Reese gave a smooth laugh. “You must have never gone fishing with the right woman. Leah could handle just—” He stopped suddenly, then said. “Oh, hell, dammit to three degrees. I promised myself that I wouldn’t mention her name, much less think about her this weekend. She’s not worth the effort.”

Bas shook his head. “Evidently she is. What has it been? Five years? And you’re still carrying a torch? That was some kind of love.”

Reese’s hand tightened on the steering wheel. It would be useless to deny he was still carrying a torch. “Yeah, and she didn’t deserve any of it.”

“Seems you haven’t convinced your heart of that yet. See you around, buddy.”

Moments later Bas entered the cabin he had purchased with his brothers’ blessings as investment property for the Steele Corporation. Reese, Morgan and Donovan had helped him to move in Friday afternoon then they had left to go fishing Saturday morning.

He couldn’t help but ponder the fact that Reese was still in love with a woman who had torn out his heart and stomped on it. Bas was damn grateful he had never been in love. Even when he was engaged to Cassandra, he’d liked her, been fond of her, but not once did he think he loved her. Their marriage would have been a sort of business arrangement. With thirty staring her in the face, she wanted a husband who could keep her in the lifestyle she was accustomed to, and he’d wanted a proper lady who was refined as well as beautiful. What he hadn’t been looking for but what he’d found in Cassandra had also been snobbery to a degree he just couldn’t tolerate.

A half hour later, after taking a very relaxing shower, Bas walked out of the bathroom. Wrapped in a towel, not yet ready to put on any clothes, he crossed the room to look out the window, liking the view. Mountains in the distance and a small stream out back provided a picturesque scene. This could be a place he, his brothers or cousins could use when they just wanted to get away. Privacy was golden sometimes, and everybody needed it on occasion.

When he’d told Ms. Sadie that he had purchased the cabin and would be moving, she had smiled and made him promise to eat properly. But he had a feeling she would continue to show up at the office at lunch time with a fruit basket for him. In a way he looked forward to her visits, even realizing he actually enjoyed eating fruit.

After a few moments, Bas suddenly felt antsy and considered driving to the office to work on more files, but he quickly decided against it. This had been a relaxing weekend, and he didn’t want to spoil it. He couldn’t help the smile that touched his lips at that moment. He had been glad to see Morgan and Donovan, although he would never admit it to them. And Reese had been the perfect host. The four of them had fished to their hearts’ content, drunk as much beer as their bellies could hold and talked about anything and everything…except women. They hadn’t had much time to think of women, either.

But now, back in the privacy of his little place, Bas’s mind was once again filled with thoughts of Jocelyn. He couldn’t help wondering what she was doing. Had she thought of him any this weekend? Was the kiss they’d shared a few nights ago still seared on her brain the same way it was on his?

His lips quirked. There was only one way to find out. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her. Damn, he needed to kiss her again. He grinned. This was the first time he’d ever gotten addicted to a woman’s taste and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do about it other than feed his habit.

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“So you’re Sebastian Steele.”

Bas nodded. If the woman who’d opened the door to him was Leah Mason, then he could understand why after five years Reese hadn’t been able to eradicate her from his heart. She was a woman a man wouldn’t be able to forget easily. But then so was her sister.

“Yes, I’m Sebastian and you’re Leah, right?”

“Yes, I’m Leah. I’m glad I finally got to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Bas refused to throw out the cliché “all good I hope,” since he knew if it came from Jocelyn that would not have been the case. “And I’m glad I finally got to meet you,” he said slipping his hands into his pockets. “I was wondering if Jocelyn is home.”




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