Free The Farther I Fall by Lisa Nicholas Page A

out for Afghanistan. He was still cagey about what he did these days. “Private security” was all she could get out of him. Possibly the second beer had been a bad idea.
    She laughed more than she’d laughed on any date in years—and this
was
meant to be a date. Lee was charming in a way that Lucas tended to skip over, and while he made no secret of his interest, Lee also didn’t make any presumptions about it. In the back of her mind, Gwen flashed briefly on the reaction Lucas had on seeing her scarred shoulder. Somehow she doubted Lee would be as shocked. Then again, from the hints she’d gathered from Lucas and from Sam, Lee probably had her entire military record stored somewhere.
    â€œSo how is he doing?” Lee asked, a little too casually.
    â€œLucas? He’s fine.”
    â€œNot giving you any problems?”
    Oh.
“He hasn’t missed a single call time, is always where he’s supposed to be. Based on what I heard about him before, I think it’s safe to say he’s not using.”
    â€œThat transparent, am I?” He toyed with his water glass, giving her a sheepish smile.
    â€œHe’s your brother. I get it. I have some recovering addicts in my family.” Only Sam, but she wouldn’t out her sister like that.
    â€œIs he being a gentleman?”
    The absurdity of the question made her laugh, and she suspected it made her blush as well.
    â€œHey, I’m not intruding on anything here, am I?” Lee asked. “I saw Lucas and Maggie on the sofa and assumed—”
    â€œNo,” Gwen said quickly. “I mean, not really. He’s a flirt, is all.”
    Her phone buzzed.
Thank God.
Sally had sent her the name and address of the club. She grinned and showed him her phone. “Ready to go dancing?”
    Lee stood and gave her a hand up. “I should apologize to your toes in advance.”
    ***
    Lights strobed around the otherwise darkened dance floor and music throbbed through Lucas’s body. Maggie danced with him, still wearing her costume, a striped little microdress and fishnet stockings. They both loved putting on a show, and they were getting plenty of attention, dancing close and dirty. She always had known exactly how to make him crazy—that much hadn’t changed.
    What they’d had before was done now; if he tried to get her to come back to his room, she’d laugh at him.
    During one close pass, Maggie leaned in to shout over the music, “Your brother just came in with Gwen.” Whatever showed on his face, she laughed. “He seems pretty taken with her.”
    Damn him anyway. Lee had never taken an interest in coming to one of Lucas’s gigs before, but Lucas had heard him tell Gwen he planned to be at tomorrow night’s too. Now he understood why. Lucas caught Maggie around the waist and swung her around while grinding their hips together, the better to see the table where the others were sitting.
    â€œOh my
God
, you’re obvious.” Maggie laughed. “You’ve got it bad.”
    â€œI do not.” Still, he resisted when Maggie tried to turn him away. Gwen and Lee sat at a tiny, high table with Craig, Sally, and Cathy. Gwen looked so good that his mouth watered. He’d gotten so used to seeing her in her work clothes: jeans, baggy shirts, boots. She made it easy to forget how fantastic her body was. Lee didn’t have his arm around her yet, but they were bumping shoulders.
    â€œOh please,” Maggie said. “If you were any more interested, we’d have to put a sign that says ‘Property of Gwen Tennison’ on your chest.”
    â€œI am not hung up on her,” Lucas insisted.
    â€œYou should dance with her.” Maggie grinned up at him.
    Before he had the chance, the song ended, and a new one started. Lee took Gwen’s hand and led her onto the dance floor. Gwen started dancing with her arms overhead, hips swinging. His bastard brother