"Hey, pretty lady." He knelt on the ground next to the marker. "Gonna be another hot one today. Summer doesn't want to let go, even though it's almost October."

He stared at the headstone, slowly reading Jana's name, the dates of her birth and death, and the special words he'd had inscribed-You Will Be Loved Forever.

"I lost you and our baby ten months ago today. Sometimes it seems as if it just happened, and sometimes it seems as if it happened years ago."

He ran his fingertip over each letter of her name-Jana Elizabeth Coleman. "We didn't get to talk about names, but I was determined to name the baby after you if we had a girl. I would've called her Lizzie, at least until she was older and rolled her eyes at the childish nickname."

He smiled at the thought. He could picture his daughter so clearly in his mind. "She would've had your eyes and your smile, and your sweet personality. She would've been mischievous too, especially if she spent a lot of time with her Uncle Dax." His smile disappeared. "I wish I'd had the chance to see you hold her for the first time. I wish I'd had the chance to see her grow up." He sighed heavily. "I wish so many things, Jana."

A sudden breeze blew sprigs of gra.s.s and weeds over the headstone. "I was with a woman yesterday. Emma." He brushed away the sprigs from Jana's name. "She's a good friend of Alaina's. It was the first time I've had s.e.x since you died." Sitting on the ground, he drew his knees to his chest. "It felt good. Really good. I've missed s.e.x a lot." He rubbed a hand over his face, unsure how to say the next words. "I thought of you at first, but then I decided that wasn't fair to Emma and I...pushed you out of my mind."

The tightness in his chest made it difficult to talk. "I'm sorry. I promised I'd be faithful to you forever and I broke that promise. But..." He sighed again. "You're gone and I'm here. I don't want to spend the rest of my life without a woman's company."

He touched the headstone again, softly caressing her name. "It's just s.e.x, Jana. That's all Emma wants and that's okay with me. I love you and I'll always love you. Emma will be in my bed, but there could never be another woman in my heart."

Chapter Nine.

Griff stepped into Rye's kitchen and watched Alaina and Emma moving about the room, much as he had Tuesday evening. This time, a third woman moved along with them as they prepared supper. He a.s.sumed the woman was Kelcey Ewing, Emma's housemate.

He knew Emma and Alaina had gone to Dallas today to have lunch with Kelcey and shop for appliances. Kelcey must have come to Lanville directly from work since she wore pleated navy slacks and a loose white top with a droopy cowl neck. His gaze quickly skimmed over her body. Taller than Alaina and Emma, Kelcey was also much slimmer than her friends, with small b.r.e.a.s.t.s and narrow hips. Her light ash blonde hair fell straight to her shoulders and curled under to caress her chin. Wispy bangs covered her forehead. She was very pretty, but not in-your-face s.e.xy like Emma.

He looked at Emma. s.e.x with her had been hot and pa.s.sionate and exhausting. He'd awakened shortly after one to her mouth on his c.o.c.k. She hadn't stopped licking and sucking until he'd exploded in her mouth. After that, she'd been content to curl up against his side and fall back asleep, even though he'd offered to return what she'd done to him.

Griff had awakened again about five with a raging hard-on. He'd slipped his rod into Emma's p.u.s.s.y from behind, the way he had the first time they'd had s.e.x. This time, though, he didn't come until after she did.

He had all kinds of ideas of the things he wanted to do to her.

Emma turned from the stove. Her movement stilled when she saw him, then she gave him a flirtatious smile. "Hi."

"Hi."

Alaina also turned and smiled when she saw him. "Hey, Griff. Come meet Kelcey."

Griff stepped closer to the cl.u.s.ter of women. Kelcey wiped her hands on a dishcloth, then offered her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Griff. I've heard a lot about you."

"All good, I hope," he said, taking her warm hand in his.

Kelcey smiled. "All good, I promise."

"Rye and Dax are in the game room," Alaina said. "I heard Dax curse a short time ago, so Rye must be winning."

"I'll check it out."

He looked back at Emma to see her gaze focused on his fly. She shifted her attention back to his face and slowly licked her bottom lip. His d.i.c.k immediately responded to the invitation in her eyes.

Before he developed a full-fledged hard-on and embarra.s.sed himself in front of Alaina and Kelcey, he left the kitchen. He heard the clatter of billiard b.a.l.l.s. .h.i.tting each other as he walked toward the game room.

"s.h.i.t, man," Dax said, "you're getting almost as good as Griff."

"No way that's ever gonna happen," Griff said, stepping into the room.

Both his brothers looked his way. "About time you got here." Dax nodded toward the cue sticks rack on the wall. "Grab a stick. You get to play the winner. Which will probably be Rye, d.a.m.n it."

"I've been practicing with Alaina."

"Then you're an idiot. There are a lot more fun things to do with a hot woman than play pool. Unless it's strip pool."

Rye grinned wickedly. "No comment."

Chuckling, Griff went to the small refrigerator and removed a bottle of beer. He took a long sip while Dax lined up his shot. It banked off the side and sailed into the corner pocket.

"Hot d.a.m.n! Maybe you won't win after all, big brother." He rounded the table, examining where all the b.a.l.l.s were positioned. "Speaking of winning, I heard Emma spent the night with you, Griff."

It didn't take news or gossip long to travel in his family. Especially gossip. "Yeah. So?"

"So nothing. I'm just making conversation." Dax took his shot, which missed the pocket by an inch.

"I know you, Dax. You don't just make conversation. Say what you're thinking."

Rye straightened before he took his shot. He looked from one brother to the other, but remained silent.

