Love Bites: Five original stories edited by Lori Foster Love UnleashedMane HavenMolly Wants a HeroDog TagsSmookie and the Bandit

by Lori Foster

  And just like that, she did.

  Cinder came in from an early shift to find Jesse, Brick and Evan all in the apartment. They were in the kitchen talking, laughing. It wasn’t uncommon for them to be around, usually on the weekends, but occasionally during the week, too.

  She’d been with Evan for three weeks now and still they hadn’t caught the guy who’d come after her. It was a scary thought, but she was almost resigned to the fact that they might never find him.

  And if they didn’t, then what? She couldn’t just stay with Evan indefinitely. Not that he seemed in a hurry for her to leave. But it felt like a torturous type of limbo, to be unsure of when her situation might change.

  Doug, the only one to hear her come in, greeted her with barking enthusiasm. He certainly loved staying with Evan and Cate. In no time at all, he’d acclimated, and now Cinder was just using her apartment as a big closet for her clothes and furniture. They rarely went there—and yet, she hadn’t mentioned giving it up.

  Setting aside her purse and keys, Cinder sat on the foyer floor so Doug could drape himself across her lap. Cate crawled up to her shoulder, her face in Cinder’s hair. “Such a warm greeting,” she teased the animals, while giving them each the attention they wanted.

  All three men emerged from the kitchen, already smiling toward her, their expressions accepting, indulgent.

  Such great guys.

  Given they were here now, she assumed they’d have a night in, and she was glad. Not that she hadn’t enjoyed the “dates” Evan had insisted on. Mostly she preferred the long walks in the park with the animals, or just hanging at the apartment with friends. But dancing at the club on occasion was nice too, especially with the way Evan looked at her when she wore heels and a skirt. He was always so complimentary, he left her blushing.

  But then, he looked at her the same when she wore jeans. Or pajamas.

  Or nothing at all.

  She thought he probably wanted to prove he wasn’t like her ex. Not that he needed to. She loved him—she knew the difference.

  “Everything okay?” Jesse asked her.

  Realizing that she’d been lost in thought, Cinder grinned. “Oh, yeah. I’m great.” And she was. Tired, but oh so happy. She stretched. “It was a long day, that’s all.” But how could any day go wrong when it ended with her at Evan’s apartment? With Evan. She gave a sappy sigh.

  Watching her in that concentrating way of his, Evan walked over and offered her a hand up. She let him haul her back to her feet—and into his arms for a proper greeting.

  “I’m glad you’re home,” he said against her mouth, and kissed her again.

  Home. His home, not really hers.

  Maybe she should just come right out and ask him if the arrangements were permanent.

  Brick rubbed his hands together. “Now that you two have the smooching out of the way, I hope you’re hungry. I brought over steaks.”

  Yeah…she’d talk to him about their living arrangements—after they were alone. “I’m starving. We were so busy today, I didn’t get much time for lunch.”

  “The grill’s already hot,” Brick told her. “You’ve probably got fifteen minutes before we eat.”

  Doug barked at the door, whined.

  “Perfect timing.” She took his leash off the wall. “I’ll take him out, then change clothes before we join you.”

  But as she opened the door, Doug lunged forward, almost yanking her off her feet. Cinder held him tighter, confused—and suddenly Evan was there. In one smooth move he handed her Cate and relieved her of the leash. Brick stood with him. Both men looked like thunderclouds.

  Cate sank her claws into Cinder’s arm, hissing in upset at the way Doug behaved.

  Jesse took her elbow. “Come back inside, hon.”

  “But what…?” Doug continued with an awful racket, barking and snarling—and suddenly it hit her. The intruder. “Oh my God.”

  While holding her with one hand, Jesse used his other to make a call on his cell.

  Evan’s gaze met hers. “Wait with Jesse.”

  “No.”

  As if they had it all planned out, each with an assigned role, the men moved in an orchestrated manner. Jesse nudged her back into the doorway, Brick tried to block her. And Evan… Evan allowed Doug to lead him down the hallway toward the front door.

  Oh, no, no, no. She watched in horror as Doug yanked at the leash, doing his utmost to get free.

