Wyatt stopped breathing when Hayley put her hand between her legs to get her fingers wet. She groaned when Hayley painted one nipple, then the other.

  “Is it?”

  “I wouldn’t call it a fascination with women so much as a blown-out obsession with your breasts.”

  Caveman brain was jumping up and down making grunting noises. It was amazing she was able to form words when all she wanted was to beg Hayley to touch her. To calm all her thoughts, she sat up and sucked Hayley’s nipple in until Hayley pulled her hair to make her let go.

  Wyatt released the nipple with a popping noise.

  “Not so fast, it’s my turn now.”

  “I’m only human, baby, not made of stone.”

  “You have to learn some patience,” Hayley said, “so tell me—did you like watching me touch myself?”

  “If that is in any way a serious question, the answer is yes.” Okay, she’d just said she wasn’t made of stone, but her clit was turning to stone as Hayley ground against her. “You’re killing me.”

  “Sorry, you just feel good.” Hayley pushed her down so she could lean over and kiss her again and took Wyatt’s hands so she could put them over her head. “Keep them there and let me make you feel good.”

  Hayley’s trip down her body could in no way be described as fast, quick, speedy, or any other adjective she could think of. The woman was a Sunday driver, but Wyatt felt so good she hated to complain.

  “Are you hard, baby?” Hayley asked, finally between her legs, her mouth close to where Wyatt desperately needed it.

  “Yes,” she said, gripping the bars of Hayley’s headboard, having to take a deep breath not to come instantly when Hayley sucked her clit in hard. “Fuck yeah,” she was barely able to get out since Hayley’s mouth was relentless. Wyatt was close to weeping with relief.

  The way Hayley kept her tongue on her clit but still sucked was driving her to the point where the only way she could stop would be if someone tased her and knocked her out again. She had experience with that. When Hayley drove her fingers in, she lost all control and wrapped her hand in Hayley’s hair. She felt the beginning of her orgasm and lay back to enjoy it.

  Hayley didn’t disappoint and didn’t stop until Wyatt felt like overcooked pasta. “I’m an incredible idiot for not coming to introduce myself the first day I got to town.”

  “Maybe that’s a good thing,” Hayley said as she crawled back up. “If we’d met right off, we’d still be dancing around each other, trying to get where we are now. I’m the world’s worst dater.”

  “Not your average romantic, huh?” She had to coax her arms off the bed to hold Hayley in place.

  “I can be if I try real hard—you taught me I love getting flowers. Still, no, I’m not your average romantic.” Hayley kissed her softly and less hurriedly. “I think we should take our time and see where we go next. You might decide I’m a workaholic who’s not worth it.”

  “What a coincidence, I’m a workaholic who’s known to lose track of time when I’m in the middle of a book. The cure for both of us might be to try this as a way to break us out of our bad habits.”

  “Is it going to be only about this?” Hayley asked, laying her head on her shoulder.

  “I’ll be happy to answer that, but let me ask you something. Do you have a lot of experience with relationships?”

  “Not really. Will that be a problem?” Hayley finally looked at her with an indecipherable expression.

  “I’m older than you, but we’re in the same boat when it comes to that, and I think we should learn together. So don’t worry,” she said, putting her arms around Hayley. “It’s going to be about this, as well as dinner dates, baking cookies, and playing strip putt-putt.”

  “You’ll go a long way in getting George to like you if you get rid of Belle.” Hayley smiled, and it made her want to spend the night holding her.

  “I’d rather concentrate on making you like me, but Belle’s finding a new home at the end of the week. Some woman got the idea for a whole course after getting a look at my yard, so there’s one date night planned once Belle goes to her new home.” She rolled them over and kissed the side of Hayley’s neck. “There’s a few other things I can promise you.”

  “Like what?” Hayley moved her head to the side, clearly liking what she was doing.

