Playing Dirty Read Free Page B

shoulders and eased out of the warmth of his familiar embrace, all the while sensing his own unwillingness to let her go.  
    Hadn’t it always been like that between them? Hadn’t they always been able to read the other so well? Almost from the moment they’d met, they’d shared a deep connection, a special rhythm all their own. Apparently the years apart hadn’t affected that aspect of their relationship. She really shouldn’t be surprised that for those first few minutes, nothing had changed.
    But everything else had changed.  
    Drastically.
    How was it even possible? Her husband, her new husband stood less than six feet away from her. She looked from Trenton to Ford and back again, guilt slicing through her heart. Guilt that she’d betrayed Ford by marrying Trenton. Guilt that she’d just betrayed Trenton by kissing Ford.  
    “Oh, God,” she whispered.
    This simply could not be real. She was dreaming. They were on a flight from Paris to New York, somewhere over the Atlantic, and she’d fallen into an exhausted sleep. She had to be dreaming, otherwise she was hallucinating, and that meant she’d gone and lost her ever lovin’ mind again. Any second now, they’d hit an air pocket and she’d be jolted awake.
    Wishful thinking. She knew better. This was real, all right. She still had the moist lips to prove it.  
    Ford was alive and she was married to another man.
    Ford reached for her before she could slip completely away. “Babe.” His hand manacled her wrist.  
    She attempted to tug free, but his grip was iron tight. Shame rippled through her as she looked at Trenton. His expression went from curious to furious in two seconds flat.
    He took a threatening step toward them, his hands fisted, fury registered in his golden brown eyes. “Get your goddamned hands off my wife.”  
    She shook her head. “No, Trenton. Wait.”  
    “Your wife?” Ford moved in front of her, pushing her behind him as if he were protecting her from...her husband? “Think again, asshole.”
    Before she could extricate herself, Trenton hauled off and clocked Ford in the jaw. Ford stumbled against her, then came back up and charged Trenton. He slammed his shoulder into Trenton’s midsection, driving him into the island that separated the kitchen from the family room.  
    She rushed toward them. “Stop it,” she said, but they were intent on maiming each other and ignored her. She reached Ford, but only managed to grab a handful of shirt before he slipped out of her grasp when Trenton landed another blow that sent Ford staggering two steps to the side.  
    “Enough,” she shouted, but it did no good. As if she weren’t screeching her fool head off, Ford charged forward again and shoved Trenton up against the wall of cabinets. Before Trenton could catch his balance, Ford drew back and punched Trenton’s face. Trenton attempted to return the favor, but his fist glanced off Ford’s shoulder when Ford dodged the hit by slamming his body into Trenton.  
    They crashed into the family room, knocking over the end table, then landing on the floor with a bone-crushing thud. Trenton rolled, taking out the lamp, where it sparked and shattered against the hardwood.
    She needed to find a way to shut this down before one of them was seriously injured, or the neighbors called the police. That’s all she needed. She could see the headlines now...
    LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER ARRESTED,

    CHARGED WITH BIGAMY.

    HUSBANDS JAILED FOR ASSAULT.

    With an agility that never failed to amaze her considering his size, Ford moved, avoiding a fist to the face. He leaped to his feet, and reached for Trenton. She attempted to shove him away, but he like a bull who’d seen red, there was little she could do to stop him.  
    “Dammit, Ford,” she shoved at him again, harder this time. “Don’t do this. You’re going to hurt him.” Which wasn’t exactly true, because Trenton was essentially holding his own. But Ford was a Navy SEAL. He possessed a