Behind her, Deo groaned. “So he still needs to sit around on his ass doing paperwork?”

Nita smiled but didn’t look at her. “I’m afraid so.”

• 173 •

RADCLY fFE

“What a deal,” Deo muttered.

“Joey,” Nita said, “do you want to lie down while I remove the sutures?”

“Nah, I’m fi ne.”

While Nita removed Joey’s sutures, she discussed his therapy plan with Pia. The entire time she worked, she was aware of Deo peering over her shoulder. Every now and then, warm breath wafted across the side of her neck, and by the time she fi nished, her entire body tingled.

“There you go,” Nita said. “Let me see you in a month, Joey. Keep up the program that Pia outlines for you, and I think we’ll be able to get you into a smaller splint then. Pia, are you good with that timing?”

“So far. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.” Pia slung her arm around Joey’s shoulder and kissed his cheek. “You were so brave.”

“Cut it out,” he complained, but he was grinning.

Pia laughed. “Come on, I’ll take you for ice cream.”

Deo snorted. “Is he going to get a balloon, too?”

“When you stop at the desk to make your next appointment,” Nita said gravely, “Randy will give you a lollipop.”

“Cool,” Joey said, jumping down from the table.

“Be sure to bring him back to work,” Deo grumbled to Pia. “We’ve still got plenty of ordering for him to do.”

“Don’t worry, boss,” Pia said, patting Deo’s cheek. “I’ll deliver him in an hour or so.”

Nita straightened after fi nishing her chart note and discovered that the room was empty except for Deo. The door to the hall was closed and they were alone. Deo watched her from a foot away, the expression in her dark eyes even more intense than usual. Refl exively, Nita took a step back and her hips bumped into the examining table. “I didn’t expect you.”

“I know.” Deo stepped closer. “How’s your day going?”

“All right. Fine. Busy.”

“Mine too. Except I can’t concentrate because I keep thinking about kissing you.”

Nita held the chart up between them, feeling the beginnings of panic. “Don’t touch me.”

“Why not?” Deo asked, her voice low and husky.

“Because I’m working and I can’t do this here.”

“Do what?” Deo frowned.

• 174 •

Winds of Fortune

“We can’t…” Nita glanced at the door. It wasn’t locked. “Anyone can come in. I can’t.”

“Nita, it’s okay.” Deo eased back. “I just wanted to see you. I’m not going to try anything.”

“I’m sorry. I just…” Nita grasped Deo’s hand. “I’m glad to see you.”

“Remember what I told you this morning—what I think about every time I see you?”

Nita nodded. I have nothing against a quick, hard fuck. In fact, every time I see you that’s what I want.

“Just because I want my hands on you doesn’t mean I’m going to force you,” Deo said.

“You wouldn’t be forcing me,” Nita whispered. Deo’s hand was hot, so hot. She could feel Deo’s fi ngers brushing over her breasts, twisting her nipples, teasing between her thighs. She ached and her breath shuddered in her chest. She wouldn’t say no. “You wouldn’t have to.”

“But it’s not what you want, is it?”

“No. Not here.”

“I know.” Deo freed her fi ngers from Nita’s grip. “I’m sorry if I’ve upset you.”

“You haven’t.” Nita smiled shakily. She couldn’t pretend that Deo’s interest, her attraction, didn’t feel good. It did. It felt wonderful.

“I’m glad you came by. I’m glad you wanted to see me.”

Deo grinned. “Good. So, I’ll be back at seven. I’m taking you to dinner.”

“Are you?”

“Yes. I know this little restaurant. Very private, great food. You’ll like it.”

“Pretty sure of yourself.”

“About some things.” For a moment, Deo looked uncertain. “I will see you tonight, right?”

