Under the Covers Read Free Page B

paper.
     
    Dear Abby,
    You have probably seen the news by now and know that our marriage was a sham.
    When we married, Abby, I thought I needed a wife. I wasn't ready to admit a lot of things to myself, much less to the world. But time and circumstances have changed things. Since the police have found out about Tony, he has to leave the country.
    I can't continue this farce of a marriage, not when I finally have the chance to be with Tony, the love of my life.
    Good-bye, Abby.
     
    Abby swayed and sank to the sofa in shock as the words swam in front of her eyes. "What is it, sis?"
    The letter fluttered to the floor. "It's a Dear John letter," she said in a weak voice. "Lenny left me for..."
    Outrage filled Chelsea's eyes. "He ran off with another woman?"
    "No." Her gaze swung to Chelsea, her stomach plummeting. "He ran off with another man."

Chapter 2

     
    The Voice of a Vamp
     
    Hunter tried to momentarily forget about the queen of sex, Dr. Jensen, when his five-year-old daughter's innocent voice called his name. She raced toward his SUV, her Angelica doll clutched in one hand, leaped into his arms, and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek.
    "Hey, Daddy."
    "Hey, pudding."
    "You'll have her back by bedtime, won't you?" Shelly wiped a speck of dust from the door of her silver Mercedes sports car.
    Hunter nodded tightly and ruffled Lizzie's blond curls as he buckled her into the front seat of his Explorer. "We're just going to dinner, Shelly."
    "Good. Daryl says it's better for children to stick to a schedule."
    Hunter circled around to his side of the car, his jaw aching from clenching it. For the past fifteen minutes his ex had lectured him on Daryl's idea of parenting. As if Hunter intended to take advice from the wife stealer on how to raise his own child.
    Besides, a routine schedule was a sore subject between him and his ex. During their marriage he'd encouraged her to put Lizzie on a schedule when she was a baby, but Shelly's version of a schedule meant whatever tickled her fancy at the moment.
    Or whatever sale hit the malls.
    Maybe she'd changed. After all, she actually seemed concerned about Lizzie's diet. Yet he couldn't help but think Shelly had gone to the extreme the other way.
    "Oh, and make sure she eats properly." Shelly pointed to the tofu-and-bean-sprout cafe beside them. Apparently her new husband was also a health fanatic, or maybe Shelly had taken up an alfalfa-sprout-and-seaweed diet. She'd always jumped from one diet to another. Flitted from one man to another, even after they were married... only he'd been too foolish to know it. She'd been young and beautiful and charming and had a great pair of legs....
    And he'd been a fool for following after those legs and not looking to see if the woman had a brain on top of that body.
    Shelly huffed. "Are you listening to me at all, Hunter?"
    "I'll make sure she eats," he said, refusing to argue in front of Lizzie.
    Shelly briefly touched Lizzie's forehead with a manicured hand. " 'Bye, sweetie. Have fun."
    Hunter frowned and watched her climb into her car, adjusting her outfit to smooth out the nonexistent wrinkles in her linen skirt. He wondered if she ever hugged their daughter, ever cuddled or played with Lizzie.
    "Daddy, what's this?"
    His ex's Mercedes screeched as she peeled from the parking lot.
    Hunter swung his gaze toward Lizzie and mentally groaned. "It's a book, honey."
    Dr. Jensen's book. He'd finally gotten a copy at the fourth store he'd visited. Of course, he had a few scratches to show for it.
    "What's the name of it?"
    He climbed into his seat, took the book from her, then tossed it onto the backseat. "Uh... Under the Covers."
    Lizzie's big brown eyes looked up at him innocently. "Is it a bedtime story?"
    "Sort of. For adults, I guess."
    "Oh, I've seen it afore." Lizzie patted Angelica's head. "It's that sex book Mommy gots."
    "What?"
    "That sex book. Mommy readed it to Daryl."
    "Really? What did she say about it?"
    "She talked about doing the