Hi, I’m calling you in the middle of the night because I can’t sleep, and I can’t stop thinking about the pain in your eyes.

Oh yes, that would have been perfect. Of course, discovering that Deo wasn’t home only gave her an entirely new set of circumstances

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to lose sleep over. Who was holding her, consoling her—offering her pleasure to banish the pain? Imagining someone comforting Deo was every bit as diffi cult to tolerate as the visions of someone caressing her, making her cry out, making her come.

“This is crazy, and you’re going to make yourself crazy,” Nita muttered. She reached for the keys but before she could start the engine, Deo pulled in to the curb in front of her. Nita took a deep breath and watched Deo climb out of the truck. White T-shirt, khaki pants, work boots. Her hair still wet—her hair always seemed to be wet and every time Nita saw it, she wanted to drive her hands into it. Deo had circles under her eyes, and Nita didn’t doubt that the shadows extended all the way inside.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Nita opened the car door and stepped out. “Good morning.”

Deo walked cautiously forward. “Hi.”

“I…uh…thought I’d get a look at the place during the day.” Nita couldn’t bring herself to say I wanted to see you. I hate how much you were hurting last night. “I know you’re probably very busy right now and I won’t keep you—”

“No, that’s okay. The guys won’t be here for at least half an hour.”

Deo came alongside Nita’s car and stopped a few inches from her. “Do you want to go inside?”

“Sure, I—” Nita halted as a patrol car stopped in the street beside them and an offi cer stepped out. She didn’t immediately recognize her, but it was clear that Deo did, judging by her surprised expression.

When Nita looked closer, she realized who it was. Deo’s not girlfriend.

“Maybe we’ll do this another time.”

When Nita opened her car door to leave, Deo grabbed the top edge and held on.

“No,” Deo said, “I won’t be a minute. Don’t go.”

Nita hesitated, aware that the offi cer was standing a few feet away, observing the exchange. Deo hadn’t taken her eyes from Nita’s face and Nita couldn’t look away from her. Her throat felt tight and dry.

“Okay. I’ll wait on the porch.”

“Wait right here.” Deo turned toward Allie. “Hi. Just fi nishing your shift?”

“Yeah, we’re on our way in right now,” Allie said. “We saw your truck was gone from the condo. You’re here early.”

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“The forecast is calling for rain again tomorrow,” Deo said. “You know how it is.”

“I know. Contractors have to work while the sun is shining.” Allie glanced up at Nita’s house, then nodded to Nita. “It’s looking good.”

“Yes, thanks,” Nita said.

“Thanks for the ride home last night,” Deo said.

“No thanks needed.” Allie slid back into the cruiser. As the cruiser pulled away she called out the window, “Be careful up on that roof today.”

“Always.” Deo waved after the cruiser, still holding Nita’s door open with the other arm. Then she turned in Nita’s direction. “Ready to go inside?”

“You sure it’s no trouble?”

“None at all,” Deo said, closing Nita’s door. She led the way up the fl agstone walk and inside. “There’s something I want to show you in the master bedroom.”

Nita followed up the wide twisting staircase to the second level.

A balcony ringed the foyer below. The center room was the master bedroom, and when she walked in, she had an image of a four poster bed, an antique armoire, and a rich oriental carpet covering the wide plank fl oors.

“It’s such a beautiful room.”

“It is,” Deo said. “The window seat on the back wall was designed to offer a view to the rear gardens.” Deo indicated the narrow, multi-paned windows above the wooden seat that had at one time been covered by plush pillows. “Unfortunately, these window casements are shot and need to be replaced. Too much water damage.”

“All right.”

Deo leaned against the wall next to the window seat. “I was wondering if you might like a balcony outside your bedroom. I can take out the window seat, replace the windows with French doors, and put a balcony across the rear to overlook the garden. Nothing too big, just enough for a small table and chairs. You’ve got a bit of a harbor view and the sunset should be spectacular from here.”

“Oh,” Nita whispered. “That would be wonderful.”

“Okay, then. I’ll bring by a catalog so you can pick out the doors.”

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“You choose something. You know what suits the house.” Nita started to sit on the window seat, but Deo stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“Dusty. You’ll get your good clothes dirty. Hold on a second.”

Deo pulled a navy blue bandanna from her back pocket and wiped off the window seat. “There.”

“Thank you.” Nita fl ushed at the attention. “The gardens are going to need work.”

“If you want a professional landscaper, I can suggest someone. Pia is really good too, if you just want ideas.”

“I’ll ask Pia when I get ready.”

“So…do you want to take a look at the roof?” Deo asked.

Nita tilted her head back against the wall. “Not really. Whatever you’re doing up there, I’m sure it’s what needs to be done.”

Deo grinned. “Trusting.”

“About some things.” Nita studied Deo’s face. “How are you doing?”

“I’m happy with the way things are coming along. No big surprises yet.”

“I didn’t mean the house.”

Deo shifted and looked out the window. “I’m fi ne.”

“You look tired.”

“I shouldn’t go out to play on work nights.”

Nita pushed aside the fl eeting image of Deo in bed with a woman.

“Did you get into trouble or do you always have a police escort home?”

“One drink too many. It’s a small town, and the police really do serve as well as protect.”

“I’m glad.” Nita knew she shouldn’t push, but from the way Deo’s hand was balled into a fi st and the rigid way she held her body, she was more than tired. She was hurting. “Is it because you told me about your brother?”

“What?” Deo asked in a raspy voice.

“The reason that you’re so upset?”

Deo looked down at Nita, her eyes too shuttered for Nita to read.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Nita stood up. Deo was very close, just inches away. Her legs

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trembled and it was hard to catch a breath. “We don’t have to talk about it.” She skimmed Deo’s forearm with her fi ngers. “Perhaps with Pia. If you talk about it, a little bit, whenever you can, after a while it might not hurt so much.”

