by Anne Rainey
address. To his surprise, he was on the right street. He couldn’t have known, because in the deep parts
of Hocking Hills, Ohio, folks didn’t seem to believe in street signs. If Jeremy had kept walking, he would
be at his brother’s cabin, as it was the one adjacent to hers.
“I imagine you’ve had enough walking for one day. How about if I give you a ride over?”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” He enjoyed Haley Thorne’s company, and he wasn’t in a huge hurry to be rid
of her. “Would you care to come for dinner tonight? I’d like to thank you for helping me.”
She only smiled as she sidled past him and started out of the kitchen. When she picked up a set of keys
from a hook by the front door, he realized she was giving him the brush off. His entire body rebelled.
Once they were on the front porch, Jeremy grabbed his duffel bag and let Haley lead him to her Jeep.
He shook his head, disgusted with his own reaction to her dismissal. He really wanted to spend more
time with Haley. He wasn’t above begging, either.
“I’d love to have dinner with you, Jay, but do you have food in your cabin?”
He nearly kissed her, relieved he was going to have a chance at seducing the pretty brunette. But that
nickname again. What was the deal with that?
“Yeah. Brad was here last weekend, and he left it fully stocked.” Then it dawned on him. “That’s why
you call me Jay! You must have heard Brad say the name at some point, because he’s the only one who
calls me that. Everyone else calls me Jeremy.”
Haley stopped unexpectedly, and he nearly plowed over her. He grabbed her arms to keep her from
toppling. “Sorry,” she said in a quiet, far away voice. “You’re right, of course, that must be where I
heard the name.”
Something about the way she quickly agreed made Jeremy think she was lying. He was pretty good at
spotting a lie and Haley Thorne had just lied about his name. But why?
Chapter Three
Jeremy showered as soon as he stepped through the door of Brad’s cabin, then he called Brad.
Thankfully, Brad was obsessive about details, otherwise he might not have bothered to install a phone in
the cabin. Jeremy supposed Brad, being a doctor, would need a phone, even on vacation. Being a
detective, Jeremy did get to have some time to himself. Besides, all work and no play made Jeremy a
very cranky boy.
Of course when he called Brad to inquire about the little hottie next door, Jeremy was his usual calm and
polite self.
“Did you try and fix me up on a blind date out in the middle of nowhere, you piece of shit?” Jeremy
gritted out.
“Blind date?” Brad squeaked around a cough.
“Don’t act like you have no clue what I’m talking about, Brad, or I swear I’ll come all the way back to
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Columbus and pound your sorry ass,” Jeremy groused. “She’s a real looker. I’d say about five-four, one
hundred and twenty pounds, and so hot she makes you pathetically glad you’re a man. Goes by the name
of Haley Thorne. Ring any bells, Doc?”
Brad chuckled, the knucklehead. “So, you two have met already?”
Jeremy sighed. It was no use trying to understand a doctor, especially one related to you. “Yes, we met.
My damn car broke down and I had to walk, God knows how many miles. Her cabin was the first one I
came to.”
“That sucks.” He paused, then asked, “Then again, maybe not?” Brad’s voice had that silly tone, as if he
alone was privy to some wicked secret. It irked Jeremy whenever Brad got that way. It was usually
because Brad had managed to pull one over on him. This time, considering the way Haley looked in her
tiny string bikini, Jeremy would admit defeat. Gladly.
“No, it wasn’t so bad. Haley is… Damn.” He rubbed his stubbly jaw and tried to figure out what it was
about her that made her so appealing. He’d met other attractive women. He’d bedded plenty of them.
But Haley had a look about her, as if she waited for a guy to tap into all her secret desires.
“Yo, Jay!”
Oh right— Brad. “Sorry, I got sidetracked there for a minute, what’d you say?”
Brad laughed, but then he seemed to sober. “I’m trying to explain to you that Haley is a very dear
person. She’s been hurt a lot by her ex-husband, so be gentle with her.”
Jeremy nearly snarled. “I’m not a Neanderthal.” Then he wondered about Brad’s words. “Hurt as in
physically ?” Just the thought enraged him.
“I can’t go into a patient’s history, but yes, her husband was not…tender.”
That was not what Jeremy wanted to hear.
After promising to be careful with Haley, he severed the connection with Brad and called the car rental
company. He gave them an earful before wrangling a promise from them to send out another car. He also
warned them against charging him for towing. It wouldn’t be a good idea for the assholes to try and shaft
a cop. That done, he went to check on dinner.
Jeremy had everything just about ready. He wasn’t a gourmet cook— hell, he hated to cook—but he
could fire up a grill and whip together a salad. It didn’t take a genius to manage some burgers and greens.
He hoped Haley liked hamburgers. He really hoped she wasn’t a vegetarian. Shit. If she walked in
smelling cooked meat and ended up hurling, that would really put a damper on the evening. He wished
he’d thought to ask her when he invited her to dinner. She’d flustered him with the way she called him
Jay. She made it sound sinful. Sexy. He never much cared for the nickname, but that was before Haley’s
husky bedroom voice had uttered it. Now it was his favorite name in the world.
