Free Crossing the Line by Sherri Hayes Page A

when he came home from work. “Hey.”
    He relaxed a little when she went back to what she was doing and made no mention of what had happened that morning. Throughout the day, images of Megan had popped up in his mind. These weren’t things he remembered happening, but they felt real—more real than a dream—and Paul was almost positive they were from the night of Chris and Elizabeth’s wedding. That, or her declaration that morning had triggered some very vivid imagery.
    Chloe ran in from the other room and hugged his legs. “Daddy!”
    Paul swung her up in his arms and kissed her cheek. “Hi, sweetpea. How was your day?”
    His daughter proceeded to tell him all about her day, including the phone conversation she’d had with his mother, while she helped him tear the lettuce apart for a salad. To be honest, Paul had nearly forgotten about Chloe’s month-long vacation with her grandparents. Normally, he counted down the days until he had to give her up for a month to share her with the four other people who loved her almost as much as he did. Even though it was still two months away, he’d barely thought about it.
    He wasn’t a fool. Paul knew the reason for that had to be Megan. She’d changed things for both of them. Their house was happier with her in it. Chloe liked having her here, and so did he. 
    That didn’t mean he wanted a relationship with her.
    Dinner was filled with random conversation about nothing in particular, and as the evening wore on, Paul relaxed even more. Chloe asked several questions about Janey, which he found somewhat odd, but his daughter was very curious. Sometimes it took people a while to pick up on that because she often kept to herself, but Chloe noticed things most adults would dismiss or ignore. He wondered if she’d follow in his footsteps and become a detective, or if she’d opt for something safer.
    After putting Chloe to bed, Paul lingered for several minutes before trudging back down the stairs to the living room where he knew Megan would be waiting. He refused to run away again. She’d surprised him the first time, throwing him off-kilter. This time he was prepared. 
    At least, he hoped he was. 
    Megan was curled up on the couch, wearing another pajama set that he didn’t recognize, with her feet tucked up underneath her. She was watching something on television. It was casual and completely normal for Megan at this time of night, but for some reason his gaze zeroed in on the skin peeking out below her very short shorts. He could almost feel how soft and silky it would be beneath his hands. 
    Paul quickly averted his eyes, but not before realizing that he’d been caught staring. Megan smirked at him, as he took a seat across the room, trying discreetly to adjust himself. She knew what she was doing to him. Paul only wished that he understood it. 
    “Did you want to play some poker?”
    He took a few moments to consider her question and if there could be a hidden meaning behind it before answering. They’d played cards—mainly poker—many times before. It was her favorite game, and while he’d never played competitively, he and some of the guys at the station used to get together on occasion and play a few hands. “All right.”
    Megan smiled, and it twisted something deep in his stomach. 
    She jumped up from the couch, and strolled across the room to get the cards. His gaze went directly to her ass as it swayed back and forth with each step she took. He had to close his eyes to keep himself from looking. Otherwise, the problem in his pants would become much more pronounced, and there would be no way he could hide it from her. 
    Less than a minute later, he heard her not far from him, shuffling the cards, and figured it was safe to open his eyes. Boy, was he wrong. Megan sat not two feet from him near the corner of the coffee table. She was up on her knees, her arms pressed firmly against her sides as she manipulated the cards. The position pushed her