  “Wait!” She pulled away from Jesse. When Evan glanced back at her, he wore such an unyielding scowl that she didn’t bother trying to deter him with reason. Instead, she cuddled Cate closer and squared her shoulders. “I won’t have my dog hurt.”

  “He won’t be,” Brick told her. “Look at the lot. It’s daylight still. People are out and about. But someone is lurking, and Doug knows it. Let him do his thing, Cinder.”

  She said, “Doug,” in pleading tones, but he paid her no attention. He wanted to be free to attack.

  Brick stepped in front of her, and with some male-inspired meaning, said, “Let Evan do his thing, too. Okay?”

  What in the world was his thing?

  “The cops are on the way,” Jesse announced.

  That did little to ease her reservations. “What if he still has a gun?” What if, this time, he used that gun?

  “We can’t let him get away,” Evan told her. The force of his determination showed in every rigid line of his body. “Not this time.”

  “Oh God.” What to do, Cinder wondered. Jesse continued to hold her arm, but she wasn’t dumb. If they were hell-bent on a showdown, she wasn’t going to race out and get in the way. However, she did turn in a rush and race to the patio doors to look out.

  Jesse secured the front door and joined her. Together, their ears touching near the glass, they watched as Evan and Brick strode out. The men refrained from talking, almost as if they didn’t know each other. Evan pulled a resistant Doug to the grassy area, but Doug had no intention of doing his business. Not right now.

  Brick circled around to his truck and got behind the wheel.

  “What are they doing?” Cinder asked.

  “Thanks to Doug, they know right where he’s at, but they don’t want him to know they’re onto him yet.”

  She looked at her dog, at how he strained toward an old white station wagon parked farther down the lot. “Oh.”

  “Don’t worry, honey. They won’t let Doug get hurt—but they also won’t let the guy get away.”

  “Okay.” Now it sort of made sense…a little.

  In amazement, Cinder watched as Brick pulled his big truck around—and stopped in front of the car with his passenger side nearly touching the hood, blocking it in. He turned off the truck and got out, but stayed behind the cab.

  Evan and Doug joined him, and now that he had gotten his way, Doug showed more manners. He stopped the awful racket, but kept the leash taut. Evan said something to him, patted his flank, and Doug sat beside him.

  Huh. When had he taught Doug that trick?

  “Smart dog,” Jesse told her. “Now all they have to do is wait. Cops should be here any minute.”

  Pride filled her. She stroked a fractious Cate. “Hear that, baby? Doug is a hero.” Cate nestled closer to her neck, and Cinder sympathized. She knew just how the cat felt.

  Police sirens sounded, and a second later, two cruisers pulled into the lot.

  Suddenly the driver of the car caught on. A little panicked, knowing he couldn’t drive away, he opened his door and tried to run. Even from the distance, she saw that remarkable snake tattoo on his neck.

  Cinder almost panicked herself—until she saw the officers giving chase, not Doug. Evan continued to hold the dog back.

  Protecting him—which she should have realized was his intent. Evan loved Doug.

  Did he love her, too?

  Another police car showed up on the other side of the fleeing intruder.

  Cornered, he reached into his pocket, possibly for a gun—and got hit with a Tase
r that wrung a guttural scream from his throat, bowed his back and then dropped him flat.

  Wide-eyed, Cinder stared in horror at the big man now on the ground. “Wow.”

  With her attacker now subdued, Jesse asked, “Want to go check it out?”

  Not really, but she could tell that he did. “I guess.” With grave uncertainty, she put Cate on the couch, tucked between some pillows so she’d feel secure. She followed Jesse, who grinned ear to ear as he strode out to the lot. Men.

  Doug had his ears up in an alert, fascinated way, watching as the man was handcuffed and lifted back to his feet. Everyone could see the tattoo, which for Cinder was proof enough. But the attentive officer also fished a wallet from his pocket. “It’s him.”

  “The same guy from the hospital?” Evan asked.

  “According to his ID, yeah.”

  The dog suddenly turned, saw Cinder standing there, and loped over to greet her. Evan followed.

