Free New and…Improved? & Andrew in Excess by Jill Shalvis Page A

to know him?
    How many had he let know him?
    He clasped his arms around his knees, ignored the shaft of pain in his ankle and stared into the most amazing night he’d seen in a while. “I grew up with my mother, she worked at one of the lower-class hotels. Cleaning, cooking, whatever kind of work she could find, when she could find it. I never knew my father, she said she didn’t, either.”
    â€œIt must have been rough,” she said quietly.
    Rough about summed it up, but he shrugged.“We lived day to day, sometimes with her friends, sometimes out of her car. I hated it then, and I hate remembering it now.”
    Her gaze was luminous, filled with the compassion he didn’t want, and other things he did want. “You’ve come so far, done so much for yourself. It’s a miracle.”
    â€œFor a street rat, yeah.”
    â€œSummer and I grew up here in Incline, and had a house right on the lake. We had a tennis court, an indoor swimming pool, servants, everything we could want.”
    â€œSounds nice.”
    â€œEverything except parents.” She smiled when he looked at her. “They traveled extensively, they were rarely home. Sometimes I used to have nightmares that they’d forgotten us, that they’d never come home again. We’d worry about what would happen if the servants ran out of money, if they’d take off and just leave us alone to fend for ourselves.”
    He shook his head, angry for the two helpless, little children they’d been. “What happened?”
    â€œOne day my parents really didn’t come home. Their plane crashed somewhere in Europe, where they’d been vacationing.”
    â€œBecca…God. What a nightmare.”
    She shrugged. “I’d just turned eighteen. Summer was only sixteen, but they let her stay with me because I’d always been so—” She broke off, let out a self-deprecating smile. “Good. Responsible. We turned out fine,” she said softly.
    Fine. There was that word she so resented, and he thought now, finally, he could really understand why. “So…we’re both fine?”
    With a smile, she turned to him. “Yeah.” Her humor faded a bit as she held his gaze, replaced with nerves and awe and something else, something he couldn’t quite name. “Actually, I feel very fine right now,” she whispered. “Right here, with you.”
    She was pressed to his side, held there by his own arm. He could feel the heat of her skin beneath her clothes. Her hair smelled wonderful and he shifted just a bit closer still, more relaxed and comfortable than he could remember ever being.
    He considered kissing her senseless, he knew he could do it. Considered taking that adventure right now. It’d be incredible, with only the sounds of the water and the moonlight for company.
    Making his move, he slowly drew her in his arms and looked at her mouth, which trembled open.
    He leaned closer, all sorts of hot thoughts tumbling though his head. Hot thoughts and light—
    Light?
    Bright, glaring light. “What the—” Turning, he shielded Becca.
    A cop stood there, wielding his flashlight. He sighed, loudly, at the sight of them. “You guys are too old for this necking at the lake stuff,” he said grumpily. “Take it to a hotel, will ya?”

8
    â€œI DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO write you up,” the cop said when neither of them moved.
    Becca let out a laugh at that. She clamped her hand over her mouth and blinked her huge eyes up at the officer.
    â€œEverything okay?” he asked her, frowning, shining the light in her face for a moment. She nodded, but he didn’t relax. “Let me see your identification please,” he said to Kent, who inwardly groaned, but reached into his pocket.
    â€œYou wouldn’t believe the evening we’ve had,” Becca told him.
    â€œTry me.”
    â€œWell, first Kent hurt his ankle trying