Free Fight to the Finish (First to Fight #3) by Jeanette Murray Page B

to, and that Graham had given him hell about running off like that, but in a cool way. A man’s way.
    It was like he was slipping out of her fingers, one month at a time. His need for a strong, healthy, positive male rolemodel was becoming more apparent by the day. But she couldn’t ask Graham to be his role model, not when the man had feelings for her. It sent the wrong signal. Plus, Zach would get attached and then Graham would be gone. Not because he was the kind of man to drift out of someone’s life, but because he simply had no choice. He went where the Marine Corps sent him. And they had no option to follow, even if she wanted to.
    But oh, after that kiss . . . she wanted to. Or at least, she wanted the option to. His hands had found all the right places, and he’d shown such restraint in the face of an unholy temptation. He would have been amazing in bed. All that golden tan skin, hardened by the workouts they went through daily, with that unflappable control and powerful need . . .
    â€œEarth to Kara.” Marianne poked her in the side. “Where’d you go? Daydreaming about something?”
    Kara blinked. “Huh?”
    Marianne sat back on her heels, cocking her head a little. “Your face is flushed, your eyes are glazed over and you look like you just left a very sexy man’s bed.” Her friend’s mouth opened on a little
O
. “You were having a sex daydream.”
    â€œWas not.” Her face heated, and she pressed a cool hand to one side.
    â€œYou were! You daydream slut! Tell me.”
    â€œWow, when you put it like that, of course I’ll tell you all my deep, dark secrets,” Kara said dryly, then yelped when a hand settled on her back. She looked over her shoulder to find Reagan standing there, looking confused. “You scared me.’
    â€œShe’s still in a sex haze,” Marianne explained to an obviously confused Reagan.
    â€œYou had sex?” Reagan asked, sitting down on the bottom stair with a thud that didn’t go along with her beautiful business suit. Her legs splayed out over the hardwood, and her feet tapped restlessly in their furry blue slippers. “With who?”
    â€œWith nobody. Calm down, I didn’t have sex with anyone.”
    â€œShe was having mental sex,” Marianne clarified. “Daydream sex. And I know just the Marine who was starring front and center.” When Kara glared, she shrugged. “You can’t seriously think we both haven’t realized you and Graham are dancing around the issue.”
    â€œHe kissed me,” she admitted softly. “The other day, when Zach ran off to his house. I came to pick Zach up, he was asleep, so we talked. And then we weren’t talking, and then we were kissing, and . . .” She covered her eyes with her fingers, resting her hot cheek against the cool metal of the hand rail. “This is horrible. I’m such an idiot.”
    â€œStill missing the ‘idiot’ part. Unless you did it wrong.” Reagan gave her a sympathetic pat on the knee. “Did you do it wrong?”
    â€œI didn’t do it wrong,” Kara snapped as Marianne snickered. “Stop it. You didn’t get half as much shit as I’m getting now while you were ignoring your feelings for Greg. Why am I the one getting all the comments?”
    â€œBecause Graham is basically your slave, and you know it.” Serious now, Marianne settled down with her back to the wall, her feet extended until they nudged Kara’s. The three made a very interesting picture in the stairwell. “I know, without a doubt, you aren’t trying to lead him on. That’s not how you work. He probably knows it, too. But if you are serious about never even giving him a chance, you need to give it to him straight. Don’t play coy, or try to let him down gently. He’s a lawyer. He can handle being rejected with normal