I turned back to face Joslyn, disbelief slackening my expression. "You did not name her Machiavelli."

That grin flared again and I felt the shock of it all the way through my system. "You can name her something else, lovely, but I knew she'd be the one to help me move you off the no more animals stand you had."

"You're both evil little things."

"But you love me and you'll love her," she stated then turned and tapped Zina on the shoulder. "See you Monday morning."

"Bye, boss. Have a great weekend. See ya, Rave."

I said my goodbyes to them as I herded Joslyn out the door in front of me. Sometimes it was difficult to pull her away from work, but the best thing that ever happened in our relationship was when she'd moved into my-our house but left her office at her old property. That made it difficult for her to work weekends or evenings because she couldn't just stride across the driveway and be in her office.

My hand reached for hers and I was immediately rewarded with her fingers lacing through mine. Her head tilted to look at me as soon as our hands connected, a furtive smile playing on her lips. G.o.d, those smiles, she could take my breath with any of them.

*235 As we cleared Michael's house, my car came into view.

"Ah, your T-bird, shoulda known you'd take every chance you could before winter officially sets in to drive this thing."

"I was in the Vette yesterday, sweetheart."

"My Vette," she joked, shooting a mock glare at me.

"Our Vette, my love. I've got papers to prove it." I referred to her insistence that we put both names on everything we owned as soon as we went through our commitment ceremony. She'd also taken care of every other detail like living trusts, health care proxies, life insurance and everything else that goes with a legal joining of two lives. Sometimes it was so wonderful having an all too practical spouse.

We slipped into the car and I got us headed back out onto the road to our house about ten minutes away. I was looking forward to the few hours we'd have together before we needed to fight through Friday night traffic on the bridge to attend Elise's going away party.

As we drove, I'd glance over at Joslyn as she asked me about my day. The early December sunshine highlighted the lighter streaks in her thick, wavy hair, making it appear more blond than brown today. Like her hazel eyes, her honey brown hair shifted shades depending on sun exposure. She still took my breath away with her beauty, but it was her kindness and consideration that held me captive. Like today, she was in the middle of a three-week onsite consulting project, but she'd broken it up to fly back for Elise's party. She usually spent every moment of out of town consulting jobs completing her contract, evenings and weekends included. But she'd decided to take this weekend off and come home for the party. She liked my friend Elise, but I knew she'd flown home so that I wouldn't have to attend this party alone.

Stepping out of the car in front of our house, we barely made it a step before her dogs burst through the doggie door off the back room and bombarded us. Could I really 236*

handle another one of these mutts? Yes, absolutely, especially when I saw how elated they made Joslyn.

After wrangling them into submission, we got everyone moving toward the front door. I spotted two boxes on the wide wraparound porch of our house. This was only one of the features I loved so much about our two-year-old home.

Michael was so talented as a house designer and my brother-in-law, Marco, could work wonders with timber beams. Finally, my once disjointed property now had a house, detached garage, connecting carport, and barn that looked harmonious and stunning enough to be featured in Architectural Digest.

"Are you expecting a delivery?" I asked of the packages.

The dogs were circling her legs as she stepped up beside me on the porch. She reached down and grabbed the biggest box, swinging a secretive look up at me. Her eyebrows fluttered as she opened the door and went inside. I grabbed the other box and followed her.

"Don't open it yet," she warned while sliding hers onto the console table and reaching for mine. "Stay here a sec."

She disappeared into the family room at the end of the hallway leaving me feeling like I was missing something but enjoying the sway of her hips as she moved. d.a.m.n, she was s.e.xy. I shook my head before I was tempted to ignore her instruction and decided to be productive, too. Heading back outside, I went to get her suitcase from the car. By the time I came back, she called out, "Okay, come on back."

I strode down the hallway with the dogs in tow and stopped as I reached the wide open s.p.a.ce of our living room. Candles were lit around the room, an open bottle of wine stood next to two filled goblets, and soft music was playing in the background. The smaller box sat open on the coffee table. "What's all this?"

