Colby Velocity Read Free

eyes refused to open as he fumbled across the table top for his cell phone. It shimmied in his hand as he grasped it.
    With a flick of his thumb he slid the nuisance open. His eyelids reluctantly raised and he stared at the digital numbers on the alarm clock. 5:01 a.m. Who would call him at such an ungodly hour?
    â€œRockford,” he mumbled, then cleared his throat.
    â€œRocky, it’s Jim. We need you here ASAP.”
    His boss. Jim Colby’s tone was clipped, tense. Not good. After last week’s false labor alarm, his boss was seriously on edge. Rocky threw the sheet back and sat up, dropping his feet to the carpeted floor. “What’s up?”
    â€œI’m sending you on assignment in D.C. Come prepared to leave immediately.”
    Rocky scrubbed a hand through his sleep-tousled hair. “On my way.”
    He closed the phone and dropped it back onto the table. Okay. D.C. That meant he had to pack a suit. He hated suits. Hated dealing with rich hotshots who thought they owned the world.
    Exhaling a blast of frustration, he pushed up from the bed. First a quick shower and a cup of coffee to boost his sluggish brain.
    â€œYou getting up?”
    Damn. He’d forgotten that he had a guest. “Gotta go out of town for work.”
    The lamp on the right side of the bed switched on, highlighting the blond tresses spread across the pillow next to his. “Now?” she asked, squinting at the light.
    â€œNow. I’ll call you when I get back.” He didn’t wait for additional questions. Time was limited. Jim would be waiting for him.
    Hurrying through a hot shower, he dried his hair with the towel then wrapped it around his waist and hesitated before stepping out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. When he did he experienced a distinct sense of relief that his guest hadn’t hung around to chat. She’d left a note on his pillow.
    I’ll be waiting….
    Rocky couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. She was a nice lady. They’d gone out several times over the past couple of months and he liked her. But he just couldn’t see the attraction between them as anything beyond basic lust. To be fair he’d tried. More for her sake than his own. She deserved his respect and at least a half-hearted attempt. Maybe when he returned from D.C. they would have that uncomfortable it’s-not-working talk he’d been putting off.
    These days he wasn’t into pursuing dead ends. Or lust…just for the sake of a good time.
    Not that he didn’t like bachelorhood or hadn’t enjoyed his share of no-strings-attached relationships, but at thirty-five it was getting a bit old. Time to think about a permanent relationship. Maybe even kids. His parents would love that.
    That thought kicked his brain into gear.
    Had he just used that particular four-letter word?
    Kids.
    Guys didn’t have biological clocks, he was relatively certain, but it sure as hell felt like he could hear one ticking inordinately loudly in some mutinous region of his brain.
    He hesitated as he pulled on a pair of jeans. A part of him wanted to deny the concept, but he wasn’t into denial, either. Came with the territory when a guy was raised by parents who were practicingpsychologists. Denial of one’s feelings equated to fear. Suck up some courage and face the facts.
    It was time to settle down and do the family thing.
    All he had to do was find the right woman. He’d bought the house with the big yard. His finances were in order. Seemed as good a time as any.
    All he needed was a good woman who respected his idiosyncrasies and his work. He had plenty of the former, like being a slob around the house. Watching sports and shouting at the refs on the television screen. Preparing gourmet meals. Something he and his father had in common. His entire life Rocky had remained convinced that his father the shrink was in fact a closet chef.
    Rocky didn’t want anybody in his