Ashley nodded. “Of course. Sorry.”

“So right now life is kind of sucky for you. You’ve got an awkward situation with Dare, since Helen is in the picture, and it’s got to be tense with you and Adam. How’s that going?”

“We have sort of an unspoken agreement to give each other space in the office and he suggested that we suspend our usual running and movie night for now.”

“I can’t imagine that’s going to last long. I’m sure he’s going to make another move soon. To convince you to change your mind and start seeing him.”

Ashley shook her head. “I just wish everything wasn’t so complicated.”

Jessica smiled. “Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you get involved with these older, dominant types,” she teased. “They turn your world upside down.” She took Ashley’s hand and squeezed. “You know, I think you should just have sex with both of them. Preferably at the same time.”

“Jess, you’re terrible.”

“Why? Because I suggest you live out every woman’s fantasy? Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

*   *   *

Ashley sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen.

Being with both Dare and Adam. She hadn’t thought about it until Jessica mentioned it, but now she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

What would it be like to have one suckling her breasts, his hand stroking her inner thigh, while the other nuzzled her neck from behind? Being sandwiched between their two big, muscular bodies while their hard cocks glided into her, filling her with wild pleasure.

Her phone rang, startling her from her reveries. Cheeks heated, she picked it up.

“Ashley? It’s Dare.”

Her back stiffened and her cheeks grew hotter.

“Oh, yes. Hi.”

“I was hoping you could meet me for dinner. Tonight. Around six?”

That was less than an hour from now.

“I’ll need a little more time than that. I have to go home and change first.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“But I’m just in jeans.” And she’d like to put something sexy on for him.

“It’s okay. We’ll go somewhere casual. I can pick you up from the office if you’d like.”

“Sure.” She glanced at the clock on her computer. “How about forty minutes?”

She finished up a bit of paperwork, then grabbed her purse. When she walked out the front of her office building, Dare was waiting there in his sporty silver car. He got out and opened the door for her, helping her into the low seat, then a moment later, he put the car into gear and pulled into the city traffic.

He took her to a roadhouse on the edge of the city, not too far from her apartment. It was very rustic, with solid wood tables that had been polished to a glossy shine and waiters dressed in black pants and plaid shirts. Dare asked for a quiet booth and the hostess led them to a corner of the restaurant.

“I wanted to apologize about what happened the other night with Helen,” he said.

She bit her lip. “Thank you. That was pretty awkward. Is Helen okay?”

His gaze jerked to hers. “Why do you ask that?”

“Well, she was pretty drunk.”

His lips compressed. “Yes, her judgment was impaired, but that’s no excuse for her wildly inappropriate behavior. Again, I’m sorry.”

Ashley nodded. “Thank you.” There didn’t seem to be anything else to say. Though she wondered if he’d send Helen away now. Boot her out on her ass after what she did.

If he did, then at least she and Dare could have time together again without fear of Helen interrupting them.

“So has Helen gone back home to Cambria?”

“No, she’s still here for another couple of weeks. That’s another reason I want to talk to you.”

Oh, God, he wasn’t going to ask her to let Helen stay with her, was he? She pushed aside the random thought. Of course he wouldn’t do that.

“You and I and what we’ve been sharing has been great.” His somber gaze locked on hers. “We both knew it was a temporary thing—just while I’m here in town. Now that Helen’s here, making it more difficult, it just seems … It’s probably better to end it now.”

Cold gripped Ashley as she stared into his serious, determined eyes. Yes, she’d known it was temporary, but she didn’t want it to end now.

“We don’t have to stop because Helen is here,” she said. “We could meet somewhere else. You could come to my apartment.”

“No. It’s not just her walking in on us. She’s demanding of my attention and … well, she has no one else. I can’t just turn her away. Surely you understand that. So trying to divide the time between her and you … between the business I came here to do…” He shrugged. “It wouldn’t be fair to you. I just think it’s better to end it now.”

“And if I don’t agree?”

He gazed at her, a light flaring in his eyes, but then it dimmed again and he shook his head.

“I’m sorry.” He took her hand and she simultaneously wanted to pull it away and to stay in the warmth of his grip forever. “I think this is for the best.”

*   *   *

Ashley closed the door of her apartment behind her, feeling numb. Dare had just broken up with her. Had walked away from what they had without a qualm.

Her stomach clenched and her heart ached. She realized that the growing need she felt for him wasn’t just a sexual hunger for the delights of domination he’d introduced her to.

She had developed feelings for him. A deep need for his touch. For him to need her, too.

Could it be that she was in love with Dare?

*   *   *

Ashley rested her head on Jessica’s shoulder as Jessica hugged her. They sat on her couch. Ashley had called Jess right after Dare had dropped her off at her apartment and she’d come right over.

“It’s okay, Ashley. That asshole had no right to treat you that way. To just up and ditch you like that? I can’t believe he’s putting that psycho ahead of you. She’s obviously not the person we thought we knew.”

“She is his stepdaughter. He’s trying to help her,” Ashley said, not knowing why she was defending him. This was girl time, when she could dis the guy without guilt and wallow in sharing her pain with her friend.

“Ex-stepdaughter. And no matter what, she’s a grown-up now and is responsible for her own actions. If she’s going to behave badly, he shouldn’t hesitate to boot her out on her butt.”

Ashley just nodded. “Which means, he doesn’t really care about me.” She shook her head. “But I knew that. I can’t really blame him. We both knew it was just a temporary thing.”

“Oh, you can blame him all you want. He hurt you. You have a right to be angry.”

Ashley let a few more tears fall, basking in Jessica’s warm hugs, while Jess stroked her hair. Then Ashley sighed and drew away.

“At least now you can finally be with Adam.”

“But it’s not really fair to Adam that I just latch onto him on the rebound.”

Jess smiled. “I think that man would be happy for any reason for you to latch onto him.” She stroked Ashley’s hair back. “It’s not like he’s a new guy in your life. You two are friends. You have a deep connection. And you’ve had the hots for each other as long as I can remember. Now that he’s taken the step of telling you how he feels and wants to move the relationship forward…” Jess shrugged. “I don’t see why you’d hold back.”

Ashley just shook her head, still hurting too much from Dare’s rejection to think about it.

“Hey, let’s forget about all this right now and just kick back and spend some girl time together,” Jess said. “How about I order us a pizza and we follow it up with some Ben and Jerry’s while we watch a chick flick? I think Reese Witherspoon has a new one out. Or we can watch a classic. Hey, what about When Harry Met Sally? About two friends falling in love?”

Ashley smiled, trying to stop her lip from trembling. “That’s a great idea.”

Jess dialed her phone and ordered Ashley’s favorite, with lots of bacon and mushrooms, and extra cheese. Then she stood up. “I’m going to make a pitcher of ’ritas then go out and get that ice cream.”