  “I won’t lie to you—I know that’s all you asked of me. I also promise that I’ll try my best to get to know you, so maybe one day we’ll be more than neighbors. And the last thing is, I promise not to get lost in the work to the point you’ll feel neglected. And if I start to, you have my permission to whack me upside the head and pull me in line.” She kissed her again, liking the way Hayley hugged her with what seemed like all her strength.

  “I’m going to hold you to all that.” Hayley combed her hair off her forehead and kept her hand on the side of her head.

  “I know you will,” she said as she moved her hand down, and Hayley didn’t stop her. This was hopefully the first of their nights together.

  “Thank you for coming back.” Hayley kissed her chest and moved back on top when she encouraged her.

  “You gave me no choice, and there’s so much I want to share with you.”

  “Like why you didn’t tell me your real name when you moved in?”

  Wyatt grinned sheepishly. “At first it was just a game, a way to preserve my anonymity and get the space I needed. Then it became a way to get to know you without the trappings of my job hanging around my neck.”

  “I might always think of you as Joe, to some degree.” Hayley squeezed Wyatt’s bicep. “Especially when you’re wearing a tool belt.”

  Wyatt rolled on top of Hayley once again. “Baby, I don’t care what you call me, as long as you call me yours.”

  Epilogue

  A year later

  Hayley sat on her side of the partner’s desk they’d found at the Montbard Antiquities store on Magazine one Sunday. After three months of going between properties, they’d decided on Wyatt’s house since it was completely renovated. She’d considered selling her place, but after meeting her mother, Wyatt had encouraged her to keep it so her mom wouldn’t take out a hit on Wyatt for putting that thought in her head.

  DJ and his guys had moved next door to finish all the renovations at Hayley’s house, and the young couple who’d rented it were huge Wyatt Whitlock fans, but they tried not to bother Wyatt too much whenever she walked by. And somehow hiring DJ’s crew again meant they showed up in their kitchen every morning for large amounts of sugar and cream to go with very little coffee.

  The Woman in the Window had debuted at number one and was still going strong. The next one in the series was almost complete, and it’d been interesting to watch Wyatt go through her process. That she sometimes made arrangements to be dragged behind a boat with her hands and feet tied together, or to be hogtied in the back of a police car after promising Wally it wasn’t a setup, made Hayley shake her head. You couldn’t argue with Wyatt, though, because her attention to detail worked.

  The greatest thing that had happened to her—aside from getting to not only edit Wyatt’s work but to represent her—was the night Wyatt had taken her out for a round of miniature golf and admitted she loved her in Belle’s shadow. It had been so Wyatt, and it was memorable. The other great thing was having a house between them and George. To discourage any impromptu visits, Wyatt had dipped her on the porch and kissed her until it was clear who she was with. George hadn’t looked happy, but he’d stopped coming by.

  “Hey,” Wyatt called out after the door slammed shut, “I’m home. Are you naked somewhere?”

  “You’re only saying that because you know my parents are due in about an hour.” Hayley walked out and leaned against the door of the office. “And if you do that in front of my mother, she’s going to practice her sleeper hold on you. Don’t accuse me of not warning you.”

  “She said it because I talked her into a swinging lifestyle at lunch,” Lucy said, coming over to kiss her cheek. “We thought it would save time if you were already naked.”

  “I should warn both of you I have a gun.” She laughed when Wyatt put her hands up as she bent to kiss her. “All you’re safe doing is admiring her ass in these jeans, but not for too long.” Her feet came off the floor when Wyatt put her arms around her and kissed her.

  “What time do we have to leave to pick up Agent Fox?” Wyatt asked as she scooped Hayley into her arms.

  “An hour, so forget about getting frisky.” She didn’t care how much time they spent together—being in Wyatt’s arms still made her giddy.

  “We can blame traffic.” Wyatt jutted her chin at the small dish on the table in the foyer. “The keys are right there. Just lock the door when you leave,” she told Lucy.

  “Can I join in before I go?” Lucy asked with her hands pressed together in prayer and her lips in a pout.

