Free Abducted Heart (Z-Series) by Jerri Drennen Page A

Zack winked at him. “I'm seriously hoping to get lucky tonight.”
    “Do you think it's wise to start something with a woman who lives hundreds of miles away?”
    “Why the hell should you care? How many second dates have you had over the past ten years?”
    Lynch threw up his hands. “Do what you want, Zack. I was just thinking about Casey. Chelsea is her best friend. They've been close for as long as I've known her.”
    “So you do care about Casey's feelings.”
    Lynch was getting nowhere in this conversation. Best to put an end to it. Zack was going to do what Zack was going to do. Lynch wasn't going to change that.
    “Have a good time. Just don't forget to use protection.”
    “Safety first.”
    The doorbell rang, and Lynch frowned.
    “I'm leaving through the back door,” Zack said over his shoulder as he headed for the kitchen. “Have a nice dinner. I know I will.”
    Lynch took a breath. Time to put on a friendly face until after the meal. Then he'd get down to business and find out what Brent's father knew or didn't know about what his son had been up to.
    He started for the door, but was sidetracked by Casey who was coming down the stairs. The woman made his step falter. Hell, he almost tripped. She looked stunning—no—she looked sexy as hell in a form fitting dress that matched the color of her intoxicating blue eyes. His groin twitched as he took her all in. This was going to be a difficult night. Harder than he ever dreamed.
    The repeated ringing of the doorbell brought him out of the spell.
    Lynch sucked in another breath and stalked to the door, angry with himself for letting her get to him. This was the woman who broke his heart in two. She wasn't getting anywhere near it—or any other part of his anatomy. He planned to keep his heart and dick under wraps.
    He opened the door and found Alex and his mother waiting. Both gave him a warm smile. “Come on in.”
    “Why haven't I seen you except for five minutes since you've been home? What has been keeping you so busy?” his mother asked once they were inside and the door was closed.
    She glanced at Casey, and her smile wavered. She of all people knew how much the woman had hurt him.
    “So, where's Brent?” Alex asked.
    “Let's have dinner first then we'll talk about everything.”
    “Brent won't be joining us?” his mother asked, looking from him to Casey.
    “No. No, he won't.” Casey clearly was trying to keep a smile on her face for the sake of her in-laws, but Lynch could tell it was a struggle.
    “What are you two not telling us?” his stepfather asked, the deep lines in his forehead suggesting he knew something was wrong.
    “Let's at least have a glass of wine.”
    “We don't want any wine. We want to know what's going on.”
    Lynch could tell by his mother's fiery eyes that there was no way she'd not get an answer. He'd witnessed that over the years. Lynch was going to have to tell them everything. “All right, but maybe we should go into the living room and sit down.”
    Without another word, the two walked to the adjoining room and took a seat next to each other, then clasped each other's hands and held tight.
    “What's going on, Lynch? Are you two having an affair?” Alex asked, his gaze piercing Casey's.
    “No!” Casey said.
    Wow . She almost sounded disgusted by the idea. She didn't act that way when he'd had his hands all over her that morning.
    “Then what the hell is going on?” Alex was angry, and Lynch knew his reaction was just.
    “Did Brent ask you for money in the past… say… six months?”
    Alex's eyes narrowed, and he cleared his throat. “Why?”
    Something was in the man's eyes, something he'd been hiding even from Lynch's mother. “Did he, Alex?”
    Alex rubbed at his forehead, then he nodded. “Yes. He asked for more than I could give him. Told me that Casey liked nice things and he couldn't keep up with her.”
    Casey muffled a sob beside Lynch, and he fisted his hands at his side. The man lied to