"We've got the SUV," she pointed out, almost shyly.

Indeed they did. And it didn't take much imagination for him to picture them, parked somewhere dark and private, steaming up the windows as they removed just enough of their clothes for her to straddle him.

She held his gaze for slightly longer now. It was possible, though, that she was blushing.

Damn, he was having one weird day. "Tracy, are you sure you-"

"Yes." So here's the deal. I'm going to marry Lyle.

"So what is this," Izzy asked. "Some kind of revenge fuck?"

Tracy winced. "That sounds so awful. But..." She took a deep breath, exhaled hard. "Yes. It is. Is that okay with you?"

"Hey, I'm not judging you," Izzy said.

But she felt compelled to explain. "I walked in on him and his research assistant. Practically in our bed. How can I just take him back without at least-"

"I'm also not trying to talk you out of it," he added.

"I want him to wonder what I'm smiling about when he catches me daydreaming." This time she held his gaze.

Dear Penthouse, Was this really happening?

Yes, it was. "Don't get me wrong," Izzy said. "But I just sat here and watched you consume a crapload of tequila. I remember doing something similar once, and having what seemed like a truly genius idea of how to handle a problem I was having with this asshole neighbor who never cleaned up after his dog. But believe me, approaching him in a crowded bar, surrounded by his asshole friends, and insulting his mother was so not the way to go. If I'd stepped back, and waited until the next morning-"

"You don't understand," Tracy told him. "This isn't...I didn't...The tequila was so I could get up the nerve to ask. You know, flat out, like..." She pointed to the napkin. "I tried asking more suttelbly...More subtly"-she took her time with the word, making sure she got it all out-"but you didn't get it, so...And then I was so desperate I tried Mark, except he's suddenly all in love with someone else. God. That was embarrassing."

And so much for his ego. She was so desperate she'd tried asking Mark, who'd turned her down. So now she was back to Izzy. Who would she approach if he said no? Lopez, maybe. Or Gillman. Apparently she found them all interchangeable.

"You do understand, right?" Tracy told him with the earnestness of the inebriated. "That this is just sex. This is me thinking you're attractive and wanting to hook up with you without having to be afraid of anyone getting hurt."

"Except Lyle," Izzy pointed out.

She laughed at that. "God, I hope so."

This was definitely crazier than anything he'd fantasized. He had to be honest with himself. He'd imagined getting busy with Tracy in her attempt to exorcise Lyle from her life. He'd imagined her using him as an exclamation point at the end of that dead relationship. But he'd also imagined her choosing him because she was drawn to him, because she found him irresistible. Not just because he was mildly attractive and conveniently available.

But okay. What, was he now the crazy one? He was going to sit here and pout because she wanted to use him to punish Lyle?

A gorgeous, sexy woman wanted to have no-strings, no-guilt sex with him. Tonight. Probably as soon as they went outside and got the SUV warmed up.

Izzy reached across the table for her pen. Holding her gaze, he uncapped it. Only then did he look down, and only briefly, as he spread the napkin on the table, holding it taut so he could write on it.

Three little words.

He spun the napkin so that she could read them.

I'd love to.

CHAPTER.

FOURTEEN.

Lindsey was the first to arrive.

Blanket wrapped around her shoulder, Sophia opened the door to see her smiling face.

"How are you?" Lindsey said, slipping inside and closing the door tightly behind her. "I won't stay long. I just wanted to make sure you didn't need anything."

"I'm okay." The burst of cold air that accompanied her into the room made Sophia sit directly on the wall heater. "But thank you."

And this was where it would happen. If Lindsey was going to say anything, she was going to say it now, while they were alone.

Unless, of course, she didn't realize that they were alone.

Sure enough, Lindsey leaned forward slightly, to see if the bathroom door was closed.

It wasn't. The bathroom was dark, the light off. "Where's Tracy?"

Sophia wasn't exactly sure. "She went out to get some cold medicine."

"Is she sick?" Lindsey asked.

"I didn't think so," Sophia said. "She's been gone for a while, so..."

It would have been typical of Lindsey to make a joke about Tracy's alleged illness being nothing that a Navy SEAL injection wouldn't cure, but instead she was silent, her smile suddenly gone.

"I'm sure she's just inventorying everyone's pharmaceuticals," Sophia said quickly, realizing with a flash of clarity that Lindsey was imagining Tracy off somewhere with Mark Jenkins. "Or she's hanging out with Danny Gillman and Jay Lopez. Or Izzy. He's a riot, isn't he?"

"Izzy's out, getting gas," Lindsey informed her.

Which meant that Jenk was alone in the motel room that the two men shared. Or maybe he wasn't alone. Maybe that was where Tracy had gone.

"Shit," Lindsey said. "Shit. Do you think I'm a coward?"

"Absolutely not," Sophia said, but before she could ask why Lindsey would question that, someone knocked on the door.

And there it was. Their last few seconds of privacy. Lindsey proved Sophia right. "I saw your scars," she said fearlessly. "I wasn't trying to, but-"

"I know," Sophia said. Everyone who'd gone out to the lodge in Jenk and Lindsey's little recon party had seen them-her souvenirs from her former nightmare of a life. "They're hard to miss."

"If you ever want to talk...I'm here. No pressure, though. I don't need to know. I mean, I figured you already knew that you've got an entire team of people here who love and respect you, people you can talk to about anything at all. So what I'm really trying to say is that you don't have to talk to me. That whatever you do or don't tell me isn't going to change our friendship. I'm not going to feel as if you don't trust me or-anything like that. I just didn't want you to feel awkward around me, like I'm always going to be wondering what happened to you. Because I won't. I'm not. Sure, those scars are part of you, but no way are they all of you. Does that make any sense?"

