Free Can't Stop Loving You by Lynnette Austin Page A

believe in that shit. Tipping the longneck bottle, he drank. Maybe if he had a couple more of these, he could sleep tonight.
    A couple crickets chirped, their voices sounding loud in the quiet. Thinking about heading upstairs to fetch another beer, he heard Maggie’s car pull into the drive, watched the swath of light her beams cut through the darkness.
    An overhead light went on when she opened her door, and quiet music from her radio spilled into the night. Apparently Rita had cooked more than the girls could eat because Maggie got out and her head disappeared into the back seat. She came out with a plate of goodies.
    His stomach rumbled. He’d worked off every bite of that long-ago pizza.
    Maggie walked Dottie to her door and saw her safely inside. She still wore those sexy-as-hell shoes, and his engine kicked into overdrive.
    When she started back to the car, he called out, “Hey, Red. Got any more food stashed away in that car?”
    Her head swiveled around, hand to her heart. “Geez, Brawley, you could give a girl a heart attack.”
    â€œDidn’t mean to startle you.”
    â€œDidn’t you guys eat tonight?”
    â€œYeah, but we busted butt. I’m starving again.”
    She opened the back door and took out another plate. “You know my mom. She always makes twice as much as we need.”
    â€œI was counting on that.”
    She made to hand him the plate, but he shook his head. “Join me. Hold on a sec.” He zipped upstairs and grabbed two more beers.
    Coming back down, he saw she’d moved to Dottie’s little turquoise table and had unwrapped a taco salad, complete with sour cream and guacamole.
    He handed her a beer, then broke off a piece of the shell and used it to scoop up salad. Mouth full, he mumbled, “Mmmm. Your mom’s one of the best cooks in the county.”
    They sat in the moonlight and devoured the salad.
    She laughed. “Guess I was hungry, too.”
    Their fingers touched, and he linked their hands, held tight when she tried to pull away.
    â€œBrawley—”
    â€œNo, let’s not fight. Not tonight. Give me fifteen minutes under the stars, Maggie. Surely we can manage that.” But he wondered if he could. He wanted, desperately, to kiss her.
    â€œYou ever go swimming at the hole anymore?” he asked.
    When she shook her head, the moonlight glinted off her hair, her earrings. She looked for all the world like a fairy princess.
    â€œNot anymore,” she said. “It’s been years.”
    â€œWanna go?”
    â€œNow?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œYou’re crazy, Brawley.”
    â€œAbout you.”
    Her sigh filled the garden. “I really do have to go. I’m a businesswoman, and I have to be up early.”
    He nodded.
    She stood. “This was nice. Thanks.”
    He took both her hands in his. She swayed toward him, started to kiss his cheek.
    â€œNo.” He met her lips with his. Hunger, raw and deep, ripped through him. He tasted the same emotion on her lips, in her. One kiss led to another and another.
    Breathing hard, she broke away, running her fingers through her hair to push it off her face. “I can’t do this. It was never a question of chemistry. We had that in spades.”
    â€œWe still do.” His voice was husky and ragged.
    â€œI can’t and won’t deny that.”
    â€œCome upstairs with me. Stay the night.” He trailed kisses along her neck, her collarbone. She shivered, and he knew she was close.
    But she put her hands on his arms and pushed away. “I can’t.”
    â€œI know I handled things badly, but how can you hold it against me so long?”
    She didn’t answer. Simply turned to walk away.
    He grabbed her hand and kissed it before she melted into the night, leaving him standing in the dark, wanting more. So much more.
    He wanted to bawl like a baby.

Chapter Seven
    A pesky ray of sunlight caught him square in the