“Yes.” When Deo started to turn away, Nita grabbed her hand again and stopped her. Then she kissed her. She had wanted to kiss her since the instant she’d seen her, but she had been afraid. Afraid of where it would lead. Afraid of losing control. Afraid of the wanting overpowering her reason. But Deo hadn’t pushed her, and now she wasn’t afraid. Deo’s lips were soft and warm, her tongue a gentle sigh

• 175 •

RADCLY fFE

in Nita’s mouth. Desire blossomed full and rich in her depths, and she welcomed it. Far sooner than she wanted, she drew away. “See you at seven.”

“Hell, Nita. If I think about that while I’m up on the roof, I’ll fall off.” Deo’s chest rose and fell rapidly and her eyes glittered with arousal.

Nita tapped Deo’s chest with one fi nger. “Then don’t think about it.”

“Yeah, right. I won’t breathe, either.”

Laughing, Nita pushed her toward the door. “Go. Stop distracting me.”

Deo opened the door, then grinned over her shoulder. “Don’t lie.

You like it, right?”

Maybe, Nita thought, maybe I do. Shaking her head, she pointed to the hallway. “Go. ”

With a laugh, Deo disappeared.

❖

Deo wiped the sweat from her face with the bottom of her T-shirt, then clambered down the scaffold and headed around the side of the house into the front yard. Pia and Joey ambled toward her from the street.

“Two hours,” Deo said. “You can eat a lot ice cream in two hours.”

“Oh, stop being such a tyrant,” Pia said. “I got him back in plenty of time to do all the paperwork you need. Besides, it’s my mother’s birthday party this weekend and we had to pick out a present.”

“The list of the paint and drywall we need is in the kitchen,” Deo said to Joey. “We have to get the orders faxed out today.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Joey said, giving a mock salute. He dodged as Deo tried to swat him and hurried off laughing.

“You’re coming to the party, right?” Pia said.

Deo looked away.

“You have to.”

“I know.” Deo sighed. “I’ll stop by for a few minutes, okay?”

“My mother adores you, and she’ll be heartbroken if you don’t come. My father will keep an eye on how much your father’s drinking.

• 176 •

Winds of Fortune

It will be okay.” Pia slid an arm around Deo’s waist. “And I need you there. Otherwise, I’ll drown in testosterone.”

Deo laughed. “What about KT? Won’t she be there?”

“She’s going to try, but she’s on call the night before, and sometimes she doesn’t get out when she expects to. Besides,” Pia nudged Deo’s hip with hers, “KT makes my bones melt, but she rates right up there with my brothers on the macho scale. She’ll probably spend the afternoon talking sports with Joey and Antonio.”

“What do you think I’m going to be doing? Discussing fl oral arrangements?”

“At least I can count on you to hang with me.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll come.”

“You can always bring a date.”

Deo rolled her eyes. “Yeah right.”

“Still seeing Allie?”

“Not that way. We’re friends, that’s it.” Knowing where the conversation was headed, Deo tried to extricate herself from Pia’s grasp. “Look, I have to get back to work.”

“Uh-huh,” Pia said, grabbing the bottom of Deo’s T-shirt and twisting it in her hand. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing. Not a thing.”

“You looked just like this when you were up to your eyebrows in Calley O’Reilly a week before she was supposed to marry Jimmy Jones. You didn’t want me to know you were fooling with her because you knew I’d kick your ass.”

“She was a dyke,” Deo protested. “She didn’t marry him, did she?

And now she has a pregnant wife and so does Jimmy. It all worked out just fi ne.”

“That’s not the point. Jimmy wanted to kill you.” Pia dragged Deo over to the porch and pulled her down onto the steps “You couldn’t hide the good stuff from me then, and you still can’t. Who is she?”

Deo wanted to say no one, because technically it was true. She and Nita hadn’t slept together and they certainly weren’t dating. But denying her didn’t feel right. “I’m sort of in the middle of this…thing, right now. It’s just temporary.”

Pia frowned. “A temporary thing. Defi ne thing.”

“Jesus, Pia. Gimme a break, will you. I have to go back to work.”