  Her stomach was still in knots, and a crazy shakiness had invaded her limbs.

  Evan pulled her in close. “It’s over.”

  Yes…she feared it was. All of it.

  With her head resting against his chest, she said, “I guess it’s safe for me to use my own apartment now.”

  He went still, but not for long. “Come on. We need to talk.” They reached the patio doors before Cinder realized that both Brick and Jesse had followed, too.

  Jesse opened the door and waited for her to enter. Doug leaped ahead, met by Cate. Evan unleashed him. “It’s amazing how they communicate.”

  “They love each other,” Cinder said, then bit her lip because that L word landed like a thunderclap in the otherwise quiet apartment.

  Brick closed the door, then stood there, arms crossed as if barring escape. “Yeah, they do.”

  Unsure what else to do, Cinder went to the couch, but sat on the floor in front of it. She scooped up Cate, and Doug crawled across her lap.

  Evan dropped down to sit beside her. “I couldn’t stand the idea of that creep still out there, possibly showing up again.”

  “Always a threat.” She swallowed hard. “I know.”

  “He’s gone now, though.” Evan touched her hair, brushed it back behind her ear. “So yeah, you don’t need to stay here to be safe.”

  Blast. It wasn’t easy fashioning a smile past her regret, but she got her lips to move. “Thanks to you guys.”

  “Thanks to Doug,” Evan corrected.

  Brick stepped forward. “Cate and Doug are used to being together now.”

  Evan said, “They see each other daily anyway.” He brought her face around to his. “You don’t need to live with me for the animals to stay together.”

  “Very true.” With her heart aching, she looked down at his mouth rather than meet his steady gaze. “They were together long before we brought them home.”

  Jesse stood alongside Brick. “You guys aren’t just friends anymore.”

  “No, we aren’t.” Evan slid his hand around and into her hair, his thumb brushing her jaw. “But she doesn’t need to live with me for us to keep dating.”

  “You more than date, damn it.”

  Why did Brick and Jesse sound so angry? She glanced at them both, and frowned at their identical expressions. “You guys could give us some privacy, you know.”

  Brick snorted.

  Jesse said, “I thought you were happy living here.”

  Now even Doug and Cate looked at her, and she felt like a spectacle. “I haven’t actually moved in.” Sure, she slept with Evan every night and woke with him in the morning. They had amazing sexual chemistry together. They shared meals and they shared responsibilities.

  But that wasn’t the same as actually living with him. It wasn’t a…commitment.

  “I still have my apartment, filled with my belongings,” she pointed out. “Most of what I own is just across the hall at my place.”

  Evan tipped up her chin so she had to meet his gaze. “You love them both.”

  His mood, as with his statement, confused her. “Doug and Cate? Or do you mean Jesse and Brick?”

  He looked comical for a moment, then determined. “All of them.”

  Softening, she nodded. “I really do.”

  Jesse and Brick held themselves silent and very still.

  Evan’s breath came out. “And what about me?”

  Whoa. He’d just dropped that out there like it was nothing. And now he watched her in that deep concentration, his gaze boring into hers as if he could read her thoughts before she voiced them.

  She curled her fingers into his shirt and felt the furious pounding of his heart. Hers immediately matched it. “Yes.”

  The tension lifted from his expression. His dark eyes brightened. “You love me?”

  She wouldn’t lie to him, ever. “Hopelessly. Madly. Forever.”

  He put his arms around her, and since she held the dog and cat, they got encompassed as well. “I love you, too.”

  “So,” Brick said, his tone gruff, “guess I can go ahead and put on those steaks to cook.”

  Softly, almost with reverence, Jesse said, “I’ll help.”

  Doug stuck his head up between Cinder and Evan, pelting them both with doggy breath before stepping away to join Brick and Jesse in the kitchen. As always, Cate crawled up and out of the huddle to follow him.

  With Cinder still locked close to his chest, Evan said, “You’ll give up the lease on your apartment?”

  “Yes.”

  He put his forehead to hers. “And will you marry me?”

  Her heart felt so full, she thought she might burst. “I would love to.”