"I told you that you'd ruined the surprise I had for you by showing up at the office. I'd hoped to stop off and get you some flowers before I got home, then arrange more *237 candles here and in the bedroom where those new ma.s.sage oils would come into play." She pointed to the smaller box.

"I wanted to make sure you got to relax a bit before the party tonight."

"Oh, sweetheart, this is so thoughtful of you. How'd you know I needed this?"

"I know you, lovely. Now, sit, relax, have a gla.s.s of wine, and I'm going to grab your next surprise."

"What brought all this on?" I called out to her as she disappeared back toward the front door. The dogs' toenails clicked on the hardwood floors as they followed her on her quest. Usually the two little ones stayed with me and the others would follow her everywhere, but even they were too curious to see what she was up to.

"Open it," I heard from behind me as she reentered the room carrying the larger box.

"What did you do this time?" I wanted to be perturbed with her annoying yet amazing habit of bringing back gifts from her trips. Most of the time it was little things because she knew I liked little things best.

"Got you a little something while I was away."

"Doesn't look too little to me."

"Little enough. Stop stalling." She dropped onto the couch next to me, pointing at the box she'd placed in my lap.

My fingers worked at the tape and ripped a strip free opening one flap. I tugged on the other until it gave way and peered inside. Oh, G.o.d, this woman! I was looking at my dream saddle, the one I'd had my eye on for years ever since I got my first horse. How did she always do this to me.

"Joslyn!" I managed in an excited whisper.

"It's the one, right?" She looked a little worried that I hadn't immediately reached in to bring it out.

"I can't believe you did this. I thought we agreed no more presents?" I tried to sound stern, but oh, how I wanted this saddle.

238*

She shook her head, a blissful smile gracing her delectable mouth. Reaching a hand out, she tucked some of my hair behind the ear closest to her. She liked running her fingers through my hair. I liked it, too, but mostly I liked that she never knew she would like something so simple. So much of the wonder of our relationship together was of her discovering how intimacy between two people could come in almost any form. She was a newcomer to serious relationships, and I relished showing her how much closer we grew with each new discovery.

Fingering the rim of my now exposed ear, she ignored my stern tone and responded brightly, "You might have said something about that, lovely, but since you've actually made me stick to my promise of no birthday presents until your birthday rolls around again in two years, I'm taking some gift-giving liberties. Plus, I like your current saddle better than mine, so now you get the one you always wanted, and I get the same."

I laughed at her logical reasoning. That logic was what first attracted me to her. There's nothing like watching a woman who wasn't used to emotional outbursts struggle with the ever tilting sway of feelings that comes with being in love. On the rare occasions when we disagreed or even argued, I almost always gave in because she looked so lost not knowing how to deal with all the feelings that bombarded her during those charged times. "I can't believe you did this."

"It is the right one, isn't it? You've been showing it to me every time we stop off at the tack store."

"It's the right one, Jos, thank you. I love it." I leaned forward over the box and captured her lips, pouring all of my grat.i.tude into this kiss.

"Good," she breathed roughly when our kiss left us both trembling.

"You're not b.u.t.tering me up for something, are you?" I pulled the saddle out of the box, running my fingers over *239 the supple leather. I got distracted by the intricate st.i.tching for a moment. Then a thought hit me. "You've got another dog hiding somewhere, maybe two? Are we now a licensed kennel, sweetheart?"

"Not another dog," she insisted with a laugh, but the fact that the denial came immediately got my dander up. I wiggled my fingers back toward my palm, my own version of insistence.

"I knew you'd be a little sad tonight. I wanted to do something special for you."

"Oh, honey, I love that you knew that and all the special I needed was you for the weekend. Thank you for flying back for the party."

"Of course, I didn't want to miss the chance to say goodbye to them. I know how much you'll miss them, Elise especially."

