Free Hometown Girl by Robin Kaye

dastardly plan. I want you as addicted to me as I am to you.”
    “I think it’s working. You’re like a drug. I can’t seem to get enough of you.” No one had ever made her feel so much—so vulnerable yet so safe. So unsure of their relationship, but then when he wrapped his arms around her, she knew in her heart that with him was where she belonged. She kissed him and hooked her legs around his hips. “Protection?”
    “Got it covered.” He stared into her eyes as he joined his body to hers. “I’ve just been waiting for you to wake up.”
    “I’ve been waiting for you forever.”
    “We’re together now. I want to be with you and I’m not going anywhere.”
    Elyse looked away, bit her lip to keep from asking him to promise, and settled on praying what he said was true.
    She’d always thought she’d been in love with Simon, but she never knew love could be like this. And now that she knew how it felt, she couldn’t imagine losing what they had, what they could have, what she’d always dreamed of having with Simon. She had to tell him, for her own sake if not for his. She’d tell him tonight before dinner.
    She put all that in the back of her mind and just concentrated on making love to Simon. All the while ignoring the premonition that this would be the last time he’d look at her the way he did right at that moment. He held her gaze, his so open, so full of love, so giving, it shattered her ability to distance herself. He drew her up and sent her flying, almost against her will. She wanted to make this last forever, and it was over all too soon.
    She curled against him while listening to his heartbeat slow to a normal level as his hand traced her spine.
    “Are you okay? You seem a little down.”
    “I’m fine.” She forced a smile and looked at him. He wasn’t buying it. “Okay, I just don’t want this morning to end. I have to get up and go to work.” At least that was the truth. She dragged herself out of bed. “I need to get going.”
    Simon stood and put his arms around her. “Okay, you shower and I’ll fix breakfast, because if I join you, you’ll definitely be late for work—if you make it at all.”
    The smell of bacon frying greeted Elyse when she stepped out of the bedroom. She followed her nose to the kitchen, and Simon met her with a kiss and a cup of coffee.
    “I hope you like scrambled eggs.” He dished them out and set them on the table while she found his silverware drawer and got the utensils.
    Simon sat and she checked the table before turning back to the refrigerator—she always put mayonnaise on her scrambled eggs. She had a thing for deviled eggs, and, well, if you added mayo and mixed it all up, it was the next best thing. She sat down, put a dollop of mayo on her eggs, and started mixing.
    * * *
    Simon took a sip of his coffee and watched Fitz in his kitchen. She fit there. She looked great with her feet tucked under her, so domestic, so casual, mashing mayo into her eggs. He’d only known one person who did that—his kid sister’s best friend, Elyse.
    His blood froze. Thawed. Then boiled. “Trouble?”
    Her hand stilled, and guilty eyes met his.
    With great care he set his cup on the Formica table and stood slowly, his knees catching the chair. The sound of the legs scraping the floor shattered the companionable silence, and he stepped back until his ass hit the counter. “You.” His breath came out in harsh gasps.
    Elyse dropped her fork, splattering mayonnaise across the table. She had that patented the-jig-is-up look he’d remembered seeing so often when she and his sister had been caught in one of their nefarious pranks—usually aimed at him.
    “Simon. I can explain.” She raised her chin, her face white, and stood slowly like an arthritic old woman.
    He held up his hand to stop her. “Was this another prank you and Mel dreamed up? Is that what this was? You thought it would be great to trick me into taking your virginity. Was that guy Dave in on