  Around a satisfied smile, he said, “I’m probably rushing you, but how would you feel about us getting a house together? Maybe one with a nice, big backyard for Doug and Cate to play in.”

  “That sounds wonderful.” Then, harking back to a comment he’d made long ago, she smiled up at him. “On one condition.”

  Unconcerned, Evan pulled her up and into his lap. “And what’s that?”

  “I love Doug and Cate. I love Jesse and Brick. And I most especially love you.” She gave him a quick kiss. “But we will not be adopting a horse to name Horace.” And because she knew anything with Evan would be perfection, she added, “At least, not anytime too soon.”

  Their combined laughter filled the apartment, and though neither of them noticed, both Jesse and Brick, along with Cate and Doug, stood in the doorway, watching them, smiling, and very satisfied with the outcome.

  LORI FOSTER is a Waldenbooks, USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly and New York Times bestselling author with books from a variety of publishers, including Berkley/Jove, Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin and Silhouette. Lori has been a recipient of the prestigious RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Fantasy, and for Contemporary Romance. She’s had top-selling books for Amazon, Waldenbooks and the BGI Group. For more about Lori, visit her Web site at www.lorifoster.com. And look for Run the Risk, the first book in her new Love Undercover series, coming in October 2012 from Harlequin HQN!

  Smookie and the Bandit

  Brenda Jackson

  To everyone who enjoys reading a good romance story where the sexual chemistry is oozing all over the place, this one is for you.

  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

  Proverbs 3:13

  Chapter One

  “Yes, may I help you?”

  Raquel Capers swallowed as she gazed into the face of the man who leaned in the doorway. She’d heard that Quest Newman was a hottie, eye candy of the third degree. However, in light of why she was there, she’d shoved the information aside.

  “Miss?”

  She blinked. “Yes?”

  “I asked if I can help you? However, if you’re here soliciting, this complex has a policy against it.”

  Raquel stiffened her spine. “I’m Raquel Capers and that’s not why I’m here.”

  “Then how can I hel
p you?” Quest asked. She was a looker, and he could definitely come up with a few good ideas if she couldn’t. But unfortunately, he didn’t have the time. He was best man in his twin brother’s wedding and the rehearsal dinner was tonight, so he was in a hurry. Then, later, it was guys’ night out with a huge party planned. The last one his brother, Quincy, would enjoy as a single man.

  “I’m here because of your dog.”

  The woman’s words, spoken in a deep, sultry voice, reclaimed his attention. “Bandit?”

  “If that’s what you call him.”

  He straightened and placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I do. What about Bandit?”

  “My dog is Smookie.”

  Quest lifted a brow, wondering why she felt that information was somehow vital to the conversation. “And?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, and his gaze automatically went to the uplifting of her breasts. Pressed against her pretty pink blouse, he could tell they were a nice, full and firm pair.

  “And it seems your Bandit is about to be a father.”

  He frowned, pretty damn certain he hadn’t heard her correctly. “Excuse me?”

  “Let me spell it out for you, Mr. Newman. Your Bandit has knocked up my Smookie.”

  “He did what!”

  Quest Newman definitely had a good set of lungs, Raquel thought. And the shocked look on his face would have made her laugh outright if the business at hand wasn’t so darn serious. But she didn’t have time for amusement.

  “That’s not possible.”

  Raquel lifted her chin and glared at the man. “Trust me, it is.”

  Quest sighed, getting annoyed. “Look, like I said, that’s not possible. I don’t know you or your Smookie, but I do know that whenever Bandit is out, he’s on a leash with me or my dog sitter.”

  “Well, on this particular day, he wasn’t with your dog sitter.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “And what particular day are you talking about, Ms. Capers?”

  “Friday, May tenth.”

  Quest knew immediately where he’d been that day. He’d gone camping with a couple of his frat brothers from college and had left Bandit, his Yorkie, with his nineteen-year-old cousin Tawny, who would dog sit whenever he traveled. While he was gone, it was customary for Tawny to move into one of his guest rooms to take care of all Bandit’s needs, which included walking him on a leash—at least three times a day.