Sophia nodded, unable to speak. Her tentative friendship with Tess Bailey had all but faded away because Tess's concern for Sophia had been such a palpable thing. And Sophia knew that her own failure to talk about her past had frustrated Tess. It had become easier simply to make up excuses not to socialize.

"Soph, you okay in there?" It was Dave outside the door. He knocked again, more loudly.

"Just a minute," Lindsey called. She lowered her voice even more. "I also wanted to say...Please don't take this the wrong way, but...I have some money saved. I know you've been working to pay off a loan, but...You wouldn't have to pay me back for a long time, until you were done with that, and...I'm talking zero interest, it's just, I know this really great cosmetic surgeon."

And Lindsey actually thought she was a coward. No one, not even Dave, had ever dared to suggest such a thing to Sophia.

"I know it's none of my business," Lindsey said. "But-"

"No," Sophia said. "It's okay. I guess I was hoping they were just going to fade away. I mean, they mostly have." Hadn't they?

From the look on Lindsey's face, it was clear she didn't agree.

"I try not to notice," Sophia admitted. "I guess I'm used to it. I didn't realize it was that disturbing."

"It's not," Lindsey said, but then opted for honesty. "It's just...to have that kind of constant reminder...? It occurred to me that it might be a financial issue for you, and if that's the case, I can help. That's all."

"Thanks," Sophia said. She ended the conversation by opening the door. "Sorry, Dave."

"It's freezing out." He came into the room, looking from her to Lindsey and back, no doubt wondering what they'd been talking about. "I can't stay-I'm just checking in. Did you get enough to eat?"

"I'm good," Sophia said, back on her heated perch. Was she ever going to be completely warm again? "Thanks."

"How's the roommate thing working out?" he asked, clearly noting that Tracy wasn't there. "Any additional boundary issues?"

"She unpacked for me," Sophia told Lindsey. She was pretty sure Tracy just wanted to go through her stuff. Not that Sophia had anything to hide. Not so far as her clothes went, anyway. "Other than that, it's been okay. I was picturing the TV on twenty-four/seven, but she brought a book. She's been reading."

There was another knock on the door.

"Where is she?" Dave asked, opening it. Jay Lopez and Danny Gillman were standing outside, huddled against the wind.

"Where's who?" Danny responded.

"Tracy. If you're coming in, come in," Dave said. "This is not weather for an open-door chat."

They came in. Clearly, they'd come to see Sophia together, both feeling the need to make sure she was okay, but far too uncomfortable to face her solo. She wondered if they'd discussed it, discussed her. They were close friends-why wouldn't they?

"How's your head?" she asked Danny.

"I'm okay," he said. "How about you? I heard Tommy's benching you."

"Just for a few days," Sophia said. She'd been given a direct order from the boss to take it easy. "At the risk of being thought a wimp, I'm admitting that I'm actually okay with that."

"No one thinks you're a wimp." Dave, as always, was ready to defend her-even from herself.

And there they all were. Standing there. Crowded together near the door to the room. No one sat down, probably because the room was so small there was nowhere to sit besides on the beds.

The dynamic was that of tension. Dave was carefully ignoring Danny, whom he still clearly blamed for the accident out at the lodge. Danny and Lopez obviously felt obligated to drop in, but clearly wished they were anywhere else on the planet. And Lindsey...

It was obvious to Sophia that Lindsey could no longer pretend that Tracy was off amusing herself by hanging out with these two young SEALs. With Izzy out of the picture, it was more and more likely that Tracy was, indeed, with her old friend Jenk.

Although, maybe they were just sharing high school memories. Or playing Monopoly.

"Can we get you anything?" Lopez asked.

She looked at Lindsey. "Actually, yes," Sophia said. "Have you seen Mark Jenkins? I need to talk to him."

Lindsey made a what? face at Sophia.

Sophia gave her a shrug in return. Why not? This was a quick and easy way to find out where Jenk was, and if Tracy was or was not with him. "Since I'm not part of the exercise tomorrow, Tom asked me to help with the scheduling," she fabricated. "I need to get some information from him-"

Lindsey cut her off. "No, you don't. I can help you with whatever you need." She shook her head at Sophia.

"Are you sure?" Sophia said.

"Yes," Lindsey said. "I am. Very sure." She sidled toward the door. "My notes are in my room. I'll...call you. Later."

"Let us know if you need anything," Danny said, and he and Lopez made their escape with Lindsey.

Dave alone remained. He scratched his ear. "You gonna tell me what that was about?"

Sophia shook her head no. "Do you think I should go see a cosmetic surgeon?"

She'd surprised him. He tried to hide it, but couldn't. He actually sat down on her bed. "Wow," he said, giving her one of his try-to-read-her-mind looks. "Do you want to go? Because if you do, I'll-"

"No," she said. "Actually, I don't. I've already hurt enough. The thought of enduring more pain..."

"Then absolutely not." Dave didn't hesitate. "You shouldn't go. There's no reason-"

"Isn't there?" She put her mug of tea down on the table next to the bed, took the blanket off her shoulders. She turned her back to him, lifting her sweatshirt, lowering the already low-riding elastic waistband of her yoga pants.

She heard him draw in his breath, which should have been answer enough.

But he tried to bluff. "So what? People get tattoos to cover scars, and women have tattoos in that particular spot all the time. Even if you felt compelled to hide it, which I don't think you need to do-"

"Pretend you're Decker," Sophia said.

He was silent.

"Yeah," Sophia said, covering herself back up. She picked up the blanket, wrapped it around her shoulders again. "That's what I thought. He can't even handle looking at my face. There's no way..."

"He's a fool," Dave whispered. "Have you ever considered the possibility that he's not good enough for you?"