“Dance with me.” The arms that wrapped around me were strong and just tight enough to make my heart skip a beat. “I saw you watching me.”

Was it the young guy who’d been so confident?

The tall guy leaning against the wall?

The club was so dark that even when the strobe lights flashed it didn’t help me to figure out who was behind me or who I’d been staring at to begin with. I’d gone with vibes over logic, so either of them felt like a good option.

Will trade clean toilets for dirty books.

Well, as far as want ad titles went it was iffy, but I’d thought it’d gotten my point across pretty well when I’d been knee-deep in midnight margaritas. But sober me was starting to question that as I sorted through the responses I’d gotten to the possibly confusing ad.

At least everyone understood I was trading books and not sex.

Everything changed when she left us.

Dad always said that she was taken from us, maybe that was a better way to look at it, but I could never see it that way. She was always so strong and such a fighter, how could anyone have taken her from us? Dad just shrugged and said cancer didn’t always care how hard you fought or how tough you were.

Cancer sucked.

“I don’t like soup.” I sounded like a little complaining that I didn’t want all my food mixed up in broth…but I didn’t want all my food mixed up in broth.

“That’s good to know?” Dante frowned at the takeout container I was holding like he was expecting it to jump out of my hands. “I know that’s probably related to something I should understand, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He really needed to pay more attention to everything else not related to Professor Winslow, his new little and partner.

“Did you need to work tonight?” Micha’s words were casual but there was a hint of don’t bullshit me in his tone.

Fuck.

“Um, no.” Clearly, pretending to have to work late on nights it was supposed to be my turn to pick hadn’t been as subtle as I’d hoped. “I’m done for the weekend.”

“I don’t give a fuck what they told you. I’m not driving down that goddamned mountain in this weather! This is my time and you know it.” His eyes flashed with dark emotions as he stalked toward the porch.

If I thought he was sexy when he was angry, I was smart enough not to show it.

My standing stupidly in the doorway didn’t seem to help his emotional instability. But in my defense, I had no idea what he was talking about and it was incredible to see little Joe all grown up. I shouldn’t have found him hot considering I’d known him since he was five.

But the man standing in front of me only vaguely resembled the little boy he’d once been.

Especially the anger part.

Little Joe had been sweet and almost painfully shy. I could still picture him peeking around the wall by the staircase whenever I would visit his parents’ house. Even as he’d gotten older, he would smile hesitantly before quietly escaping any dinner party his family dragged him to.

“I—”

I didn’t get much out before he cut me off, but it seemed to only make his anger worse. “I’m a part-fucking-owner and this is my week. The goddamned lawyers I had to hire to make sure I got use it cost me a fucking fortune! The rest of the assholes that raised me might have money lying around like toilet paper, but some of us have to work for a goddamned living.”