I nodded, feeling tears start to sting my eyes. I was thrilled for Elise's promotion but I didn't want her to leave.

She'd been a constant in my life since grad school, and while we didn't see each other every week, we caught up at least twice a month and called each other all the time. "Wish you didn't have to go back to Houston on Monday, but I'm so glad you're home for the weekend. What time does your plane leave? Early enough for me to drive you to the airport before I have to get to work?"

"I'm sending Zina back."

"What?" I choked on the surprised breath that leapt from my lungs.

She moved the saddle onto the floor and scooted closer to me, lifting her lower legs to flip over my thigh and knee and tucking them between mine. I fell into her as soon as her arms came around me. "I knew this would be a really tough week for you, lovely. I didn't want to compound that by leaving for another two weeks."

240*

The tears that had threatened before started to fall. I could feel myself start to tremble as Joslyn rocked me slowly. "You're staying?"

"I'm staying. In fact," she started then leaned back to wipe my cheeks, "I wanted to talk to you about a change I was thinking about making."

"What kind of change?" I gripped her hands to hold on to something. She had a way of going from point A to point Z and working out all the details of something before bringing whatever it was she was planning to me. I wasn't sure I was up for any changes right now, not with my closest friend outside my family leaving for good tomorrow.

"I've been thinking about hiring two more people for the business."

I tilted my head, not quite sure how this would change things other than more business for her. "Sounds like a good idea. You could always use more help."

"That's what I've been thinking, but really, it's so I can focus on the a.n.a.lysis and presentation end of the job rather than the time consuming data gathering that I've been doing from the start."

Now my head tilted back the other way. This couldn't mean what I thought it meant. No, that was wishful thinking, unrealistic wishful thinking.

She interrupted my fantastical musings. "I thought an office manager to take all the administrative tasks away from Zina so she could be my senior consultant and hire someone else to train in Zina's position. That way, I'd only have to travel for client meetings and the final presentations to the board or CEO. Zina and the new person could do all the onsite data gathering for me. What do you think?"

"Jos?" I couldn't manage anything more through my surprise. This was exactly what I'd been thinking and hoping and wishing.

"Do you think you could handle me being around a lot more? I'd probably only be gone for a few days each month *241 instead of what we've been used to for the past couple of years."

"You wouldn't be gone as much?" This was so out of left field I could hardly comprehend what she was saying. I hadn't allowed myself to hope that she would ever adjust her schedule more than what she'd already done by seeking out more clients in western Washington instead of taking on all consulting jobs that interested her from around the country. I'd been happy with her centralized marketing effort, but this was beyond even my most unattainable hopes.

"I was never wild about traveling so much, but since being with you, I really don't like it." She cradled my still trembling face in her hands. "I understand if this is too overwhelming. You married me knowing you wouldn't have to have me underfoot all the time. So if it's not okay with you, we'll keep everything the way it is. I can always find clients to visit."

"Sweetheart? You'd be home all the time?" I knew she could discern the excitement in my voice.

Her tentative look turned into a full fledged smile. "I'd be home almost all the time. What do you think? I hate being away from you, and now that I've got a beautiful baby niece and nephew, I don't want to miss out on being able to go over to Marco's and squeeze their cheeks whenever the impulse strikes." The grey of her eyes darkened to a smoky shade, my favorite color. "So, do you think you'd get sick of me underfoot all the time?"

Since I couldn't form any words, I closed the distance to slant my mouth against hers, kissing pa.s.sionately, hoping that would be enough of an answer. How much she traveled always worried me about our relationship, but we'd managed to make it work for three years. With that point of contention out of the way, I was certain with all my heart that we'd make it for fifty more.

Please enjoy excerpts from Lynn Galli's novels, Wasted Heart, Imagining Reality, Blessed Twice, and Full Court Pressure, currently available.

Wasted Heart "Somebody's having a good day," a now familiar voice p.r.o.nounced from the doorway.

