Free Tangling With Ty by Jill Shalvis Page A

opinion, right?” He could hear the desperation in his voice. “Can we get back to that?”
    â€œWe’re not talking marriage here, Ty.” When he didn’t relax, Taylor just sighed. “Fine. I’ll let you in on a little secret I think will help the situation here, all right? Nicole and I? We plan on remaining single. Forever. No white dress, no white cake and no diamonds on our ring fingers. If there’s any hooking-up going on, it’s of the one-night variety only. Follow?”
    â€œBut telling him that only gives him an unfair advantage over Nicole!” Suzanne protested.
    Taylor kept her amused gaze on Ty. “I have a feeling he’s the one who needs the handicap. Hurt her though,” she said casually. “And we’ll hurt you.”
    â€œOh, definitely,” Suzanne agreed.
    They weren’t serious, Ty thought. They couldn’t be serious. He laughed to prove it.
    They didn’t laugh back.
    â€œActually,” Taylor said seriously, “if you hurt her, we’ll hunt you down and cut off your balls. So…” She clapped her hands and smiled. “Ready to get to work?”
    American women were insane, he thought. Completely insane.
    Â 
    T WENTY MINUTES later, Nicole ran back out of her loft. She needed to lose herself in something, and the firstthing to come to mind had been the hospital. Her mind was now firmly on work.
    Okay, not true. Her mind was still wrapped around the way Ty had looked at her in that dress. Oh, man, how he’d looked at her in that dress. Her knees still were a little weak. Who’d have thought a man could have such heat in his eyes? She’d nearly imploded on the spot from the intensity.
    But she was absolutely not going to waste time thinking about that, or analyzing her reaction to it. She was going to concentrate on work—
    She came to an abrupt halt in front of her car. The streets were filled with shoppers and diners, with people who had nothing to do all day other than wander.
    But Nicole had plenty to do. And she’d get to it, if sitting on the hood of her car hadn’t been Taylor and…and the man she’d just promised herself she wouldn’t think about.
    Heads together, they were poring over an opened manila file and laughing. Until they saw her.
    Well, Taylor kept laughing. But Ty’s smile slowly faded. “You changed,” he said.
    â€œYeah, it’s hard to operate in a cocktail dress.”
    Taylor, who had her feet propped up on the bumper of Ty’s car, which was parked right in front of Nicole’s, waved her closer. “Ty is trying to help medecide on a contractor. These two right here?” She held up two different bids. “They’re young and cute. And expensive. But very good at what they do, apparently.” She looked at Ty for approval, who nodded. “And these two…” She switched papers around and held up two more bids. “They’re a tad bit older, more experienced, slightly cheaper…but I guaran-ass-tee you, they’ll have beer bellies and plumber cracks hanging out the backs of their low-riding jeans, and it won’t be pretty.”
    Ty rolled his eyes. “Tell me you’re not hiring a contractor based on his ass.”
    â€œOkay, I won’t tell you.” Grinning, she popped up, hugged Nicole, and started toward the building.
    â€œWell, gee, I guess we’re done,” Ty said to her back, standing up himself.
    Turning around, Taylor smiled. “I just figured, since Nicole didn’t really have to be at work, and since I’d bet the bank she hasn’t eaten, that the two of you could go out.”
    â€œNo,” Nicole said quickly. Too quickly, but damn it, she couldn’t help it. Eat with Ty? No. No way.
    But Taylor danced her bossy butt into the building and vanished.
    Ty reached for Nicole’s hand, tugging her close enough that he could look into her face.