Gwen planned to buy a test after work today. She knew her body, though, and she was almost certain that she wasn’t pregnant. She’d also had that one instance of spotting. She could have already taken a test, but a part of her just wanted to pretend that she was happily involved in a new relationship with a wonderful man because they liked each other—and for no other reason. Was a condom mishap the only way that she could have a man like Dominic in her life for more than one night? What a depressing thought.

She was still brooding when her boss called a few moments later to ask her to work on a new project. Gwen tried to interject some small amount of professionalism into her tone as she asked him questions and made notes. If her mood was any indication, she should be grateful for her job today. Otherwise, she was certain she would be staring at the walls of her apartment and bemoaning yet another relationship. How pathetic; she’d barely dated the man for more than a few weeks, but she knew it would take so very much longer to get over him. God, she hated men—she really did.

*   *   *

“I’m telling you, Crys, you should have been in Gwen’s office this morning. Dominic came in to deliver her morning coffee, which by the way is so freaking sweet, and then he was all, ‘I know you want to high-five me, but I’m kissing you.’ And, boy did he ever. My lips were practically tingling as he locked his mouth on hers. After that, if I hadn’t had meetings stacked up, Seth Jackson would have had a surprise visitor this morning. The whole thing made me seriously horny.”

Gwen rolled her eyes and knew she should be mortified, but she giggled anyway. Crystal’s face was the color of a tomato as she fanned herself. “Like that’s anything new—you get that way from walking by the produce stand down the street.”

Wiggling her brow, Mia grinned. “Hell, yeah, I do. All those cucumbers just waiting for a new home.”

At Crystal’s puzzled look, Gwen started to choke on a bite of food and almost asphyxiated before getting herself under control. “Mia, geez, get a grip on your body. You don’t really use those . . . No, don’t answer that!” Gwen added quickly.

“You can use them for—that?” Crystal asked with rounded eyes.

“Crys, don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to,” Gwen warned while shaking her head. The last thing she wanted to hear was an in-depth explanation of Mia’s experience with produce.

“Whatever, you prude,” Mia smirked. “Since you don’t want to talk about me, let’s get back to you. What is going on with that military stud of yours? You seemed upset this morning, but he certainly walked into your office and laid claim to you as if nothing was amiss.”

Gwen felt the smile that had been on her face begin to drift at Mia’s question. A part of her just wanted to brush the whole topic off and act like everything was fine, but the other part needed the support of her friends so she found herself on the verge of tears in the blink of an eye as she admitted, “I think he wants out.”

Mia blinked in surprise before asking, “Out? As in breaking up?”

“That’s the one,” Gwen said shakily.

Looking confused, Crystal asked, “But I thought you said he was—you know, affectionate this morning in her office?”

Before Mia could answer, Gwen said instead, “He was just coming by to tell me he was going out of town. A few things happened yesterday that lead me to believe that he plans to move on—soon.” Mia motioned for her to continue. “Well, yesterday morning I decided to take Dominic coffee since he always brings me one. I was almost to his office when I saw him speaking with Gage outside the doors. I didn’t want to be rude so I took a few steps back and waited around the corner for them to finish talking.”

Always the sweet one, Crystal patted Gwen’s arm and said, “That was very nice of you; I’m sure he appreciated that.”

“He never knew it,” Gwen continued morosely, “because I heard Gage ask him when he was going to find out if I was pregnant or not so he could go back to his ex-girlfriend, Kandi.”

“Kandi?” Mia shrieked loudly before popping her hand over her mouth. “Shit, sorry, but that sounds like a stripper name or something.”

“It is,” Gwen moaned into her hands. “He dated a stripper before me and from what he told Gage, she is the love of his life and he plans to go back to her as soon as I give him the all clear. Maybe she hates kids or something and won’t take him back until he knows for sure that he’s not going to be a father.”

“No fucking way,” Mia deadpans. “That’s something you’d read about in a book, but never happens in real life. Are you sure you aren’t mistaken? Maybe he just said something that sounded like that?”

Throwing her hands in front of her in exasperation, Gwen asked, “How many words rhyme with Kandi? I don’t think I could have heard that wrong.”

Taking her question literally, Crystal began saying, “Well, there’s Mandy, Randy, dandy, Sandy . . .”

“You are so not helping, Crys,” Mia said, stopping her. Turning back to Gwen, she asked, “You said there were a couple of things that happened yesterday. What was the other?”

Gwen told them all about their movie evening and his strange behavior afterward. “And then he asked as he was leaving when I’d know if I was pregnant or not. He went so far as to suggest an early pregnancy test. That was too much of a coincidence after what I heard that morning—don’t you think?”

When instead of having a good explanation for his behavior, Mia simply said, “Damn,” Gwen knew she hadn’t jumped to conclusions at all. “But, he seemed so into you this morning,” Mia added weakly, looking mystified by the whole thing. “I just don’t think it’s that black and white. You should talk to him. He doesn’t seem the type to have a woman on the side while seeing another. You hear plenty of rumors at the office about the players and his name has never come up. Now, Gage—he’s a different story.”

When both Gwen and Mia looked at Crystal, she blushed and shook her head furiously. “I’m not involved with him. Plus, I saw him Monday afternoon in the parking garage kissing some girl. He’s cute and going out with him would drive my mother crazy, but he’s just too much for me.”

“And Mark DeSanto isn’t?” Mia said incredulously.

Crystal’s pink cheeks had now become a bright shade of red, Gwen noted curiously. “Who’s Mark DeSanto?” she asked, glad for a reprieve from her pathetic love life.

“Oh, honey,” Mia let out a very unladylike wolf whistle. “Come on, surely you’ve heard of the DeSanto group that is partnering with Danvers? Mark DeSanto is the owner.”

Snapping her fingers, Gwen nodded. “Of course, yes. I’ve never actually met him, though. Is he cute?”

“Hot as the fires of Hades,” Mia gushed. “He’s young, probably in his early to midthirties, with dark hair and a kicking body. Apparently, he’s taken some office space in the Danvers building now that they’re doing so much business together.” Pointing to Crystal, she added, “I caught our girl here drooling over him in the coffee shop this morning. She poured half a container of sugar in her cup, watching him add cream to his a few feet away. Show her the picture, Crys.”

Gwen gaped at her innocent-seeming friend. “You took a picture of him?”

“Thank God for cell phones!” Mia enthused as she motioned for Crystal to find the picture.

Instead of looking embarrassed now, Crystal looked almost proud of herself as she hit some buttons on her phone, before handing it to Gwen. “He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen,” she sighed dreamily.

Gwen found it hard to argue with Crystal’s assessment as she stared at the phone. Whereas Dominic was all rugged masculinity, Mark DeSanto was polished perfection in a fitted suit that looked expensive even on camera. His black hair was the only part of his appearance that wasn’t immaculate. It was tousled as if he’d run his hand through it several times that morning. Somehow, that only added to his appeal. “Wow,” Gwen murmured, as she looked her fill before returning the phone. She might be totally infatuated with Dominic, but there was no way any woman wouldn’t look twice at a man like that.