Free Double Jeopardy by Bobby Hutchinson

incredible bonus.
    She was talking an awful lot.
    “You’re talented. They’re lucky to get you.” He had such honest admiration in his voice that she flushed and shrugged. “I tell myself that to keep my confidence up. The truth is, I have some ability, but there are lots of people around with far more talent who never succeed. A lot of it’s being in the right place at the right time.”
    And meeting someone like Maisie Jones .
    “Luck.” He sounded thoughtful now. “I guess plain old luck has a lot to do with success, all right.” He smiled at her again, and the seriousness was gone. “I figure meeting you was lucky, Sera. I might otherwise have gone on living without furniture for the rest of my life. That is, if you think you can steer me toward what this place needs.”
    “I’m sure I can make suggestions. You just have to decide whether it’s what you want.” Something puzzled her. “How come you didn’t just hire a decorator, the way you and your friend did with the house?”
    He shook his head. “Oh, we didn’t hire Belinda. She was an, um, sort of a close personal friend.”
    A lover. Sera speculated about how many women there were in Ben’s past. A long line of them, she’d guess.
    “Anyhow, she offered to do the house for us. Greg was the same as me, not a clue when it came to decorating. But she nearly drove us both to suicide. Fabric samples, carpet samples, paint colors, this kind of look, that kind of look.” He actually shuddered. “By the time she was half done, she and I weren’t speaking and Greg wouldn’t come home if she was there. She finally quit on us, with everything in such a mess we had to do something. So we hired this other decorator. Really tall, middle aged, very solid, a big lady, maybe 350 pounds.” He shook his head, and the horrified expression on his face made Sera laugh outright.
    “She was far worse. She changed the color of the living room three times, she had a carpenter knock out walls, she turned us out of our bedrooms for weeks. We fired her eventually. Drew straws to see which of us had to do it—we were both scared as hell of her—and I lost. Anyhow, we were in an even worse mess than the first time. The next per- son we got was better, but the process was still like having surgery without anesthetic, in my opinion. I wouldn’t ever get myself into that situation again.”
    Sera was still giggling. “What makes you think I won’t be the same?”
    “You won’t be, will you—because you’re not an interior decorator?” There was a hopeful, insanely plaintive note in his voice.
    Sera loved it. Ben was a genuinely nice guy. And sexy as hell with those jeans and big bare feet. Don’t go thinking this is something it isn’t , she cautioned herself sternly. This guy is a mover when it comes to women, way out of your league, more Gemma’s type.
    And a broken heart wasn’t exactly high on her list of priorities. Not that she’d had one since high school; she’d never ventured that far again.
    But he wasn’t breaking her heart at the moment; he was making her laugh, instead. He was doing everything he could to amuse her, to take her mind off Gemma, and she appreciated it. There hadn’t been a whole lot to laugh about since the accident.

    Ben loved the way her smile lit up her whole face. There’d been that amazing electricity upstairs when they’d mutually recognized each other’s sensuality. He’d savored the moment, but he sensed that afterward she was a little on edge, and he wanted her to unwind, to enjoy the evening as much as he was. He’d been so right about her; she was enchanting.
    “Okay, Ms. Cardano, tell me what you think needs doing here. Don’t hold back. I’m a big strong guy. I can handle it. But first—” he reached for her wineglass and refilled it along with his own “—a little anesthetic to dull the pain.” He took a hearty slug, grimacing as if it were medicine. “Better, much better. Now I’m ready.”
    She