"Panties optional," she muttered, trying hard not to smile and failing. "What an a.s.s." Thoughts of his fine body had her sighing. "Oh boy, what an a.s.s."

Ann knew she'd gotten in over her head, so she called an emergency meeting with Maya and Riley at her place. Armed with popcorn and lemonade, she told her pathetic story to her girlfriends and waited for their opinions.

Maya didn't disappoint. "I saw him on Monday at the store. And, girlfriend, he might be a d.i.c.k, but I get the attraction. That man is four alarm hot. Danger, danger, Ann Weaver."

"Sounds like," said Riley, currently engrossed in her addiction to popcorn. "So he's still a good kisser, huh?"

"Unfortunately, yeah. Even better than high school." Ann stared at her bowl, not hungry. "I mean, if he'd just say he was sorry, that would probably help a lot. But he acts like what happened was no big deal."

"It did happen. Twelve years ago." Riley shrugged. "Hey, don't glare at me. I'm playing devil's advocate."

"More like demon adversary," Maya muttered.

"I'm saying-" Riley glared at Maya before turning back to Ann "-you have to consider that while you had a lot of angst over what happened, he has no idea. Granted, if he'd wanted to break it off with you, he should have done it in private. Involving Selena was cruel."

"That b.i.t.c.h hated us from day one," Maya agreed. "Rich, blonde, always dating the flavor of the week. I'm still not sure what the h.e.l.l Riley and I did to earn her spite. I mean, you, Ann, I get. You were prettier than she was, not rich-so all the cool kids weren't wanting you for your money-and everyone liked you. Jealousy makes sense. But no one liked me."

"We still don't," Riley said.

Maya flipped her off. "They tolerated Riley, because even back then she baked the best brownies. Not that I see any here. Thanks for bringing some."

"Your a.s.s is welcome. It doesn't need to get any bigger."

"Suck it, Hewitt."

"Please." Riley looked Maya over. "I wouldn't know where to begin."

Maya glared, then broke into laughter. "You're good. Snark is such a fine art, and you're way better than our nice little Ms. Weaver." In falsetto, she mocked, "Oh, Jack, kiss me, please. You broke my heart once, I'm dying for you to do it again."

Ann growled. "Hey. I'm trying to get some help. It's not my fault he's a good kisser."

"You two have chemistry," Riley agreed. "Hard to deny that."

"True. He's handsome, despite the fact he's an a.s.s. You want your revenge, use it to your advantage." Maya nodded. "Make him pay for what he did. Use him and lose him. Play with him. No one's arguing that he's a ton of eye candy."

Riley sighed. "You got that right. I saw him on the street yesterday. And, girl, he is just...wow. Like melted b.u.t.ter on a peach m.u.f.fin."

"Great. Now I'm hungry for something sweet." Maya looked around for snacks on the table and spotted nothing but popcorn and peanuts.

"So I should use him for s.e.x then dump him?" Ann felt a moment's guilt. "Doesn't that make me no better than him?"

"Pretty much." Maya took a handful of peanuts, chewed some, then put the rest back. "Ugh. No salt."

Riley shook her head. "Really, Maya."

"Oh please. I washed my hands. Look, Ann, the guy did you wrong. Stop wussing out and take control of your life. Remember our talk a few days ago? You were all about being powerful and taking charge. What happened to that Ann?"

"Looks like Bloom kissed the fight out of her." Riley looked sad.

"Oh stop."

"Brought down by her own v.a.g.i.n.a. What a sad, sad story." Maya wiped an imaginary tear.

Ann laughed. "My v.a.g.i.n.a, my enemy. G.o.d, you two are killing me. Okay, I'm still in this. I'll b.u.mp him and dump him. Can't say the thought of using him isn't a thrill."

Maya gave her a thumbs up. "There you go."

"Just remember the dumping part," Riley warned. "He's a charmer. I remember that all too well. Just like those a.s.shole Black cousins."

Maya frowned. "Nothing charming about that lowdown blackmailer Dex. I'll enjoy destroying him."

Riley poked Ann in the shoulder. "See? That's the att.i.tude you should have. Quit playing nice. He's not one of your second graders. Big bad Jack Bloom broke your heart into tiny pieces."

Now Ann was confused. "You just told me he had no idea of the drama I was dealing with way back when."