"Okay. I'm thinking I'm jealous 'cause Emma is really hot. I was hoping to coax her into my bed. But since she resisted all my charm, I'm happy she fell for you."

"There was no 'falling'. It's only s.e.x."

Rye stood his stick on the floor and wrapped his hands around it. "That doesn't sound like you, Griff."

"Yeah well, losing your wife changes a man."

"It doesn't have to. You're only thirty-two. There's no reason you can't fall in love and marry again."

"That isn't going to happen, Rye." Griff took a long pull of his beer. "There will never be another woman besides Jana in my heart."

"Never is a strong word, bro," Dax said.

"I know how I feel. Emma only wants a good time. That's fine with me." He set his empty bottle on a table. "My heart is dead, but my body isn't. s.e.x with her last night was incredible."

Rye frowned. "Don't you want more than s.e.x?"

"No. I had the love of my life. I can't expect to ever feel that way again." He looked from Rye to Dax. "You aren't interested in anything long-term. Why can't I feel the same way?"

"Because I've never wanted anything long-term. I like my single life. You liked your married life."

"I lost my married life when that kid shot Jana. End of story."

"Hey, guys." Emma breezed into the room, a smile on her face. "Supper's on."

She must have sensed the serious conversation for her smile disappeared. "Am I interrupting something important?"

"Nope." Griff hooked his arm around her neck and dropped a kiss on her lips. "Let's eat."

Emma loved Rye's and Alaina's living room. The overstuffed couch and armchairs and the earth tones color scheme made it warm, inviting. She curled up in one of the armchairs with her gla.s.s of merlot while Alaina and Kelcey took the couch. The brothers had gone back to the game room, leaving the women alone to talk.

"I can understand why the prime rib is the biggest seller at your restaurant, Emma." Kelcey patted her stomach. "You are an amazing cook."

"Thanks. I'm going to feature it on Friday and Sat.u.r.day nights at Alaina's restaurant."

"I can't believe you let Emma talk you into building a restaurant, Alaina."

"Hey, I didn't have to talk her into anything. Lainy thought it was a good idea."

"But the money-"

"Kelc, stop thinking like an accountant and think like a friend."

Kelcey looked down into her winegla.s.s for several seconds, then released a sigh. "You're right. I do think like an accountant most of the time." She looked back at Emma. "After working at the same job for eight years, I can't help it."

"That's why you need a change. I'm giving notice Monday. I think you should do the same."

"Wait a minute." Alaina shifted on the couch, turning toward Emma. "Don't push Kelcey to quit her job. I'm not ready for her yet."

"Yes, you are. You already have a lot of duties you could turn over to her."

"Unless you don't want me."

"Oh no!" Alaina reached over and clasped Kelcey's hand. "Of course I want you. But I'm worried you'll regret giving up your job."

"Trust me, I won't regret it for one second. I have to bite my tongue every day to keep from telling my boss to take a leap off the roof."

Emma grinned. "I'd love to hear you say that."

"I'm tempted. He was in the office one day this week." She held up a single finger. "One! The end of the quarter is next week and he's supposed to be helping me with next quarter's projections."

"Definitely time to quit, Kelc. Besides, you could use some down time. You haven't taken more than two days off in a row since I've known you." Emma sipped her wine. "You need to tackle a hunk and ravish him."

"Reading and lots of naps works for me."

Emma had never understood why Kelcey didn't date. It wasn't as if she didn't have offers. Men asked her out all the time, yet she always turned them down. Emma even considered that Kelcey might be a lesbian, but she'd never shown any interest in women either. She'd always been content to do her job, then come home and stay there. Books were her companion, not men.

That needed to change.

"Dax was very friendly toward you over dinner, Kelc. I'll bet he would be happy to show you around Lanville."

Kelcey rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Surely you can do better than that."

"What's wrong with Dax?"

"Other than the fact he thinks he's G.o.d's gift to women?"

"Dax is a good guy," Alaina said. "Yes, he has a reputation, and a lot of that reputation is based on truth, but he's been wonderful to me."

"And me." Emma swirled the wine in her gla.s.s. "Plus he's gorgeous."

"I'll agree that all the Coleman brothers are handsome. There, are you happy?"

"Nope. Not until you have some fun."

Kelcey blew out a breath. "Emma, I'm not like you. I don't need a man in my life to be satisfied."

"Why is that? Don't you like s.e.x?"

"There's more to life than s.e.x."

"Sure there is, but you don't even date, Kelc. Why is that?"

"I love to read. I'd rather curl up with a good book than do anything else."

"You obviously haven't been with the right men." Emma picked up the wine bottle from the coffee table and splashed more into her gla.s.s. "I like to read too, but a book is a poor subst.i.tute for a hard c.o.c.k."

"Or a wicked tongue," Alaina said with a grin.

Emma grinned too. "Oh yeah."

Kelcey chuckled and shook her head. "Y'all are so bad."

"Yeah, but we have a good time." Emma drained her winegla.s.s. "So, Kelc, what do you say? Are you ready to quit that s.h.i.tty job?"

"I think I am." Kelcey looked from one woman to the other. "I know I am."

"Great!" Picking up the wine bottle again, Emma poured the last of the merlot into their three gla.s.ses. "A toast to our new adventures."

Alaina touched her gla.s.s to Emma's and Kelcey's. "And to success doing what we love."

The wine at dinner mixed with the bottle the three of them had shared left Emma feeling woozy. And a little daring. "How about if we join the guys? I'm in the mood to win at pool."

"Do we need to take another bottle of wine with us?" Alaina asked.

"I say yes. Kelcey?"

"It's Friday night and I don't have to drive. I say yes too."