“You’re like my older brother.”

“Is that why you tried to stick your tongue down my throat when you were fifteen?”

Yikes.

“And sixteen?”

Crap.

“And seventeen?”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Jeez.” I broke into his trip down memory lane. “You said you thought of me like your younger sister.”

“I lied.”

My eyes bugged out at this piece of news.

“What?”

“I was into some serious shit back then, depending on the assignment, I didn’t know if I’d come home breathing and in one piece. You were twenty years old and hung up on me.”

Oh for f**k’s sake.

“I was not hung up on you.”

He grinned. “Yes you were.”

I was but I wasn’t going to admit it.

I narrowed my eyes and he kept talking.

“I didn’t need any entanglements. I didn’t need anything on my mind but what I was doing. I didn’t need to worry if I’d leave a girl at home brokenhearted because something happened to me.”

I had to admit, that made sense and it was kind of thoughtful.

I wasn’t going to acknowledge that to him either.

“By the time I got out, you backed off. You had a man then and I thought you were over me.”

He shrugged, nonchalant, like he didn’t care and that kinda pissed me off.

No wait, that really pissed me off.

“Then that guy was gone and you kept avoiding me. Guys came, guys went. I figured you had no trouble approaching me before, when you were ready, you’d come to me.”

I was no longer avoiding his eyes or him. I was staring daggers at him.

What an arrogant jerk!

He calmly returned my gaze. “I’m a bit tired of waiting and I’m definitely tired of your man parade.” His voice was slightly edgy and a little scary. “Fortunately, you’ve presented me with this golden opportunity.”

He could damn well wait until hell froze over.

He wasn’t going to keep me at arm’s length for ages and then just reel me in when he felt like it.

“Well, I’m not done avoiding you!” I said.

As he was talking, he’d moved slightly back.

He came in close again.

“Nope. No more waiting, no more games, no more avoiding and no more other guys. You want this and I want this and it’s going to happen.”

“I don’t want this,” I lied, self-protection and all that. He was an arrogant jerk. He was scary as hell. He was trying to force me to sleep with him and using my friend to do it. He was bad news. I wanted no part in Lee Nightingale.

And that was that.

He laughed softly. “Bullshit.”

He thought I was funny.

I saw red.

“Of all the –”

He kissed me again and this time, Joe Perry was a fleeting memory.

I gave into the kiss immediately.

What could I say? It was Lee.

It was getting good, his mouth was open and so was mine, his tongue was in my mouth and then mine was in his. My legs opened further and he got closer. His arms tightened and my br**sts flattened against his chest. My arms went around his neck and I pressed against him.

Then his lips tore away from mine as his head shot up and twisted around, his entire body tensed, coiled, waiting.

Then Kitty Sue and Ally turned the corner from the entryway into the kitchen.

Kitty Sue’s hand went to her throat, her eyes widened and then, I swear, they filled with tears.

Ally started laughing.

I looked to the ceiling.

Shit.

Chapter Four

Do I Need to Kiss You Again?

My reaction was immediate.

“I’m gonna kill you,” I told Ally.

She walked in and dropped an overnight bag on the floor, chuckling.

She set me up. She knew Lee was coming home last night. Crazy bitch.

“What’s going on here?” Kitty Sue asked hopefully, rooted to the spot and staring at us, not with disapproval at our carnal clinch, but with eyes filled with hopeful bliss.

Lee got his eyes from Kitty Sue, and all the kids got their long, lean body from her. Kitty Sue was always a bundle of energy, the kind of Mom who held down a full-time job, made dinner every night, had home-baked cookies in the cookie jar and, every year, sewed all her kids’ Halloween costumes from scratch.

Lee moved to the side then jumped up and sat on the counter beside me.

I hastily closed my legs.

“Anyone want coffee?” Lee asked courteously.

I jumped down and took a step forward, escape on my mind. It was pretty clear to me that I’d slid through a tear between the worlds and I had to find my way back to my home world pretty damn quick.

Further, now that the Lee of this world was no longer kissing me, I had to get away from him or I was going to wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze.

Lee leaned forward, caught me by the waistband of my jeans and hauled me back between his legs.

“What’s going on here?” Kitty Sue repeated, her eyes taking in the cozy scene.

Far too cozy. Far too fast. Far too weird.

Shit.

I opened my mouth to speak but Lee beat me to it.

“Indy and I are together now.”

My entire body froze in disbelief, my mouth still open.

“Oh my God. Oh my God,” Kitty Sue chanted.

“Righteous!” Ally exclaimed.

I twisted around and glared at Lee. “You said one night of sex!”

Lee’s eyes held mine. “I didn’t say one night. We’ve been waitin’ a long time, one night won’t do it.” Then he paused and said, “But, if you want, we can try.”

My br**sts swelled at the idea of trying to fit years of sex into one night with Lee.

I ignored my br**sts and paid attention to my temper.

I figured it would be bad form to smack Lee in front of his mother.

And definitely strangulation was out.

Kitty Sue was in her little slice of heaven, so much so, she missed my “one night of sex” comment and Lee’s response.

“I can’t wait to tell your father,” she told me, “and your father,” she told Lee.

“I wouldn’t do that,” I said, beginning to panic.

“Of course, we all shouldn’t get too excited. This is happening fast, though not that fast, if-you-know-what-I-mean,” Kitty Sue went on.