Free Your Eyes Don't Lie by Rachel Branton

hair was teased and clipped up on her head, with a few curls escaping, and she was probably wearing makeup because her dark eyes stood out even more. She looked almost otherworldly—and absolutely gorgeous. A lump formed in his throat.
    She seemed unaware of the other dancers, even her partner, her body moving perfectly with the beat. Was the man the father of her child? Or perhaps a date she had no real interest in being with? As he watched, her gaze slid his way and stopped. Her eyes widened in recognition, sending an electric spark through his entire body.
    Tianna chose that moment to speak, stepping closer so he could hear her above the music. “This is the best! We would never have come here without you. I’ve missed you so much.” When he didn’t respond, she followed his gaze. “Who’s that?”
    “I don’t know.”
    She laughed. “Want to meet her? I bet I can arrange it.”
    Dancers moved between them and the woman was lost to his sight. “No. I can handle it.”
    “Whatever.” Tianna laughed again. “Look, there’s Chad. He’s waving. Do you think he’s finally done eating? Come on, let’s go see what he wants.”
    She seized Harrison’s hand and pulled him through the crowd, weaving expertly through the dancers while he had to repeatedly apologize for bumping into someone. So much for protecting her. He glanced back, but the woman from Albertsons was nowhere to be seen.
    I have to question her, he thought, yet he knew it was only an excuse.

Chapter Six
    M akay let the crowd draw her away from the man she had met in the parking lot the day before. Funny that he would be here tonight. Who was the woman with him? She was attractive, but the way he’d stared at Makay . . . no, she wouldn’t allow herself to think about it. She was here to have a good time, and that was all. Tessa had been right about her needing a break. The crowd seemed a little young tonight, but mostly everyone her age did these days. They knew so little about real life. About taking care of a child, putting food on the table . . . and blackmail.
    And the man? She didn’t know what his story was. She didn’t want to know.
    Maybe it was time to leave and pick up Nate instead of letting him spend the night. Tessa and the others would understand, wouldn’t they?
    The music stopped and her partner sidled closer, his hand a little too familiar on the small of her back. He was good looking enough, but she wasn’t attracted to him. “You dance great,” he murmured in a tone that sounded like it belonged in the bedroom.
    “Thanks. You, too.” She waved goodbye and started back to her table before he could ask for her number. Fleetingly, she wished the room was completely empty and that she could dance all by herself without having to worry about a man.
    “Hey,” Tessa’s friend Brette appeared at her side. “Don’t look now, but that guy you just danced with is coming after you. You want to dance with him again, or should we take a trip to the bathroom?”
    “Bathroom,” Makay said. “And why do I suddenly feel like I’m back in high school?”
    “I know.” Brette led her to the restroom, holding the door open for her. “That’s why in general I avoid these places. Still, it’s fun with friends.”
    There was a short line for the toilets but they moved toward a mirror that was open. “How long have you known Tessa and Lily?” Brette asked.
    “About five years. Well, Lily, anyway. I met Tessa later, after she got married.” Makay peered into the mirror. The woman staring back seemed a stranger, a party girl. Not someone who was planning to become an accountant and who picked up a kid at the elementary school every day and whose only adult sleeping partner was a dog.
    Brette leaned forward and passed a tube of lipstick over her already painted mouth. She had thick, straight, beautiful brown hair that was a shade lighter than Makay’s and reached clear to the base of her spine. There was no accent in her