He heard a tentative knock on his screen door and practically tripped over his own feet to get to it.
Haley stood on the other side. She wore a sweet little tank-top style dress and a pair of sandals. Her
brown, sun-kissed hair was down and reached just past her shoulders. He liked it. It appeared delicate
and soft, like her. The white dress hugged the gentle curves of her small frame. Even through the screen
door he could see she wasn’t wearing a bra. Christ, she was something else. He desperately wanted to
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do more than stare, too.
He reached for patience and caution—two qualities which always eluded him. He was never very good
in those dainty knick-knack stores with all the hands-off glass displays. It always made him want to pick
up everything, just for the fun of it, to annoy the owner. Why have a store if you weren’t going to allow
the customers to handle the merchandise?
Jeremy wanted to handle Haley. He could only hope she was thinking along the same lines. He’d soon
find out.
“I really hope you like hamburgers,” he remarked casually as he opened the door for her. When she
stepped inside, Jeremy thought of what his brother had told him. So, her ex hadn’t been tender. Well,
he’d love to tenderize the asshole’s face. Jeremy would truly enjoy showing the prick how it felt to pick
on someone his own size. Haley was so tiny, so delicate, he couldn’t imagine ever hurting her.
“I love hamburgers It’s truly un-American not to.” Haley winked at him and came farther into the room.
“Nice cabin. The furniture is way better than mine, that’s for sure.”
He hadn’t even noticed the furniture. Jeremy looked around the small living room and knew she was
&nbs
p; right. The couch and easy chair were soft brown suede, big, comfortable and roomy. The coffee table
and end tables were oak, and there was a nice-sized entertainment cabinet. Figured, detail-oriented Brad
would have an entertainment center fit for a king.
Jeremy shrugged. “My brother sort of likes things to be…perfect. I suppose it only goes to show that his
home-away-from-home would be decked.”
Haley looked at him and cocked her head. “You and Dr. French don’t have the same last name. Are
you step-brothers, then?”
“Nope. Half-brothers.” He walked into the kitchen, allowing her to follow, and said over his shoulder,
“Our mom was married before she met my dad and had Brad. Brad’s father died of bone cancer. A few
years later, she married my dad. It took Brad some adjusting, but we’re all one big happy family now.”
Haley was quiet, watching him get out plates and silverware, then said, “It would’ve been very hard on
Brad, having his dad die that way. Must be why he became a doctor. He’s very good at it, too.”
That got Jeremy’s attention. Momentarily distracted from setting the table, he gave her a sideways
glance and saw the faraway expression in Haley’s eyes. She appeared all soft and dreamy. Jeremy felt a
swift kick of jealousy and wondered if Haley might have a small crush on his brother.
“It’s why he became a doctor, but he doesn’t really talk about it much. He’s a pretty private guy. And
you’re right, he is a good doctor. It was always in his nature to care for others, even as a kid.”
Jeremy could still remember the times Brad had tended to one of his scrapes or cuts when their parents
were both at work. Still, the more he thought of Brad and Haley together, imagining Brad touching and
tending to a bruise Haley’s ex-husband had given her, the more he wondered why the pair had never
dated.
“You know, it occurs to me you and Brad are both unattached, so why’d you two never hook up?”
She wrinkled her nose and stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Eww. I could never date my doctor.
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That’s just… eww.”
He laughed, more pleased than he should have been by her answer. “It’s not like he’s a gynecologist.”
“No, but still, I never considered Dr. French that way. He’s a great doctor. Wonderful and sweet, very
gentle, but that’s all.”
Good answer. A surge of possessiveness filled him. Now he could get back to thinking of Haley naked
and him pleasuring her pert body.
While they ate their meal, Haley talked about her job as a software developer and the stress of having a
job that required hours and hours of staring at a computer screen. He told her about his job as a
detective, sharing some of the more bizarre cases he’d worked on. It was clear they both needed the
time away from work, if for no other reason than to reevaluate their lives. Jeremy was putting their dishes
in the sink and already making coffee when he decided to approach the subject of her ex.
“So, Haley, we’ve talked a lot about our jobs, but you haven’t told me what happened with your
marriage.” Her expression turned grim as she played with her napkin. He plowed on anyway, not letting
her close him out. “I’ve only known you for a few hours, but you don’t strike me as the type to give up
on something as important as marriage. Not unless you were fighting a losing battle.” He gentled his voice
as he asked, “What happened?”
“It’s not a pretty picture.” She shrugged. “I suppose divorce rarely is.”
Her voice went soft, and he sensed her vulnerability.
“Eric was so sweet in the beginning. When we first met, I guess I felt sort of…swept away by his charm.
We didn’t date long before we married. The marriage ceremony was right out of a fairy tale. Big,
extravagant and everything a girl could ever hope for.” She stopped and stared at her ruined napkin as if
just realizing she’d torn it into shreds. Quietly, Haley set the pieces onto the table and folded her hands in
her lap.
