from him before leaving the office to let me know he’s found her.”
Mercury sat up in his chair. He’d always liked Velvet, and although falling in love was not his thing, he’d known Jaye had cared for Velvet Spencer deeply, but refused to acknowledge that he had. Hell, everyone had known but Jaye. He’d discovered his feelings too late. “So, where is she?”
Jaye met his gaze. “She’s living in a coastal town in Louisiana, an hour away from New Orleans. A place called Catalina Cove.”
Mercury didn’t say anything for a minute. “I take it you’re going to come up with a plan to get her back.”
A determined look appeared on Jaye’s features. “Yes, and it has to be a good one.”
“I agree, man. She gave you plenty of chances and you blew each one.”
“Don’t remind me.” Jaye then glanced at his watch. “It’s Thursday night. Aren’t you going over to your folks’ for dinner?”
Mercury knew this was Jaye’s way of changing the subject. “Yes, I’m going.”
There was no need to tell Jaye that because Mercury knew Sloan would be there, he wasn’t in any hurry to get there. There was something about being around her that made him feel vulnerable for the first time since Cherae had left and he didn’t like it one damn bit.
Even now he remembered Sloan’s kisses. There were too many when there should not have been any. Yet the way her body felt pressed to his, the way her firm breasts and stiff nipples poked him in the chest and the way her tongue would mate with his were torments he couldn’t let go of. And to see her again meant not only remembering, but also being tempted for a repeat performance.
“Mercury?”
He glanced over at Jaye. “Yes?”
“Did you hear what I just said?”
No, Mercury inwardly admitted, he hadn’t heard. There was no need to lie about it. “Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. What did you say?”
Normally Jaye would have given him a look that said he knew where Mercury’s mind was...which was usually on bedding some woman or another. Instead the look he saw on his best friend’s face was one of purposeful resolve.
“I asked if you think you will ever fall in love again.”
“No.” Mercury’s attitude about love might be confusing to some, but it shouldn’t be to Jaye. “If you recall, I was the first of my brothers to fall in love and you know what Cherae did. Once you’ve been burned you have a tendency to stay away from the fire.”
“That’s what you’ve been doing all these years? Staying away from the fire?”
“Yes, pretty much.”
“Then would you like to explain your attraction to Sloan Donahue? I watched you and it’s quite obvious that you’re taken with her, although you’re trying hard not to be.”
Mercury didn’t like that Jaye was so damn observant. No need to deny anything. “I’ll be okay once I get a handle on things.”
“If you say so, but I’m finding that hard to believe. You’ve only known her for two days, yet...”
“Yet what?”
“You seem smitten.”
Smitten? Mercury frowned. “And I think you’ve lost your mind.”
“Possibly, but what I saw today and how you were looking at her when you thought no one was noticing says a lot.”
In all honesty, that said more than a lot, Mercury thought. That said too damn much. If Jaye could pick up on how attracted he was to Sloan, then his brothers would, too. Hell, he had a good mind not to show up at his parents’ place for dinner tonight. But not doing so meant he would be allowing her to get next to him in a way he couldn’t control, and he refused to let that happen.
“I’m leaving,” he said, standing and glancing at his watch. There were a couple of stops he had to make, as well as going home to change clothes.
“Okay. Take care.”
“And, Jaye?”
His friend looked over at him. “Yes?”
“I’m glad you found Velvet.”
Jaye