“There are better remedies,” Deo said darkly.

“Drinking only works for an hour or two, and the payback is hell.”

Nita smiled tremulously as something raw and dangerous surfaced in Deo’s eyes. A wave of heat engulfed her, and she made no move to escape.

“This works every time.” Deo grasped Nita by the shoulders and kissed her, pushing her back until she was pressed against the wall with Deo’s weight upon her.

Nita wrapped both arms around Deo’s shoulders and opened to her, absorbing her hunger through every pore. Her body ignited and she moaned. Deo caressed her breasts as she delved inside her mouth and Nita shuddered. She wanted Deo inside, so badly she was ready to beg.

Fill me, I’m starving. So hungry. So empty.

Deo broke the kiss and buried her face in Nita’s hair. “Nita. I’m going crazy for you. It’s nuts.”

“I know,” Nita gasped. “Maybe we just need to burn it out of our systems.” She slid her hand down Deo’s back and cupped Deo’s ass, pulling her hard into the vee between her legs. The jolt of pressure was exhilarating. “I can’t stop thinking of you inside me.”

Deo groaned. “Let’s go to my place. Now. If I don’t touch you I’m going to end up punching walls.”

Nita grabbed Deo’s hand and pressed it between her legs. “Touch me now.”

“Nita,” Deo gasped. She kissed Nita’s neck, her jaw, her mouth.

“We can’t. Not here.”

“Just a second. Only take a second,” Nita urged, opening the waistband of her slacks. “God, I need you.”

“Nita…wait.” Deo shivered, her lips against Nita’s ear. “I want more than a two minute fuck.”

Sylvia’s voice sliced through her mind. Let me touch you, baby.

It’ll only take a second. Let me make you come. You know I love a fast fuck.

“Oh my God,” Nita whispered. Sylvia pushing her against the wall in the stairwell, her hand inside her scrubs, inside her, thrusting

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deep, fast, until she was coming, coming and crying and wanting more.

Sylvia taking her in a frenzy after they’d been forced to spend the evening pretending they were mere acquaintances. Sylvia had taught her that the hunger was all there was, and a moment’s satisfaction was all she would ever have. “My God, I can’t do this again.”

Nita pulled away, needing to brace one arm against the wall to steady herself. She couldn’t look at Deo. “Please. Give me a minute.

Just…please go.”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

“I can’t.”

“Christ, you were just begging me to fuck you. What happened?”

“I came to my senses.”

Deo grit her teeth. She wanted to grab Nita and shake her, or kiss her until she went soft and hot in her arms again. “Bullshit. What happened? Do what again? Is this about her?” When Nita didn’t answer, Deo’s head pounded with anger and the remnants of raging lust. “Jesus, what the fuck did she do to you?”

Nita shook her head. “It wasn’t her. It was me. I let her.”

“Let her do what? Teach you a minute was all you could have?”

“A minute is all I want.”

“Fuck that. That was all she was willing to give you.” Deo cupped Nita’s chin in her hand and forced Nita to look at her. “I don’t mind a quick, hard fuck. In fact, every time I see you that’s exactly what I want.” She rubbed her thumb over Nita’s mouth. “But it’s going to take more than that to burn you out of my head. All night, remember? That’s the deal. That’s what I want.”

“One night?” Nita whispered, closing her slacks with trembling hands.

Deo kissed her. Long enough and hard enough to bring back the need, then she eased away. “That’s what I said.”

Nita’s body ached. Sylvia’s face, her voice, the touch of her hands shimmered through her memory. When she met Deo’s intense eyes, the heat seared the other images away. “Touch me. Touch me so I know it’s you.”

“I’ll make sure you know who it is,” Deo murmured. Then she cupped Nita’s face in her palms and kissed her again, slowly, deeply, tracing her forehead, her cheekbones, her jaw with the tips of her fi ngers. She caressed her until Nita relaxed against her body, her frenzy

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turned to yearning. “That’s better. Now remember that.”

Nita rested her cheek against Deo’s shoulder as her heart pounded wildly against Deo’s breast. “I will.”

“Good. What time do you get off work tonight?”

“With luck, seven.”

“I’ll be there.”

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Winds of Fortune

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Nita pushed open the examining room door and smiled at Joey Torres, her heart lurching just a little at her fi rst glimpse of the dark eyes and rakish grin that were so like Deo’s. She nodded to Pia, who leaned against one end of the examining table. “Hi Joey. You must really rate, having your physical therapist come with you to get your sutures out.”

Pia ruffl ed Joey’s hair. “He’s a big baby, and since my mother is tied up, I promised I’d come hold his hand.”

“She’s lying,” Joey protested. “She just doesn’t trust me to tell her your decision about when I can go back to work.”

“It’s not me!” Pia objected. “It’s Deo!”

“Yeah, and you always side with her!”

“Mmm hmm,” Nita said, half listening to the sibling banter as she released the Velcro straps on Joey’s splint. The door opened behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see Sally. She hesitated for just a second, Joey’s hand cradled in hers. Deo stepped a few feet into the room and slid both hands into the pockets of her work pants.

She appeared the slightest bit uneasy.

“Yo, Deo,” Joey said. “Just in time!”

“Oh good, I was afraid I’d missed the party.” For all her bantering tone, Deo regarded Nita seriously. “Randy said I could come back. Is that okay?”

“It’s fi ne.” Nita shifted slightly so Deo was out of her fi eld of vision and refocused on Joey’s hand. She couldn’t quite concentrate when Deo was in sight. “The incisions look excellent. We’ll get your sutures out, but you’re still not ready to go without the splint.”