“Even the first year was wonderful. A year-long honeymoon, I used to call it. Then I parked in his space
in the garage. Suddenly the honeymoon was over.” She paused. “He flew into a rage and hit me a few
times.”
She went quiet after that little bomb. Jeremy prompted her gently. “What did you do, honey?”
A slow smile bloomed. Sadly, it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I left him. Moved back in with my parents.
He came crawling back, begging and crying he couldn’t live without me. I was still hurting, but he seemed
to be, too. I went back to him.” She waved her hand in the air and rolled her eyes. “I know it’s all very
cliché, but there you have it.”
“What happened to finally make you file for divorce?”
Her face turned pink and she looked away.
“Haley, you can tell me anything. I won’t judge you. There’s been lots of women come through our
department in a similar situation. You aren’t the only woman to fall for the wrong guy, sweetheart.”
Leaning toward her, he took her hand in his and stroked it. She was so fragile. He wanted to find Eric
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and hurt him. Badly.
“I caught him cheating on me.” She shook her head angrily. “He really thought he could get away with it.
He’s married to a computer geek, and he thought I’d never find out. Idiot.”
He laughed at her vehemence and was curious to find out how she’d busted the dickhead, but he was
still trying to figure out why a guy would need to cheat when he had Haley warming his bed every blissful
night.
Sounded like his kind of heaven.
“What did you do?”
She smiled for him, an impish gleam in her eyes, and his cock swelled.
“I set up two tiny hidden cameras. Those babies recorded his activities while I was at work. I got him on
tape having sex with another woman. I even had a tape of him smacking me around. Just for good
measure, I managed to tape a few of his phone conversations, too, in case he decided to try and screw
me over when the divorce papers were served. He knew he was busted. Also, while he was having sex
with his girlfriend, I began taking self-defense classes. I wanted to feel safe, to know he’d never get the
upper hand again.”
His eyebrows shot up and he grinned from ear to ear. “You are one tough lady, do you know that?” She
only blushed. “Remind me to never piss you off,” Jeremy teased.
“Hey, he had it coming.”
“No doubt. I’d say he had that and a helluva lot more coming to him.”
She only shrugged. “Once Eric realized he had indeed done the dumbest thing imaginable, gone and
pissed off a computer and electronics whiz, he all but hit the porch running.”
Jeremy chuckled. “I think I would have loved to have seen that.”
Haley laughed with him and Jeremy enjoyed hearing the melodious sound. There was a lot about Haley
he was starting to enjoy.
Now that dinner was over and they’d had their little heart-to-heart, it was time to get on with the more
exciting part of their evening. The part he’d been anticipating since he first laid eyes on her. Christ, it was
sickening how badly he wanted her. He hadn’t burned this bad for a woman in a long time. Hell, if ever!
There was just something about her. She had a sarcastic wit, but she was sweet and didn’t mind
showing her vul
nerable side. She’d had a hard time of it with her ex, but she hadn’t let it destroy her. He
really did need to remember to thank Brad. This was one time his matchmaking skills were right on
target.
“Well, I don’t know about you, Haley,” Jeremy began, “but I’ve felt a connection to you the instant I
saw you.” He leaned closer, touching her chin with his index finger, and murmured, “I know that sounds
nuts because we’ve only just met, but damn, you really turn me on, woman.”
“Jay, I—” she began, but he placed two fingers against her soft lips, silencing her.
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“I swear, I don’t do this kind of thing often. Hell, usually I’m too busy with my job. But since the
moment I found you in that little string bikini, your sexy body all warm and inviting, I’ve not been able to
take my mind off of you,” he admitted. “It’s driving me crazy wondering if you feel as soft and silky as
you look.”
Jeremy was still holding Haley’s hand and the pulse in her wrist beat erratically beneath his fingertips. He
wanted to heat her blood, bring her ten kinds of pleasure. He knew he was rushing her, and she’d only
feel cornered. Patience. There it was again. The attribute he simply didn’t possess.
“I have a confession to make,” she began. “I’ve not been completely honest.”
Christ, if she was gay or something he was going to lose it. He’d give up on dating altogether and just
become a damn monk. “Confession?”
“Yes. I lied when I told you why I called you Jay instead of Jeremy. I don’t shorten names.”
He was confused. Happy she wasn’t going to tell him she was into chicks, but still lost as hell. “Then
why?”
“I had a dream about you last night.”
He narrowed his eyes. “We’ve never met until today. How is that even possible?”
She closed her eyes tight and bit her lip as if trying to gather her courage, then she finally mumbled, “I
don’t know, but it was you in the dream. Well, you and another woman, and the three of us were…”
Hmm, Jeremy started to like this dream of hers. “The three of us were…yeah, go on.”
“The three of us, er, made love.”
What did a guy say to that? Hallelujah, maybe? “Details.”
She blinked, her brows scrunching in bewilderment. “What?”