Taming the Moguls by Christy Hayes

know if we lived
together right now, things wouldn’t change. We’d do nothing but
fight.”
    “Okay, I get that. Sort of. But why no
sex?”
    Kevin could only smile at his brother’s
rookie question. “You’re having a lot of sex right now,
correct?”
    “Yeah, so?”
    “After you have sex, is there anything Erica
could ask of you that you’d refuse?”
    Lyle pursed his lips and glanced across the
room. “Nope. Can’t think of anything.”
    “That’s why. Women have that power over men.
It doesn’t go away no matter how many times you have sex.”
    “She’s here,” Lyle said.
    “Erica?”
    “No.” Lyle pointed over Kevin’s shoulder.
“Shiloh’s here.”
    Kevin twisted around, gripped the back of his
chair, and blinked. Twice. His wife and her two best friends from
high school sauntered toward a booth along the back wall. Kevin
ground his teeth when every male head in the bar turned to watch
them move. Shiloh wore his favorite pair of jeans with heeled boots
and a pretty white sweater. The sight of her looking so young and
fresh made his mouth water. Before he knew what he was doing, his
feet hit the floor. He walked over to their booth. He could tell by
the way her eyes widened that she hadn’t expected to see him.
    “Kevin? What are you doing here?”
    “Having a beer with Lyle.” He jerked his head
toward Lyle’s table. “What are you doing here?”
    “Melody and Tanna dragged me out of the
house.”
    “You look really good for being dragged.”
    She ducked her head and looked at him from
beneath her lashes. “Thank you.”
    “You want to join us?” Melody asked.
    Kevin glanced back at Lyle. As much as he
wanted to spend time with his wife, he couldn’t ditch his brother.
“I’d better not.”
    Tanna leaned her elbows on the table. “Lyle
can come, too.”
    Kevin knew Lyle wouldn’t go anywhere near
Tanna after her embarrassing attempts to get his attention in high
school. “That’s okay. Shi, can I talk to you for a second?”
    She actually looked at her girlfriends before
mumbling, “Okay.”
    He held her hand after helping her up from
the booth, and led her through the half-empty tables, and out the
main entrance. When they stepped around the corner, the music
disappeared by half. “I want you to be careful tonight.”
    Her brow creased. “What do you think is going
to happen?”
    “You’re out with two single women. In a
bar.”
    “You’re out with a single guy. In a bar.”
    “That’s different,” he said.
    “No, it’s not.”
    He grabbed her arm when she tried to walk
past him. “It’s not you I’m worried about.”
    “Maybe that’s the problem,” she said. “Maybe
you should be.”
    “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he
demanded.
    “I don’t know, Kevin. I’m married, but my
husband doesn’t want me. He’s at a bar with his brother. He’ll go
home—not with me—and sleep on his brother’s couch or floor or
wherever it is you’re sleeping. I’ll have a few drinks and go home
to my parents’ house. Alone. Lonely. Frustrated. I don’t know what
you’re trying to prove, but at least in high school you’d sneak
over every once in a while.”
    The corner of his mouth tipped up. “You want
me to sneak into your parents’ house?”
    She hadn’t expected him to call her bluff. “I
wouldn’t kick you out if you did.”
    His whole body sobered. “It wouldn’t change
anything.”
    “Yes, it would.” She turned around and caged
him against the wall. “We’d both feel a whole lot better.”
    He yanked her around so their positions were
reversed and ground his hips into hers. “I shouldn’t want you like
this. I shouldn’t need you so damn much.”
    “But you do. And so do I.” She linked her
fingers behind his neck and dragged his lips to hers. “Let’s go.
Nobody’ll care if we disappear. I need you, Kevin.”
    Their bodies met and melded, jean against
jean, heart against heart. She wore a perfume he hadn’t smelled
since