  “Not today,” Wyatt said as she started up the stairs. “But call me later if you need help with any heavy stuff. I’m sure my girl will understand if I miss dinner.”

  “Your girl will not understand that. The only reason I love you is my mother’s fixation with you, which makes her forget all about me and whatever she thinks is wrong with me.” She waved at Lucy and blew her a kiss. “Let Sam know we’ll both be over tomorrow.”

  One of the other people that came over often was Sam Fuller—Gator’s niece, the latest generation Sam Fuller—who’d bonded with Wyatt over the journals. Sam was a little younger than her and Lucy, but she reminded her a lot of Wyatt in personality. For all that Lucy pretended to want to join them in bed, she and Sam had been practically inseparable since their first meeting.

  Lucy wasn’t in a hurry to leave and kept talking from her place at the front door. “I’m trying to talk her out of inviting my mother to come live with us. Be careful what you throw out into the universe, my friends. I found a doctor who’s crazy about me and wants her future mother-in-law to come live with us. That is some crazy shit.”

  Wyatt laughed as she kept climbing. Sam had proposed the month before, and Lucy had freaked out before saying yes. The move had totally shocked her old friend, and it made Hayley reconsider her own stance on marriage. Kids weren’t in her plans, but then, Wyatt hadn’t been planned either, and Hayley’s reluctance when they’d talked about the future might’ve kept Wyatt from asking her.

  “What’s going on in that brilliant head?” Wyatt said when she sat on the bed with her on her lap. “If you’re worried about Lucy, she only asked to touch my ass, and I was allowed to keep my pants on.”

  “Shut up,” she said, pulling Wyatt’s hair. “It’s nothing. I missed you today.” Marlo had been good about letting her work from home. She now had her staff meetings in the dining room when she could, and Fabio, like Lucy, was in love with Wyatt. She had to keep reminding him Wyatt was in fact female, but the tool belt had sent him into what could only be described as the vapors. The good thing about her lover was how she made a point of developing friendships with people like Marlo, Fabio, and Lucy.

  “I missed you too, and I’m sorry I couldn’t move my interview. I felt bad you had to get the guest house ready alone.” Instead of rebuilding the gazebo in the yard, they’d decided on a guest house where her parents could stay as long as they wanted. She laughed when she admitted they needed the space because of her inability to have quiet sex, and DJ and his guys had gladly come back when they started building.

  DJ and his crew dragged their feet, not to rip them off, but because they loved spending time with Wyatt. When Daisy stopped by every week, it was like a block party of guys in their yard. There was no more room to build anything, so Wyatt had put in an outdoor kitchen and a horseshoe setup, where they had everyone over once a month. George got to watch from his porch as payback for punching Wyatt the first night Wyatt had come back. DJ’s guys had told him he could come over if he let Wyatt hit him back. It was still an open invitation he hadn’t taken them up on.

  “I should warn you about something before my mother makes your life miserable from the minute she gets in the car.”

  “What did I do now? I promise I’ve never killed anyone so I could write about it. The woman can’t take a joke.”

  “Calm down, honey.” She rubbed Wyatt’s neck. “She found out about Sam and Lucy.” Her mother had read the journals on one of her solo trips to visit and had fallen in love with Lydia and Sam, like all of them had. The journals were now in a bookshelf right under their picture on the stair landing, and her mom’s favorite part was Sam proposing.

  “Ah, I haven’t proposed, so I’m an asshole. Am I right?”

  “I don’t think that. It was me who told you I might not want or need that.” She stopped when Wyatt kissed her. “You know I love you, right? And I love that you’re so nice to my parents even though my mother is probably sneaking in here at night to take hair and skin samples.”

  “I love you too, and I thought about what you said.” Wyatt stood and set her on the bed. “I told your mother about that conversation when she called.”

  “My mother called you?” This couldn’t be good, but Wyatt wasn’t yelling. Granted, Wyatt never yelled unless she was watching the Yankees on a bad day. Aside from that, she was even-keeled.

