Free 0373659504 (R) by Brenda Harlen Page A

protection had never crossed his mind because he’d been thinking about Avery and being inside Avery and that was all that had mattered. And then, to learn that she’d consciously decided not to take the morning-after pill—a decision that had potential consequences for both of them—without even talking to him, had made him furious.
    He didn’t have an issue with her choice, just with her complete and total disregard of his thoughts and feelings. She’d deliberately cut him out of the process—as if he wouldn’t care. As if he’d walk away from his own child. That was what had pissed him off.
    But now the possibility and the panic were past. Avery wasn’t pregnant. There was no baby and no future for them together. And eight days after their conversation in the cafeteria, he decided it was time to stop obsessing about the woman who didn’t want him and enjoy the company of one who did.
    He decided to take Heather up on her offer of dinner followed by drinks at a popular club. While they were out, she flirted with him outrageously and rubbed up against him on the dance floor, and Justin found himself wondering why he wasn’t tempted. She was offering him a good time without any strings, and he could really use the distraction of a simple fling to help him forget about the impossible woman who was stuck in his mind.
    But when he’d walked Heather to her door, she’d put her arms around him and pressed her mouth to his, and he’d felt disgusted. Not with the young nurse but with himself, that he’d considered—for even half a minute—using her to help him forget about Avery. That was one thing he’d never done. He enjoyed women—their company and companionship—but he didn’t use them.
    So he’d quickly extricated himself from Heather’s embrace, thanked her for an enjoyable evening and walked away.
    The next day, wanting to ensure there was no repetition of the same scene, he decided to seek out some male camaraderie instead. With his younger brother in Florida and his older brother dealing with his own issues, he headed over to the headquarters of Garrett Furniture to see if anyone was around. He found Nathan in the CFO’s office.
    “Where’s Allison?” he asked, having noted that the desk outside his cousin’s office—usually occupied by Nate’s wife, who was also his administrative assistant—was vacant.
    “Dylan had a dentist appointment so she took off early.”
    “You dock her pay for the missed time?”
    “Nah—she makes it up with sexual favors.”
    Justin winced. “I don’t need to know things like that.”
    Nathan laughed. “Maybe you do. Maybe you need to realize that being with one woman—the right woman—night after night is far more satisfying than being with a different woman every night.”
    “I’m not with a different woman every night,” he denied.
    “That’s true—some nights you’re working.”
    “And to think that I came to you for advice.”
    Nathan leaned back in his chair and crossed his feet on the edge of his desk. “You did? This oughta be interesting.”
    “I had a date last night,” Justin admitted.
    “See point above,” his cousin noted drily.
    “Her name’s Heather,” he continued, ignoring Nate’s sarcasm. “She’s a nurse. Young, attractive and apparently willing to get naked with me.”
    “So far I’m not seeing why you need my advice.”
    “Because at the end of the evening, I said goodbye at her door and walked away.”
    His cousin’s brows lifted. “Now that is a surprise.”
    “Do you think there’s something wrong with me?”
    To his credit, Nate didn’t offer a flippant reply but took a minute to consider the question. “I think,” he eventually said, “that you’re finally growing up and realizing that you want something more substantial than a short-term fling, which you’re never going to find if you keep dating women who worship the ground you walk on.”
    “Avery would more likely spit on the ground I walk