Free Desert Surrender by Melinda Barron Page B

as she poured a cup of coffee with one hand and pushed the lever down on the toaster with the other. She was starving.
    They"d forgone dinner last night for more pleasant diversions. Thank God Maddox had food in his house. She"d found coffee, cream, sugar, both real and fake, bread, peanut butter, and jelly. There was also cereal, although the milk did look a little worse for wear, so she"d gone for the toast.
    “Loren didn"t tell me until after you left for Vegas,” Anna said, humor evident in her voice. “And if you didn"t know right out, you should have seen that information when you googled him.”
    “It didn"t exactly give his life"s history, just information about the casino.”
    There was a slight pause. “Have you enjoyed yourself in Vegas?”
    “I have indeed, although I"m not in Vegas, I"m in Henderson, at his house.”
    “Well, hot damn, tell me everything.”
    Clarissa giggled, thinking back to last night. The toast popped up, and she grabbed it, then slathered peanut butter on it.
    “Did you hear me? Quit holding out on me. Did he fuck you?”
    “Oh yeah, he did.” She grabbed her coffee and toast and went to the outside deck.
    “Jeez, it"s already over a hundred degrees here, and it"s not even noon. It"s like a furnace outside.”
    “Yeah, but it"s a dry heat.” They both laughed, and Clarissa took a sip of her coffee.
    “Are you happy?”

    Desert Surrender

    45
    “Last night was thrilling,” Clarissa replied. “I was feeling very satisfied until I saw the dozen messages from my father, mother, and Henry this morning.” There was a pause in the conversation. “Anna?”
    “Um, I hate to tell you this, but your dad"s already been here this morning—hotter than hell—wanting to know where you are.”
    Her friend"s voice held more than a hint of anxiety.
    “What did you tell him?”
    “I told him you didn"t tell me.”
    Clarissa put down her coffee cup. “I"m sorry. I know you hate to lie.”
    “It"s for a good cause. How can I deny my best friend the chance to screw a really hot guy?”
    “And I appreciate it, in spades.” Clarissa burst into laughter and almost dropped the phone, grabbing it up before it totally slipped from her fingers.
    “What"s so funny?”
    “Nothing, I"m just…happy.”
    Anna"s laugh was soft. “I"ll say. Might I put in that it"s a wonderful emotion to see, even if I"m really only hearing it over the phone.”
    “It"s a good thing you can"t see me. I"m half-naked.”
    “And where is Maddox?”
    “At work. I feel like Suzy Homemaker, eating breakfast after languishing in bed to recover from being banged to perfection last night. And it"s fantastic. I"ve never felt like this.”
    He"d left a note saying he was at the casino. He"d given strict instructions for her to “enjoy her day, explore, and make herself at home.” There was also a postscript saying a car would pick her up at five thirty to bring her to the casino. She was to dress for dinner. The words “no panties” had been underlined. Before then, though, he told her to use the car to go wherever she wanted. The keys to his sedan sat on top of the note, and a quick look in the garage showed the SUV was gone. Her bags had been left by the foot of the bed.
    She vaguely remembered him leaving that morning, leaning over to kiss her gently. “ Make sure you come at least twice today ,” he had said softly. “ There’s a box of toys in the closet. Use anything you like. And think of me when you play .”
    There would be no problem with that. She"d done nothing but think of him, until she"d found her phone and seen the missed messages and calls. The only one she"d returned was the one she was on right now.
    “How long are you staying?”
    “If I had my way, forever. Or at least a few weeks, whichever comes first.” They shared a laugh.
    “What if he"s the one, Clarissa?”

    46
    Melinda Barron
    A soft sigh escaped her lips. “You know how I feel about that, Anna.”
    “Yeah, I"m just saying he