Free Commitment by Margaret Ethridge

scouting girls could be ripped from his grasp. Just when he was finally going to get his hands on Maggie McCann, she could slip through his fingers. His heart clenched and he froze, turning to look at her. “Twenty-four hour pharmacy?” She nudged him and he crawled from the cab, mentally kicking his own ass as he offered her a steadying hand.
    “Got you covered there too,” she purred, brushing past him onto the sidewalk.
    The cab took off and Tom hopped to the curb, a grin splitting his face. “You’re a hell of a girl, Maggie McCann.”
    ****
    Maggie made it about twenty steps into the block-long walk before she started having second thoughts. He chuckled, and her head jerked up. She glanced up to see if he’d somehow picked up on her misgivings, but his gaze was riveted on her shoes.
    “I always wondered how women walk in those things.”
    Tom wrapped his arm around her waist, snuggling her up against his side. The second thoughts were chased off by a swarm of butterflies taking flight in her stomach. “Kind of like the purse thing?”
    He laughed again and his warm fingers closed around her ribcage. “No, this is for real.”
    “Practice,” she murmured.
    A gust of cool November wind cut through her thin wrap, carrying the stench of uncollected trash. She turned her head, burying her nose in the lapel of his jacket and inhaled deeply. The scent of expensive cologne, aged whisky, and a hint of bar soap made her head swim. His lips brushed her hair, and she nearly blew years of training by tripping over her feet.
    “Easy,” he crooned, tightening his hold on her.
    Easy. Oh God, she was being too easy. “It’s just up ahead,” she murmured. “The red awning.”
    “The Glass Slipper?” That low, husky laugh rumbled again. “Someone got a Cinderella complex?”
    A cab cruised toward them, its light gleaming like a beacon. Maggie briefly contemplated hailing the driver and shoving Tom into the back seat. “Watch it, Peter Pan. I can still ship you off to Never- Neverland .”
    “Or is it because you go in feeling like a drudge and come out a princess?”
    Her steps faltered. She spared a glance at his profile and found him giving the rouge red awning careful consideration. The cab slipped past. “Something like that,” she murmured. When his serious frown gave way to that boyish smile, her heart skipped in her chest. “Been keeping up with your fairy tales, have you?”
    “Erin suckered me into taking her to Disney on Ice every year for five years running,” he confessed.
    A startled laugh tripped from her lips. “Disney on Ice?”
    He slowed as they approached the door. “Hey, she liked it.”
    “I bet she did.” The thought of Tom Sullivan sitting through hours of costumed figure skating to make his niece happy made her stomach flip. She pulled her key from her purse and nodded to the door to the left of the salon’s entrance. “Sucker.”
    He gently took the key from her hand and inserted it into the deadbolt lock. “Yeah, well, what can I say? I am the ultimate uncle.”
    His cocky grin was infectious. She found herself returning it automatically. “I bet you are.”
    He stood aside, letting her lead the way. Maggie started for the narrow staircase, but her step wavered when she heard him jiggle the door to be sure the locks caught. Within seconds his hands were on her hips. Hot, moist breath seeped through her wrap, sending shivers down her spine. Biting her lip, she resisted the urge to dash up the steps, knowing that would put her ass right at eye level. Not her best angle.
    “This is nice.”
    She ignored the obvious leer in his voice, opting to play oblivious. “ Angelini Restoration did the renovation work,” she said, referring to the company his uncle founded and his brother now ran.
    “Uh-huh.”
    “The place was pretty much trashed, but Sean managed a minor miracle,” she babbled.
    “He’s good at those.”
    The door at the top of the steps loomed. She searched her