"Yeah, yeah. I was talking out of my a.s.s."

"She does that," Maya piped in.

"I'm saying the guy will pull out all the stops to get what he wants. And he wants you."

"He did call me 'angel'."

"Oh, low blow, digging up old pet names." Maya glared.

"He's smart. Manipulative." Riley shook her head. "Sorry, I'm in an anti-man mood. Maybe it's not the best time for me to chime in."

"Why? What happened?" Now that she'd mentioned it, Riley did look a bit stressed.

"Anson popped into my shop today to say hi. That d.i.c.khead."

"Oh, dueling oven mitts." Maya laughed. Anson Black had a reputation as a successful restaurateur. "Did you hit him with a wooden spoon or what?"

"He bought the place next to mine." A pause. "He's opening up a 'fine dining establishment'," she added in air quotes.

Ann gaped. "Your arch enemy is moving right next to you?" Ann felt for her. "At least mine is only connected to me through Josh. If he lived or worked right next door, I'd lose my mind."

Maya, the witch, laughed harder.

Riley swore. "Sure. Laugh it up. But I'm not the only one dealing with a Black. Dex is back in town and setting up shop too. At least Ann and I aren't afraid to mix it up with our enemies."

"Enemies?" Ann wondered at that. Jack was an opponent, sure. But an enemy? A bad guy? He'd done a bad thing, back when he'd been all of seventeen. Shut it, nice gal. For once in your life, be strong and stand up for yourself. Her stupid conscience kept trying to ruin her attempts at being bad.

"Yeah, enemies," Maya emphasized. "As in, plural. We need to stick together, ladies. The Blacks are back, and Bloom is making a play. Let's teach these guys that we are no one to mess with. Ann, he hurt you. He pays, end of story. Riley, Anson is an a.s.s who's moving in on your turf. Shut him down."

Riley nodded, her lips tight.

"And I have an old score to settle with Dex, that little blackmailing jerk." Maya stiffened. "That boy's a.s.s is mine. Ann, gotta go. I got an idea or two."

"Me too." Riley smiled, a dark grin that gave Ann shivers. "Time to welcome my new neighbor the proper way."

Poor Anson. And poor Dexter. When the Terrible Trio revved up, heads rolled. Determined not to be less than her friends, Ann knew she had to do the wrong thing for all the right reasons. Teaching Jack a lesson would not only help her get the closure she needed, it would help Jack's future relationships. Wouldn't he be a much nicer guy to be around if he understood that hurtful actions had consequences?

Rationalizing her decisions well into the night, she fell asleep and dreamed about Jack and his kiss, and the heartache from over a decade past. She woke feeling groggy.

Better if she'd only broken a bone back then. Because hurt feelings took forever to heal.

Chapter Four.

Jack's conversations had never been so odd, or entertaining. While driving his nephew to his parents for the night, he learned all about some kid who'd become a second grade hero.

"He mooned her and everything." Josh crumpled in laughter, going on and on about b.u.t.ts.

Jack didn't remember his fascination with all things a.s.s, but then, according to his parents, he'd been a handful while his older brother had been an absolute prince. His parents liked revisionist history, because Jack totally remembered Dan being a royal pain growing up. Nice to see Josh acting like a normal kid.

"Then Joy got mad and kicked him, so Josie and Matthew had to tackle her."

"Matthew's the boy you don't like, right?"

"No, that's Matthew R. This was Matthew W."

"Right." His head hurt trying to keep the kids in order.

"Then Matthew W. did this." A glance at Josh showed him making an ugly face. "And Josie slapped his back, and we all waited, but Matthew's face didn't stay that way."

"b.u.mmer."

Josh sighed. "Yeah."

They pulled into Jack's parents' driveway. Before he even turned off the engine, Josh jetted to his grandfather on the porch. Jack joined them.

His dad wore a wide grin. "So, big plans tonight, eh?"

Jack tried to play things casual, but he'd been hard pressed to think about anything but that kiss. Ann Weaver had some kind of mystical hold over him. G.o.d knew he couldn't tell her, because she seemed to have a few hard feelings about the way things ended back in high school. On that he couldn't exactly blame her-though in all fairness she'd started it.

