Free Wyne and Song by Donna Michaels

daughter, Harlie, was in Tyler’s class, so he’d exchanged pleasantries with the woman at more than one school function. She was a single parent, too. He felt comfortable around the pretty little blonde and just assumed her friendliness had been because he treated her daughter like one of the team. Now…
    “Ah, hell.”
    Mason cupped his shoulder and grinned. “Face it, bro. You’re irresistible.”
    “Dammit. I don’t want to be.”
    “Then you shouldn’t have had great sex with Phoebe.” His unhelpful brother snickered. “You don’t regret it, do you?”
    “No,” he immediately answered. Not one damn second, expect maybe the fact they didn’t have more of those great seconds. The woman crossed his mind too many times this past month, though. He had yet to figure out a way to make it stop.
    “Then why didn’t you go back last week when Ben invited you along?”
    One of the hardest things he’d ever done was turning down that invitation. Another night with Phoebe would be too dangerous. Too addicting. She made him feel ten feet tall. He wanted to pound his chest every time he brought her pleasure. It wasn’t a stretch to imagine frequent visits. Even thought about using his missing pocket knife as an excuse to drop by her penthouse, which had been the last place he’d remembered having it. But, she could keep the damn thing. He already bought himself another. It wasn’t worth stirring things up over, because even if the actress was game to try a relationship, which he doubted, the bottom line was he didn’t want her in his son’s life.
    Tyler deserved a woman he could rely on, not someone like his mother who’d put her own needs first. His son mattered. No way would he allow Tyler to get attached to a woman who would leave and break his heart. And given Phoebe’s occupation, the star couldn’t physically be there for him. So, no point in visiting.
    Exchanging pleasantries at rare social events would have to suffice. Besides, other than the wedding, he didn’t see that happening anytime soon.
    Realizing his brother was waiting for a reply, he shrugged. “It was a one-time thing. No reason to deliberately meet.”
    “So, chance meetings are fine, but not a planned meet,” Mason said, peculiar smirk on his face.
    “Yes, why?”
    “No reason. Just curious.”
    “Whatever. Aren’t we supposed to meet your fiancée for lunch?” he asked, beyond ready to drop the Phoebe subject. He preferred to think about her, recall their time together when he was alone. “Let’s go eat. I’m starved.”
    Mason nodded, falling into step with him. “Yeah, I hear groping old ladies will do that to a guy. You know, make you work up an appetite.”
    “Bite me.” He scowled, yanking the door open and stepping inside ahead of the grinning jerk. “Don’t come crying to me when you take them on that hike this afternoon.”
    “Shit.” Mason stumbled next to him. “They’re on my hike?”
    “Yep. Enjoy. Maybe wear a cup.”
    Happy to have the upper hand, he smiled all the way to Timber’s, the resort’s bar and grille. Even though the summer season didn’t officially kick off until the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, business was booming. The restaurants were always packed at mealtimes, and judging by the line by the restaurant’s door, today was no different. Damn .
    “Come on. Jill and her friend already grabbed a table,” Mason said, leading the way.
    Friend?
    Ethan cursed under his breath. “I hope you’re not trying to set me up, Mason.”
    “No. Honest. This was just a chance thing. We had nothing to do with it. No idea she was going to be here.”
    “She?” His heart rocked in his chest as he scanned the guests. “She who?”
    “Over here.” Jill waved from a booth by the window. “Look who I found in the lobby?”
    As he neared, he recognized the awareness spreading through his body and didn’t need to see the familiar brown gaze of the gorgeous woman sitting opposite his grinning