The smile I'd been wearing from the prospect of the new case widened when I looked up at Elise. That pesky school of fish swam swiftly through my midsection again, causing a little lightheadedness. She was in a skirt today conservatively an inch above the knee but plenty enticing. For instance, I was having a hard time not fantasizing about how soft the skin would be at the back of her knee. If my friend Des was here witnessing my perusal of Elise, she'd say something cra.s.s like how badly I needed to get laid. Cra.s.s, but true.

"Hi," I tried for nonchalant, but I'm guessing she saw right through me. "What are you doing here?"

She tipped her head back toward the hallway. "I was going over an investigation on a case that Rachel's taking to trial next week."

"Wasn't Jake on that?" I waved her inside the office to sit in one of my guest chairs. I tried to keep my eyes from staring at her toned calves as she floated into the chair and kicked one leg over the other. Her skirt rode up another couple of inches, and my mouth dried with each revealing hike of material.

Oblivious to my parched state, she responded, "He put in for a transfer to Phoenix to help out the family business now that his father's gone. He wanted to be more available to them."

Jake's dedication helped relieve my dazed reverie.

"Amazing how it takes a death to make us realize which things are really important in life."

"You're so right." She sloped into that s.e.xy head tilt again. "Jake asked me to tell you goodbye for him. I think he was a little enchanted with you."

"No." I tossed aside her remark without any consideration. Jake and I had worked seven cases together, and he was never more than affable with me.

Elise studied me for a long moment, not letting up on her s.e.xiness. "Fascinating. You don't believe someone could be enchanted by you?" She was taking great enjoyment from my astonished expression. Before I could react, she stood up to leave. "I didn't really mean that as a question. Good seeing you, Austy."

Sa.s.sy, smart, and s.e.xy: the very definition of trouble for me.

Imagining Reality "Oh yeah! Who's that?" someone yelled above the music.

I looked over and groaned. Jordan Palow stood among the tree stumps of her friends staring at our table. More specifically Elise whose striking looks would catch anyone's attention. Jordan mistakenly believed that she was in a contest with me about who could bed more women. She didn't seem to care that I wouldn't play along. Leering pointedly at Elise, she ignored the rest of us. "You'd make my whole year if you danced with me."

"No thanks," Elise forced a steady voice.

"Aw, come on, hottie. You won't get a better offer."

"Will I do, doll?" my mouth spoke before my brain did.

Seduction permeated my skin, rising in waves that I'm certain everyone could see. Why was I doing this? Just because my friend was overwhelmed, didn't mean I needed to step in to make things easier.

Jordan looked astonished. We were barely civil to each other. I traced my fingers over her arm, feeling it flinch before eagerly pushing into my fingertips. I didn't bother to look for the shock from my friends.

She obediently followed my lead to the dance floor.

When we faced each other, she snapped her eyes up with a suspicious look. I gave her my most seductive smile, latched my fingers onto her hips, and pulled her into me. With the sound of the thumping beat, I pushed who she was from my mind and began a slow grind with her.

When the fifth song ended, I leaned back and looked into her startled grey-blue eyes. "That was spectacular, doll.

We should do this more often." My husky voice made my own skin crawl as I released her and watched her float away from me.

A hand grabbed me before I made it all the way off the dance floor. "You're dancing with me now." My friend Lauren ordered, grabbing my waist to keep me in place. I laughed at her forcefulness. She was so cute sometimes.

She gave me a wink and turned around to wiggle her tush in time with the music. My lousy mood at working over Jordan vanished as I got into the enjoyment of dancing with my friend.

When the next song turned slow, she grabbed my hands and slid them around her waist before looping her arms around my neck. When she pressed against me, she led us in a slow dance. Hmm, this is interesting.

"That was nice what you did."

I leaned back and gave her a questioning look. "What did I do?"

"You know what you did. You don't fool me, Jess."