*
The next morning, I slip back into my royal blue blouse and pencil skirt before driving to Mr. Perkins’s office.
Sleep was a lost cause last night. My mind was too busy racing with possibilities of an inheritance from my father, and scolding myself for getting hot and heavy with Daren.
I still don’t know why I gave in to him so easily. Sure, he’s attractive and charming but so are a lot of guys, and you don’t see me wrapping my legs around every hot man who passes me on the sidewalk, and then rolling my hips up against their hard bodies.
A warm shiver runs through me, turning me on at every nerve ending as the memories of last night swim around my head. The whole thing was complete madness.
One minute, we’re talking about being strangers, and next minute, Daren’s kissing and touching me like a bandit. Like a super stealth bandit.
Never in my life have I been so turned on—and we were only kissing. I can only imagine the levels of arousal I’d reach had his hands wandered to truly naughty areas. Maybe all the stories Lana told me about Daren were true. Maybe he is some kind of woman whisperer.
But it doesn’t matter. Stopping before things got naughty was the right thing. I wanted so badly to just let go and get swept up in the desire of it all, but when sanity peeked through my lust and reminded me that I couldn’t get caught up in a guy right now I knew I had to listen.
I’ve spent the past few years taking care of my mother instead of myself, and the past few months just trying to scrape by. The last thing I need is another complication.
I don’t have anything in my life figured out. But I have a clean slate. It’s a dirt-poor slate, wandering aimlessly through the Arizona desert, but it’s mine to start over with and throwing a guy into the mix won’t do me any good.
I need to get my life in order and figure out what my future holds before I even think about getting involved with someone. And while meaningless sex might work for some people—probably people like Daren—it’s not my style. But oh how I wish it were because damn. It felt good to be touched.
I reach Mr. Perkins’s office and quickly park before climbing out of the car in my high heels.
The inheritance really could be only twenty dollars—or less—and spending an afternoon chained to Daren Ackwood to find it could be a complete waste of time, not to mention horribly awkward given our romantic encounter last night, but it’s worth a shot. Because if it turns out to be a substantial amount of money, everything could change.
Not only could I go back to nursing school, but I could afford a decent apartment and buy myself some time to find a new job—one where my boss isn’t demanding I work for free or flash him in order to pay off my mother’s debt.
Ugh. My life can really only go uphill from where I’m at.
I know money can’t buy happiness, and I believe that. But it would be nice to be out from under Big Joe’s threatening thumb. And sleeping in a cockroach-free apartment while eating regular hot meals wouldn’t be bad either.
I hurry down the sidewalk toward Mr. Perkins’s office, tripping a little in my shoes. Maybe wearing the skirt and heels again wasn’t such a great idea. But I wanted to look professional and responsible, and the gray dress is too hot and the only other pair of shoes I own are my beat-up sneakers from last night. I didn’t think a pencil skirt and a pair of dirty sneakers really said I can be trusted with my deceased father’s money. So I went with the pumps.
I wobble as my shoe catches on a small pebble and curse under my breath.
High heels really are a bitch.
Up ahead, I see Daren round a corner and hurry toward the office, now just a few yards down the sidewalk. I relax a little, knowing he’s not there yet. As we near each other, my stomach fills with butterflies. I don’t know what I’m more anxious about—the inheritance or seeing Daren.
We reach Eddie’s door at the same time.
“Good morning.” He smiles broadly.
“Morning,” I respond with a cheerful smile of my own.
Our smiles are exaggerated, like we’re trying to prove just how “okay” we are with the thing that never happened last night. Then our eyes meet in brief a clash of lust, and tension fills the air.
Daren is the first to break it. “So. You ready to do this?”
“I am,” I say.
The tension returns, but this time it’s laced with nervousness. We’re about to lock ourselves together. For money. The morning after we dry humped each other against a bar. It’s nothing less than weird and desperate. Which begs the question, why is Daren doing this?
I know why I’m subjecting myself to this craziness but I’m still not sure why Daren has agreed—especially without knowing how much money is at stake. Is he in it for the thrill? Is he just bored?
Whatever his reasons are, I’m grateful.
We enter the office and Eddie looks up from his messy desk, his glasses perched on his shiny head. Today he’s wearing a yellow button-up shirt with a plaid bow tie to match his plaid pants. The look suits him.
“You’ve returned,” he says brightly, standing to greet us. “I guess this means you’ve come to a decision about Mr. Turner’s letter?”
“We have,” I say.
Daren nods. “Yes.”
“Excellent.” Eddie clasps his hands together. “What have you decided?”
Daren and I exchange an anxious look. My stomach does a flip-flop, afraid he’s going to change his mind, but then he gives me a subtle nod and I nod back.
We turn to face Eddie, hold out our wrists, and at the same time say, “Cuff us.”