He frowned. “Don’t change the subject.”
She smiled and repeated her questions.
“I like Bo. A lot. I would never use her.”
The statement was a pointed one, but the funny thing was, she didn’t feel used. Maybe a little apprehensive and scared because she didn’t know how Mark would treat her come Monday morning. But not used.
“When did you get home?” Bo asked as she walked from her bedroom tying a robe around her waist.
“A few minutes ago.” Bo opened her mouth, and Chelsea held up one hand. “Mark has six bedrooms. I picked one.” Which was true. She’d picked his.
“I thought he was Mr. Bressler,” Jules reminded her.
Chelsea shrugged. Her attention was focused on her sister as Bo poured herself a cup of coffee. Bo slowly raised her gaze to Jules, and a little smile pushed up the corners of her lips. Jules saw it too and he returned her smile. Last night had been more than just sex for the two of them. More than mutual satisfaction.
Chelsea stood. Suddenly all the reg‹nlyret she thought she’d feel came crashing in on her, but it wasn’t the regret she expected. She didn’t regret spending the night with Mark Bressler. No, her regret was that he would never look at her like Jules looked at Bo.
“I’m going back to bed,” she said, and made her way down the hall. The apprehension she’d felt a few moments ago bumped up a notch. What would she say to him Monday morning? And would he return to his usual MO and ignore her?
She didn’t have to wait until Monday to find out. Mark called her at noon. She was sound asleep but she knew it was him before she opened her eyes. Not because she was psychic, but because of his special ringtone.
“Where are you?” he asked. The sound of his voice settled in her chest and made her feel kind of fuzzy and warm.
“I’m in bed.”
“How long will it take you to get ready?”
She sat up. “To do what?”
“Drive to Issaquah.”
“Why would I drive to Issaquah?”
“I want to look at that house up there. You’re coming with me.”
Typical of him not to even ask. “It’s my day off.”
“So?”
“So ask.”
He sighed, and she could almost feel the touch of his breath on her ear. “Chelsea, would you please come with me to Issaquah?”
She swung her feet over the side of the bed. “To see the house I showed you last month?”
“Yes. Is it still on the market?”
“I don’t know. Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
He laughed. “’Cause I wanted you to show me more houses.”
That really made no sense.
“Can you be ready in half an hour?”
She thought of her sister and Jules. “Give me an hour and meet me out front.” She didn’t want her sister or Jules to see her take off with the man she worked for, but she needn’t have worried. By the time she got out of the shower, her sister and Jules were gone.
Chelsea dressed strictly for comfort in a blue ankle skirt and a peasant blouse. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and slid her feet into a pair of jeweled flip-flops. As she shut the apartment door behind her, Mark’s Mercedes pulled into the complex, gleaming beneath the afternoon sun. He parked in a space directly in front of Chelsea, and the car door swung open. One big hand grasped the frame and he stood. He moved toward her, back to wearing his