ENTANGLED PURSUITS - Brenda Jackson Page 0,28

hard to see their computer screens because of the glare. Thankfully, there were screen shields in the supply cabinet if the situation became too irritating. She also liked that there were several small conference rooms the partners could use when discussing cases without interfering with the work being done by those in the cubicles around them.

Toni heard her stomach growl, and suddenly remembered she hadn’t eaten since lunch. She decided to go downstairs and grab something out of the snack machine and then return to finish up. Standing, she stretched her muscles, turning slightly to glance out the window.

She went still when she saw Drew down in the parking lot talking to a woman and recognized her as “Natalie,” the television reporter who had been at the Tindal crime scene. She was the one who’d called out to him earlier that day. The same one he’d said he would see later.

Toni guessed this was later, and from the smile on the woman’s face, and the fact of the way she stood so close to Drew, touching him so freely on his arms and chest, she suspected that they had been intimate…or still were.

A deep pain settled around her heart. This just wasn’t fair. The reason she had broken up with him was to avoid the same pain she was feeling now. Deciding she couldn’t watch Natalie and Drew any longer, she turned away and headed toward the snack machine. She refused to think about the possibility that he would likely share Natalie’s bed tonight. It suddenly dawned on her that this was the first time she and Drew had spent a day together—a day that wouldn’t end with them spending the night together, as well. It was unsettling.

• • •

Andrew entered his home, and after tossing the keys on the table, he walked straight to the wet bar. That was one of the things he’d loved about this house. It wasn’t that he drank a lot, but whenever he did, he liked being comfortable. The wet bar was located just outside the family room, and was in an ideal spot whenever he entertained.

He’d had the guys from work over for cards a few times, but it was his true friends—the ones he had served time with at Glenworth Prison—that he wanted the house for, in case they had a chance to get together.

Men like Stonewall Courson, Quasar Patterson, and Lamar “Striker” Jennings. Then there was Ryker Valentine, Locke Dangerfield, Shogun Duke, and Macayle Wasilla. He’d seen most of them at Stonewall’s wedding and figured he would see them again in a few months at Shep’s birthday party. He saw Ryker more often than the others, since he lived in D.C. Upon his release from prison, Ryker Valentine returned to his home state of California, entered politics, and was now a United States Senator.

Andrew glanced around his home. It was the first thing of value he had ever owned, and was proud of the place he called home. He had saved for years to fund this house and had it built from the ground up. It was roomy, maybe a little too spacious for one person, but the square footage had been what he wanted. It was definitely an improvement from the tight cubby-hole of a cell he’d shared first with Ryker, and then with Locke.

This home had five bedrooms—one he used for an office, four-and-a-half baths, a living room, a huge family room, dining room, and an eat-in kitchen. He’d even indulged and modified the plan to include a theater room upstairs. He’d wanted two floors with the split concept on the first. The plan came with a mother-in-law suite, which was great whenever any of the guys came to town.

Getting a shot glass off the shelf, he reached for the bottle of scotch, then poured some into the glass and immediately downed it. He’d needed it. Being around Toni all day had played havoc with his libido. When he’d seen her at Stonewall’s wedding, he couldn’t believe how much more beautiful she’d become. Today, he’d thought the same thing. She was even more beautiful than she’d been close to five years ago.

His reaction to her today was a reminder of just how into her he had been for those ten months they were together. And even after all those years, he still hadn’t moved on. That didn’t mean he hadn’t dated and engaged in short, meaningless flings. But seeing her today and being around her had reminded him of

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