Free Love_Unleashed by Marcia James Page A

year.”
    “Why don’t you announce it to the crowd?” Ron shoved the mic toward his friend, who took it before it could crack a rib. “Since you’re so interested in my love life, why don’t you spin the next song, so I can talk to her?”
    Darryl nodded. “But I don’t see why you’d want to chase after a girl who’s already dumped you.”
    Ron had asked himself the same thing a hundred times. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? And, dammit, Cara’s residency in his brain had killed any real interest he’d had in dating anyone else since she’d broken things off.
    Without replying to Darryl’s question, Ron strolled over to the van. Despite her job title of Shelter Director, Cara was working side-by-side with her staff. As he walked up, she began muscling a cage containing a terrier-like dog from the vehicle’s interior.
    “Need help?” He leaned in and lifted the other end of the cage.
    Startled, she met his gaze. A myriad of emotions flashed across her face and, for one dizzying second, there was something in her pretty hazel eyes he hadn’t seen in more than half a year—desire. Please, God, let him not be imagining it.
    “Ron, I…uh,” she glanced to the side, “I thought Karl was going to DJ this event.”
    “Krazy” Karl Thompson had been scheduled to work this adoption gig. Hoping to see Cara again, Ron had swapped a highly prized Bachelorette Auction assignment for this animal fair. “Karl had a conflict, so I volunteered.” Okay, it was a lie, but a small one.
    Cara’s eyes returned to his, resolve masking any softer emotions. “I thought it might be awkward participating in this event together.”
    Awkward? Huh. This was torture, but it’d be worth it for a second chance. He relaxed his tense shoulders enough to shrug, careful not to jiggle the cage. “We’re both adults, and we can work the fair to help these animals.”
    For a second, they just stood, each holding one end of the cage as she studied him. He could smell the doggy shampoo they’d used to spruce up the terrier, but he also caught the faintest scent of Cara’s lavender body lotion. It was enough to stir flashbacks of lazy Sundays making love to this woman.
    The terrier yipped, breaking the spell. Ron helped her place the cage on one of the sturdy tables, then he followed Cara back to the van. Together, without speaking, they unloaded three more dogs and six cats.
    When Pink Floyd’s Dogs of War blared out of the speakers, Ron sighed. It was time to resume his DJ duties before Darryl turned the event into a homage to his favorite classic rock band.
    “Cara.” He touched her arm to get her attention, barely masking the jolt that simple contact shot through him. When she glanced up, he dropped his hand. “I need to get back on the mic. Let me know when you want me to break between songs to talk up the animals.”
    She nodded, and he forced himself to walk away. Then he ramped up his “Rabid Ron” radio persona for the crowd, awarding several prizes before Cara approached him for a turn on the mic.
    She spoke briefly but eloquently on the plight of homeless animals. Her contralto voice—one of the things he’d always loved about her—hummed along his senses as she explained the rules of the adoption fair. God help him, he could listen to her read the phone book.
    A station groupie sidled up and asked him to sign her t-shirt, which she wore tucked into skin-tight shorts. Licking her lips, she pointed to a spot on the shirt that rode the upper curve of her left breast. He pulled a permanent marker out of his pocket and signed his name, his focus remaining on Cara.
    The girl pouted at his inattention and left to get Darryl’s autograph. Maybe his friend would hook-up with the groupie, but Ron was no longer interested in one-nighters with fans. There wasn’t anything wrong with hot, athletic sex for sex’s sake, as long as both parties knew the score. But since he’d met Cara, he’d wanted more. And