Free Twisted Up by Lissa Matthews Page A

chemistry that defied anything in her previous experience, before and including her ex.
    Those feelings, those desires, those pleasures were things her life had been missing since the day she’d gotten married and she hadn’t realized it. She hadn’t realized exactly what she was missing, what her mind and her gut had been trying to tell her before she walked down the aisle…
    Justin had shown her, had opened her eyes. First through words and then through actions. She hadn’t ever imagined she could have a life with him, and she still didn’t know if it was possible. There were questions and obstacles and their ages and…. How much did all that baggage matter, she wondered as she caressed the pillow where he’d slept? He knew her shit, all of it. She knew his too, or at least most of it. And she knew if she brought up the age difference to him, he’d tan her hide until she couldn’t sit.
    They’d never discussed the—she had to count it out on her fingers, the ones not holding the coffee—ten or eleven year gap between their birthdays. It hadn’t bothered her before and she couldn’t think of a reason for it to bother her now. Maybe she was just looking for more excuses for it not to work because that was easier than taking a chance on all the reasons it could work.
    Besides, she smiled, she was in his bed, all the way in Dallas because he’d had enough of being without her.
    And that he’d gone to Birmingham for her…. He’d been right though. She wouldn’t answer him with more than general statements. She wouldn’t talk to him about personal stuff anymore. She kept putting him off about how she was really feeling, what she was really thinking, and their friendship, their relationship was worth more than that. He’d always allowed her and encouraged her to talk about anything and she’d shut him out. The only choices he’d had were to either let her be or show up on her doorstep.
    But she’d never thought he’d actually take the latter option. It wasn’t as if she’d said put up or shut up. No, she hadn’t said anything at all and in his mind, she was worth trying to salvage something.
    No guy had ever come after her, ever chased her, ever thrown her over his shoulder like a caveman. No guy had ever brought her coffee in bed.
    “Damn,” she whispered.
    She flipped back the sheet and slid her feet into her slippers before setting the coffee down on the tray. She felt a little nervous walking across the loft naked, but that was the only way to get to the bathroom and then her suitcase.
    Once some necessities were taken care of, she would get dressed. She hadn’t packed clothes for roaming around a ranch. If she’d thought about it at the time, she’d have thrown a pair of jeans and a T-shirt into her suitcase before leaving the apartment. As it was, she had a pair of brown slacks to go with a cream camisole and matching short-sleeve, light-weight sweater and a pair of black slacks and a pink, black and white striped button-down-the-front blouse. She had work clothes and yoga clothes as well, but nothing meant for wandering around a Texas ranch. Not to mention, she’d only brought sandals and heels.
    She had no idea what to do, what to put on to go look for him, but standing there naked looking through her suitcase wasn’t helping. Making up her mind to don the brown pants and white sweater outfit, she quickly went back to the bathroom for a shower before getting dressed. She hadn’t brought shampoo or body wash because she used what was in the hotels and was lucky Justin had regular all-purpose shampoo and everyday soap so she wouldn’t go around smelling like a man. She wrapped her towel-dried hair up in a ponytail and brushed her teeth, debating on whether a little makeup was called for or not.
    “Gonna have to get you some boots to wear around here. Can’t have you walking in those cutesy shoes and fuck-me-heels all the time.”
    She yelped, and her hand flew to the flesh over her