Share
Chapter 12
Related chapters
Illegal Use of Hands Chapter 13
The women at the magazine were in an absolute tizzy. No one came right out and said it, but Stacy could tell by the tone of their comments they all wondered how she had managed to snag the hunky football player. Kurt showed up every day for a week to check out her desk and see whatever new gift she might be displaying. His efforts to rekindle whatever had been going on between them actually made her laugh. What had she ever seen in him, anyway? She'd taken great pleasure in brushing him off with a smile, turning down every invitation until he finally gave up, only doing it with very bad grace.The whole whatever-this-was with Max gave her a sense of power she'd never enjoyed before. Amazing that a man who could have nearly any woman he wanted chose her. And if she could believe him, he did it because he really wanted to be much more than friends. Had hidden that desire all this time.If she could believe him.She couldn't help harboring that secret fear he'd wake up one morning, rea
Illegal Use of Hands Chapter 14
"You know I would love to have you come with me." Max repeated the sentence for about the hundredth time.He had a very uneasy feeling about going to the Warrens' party without her."It's fine. I'm fine." She grinned. "Besides, it will give me a chance to rest up for our big night tomorrow.""That's right. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and I have a big surprise for you." He had a slight attack of nerves when he thought about the agenda. He was ready for it, though, and he hoped she was, too."Are you even going to give me a clue?""Nope." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Not one tiny hint. Just be sure to wear that outfit we bought last weekend."He had insisted on taking her shopping, picking out a red dress of silky material that clung to her body in all the right places. Then, ignoring her blushing embarrassment, he'd hauled her into a lingerie shop and picked out the sexiest red bra and thong the salesgirl could find for them."Everyone knows what you have in mind now," she'd
Illegal Use of Hands Chapter 15
Max rose before six in the morning, having slept uneasily. He couldn't shake the feeling the sword of doom was about strike him. Those damn pictures. If only he'd been able to push the woman away, but she'd been worse than a vulture. As soon as the clock hit a decent time, he planned to call Tony Warren and ask him to help. You just never knew when a picture would show up on someone's phone and make its way out into cyberspace. Unfortunately, he didn't think the Warrens would be taking any calls before noon today.He downed two cups of coffee while he watched the clock. Valentine's Day. He had big plans for Stacy, along with a special event tonight, before the magazine party. Maybe that was why he was so nervous. By eight o'clock, he was ready to jump out of his skin. Showered and dressed, he hurried down to the bakery in the nearby strip center and bought the cinnamon rolls she told him she had a real obsession for. At eight forty-five, he rang her bell, excitement at the upcoming da
Illegal Use of Hands Chapter 16
By the time she left her place, in the red dress and the sexy lingerie, gold hoops dangling from her ears, and her feet shod in high-heeled sandals, she almost had herself believing she could have a good time.Almost.She just needed to get rid of the heaviness where her heart was.The party was always held in one of the high-end downtown hotels. Adam Devereaux, who owned the magazine, liked to make a splash. Besides the staff, the guest list would include advertisers, media, and major influential people. Adam always preached that image was all.Parking her car in the hotel garage, she rode the elevator down and took a deep breath before she stepped into the lobby.And walked right into Adam Devereaux."Ah, Stacy. There you are. I need you to come with me for a minute.""I…you…what?""Over here." He took her by the arm and quietly guided her across the lobby to one of the smaller private rooms."What are we doing in here?" There were chairs stacked against the walls, a table a
Illegal Use of Hands Chapter 17
Part Two: Unnecessary Roughness"Did you see this? Are you actually looking at this?"Ryan McCabe leaned back in his chair, aviator shades covering his eyes, and wished his agent, Walt Alston, would disappear. And take his tablet with its vicious headlines with him.They were sitting on the back patio of Ryan's home on Davis Islands, an archipelagos formed by two small islands at the mouth of Hillsborough Bay and minutes from Tampa's bustling downtown area. The rest of the property sloped down to the bay, a scene that up until today had given him a great deal of pleasure. Today he was wondering how many of the pleasure boats cruising past his house were doing so with their sole purpose being to get a glimpse of a headline-busting football player."Ryan?" Walt's voice increased in volume and frustration. "Will you please open your eyes and take a look at the mess you made?"Ryan lifted his shades enough to see the words leaping off the screen.Shit. No, double shit.RUNNING BACK
Illegal Use of Hands Chapter 18
"I'm sorry, Ed, but I just can't do it."Kaitlyn Reese faced her editor across his desk, her hands curled into fists, her body vibrating with repressed rage. "You might not have any scruples, but I still have a few.""I think I resent that, Kaitlyn." Ed Middleton stared at her, his eyes like two black weapons boring into her. "Are you saying I have no principles? No morals?"She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, digging for her control. "What I'm saying is, I don't think it's good for our reputation to do a story on someone based on nothing but innuendo that could ruin that person's reputation and destroy his business.""We have a source. I told you that."She bit down hard on her tongue and chose her words carefully. "The source is a disgruntled employee who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar," she reminded him. "I don't consider that person's information very reliable.""James Renzulli does, and that's good enough for me. The man, I might remind you, who ulti
Illegal Use of Hands Chapter 19
Ryan stretched and blinked his eyes open, squinting. No wonder. Sunlight was pouring in the window over the bed. Apparently he'd forgotten to close the curtains last night. By the time he got to the cottage on Pelican Lane, all he'd wanted to do was strip off his clothes and fall into bed.He lay there, letting his body wake up, revisiting the circumstances of the trip down here. He had to give Walt credit for this. He'd pulled this off like a real superspy. Ryan had certainly felt like he was in a covert ops movie. At five o'clock in the afternoon, a black windowless van had rolled up his driveway and into his garage. The same van had made a trip earlier in the day so the assholes camped out in the street would write it off as nothing newsworthy. But, on the last trip, it delivered Rich McClellan, who Walt referred to as the fake Ryan Calhoun. Then they'd hustled Ryan himself, along with his suitcases, into the van and rolled out of the garage and into the street with the paparazzi
Illegal Use of Hands Chapter 20
Last night, in the dark, he had not been able to take note of his surroundings. Now he got a better view of the cottages on the short street as he passed them. Colorful, with blooming bushes of all kinds surrounding them. At the end of the street was a park, dotted with benches and tables and more tropical shrubs. And, beyond it, the beach, and the waters of San Carlos Bay.Ryan jogged around the park twice before heading for the beach. By the time he finished, he'd clocked five miles and was ready for that coffee. When he hit the sidewalk of Pelican Lane, he slowed down, taking in more of the environment.Which was how he spotted the woman carrying a trash bag down the stairs of one of the cottages. And stopped to take a look at her. And nearly swallowed his tongue. Cutoff shorts and a very baggy T-shirt should have hidden most of her assets. Not a glamorous outfit at all. But the very nature of them made her look all the sexier. Her golden hair was pulled up in a ponytail and, when
Latest chapter