Yeah, that doesn't sound immature or anything. He glanced at Josh, blaming his regression on his nephew. "Hey, Dad, make sure Josh tells you the Garrett story."

Josh turned around, bent over and grabbed his b.u.t.t. "Meet the Grand Canyon, Grandpa."

His father guffawed. Okay, it was pretty funny.

His mother didn't think so. "Joshua Bloom, what are you doing?" she asked as she came out the front door.

Josh straightened up pretty fast. "Oh, um, hi, Grandma."

The woman had the nerve to glare at Jack.

"What did I do? The kid got that from somebody named Garrett."

"Hill?" She said the name as if it were synonymous with trouble.

Josh nodded. "Yep. Garrett Hill." He darted inside and yelled, "Can I have a cookie, Grandma?"

"Boy has a nose like a hound dog." His father snorted. "Just like his daddy and uncle."

Jack caught the scent of something sweet when the wind blew. "They do smell good. Thanks for watching him. Wish me luck with Ann."

His mother smiled. "Be nice to the girl. Remember, she's a teacher in good standing in the community. Don't get too pushy on the first date."

"Sure thing, Ma. I'll ask her before I try to hold her hand. And if I take her to a dance, I'll keep a good foot between us. Say, we can even sit together in church. That'll be swell."

His father chuckled, then covered with a cough when Laura glared at him. She turned to Jack and smacked his arm. "Don't be a smarta.s.s."

"Yeah, smarta.s.s," Josh repeated from just inside the house, holding a cookie.

"Joshua Daniel Bloom, I'll-"

The boy darted out of sight, laughing.

"Nice mouth, Ma. Dad, witness. When Dan comes home, make sure he knows Josh's potty mouth came from Grandma, not me." He raced away before his mother could yell at him. Instead he overheard her scolding his father to stop laughing.

The short drive back to Dan's place and the subsequent walk to Ann's gave him time to think. What the h.e.l.l did he want with her? Inside her pants, obviously. That was number one. But then what?

He knew better than anyone that one couldn't relive the past. The teenagers they'd once been in high school had long since matured. Well, mostly. He chuckled to himself remembering Josh and his Grand Canyon, then sobered up, trying to puzzle out his feelings for Ann.

He was a man with a man's needs. Though he'd had his share of s.e.x and relationships, being around his family had started him thinking about more than casual hookups or girlfriends who went nowhere. He wanted more than just companionship. He wanted...

Love-a dreaded emotion that constantly plagued him. Ann had been his first love. Not his last, but certainly his deepest. His other girlfriends through the years had never measured up to who he thought should be by his side. A gentle, easy-going redhead who thought he hung the stars and the moon.

He still didn't understand why she'd cheated on him with Terry Chapman. Terry had hated him then and probably still did. A rival in sports and with the ladies, he'd always sniffed around Ann, but she'd nicely shut him down. Or so Jack had thought.

Annoyed and hurt all over again, he shoved the door closed on those memories. What was the point of digging them back out? Yeah, his other girlfriends complained he didn't emote or communicate like he should, but Jesus, did he have to verbalize everything? Some things a guy just knew. Like when to bail on a woman. And some things he didn't want to know. Like maybe he hadn't been as good in bed as he should have been. Or that he hadn't made her feel like he should have.

He'd lost his virginity to the one girl he'd never forgotten. Was it any wonder he wanted a piece of her now? Then, before he'd barely known what to do with his equipment, she'd rocked his world. And with that kiss in her tiny office no better than a closet, she'd done it again.

He wiped his sweaty palms on his jean-clad thighs. Nerves of steel, Jack. Don't let her see she's got leverage over you. His old problem with Ann would no longer be an issue. He knew how to please a woman, and from that kiss at school, she responded to him with the same intensity she had always had.

If only he could keep things physical. But already he was feeling hearts and flowers. He wanted to spend time with her. To walk her home after school and talk about her day, make her dinner, rub her feet, watch movies and television while cuddling on the sofa.

Man, his buddies would crucify him if they knew how much he liked the things women seemed to go for. To Jack, a solid relationship involved more than just f.u.c.king. Which explained why he was the one always breaking off his relationships while his girlfriends begged him to take them back. He might not always communicate the deep stuff that well, but he was h.e.l.l on wheels in bed and did romance just right.