“You’re the boss. You should be sitting in a lounge chair under a

• 177 •

RADCLY fFE

tree telling the boys what to do. You can spare me fi fteen minutes.” Pia rested her hand on Deo’s leg. “You look like shit, by the way. What’s going on?”

“I just had a rough night.” Deo stared hard at a sliver of blue water that was visible between two houses across the street. By day, the harbor looked beautiful, by night, its dark surface refl ected her tormented memories. “I told Nita about Gabe, and it kind of twisted me up. That’s all.”

Pia took Deo’s hand and drew it into her lap. “You told Nita.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re seeing Nita?”

“Not exactly,” Deo said quietly.

“Sleeping with her?”

“Not exactly.”

“What does that mean? Heavy petting?”

Deo laughed. “We kind of have this thing.”

“You said that already, sweetie. Your vocabulary is a little lacking today.”

“I can’t get her out of my head, and if I don’t get her into bed soon I’m going to do more than fall off the roof.”

Pia squeezed Deo’s hand. “I thought there was something when I saw the way she looked at you this afternoon.”

“What way?” Deo studied Pia intently.

“When you fi rst walked in she got really still, for just a second, and looked at you…how should I say this. Like she wanted to swallow you whole.”

Deo groaned.

“How long has this thing been going on?”

“I don’t know. I think maybe since the fi rst time I saw her.”

“Uh-oh.”

Deo closed her eyes. “You got that right.”

Pia kissed Deo’s cheek. “She’s beautiful. And I really like her.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Deo, sweetheart,” Pia murmured. “If you told her about Gabe, then this is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. You know that, right?”

“I’m not like you, Pia. I don’t do relationships.”

“I know.” Pia stood up and dusted off the back of her slacks, then

• 178 •

Winds of Fortune

smiled at Deo. “Of course, you’ve never had any reason to before.

Bring her to the party this weekend.”

“No fucking way.”

“Never say never,” Pia called back over her shoulder. “Love you.”

“Yeah,” Deo muttered, wondering how it was Pia always got her to tell her everything. Even the things she didn’t want to admit to herself.

❖

“Can you believe it?” Tory said to Nita as they walked up the hall together, leaning into the examining rooms and turning off the lights as they went. “We’re actually done at a decent hour. Both of us.”

“I think this is the fi rst time that’s happened in almost two months.”

Nita shrugged out of her lab coat and stepped into her offi ce to hang it on the coat tree. She had an hour before she was due to meet Deo, and she was inordinately pleased that she could go home and change into something more casual than what she wore to work. It seemed foolish, because they weren’t actually having a date.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m going to make the most of it.”

Tory waited while Nita collected her bag. “I’m going to fi nd Reese and make her take me out to dinner. How about you? And don’t tell me you’re going to stay home and read a book.”

Nita fl ushed, imagining herself saying, I’m meeting a woman for sex. “I’m having dinner with Deo. To talk about the house.”

“Ah. A business dinner.”

“Yes,” Nita said quickly. It was a business dinner of sorts. They were going to deal with the unfi nished business between them. Clear the air. Scratch the itch that had been driving them crazy. Driving her crazy, at any rate. She still wasn’t certain why Deo would bother when there had to be any number of women who would likely volunteer to scratch her anywhere she needed it.

“I hope she’s taking you to Porto’s. It’s her cousin’s restaurant.

Really hard to get into during the season.”

“I’m beginning to think that Deo has a family member available to fi ll every need.” Nita laughed as she and Tory entered the deserted waiting area. Randy was still behind the reception counter working on the computer.

• 179 •

RADCLY fFE

“Don’t stay too late,” Tory called to him.

He waved. “Don’t worry. I’m out of here in fi ve minutes. I can still catch the last hour of the tea dance.”

Tory held the door open for Nita, then followed her out into the parking lot. “I hope you have a great time tonight.”

“It’s not a date,” Nita clarifi ed.

“I haven’t forgotten that conversation we had about a certain gorgeous someone you weren’t really attracted to,” Tory teased gently.