Adam lowered himself to the chaise and settled over her, his throbbing erection finding the apex between her thighs. With a deep growl, he nuzzled her with the hot tip of his shaft. He slowly parted the moist folds and eased inside her by degrees. She was small, a tight fit, but he found the stamina to hold back until her body gradually accepted his.

She raked her nails across his bare back, murmuring, “Hurry, hurry.”

With one swift movement, he surged forward and buried himself inside her hot, welcoming body. She responded instantly, moving up and down with each of his thrusts. Hips pounding, he hammered against her.

He heard a groan rumble from his chest as white-hot heat speared through him. His mind-shattering climax ripped through his skull, then shot down his spine. Trembling, he managed to hold it together and keep on moving for another few minutes until he felt her inner body tremble with release.

She cried, “You’re the best!”

He mustered the strength to mutter, “Not the best, but close enough for government work.”

He collapsed on his forearms to keep the brunt of his weight off her. Huffing like a racehorse, sheathed with moisture, he struggled to get his breath while his heart slowed.

She stoked the damp hair at the base of his neck and whispered, “Be serious. I’m crazy about you, too.”

ASHLEY WAS WAITING FOR Preston in Dr. Jox’s parking lot when the personal trainer drove his Camry into a space as far from the building as possible. She knew his theory. People didn’t take advantage of everyday exercise opportunities. Use the stairs, not the elevator. Walk fast, not slow. Park as far as possible from your destination.

“Hey, you’re early,” Preston called as he eased his large body out of his car, his backpack slung over one powerful shoulder.

Ashley had the top down on her metallic-blue Mercedes convertible. She’d been sitting in the parking lot for over twenty minutes, thinking. “Let’s go for a ride. I don’t feel like working out.”

Preston stood beside her car, a puzzled expression on his face. He dropped the backpack onto the small shelf behind the passenger side of her two-seater. “All right, but I need to watch the time. Arnold Wilcott has the slot after you. He’s never late.”

Preston climbed in and was fastening his seat belt when Ashley backed out and laid rubber on the asphalt. “Slow down unless you want a ticket.”

Ashley didn’t trust her voice enough to reply. She wanted to scream, to hit something, break something. But she hadn’t a clue what would do any good. She hated losing control. It was like walking down the runway again, being in a beauty pageant and letting the judges decide your fate. When her mother died, Ashley had thought that life was behind her. Wrong.

“Upset about something?” Preston asked.

“Yeah, a little.” She did her best not to sound as angry as she felt, but the weight of this was crushing her spirit.

“Wanna talk?”

She pulled into a parking space with a view of the harbor and turned off the engine. “I’m sorry. I’m always dumping my problems on you.”

Preston shoved his sunglasses to the top of his head. “I don’t mind.”

Ashley could see Preston meant it. Sometimes she thought he cared more about her than Ryan did. Of course, Ryan had monumental problems while Preston led a stress-free life as a personal trainer.

She held up her hand. “Remember my ring?”

“You found it. Awesome! Be more care-”

“I never lost it. After I left you yesterday, I searched everywhere. I even went to the garbage collection agency that services our neighborhood. Nothing.”

Preston’s eyes narrowed, and she wondered if he guessed what she was going to tell him. Had she been a fool? Did other people see through Ryan?

“Know what happened to it?” she asked.

He waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, he prompted, “What?”

“Guess. Tell me what you think.”

He studied her a moment, and she saw the unwavering compassion in his eyes. “You found it…I don’t know…somewhere you’d forgotten you’d put it. Like a different drawer or something.”

Ashley shook her head, sending her hair across her shoulders in waves she could see out of the corner of her eye.

Preston shot her a questioning look. “Your husband found it and put it somewhere and forgot to tell you.”

“You’re closer now.”

He leaned toward her. “Why are we playing games?”

Ashley stared at him a moment and asked herself the same question. This was no joking matter. Preston was her best-her only-friend. Why not come out and tell him?

He touched her shoulder in a tender way that nearly brought tears to her eyes. “Tell me what happened.”

“Ryan took the ring,” she said, bitterness echoing in every word. “He sold the diamond-without telling me-and had a fake stone put in its place.” She waved her hand under his nose.

“Is that so bad, if he really needs money?”

“I wouldn’t mind-had he told me. But the bastard had me on my hands and knees double-checking the entire house for the ‘lost’ ring. Then it magically appeared under my dresser.”

Ashley released a pent-up, exhausted sigh. “I couldn’t sleep all night. I kept thinking about how thoroughly I’d searched the closet. The ring hadn’t been there. Ryan conveniently found it when my back was turned.”

“I get the picture.”

“I started thinking about the unpaid bills and things I’d found in his office and I was sure he’d sold my diamond.”

“Doesn’t he have any other way to raise money?”

“No. He’s taken loans out on everything.”

Preston rolled his eyes heavenward. “But you were going to buy a new house.”

“He said he planned to roll over the equity in the house and use it plus a piece of land to buy the property. After sifting through his records, I doubt the bank would have gone for it. I think Ryan was just humoring me.”

Preston picked up her hand and studied the ring. “Are you sure this isn’t the real deal? It looks great to me.”

“This morning, I went to a pawnshop to see what I could get for it. I didn’t want to pawn it but I thought that would be the fastest way to verify what I suspected.”

“That’s smart.”

“They wouldn’t give me a dime because it’s a fake,” she cried. “Why didn’t Ryan just tell me?”

“He didn’t think you would understand, and he was embarrassed.”

“I know money’s tight right now with the new practice and everything, but why couldn’t he discuss it with me? That’s what a relationship is all about.”

Preston nodded his agreement. “Maybe he had a bad experience in his first marriage. That’s why he doesn’t feel comfortable talking over problems with you.”

“Possibly. It’s hard to know. He never mentions Whitney unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Why don’t you just come out and ask Ryan about the ring?”

She hesitated, reluctant to confess the truth. “I’m afraid.”

“Afraid of what? He won’t hit you or anything, will he?”

“No, no. Of course not,” she assured him, but in the back of her mind she remembered what Whitney had said the other night. Ryan did have an explosive temper. Apparently, he’d done something to Whitney.

“Okay, so, like, talk to him.”

“I’m afraid of ruining our relationship. We never fight or argue. At least, we didn’t until I took the dog. Then Ryan went postal on me.”

Preston was silent for a moment before telling her, “The way I see it, if you don’t talk to him, the relationship is ruined anyway.”

There was more than a kernel of truth in what he said. Ashley hadn’t been in a long-term relationship until now. She couldn’t remember her parents talking about anything except her competing in endless beauty pageants. No wonder her father had walked out. As a teenager, she hadn’t understood it, but now, she was an adult. A marriage couldn’t be healthy without two-way communication.