  “She did, after I called your father. My dad isn’t here any longer, but he did teach me some manners before he died, and I was reminded of that when I read the journals. Your mom and Lydia have something in common.” Wyatt leaned over and opened the drawer on her nightstand.

  “What’s that?” Her pulse raced when Wyatt got on one knee.

  “They both think that when someone asks you to marry them, you should have a ring and mean it.” The box creaked open. “One night, I found this place on the internet and had no idea what I was getting into. I started a reno, briefly owned a snake I never actually had, was picketed for a golf course I never had, and was tased for handcuffing a woman I’d never been near.” Wyatt kissed her palm when she touched the scar that ran through her eyebrow. “The one thing that would make me do it all over and over again is you. I love you, I want to share my life with you, and I want the world to know it. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” she said, her eyes welling with happy tears. “Thank you for not listening to me when I said I wasn’t sure I wanted to get married, and I love you too.”

  “Make sure you flash this when your mom walks into the airport,” Wyatt said as she placed the ring on her finger. “And I plan to make some more promises and keep them, so you’ll never have a doubt when it comes to us.”

  “I know that, but right now I need you to make love to me.” She pulled her sweater off and laughed at Wyatt’s expression. “Remember this?” She was wearing the white lace push-up bra.

  “That bra is my favorite…especially when it’s on the floor.”

  Wyatt was naked a moment later and helped her with her jeans. “If this outfit shows up in any book, we might have to have a serious talk.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  As always Wyatt undid her until she was desperate and begging. Whoever thought sex with the same person would be boring should give it a shot. Of course it was she who’d thought that, but it was hard to remember every dumb thing that had popped into her head when Wyatt’s fingers were buried in her sex.

  “You’re so good at that.” She pushed Wyatt onto her back and kissed right above her belly button.

  “It’s a gift.” Wyatt loved to joke with her, and laughing made up big parts of their day.

  “That it is, my love.” She loved touching Wyatt, making her crazy, and bringing her over the edge with her name on her lips. “Do you think you’ll be chasing me through the house until we’re old like Lydia and Sam?” She loved the way Wyatt held her.

  “I do, and I expect you to slow down when I’m ready for a walker.” They talked a little more until it was time to leave for the airport.

  “Do you still hear your parents?” Hayley asked. Wyatt had told her about her conversations that weren’t one-sided, then swore she wasn’t crazy.

  “Not as often. They only pop in when they think it’s important.” Wyatt opened the door to the SUV she’d purchased to replace Hayley’s small car. Lucy had borrowed the truck, and no matter how much Wyatt wanted to, Hayley had warned her they couldn’t make her parents ride in the truck bed to keep them from giving her a hard time.

  “Anything notable lately?” She waved to Karen, who was taking a pie to the couple who rented from them. God help them. “We might have to spot them a month’s rent to cover the medical bills if they actually eat that.”

  “Don’t worry, I sent DJ over there with our list of warnings, and those pies are number one. As for my parents, they stopped by to remind me what an idiot I was for taking so long to ask you to marry me. It seems my mother wanted to make sure I didn’t do anything to make you leave. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me, and I totally agree.” Wyatt leaned over and kissed her at a stoplight. “I’m totally crazy about you.”

  She laughed and nodded. “I think that about you too, honey, and that you’re mine is what makes me the happiest. And in case you didn’t pick up on my excitement, I’m thrilled you asked.”

  “The future isn’t scary any longer because of you. I love you.”

  “I love you.” She pressed her hand to Wyatt’s chest and kissed her until the people behind them blew their horn. “And I promise I always will.”

  About the Author

  Ali Vali is the author of the long-running Cain Casey “Devil” series, the newest being The Devil Incarnate, and the Genesis Clan “Forces” series, as well as numerous standalone romances including three Lambda Literary Award finalists: Calling the Dead, Love Match, and One More Chance. Ali’s latest release is Writer’s Block.