The Secret Life Of Bryan. Lori Foster
IT DIDN’T MAKE ANY SENSE
He was a damn good bounty hunter because, despite the sob stories he always heard, he could stay untouched. He had a keen sense of right and wrong, of his own terms of justice, and he never confused the issues.
At the moment, he was lost in confusion.
He knew only one way to make women feel better, but he doubted that would work in this instance.
Then she turned her face up to him, drawing in a slow, shuddering breath. Her gaze was soft and liquid, her lips open.
And somehow, despite his intelligence and cynicism, despite his loyalty to his brother and everything he knew to be right and wrong, he let her kiss him.
And damn it, he even kissed her back.
Lori Foster’s Books
Too Much Temptation
Never Too Much
Unexpected
Say No To Joe?
The Secret Life of Bryan
When Bruce Met Cyn
Just a Hint—Clint
Jamie
Murphy’s Law
Jude’s Law
Anthologies
All Through the Night
I Brake for Bad Boys
Bad Boys on Board
I Love Bad Boys
Jingle Bell Rock
Bad Boys to Go
I’m Your Santa
A Very Merry Christmas
Bad Boys of Summer
When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys
The Night Before Christmas
Star Quality
Perfect for the Beach
Bad Boys in Black Tie
Truth or Dare
The Watson Brothers
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
The Secret Life of Bryan
Lori Foster
ZEBRA BOOKS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
To Barb, Patti, and Morgan.
Good people, good friends,
and obviously, good sports.
Happy hooking!
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2004 by Lori Foster
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
First Brava Books Trade Paperback Printing: March 2004
First Zebra Books Mass-Market Paperback Printing: October 2009
ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-4949-4
ISBN-10: 1-4201-4949-0
ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-1288-7 (eBook)
ISBN-10: 1-4201-1288-0 (eBook)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Printed in the United States of America
Chapter One
“Nasty, nasty weather.”
Shay Sommers sent her best friend, Dawn, an impatient look. She’d been commenting on the weather for the past ten minutes. Probably her idea of a subtle hint to go. The weather was furious, but then, so was Shay. And she wasn’t ready to leave. Not by a long shot.
Dawn pushed back her chipped coffee cup and got right to the point. “Come on, Shay. It’s getting dark outside. And I’m cold. There’s no point in hanging out here any longer. Leigh’s on her way to the clinic, and you know Dr. Martin will take good care of her.”
“Of course she will.”
“Shay,” she said, dragging her name out. “The guy is long gone.”
“Probably.” Shay drummed her fingers on the scarred countertop. “You should go. Make sure Leigh is taken care of. Tell Eve to send the bill to me. I’ll check in with you later.”
Dawn’s deep black eyes narrowed. “And what will you do in the meantime? Hang around here all night, terrorizing the neighborhood with your frowns? Plotting revenge?”
No answer was answer enough.
Dawn groaned. “Damn it, Shay. She’ll be all right now, thanks to you. At least she’ll be better than she would have been if you hadn’t decided to take up this project.”
Shay made a sound of disgust. “Project.” Her fingers continued to drum and her frown grew fierce. “It always seems like such a ridiculous word when it’s applied to real people.”
Dawn squeezed Shay’s hand, and her voice gentled. “I know you want to help, Shay. But you can only do so much.”
“It’s