Five Alarm Lust by Elise Whyles (reading cloud ebooks .TXT) 📗

Marshall, one of his long-time friends, poked his head in the office door. Tall, with sandy hair, Luke looked like something out of GQ and had more than one woman fall over themselves to get in his bed. Too bad the young conservation officer wasn’t interested in women.

“Yeah, sure. Sounds good. How’re you doing these days? I heard about the break with Tony.”

“Yeah, it was rough.” Luke shot him a cocky grin. “But I got over it.”

“Sure you did. That why you’re standing in my office at seven on a Saturday night?”

“No, I’m standing here ’cause I heard you got laid at Lenny’s wedding and want details. She the sexpot you usually go for or have you opened your eyes and decided that the sausage is mightier than the taco?”

“Don’t be an asshole.” Jack shut his computer down, grabbed his coat, and strode across the room. Pausing in the doorway, he eyed Luke with a grin. “Gillian’s not like that.”

“What’s she like?”

Jack patted his pocket, a light frown tugging his brows down. Lumping Gillian in with the other women he’d dated felt wrong, cheap somehow. “Complicated. You said something about beer?”

“Man, gotta love you.” Luke wrapped an arm around his shoulders, his fingers plucking at his collar. “You know, if you weren’t so bloody blind, you’d see there are some mighty fine…”

“Luke.” Jack inhaled and grabbed his fingers. “I love you like a brother, but I am not interested. We’ve been over this already.”

“Women…” Luke laughed. “I was going to say women. See, then I get the hunks all to myself.”

“You’re already half plastered, aren’t you?”

“Just happy. Come on, I’ll buy you a beer and you can tell me about this great lay you had at the wedding.”

“You can buy the beer all right.” Jack paused, a niggling sense of anger flaring in his gut. He didn’t want to talk about Gillian like that; she wasn’t some conquest. Sure, she’d been the best sex he’d had in years, but it didn’t mean she was fodder for the gossip mills. “But keep your sex talk to yourself. I ain’t gonna…”

“Ooh, the poster child for the ‘find a warm body’ campaign found someone a bit more intense than those airheads?”

Jack pushed open the door and shoved Luke out into the fading sunlight. He’d found someone and lost them all on the same night—but it wasn’t forever. He just had to catch her again and get to know the woman behind the shadows.

“You’re driving a company truck?” Jack stared in shock at the green government truck parked before the firehouse. Dust covered the lower half of the vehicle, and a thick layer of mud caked the wheel wells.

“Nope, we’re taking a cab. Even I’m not dumb enough to play footsies with Rick—that man takes his job waaaay too serious.”

“He’s a Mountie, he’s supposed to.” Jack laughed as a cab rolled to a stop. Slipping into the back of the cab, he pulled out the note and studied it. Gillian Hilliard wasn’t some dumb airhead. The woman was as close to a genius as he could find, and he wanted more than a single night with her. He tugged at the fabric of his pants, his cock stirring at the memories of their night together. The abandon, the flush on her skin when she shattered around him. The feel of her tight depths milking his cock. One night wasn’t enough.

* * * *

Gillian opened the simple white envelope and pulled out the contents. Reading it, she felt her stomach drop. With a shaky hand, she tossed her keys onto the foyer table, dropped her briefcase, and strode into the elegant two-bedroom apartment she’d lived in for two years.

Dear Ms. Hilliard, it has come to my attention your lease is nearly up. To ensure there are no delays in processing, please have your mother submit for our consideration the renewal forms no later than ten days past the date of receipt of this letter. We value your tenancy, but we do need to ensure all paperwork is in order. Sincerely, Sun Rivers Property Management

Gillian sank onto the stool at the island and stared at the letter.

A sob escaped her tightly pursed lips, loud in the heavy silence. She shook her head desperately and pressed a hand to her mouth. Betrayal lashed at her with the cruel intent of a million tiny knives. Even this, a home, a roof over her head, was controlled by the icy touch of her mother’s grasp.

She crumpled the ball up and tossed it aside, fury rising at the thought of her mother’s continued meddling. Gillian strode to her bedroom, her fingers making short work of the buttons on her blouse. She stripped and with a cold calculation put on sweats, an old stained T-shirt, and a pair of oversized men’s socks. She pulled her hair back from her face and appraised the already spotless apartment. Nausea rocked her stomach. Gillian pushed past it and grabbed the bottle of polish and a soft rag.

“I hate that bitch!” Fuming, she sprayed, waxed, and polished until a quiet numbness settled over her. The couch groaned when she dropped onto it. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them. “Damn, damn, damn.” Hot, salty tears tracked down her cheeks as the sun faded from the room, leaving her in the dusky light.

Chapter 5

Barbara tapped her scarlet nails against the steering wheel and stared at the battered old Chevy parked in front of the townhouse. She reached over to grab a cigarette, her eyes narrowing when the front door opened and Gillian appeared. The prim skirt and blouse hid any hint of a curve. Gillian carried her briefcase in one hand, the keys to her car in the other. She watched her daughter pause on the sidewalk, push her glasses higher on her nose, and crawl into her car.

Barbara glanced idly at the clock on the dash and smirked. Lenny figured she was over visiting for most of the