroom door had been Marc’s suggestion. In case anyone actually managed to break into the house, he’d said. He hadn’t been able to explain the real reason—that it was a way to keep him out should he ever be the source of danger. Until he knew the truth about the old nightmares that had returned in full force, Marc preferred to keep that fear to himself.
    Still, it was better to keep future bad guys out rather than worry about Mandy playing heroine. The locks on the bedroom door were for Marc’s peace of mind, but that thought slipped into the ether as Mandy twisted a bit in his lap and curled against his chest. The first movie ended but he didn’t get up to slip in another. Both their drinks were empty—they’d each quit after a second one—but he wasn’t willing to let this evening end.
    He’d wanted to hold her since the first time he’d seen her—his best friend’s girlfriend’s roommate, the cute little barista with the perpetually optimistic outlook on life.
    Except for today, when she’d confided in him. She hadn’t wanted anything but a hug, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do something to help her out. Maybe she’d like to have her own coffee shop. One of the units on the bottom floor of his