Forbidden Heat

“What do you do for fun?” Jake asked.

“Oh, um . . . Well, I like reading manga.”

“You mean Japanese comics?” Jake took a bite of his dinner.

“Well, sure, but some of the story lines are very complex and they cover a broad range of story types.”

Trey grinned at her defensiveness. “I know that women dressed in various costumes and uniforms are popular in manga. Is that where you got the idea for the maid outfit?”

Her cheeks stained pink as she nodded.

“What else do you like to do?” Jake asked.

“Well, I play online games. You know . . . where you become a character in a simulated world and interact with other people doing the same thing. It’s really quite fascinating. You can live a whole alternate life there. Be whatever you want. Do whatever you want.”

Trey watched her as she focused on her food while she talked. And by interacting with people online, she could totally avoid interacting with real people. He had a strong feeling she spent most of her spare time hiding from the world, and he doubted she dated much. Yet, she didn’t seem shy about sex.

“Have you had any serious relationships?” Trey asked.

She took a bite of her food, then chewed slowly. “No, not really. I mean, I did date a guy for about eight months once, but his company transferred him to New York and it sort of ended. Mostly I keep it pretty casual.” She shrugged and took a sip of her wine. “I mean, I’ve got my life pretty well set. I don’t really need a man. Except for sex, of course.”

“Of course.” Jake raised an eyebrow at Trey.

Jake seemed to understand as clearly as Trey did that Danielle would not readily let someone into her life, because she would be afraid of depending on that relationship, then possibly losing it and being left all alone again.

“If it’s sex you’re looking for, does that mean these visits could become a regular thing?” Trey asked.

She picked up her burgundy linen napkin and smoothed it across her lap. “Well, would you like them to be?”

How could she sound so doubtful, as if she thought he might tell her no?

Trey glanced at Jake, then back to Danielle. “Absolutely. I think it would be great. How about next weekend you stay at my place?”

The light breeze brushed across Danielle’s cheeks, her hair swirling behind her as she pedaled the borrowed bicycle along the river. The tiny ripples on the surface of the water glittered in the afternoon sun, and the tall trees, the leaves rustling softly, sent dappled sunlight along the smooth gray surface of the bike path.

She had forgotten how beautiful it was here. The combination of the lovely setting and the pleasant heart-pumping activity made her feel vibrantly alive. Her gaze strayed to Trey and Jake riding alongside her, wearing shorts and Tshirts. And the view of hard male muscle and tight buns didn’t hurt either.

As they reached the top of the current rise, the library tower from the university came into vie

w between the trees along the shore, off to their left. Then, through a clearing in the trees, she could see the whole campus laid out below them. The sprawling psychology building, the blocky fortress that was the mathematics and computer science building, the chemistry and biology buildings linked by glass walkways. And new buildings she didn’t recognize.

“Those are the new residences they built about five years ago,” Jake said, noticing her gaze.

She nodded, remembering how difficult it had been for students to find a place to live. Building those residences would have been a godsend to the students here . . . yet the change bothered her. Things had been perfect the way they’d been. Now things had changed.

They continued to ride, the downward slope making it a fast, easy pace. The small blocky forms in the distance grew to life-sized multistoried buildings. They crossed Riverside Road, then past the southernmost parking lot, then along the main path across campus. A few students sat along the small lake—more like a large pond, actually—feeding the ducks. Attendance was light during the summer, she remembered.

“Do you want to go see Hanover House?” Trey asked.

That was where Danielle had shared a residence room with Harmony. Where she had found her first real friend . . . a friend she’d let slip through her fingers as soon as she’d left this place.

“I talked to the administrator last week and he said we could go in and see your old room.”

“I . . . uh . . . don’t know.”

“Why don’t we grab a beer at the pub first?” Jake suggested.

“That sounds like a great idea.” She could use a drink before rousing any more memories from her past.