Three Little Words Read Free Page A

insincerity of the statement struck the right chord to put her at ease. Melting into his embrace, Jo shook her head. “You’re just as full of it as ever.”
    “Love at second sight. Never thought it would happen to a nice guy like me.”
    Surrender curved her lips. “You were never a nice guy.”
    “Aw, come on.” He ducked his head to whisper into her ear. “You used to think I was nice.”
    She peeled herself from his chest, grasping his broad shoulders to steady herself as she looked him straight in the eye—as straight as possible after a couple glasses of wine, a flute of the bubbly crap, and two shots of tequila. Or was it three? No, two. She didn’t get to glass number three. Something she needed to remember to remedy. Fate was a first-rate bitch when a girl forgot to play the game.
    “No, not nice,” she reiterated. He laughed his hellraiser laugh and every nerve ending in her body quivered. She tried to play it cool, brushing her hair over her shoulder with a careless flick, but being cool when her insides danced a samba proved to be beyond her. Her heart beat in time to the sway of his hips. She teetered on the edge, nearly drawn in by the lure of him. “Not one bit nice, but you were so bad it was good.”
    Will pulled her close again. “We were good.”
    His smooth insistence made Jo miss a step. The toe of her shiny new skyscraper pumps nipped his scuffed wingtips. The solid strength of his arm wrapped snug around her kept her upright, but the seductive haze of tequila and nostalgia began to dissipate. He spoke the truth. For a blink of an eye, a long time ago, they had been good together. But not good enough for either of them to make the extra effort to keep things going once life interfered.
    “For a while,” she whispered. “We were good for a little while.”
    He inclined his head, a gesture of acknowledgment. Their affair was never meant to be permanent.
    Still, she couldn’t resist a little dig. “Then again, I knew that about you going in. Didn’t I? You’re the kind of guy who can only be good for a while.”
    At least the man had the good grace to blush, but the sheepish look was too practiced to be sincere. “I’m older and wiser now.”
    “Older, yes.” She curled his lapel in her fingers then smoothed the fabric under her palm. Wetting her lips, Jo met his gaze directly. “Wiser? I may even buy that,” she conceded. “But you’re still you, Will. Through and through.”
    Something behind her caught his attention. “I know someone who isn’t….”
    Before she could ask what he meant, a deep voice sliced through the strains of the overheated rock ballad.
    “Excuse me.”
    Their slow glide ground to a graceless halt, and Will turned his attention to the man beside them. “Yes?”
    Greg’s scowl deepened the grooves bracketing his mouth. His nostrils flared when he cast a sidelong glance at her, but he made no move to stake a claim. At least, not physically. “This was supposed to be my dance.”
    Will smirked. “Was it? I don’t know how you’d think so. I saw this beautiful woman standing all alone and I thought—”
    “I know what you thought,” Greg cut him off by turning to Jo and offering his hand palm up. “Wasn’t this my dance?”
    The DJ’s swirling lights reflected in his dark eyes. The song reached a wailing crescendo, but she read his intent loud and clear. She also spotted a compelling sincerity burning bright in their depths. “Yes.”
     
     

Chapter 2
     
    Greg narrowed his eyes when he spotted Will’s big, grubby paw resting millimeters from the sweet curve of Josie’s ass. She swayed in time with the music, but to his relief, it didn’t look like she was falling for Will tricks. The snug black cocktail dress flowed over her lush curves, but her spine was stiff.
    The flash in Josie’s wide hazel eyes when he moved in on them hit him like an uppercut. Driven by tequila and testosterone run amok, he offered his hand. The tips of her