Free Just This Night by Mari Madison Page A

sniffled, feeling like an idiot. “I know, I know. It just . . . sucks, you know? Of all the newsrooms in all the world . . .”
    Stephanie pursed her lips, seeming to ponder this. Then her face brightened. “Well, think of it this way,” she declared. “You know he’s not working the morning shift. Your photog Javier would have totally given you a heads-up if he was changing shifts. Which means Mac Daddy must be on days or evenings.” She nodded her head enthusiastically. “Which means you’ll probably never even see the guy, save for the News 9 holiday party. And at that point, I’ll make it my personal mission to get you too drunk to care.”
    I laughed, despite myself. “Maybe they’ll end up assigning him to you.”
    â€œI hope so.” My roommate’s eyes gleamed wickedly. “’Cause payback is a bitch, Mac Daddy. No one hurts my little love muffin. Not on my watch!” She held up her hand again in a high five. This time I didn’t leave her hanging.
    She was right, I told myself as I brought my mug to the sink. Plenty of people worked at News 9 that I barely ever saw. It would be no big deal. I never had to talk to him. Exceptto return the jacket, of course. Though maybe I should just leave it at the front desk. Even better.
    And that was the one satisfying thought in all of this mess. At least I wouldn’t be surprised to bump into Mac Monday morning. I had time to mentally prepare.
    He, on the other hand, was in for quite a shock.

eleven
    MAC
    I t was Monday morning and I was pulling my SUV into the News 9 parking lot for my first day of work. The day was beautiful. Perfect temperature with a warm sun beaming down on my pale-ass New England skin. Back home it was probably snowing. My sister was always bragging that San Diego had the best weather in the world. I was beginning to believe it.
    Ashley and I had spent most of yesterday on the beach, making sandcastles and dodging warm water waves. She’d laughed so much that she’d given herself a stomachache by the time we headed back to the car. Though, in hindsight, perhaps it was the mountains of ice cream she’d consumed that were partially to blame. Either way, I couldn’t remember the last time she’d looked so happy and content—and, bonus, she hadn’t asked about her mother once the entire afternoon. For the first time since we’d arrived, I found myself thinking that maybe this had been the right move after all.
    If only I didn’t have this smothering black cloud hanging over my head. Regret worse than any hangover, eating away at me without mercy. I tried to push the whole thing frommy mind, chalk it up to a huge mistake and move on. But try as I might, the night kept replaying itself over and over on endless loop and I didn’t know how to make it stop.
    I should have never let my sister and Joe talk me into going out in the first place. I should have stuck to my guns. Seriously, this was why I had determined not to get involved in all this dating shit to begin with. From now on, there would be no more bars, no clubs, no temptations.
    God, she had been such a temptation.
    And that was the worst part. Even with all the rationalizations in the world, I still couldn’t manage to get her out of my head all weekend long. No matter what I tried to focus on, my traitorous mind kept wandering back to her long, smooth legs, wrapping around my waist, her soft breasts pillowing against my chest. Her hands, running up and down my stomach—and other places. Her wet, pink mouth, pressing against my own.
    Goddamn it.
    I rammed the vehicle in park, then opened the door and stepped out of the SUV. My new workplace loomed in front of me, tall, gray, intimidating, and I wondered, not for the first time, what it was going to be like to work there. Would it be challenging? Interesting? Would my new coworkers be cool? Or would I find only more