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Chapter One

Marcus Sullivan was a o he’d left his brother’s engageht for the belly of San Francisco’s seedy Mission district Dance h that the croaiting in line were already dancing

Leather and piercings, tattoos and fluorescent hair weren’t part of Marcus’s usual crowd But the h their noses and eyebrows looked happy, at least

Marcus was planning on being a hell of a lot happier in a couple of hours

He walked past the long line and despite the fact that he earing a suit and tie, the bouncer took one look at him and opened up the latch on the rope to let hih he didn’t often use his size to inti whatever tools he had at his disposal when he needed theh the black doorway into the crowded club, but the loudhis thoughts

That wasn’t why he was here He wasn’t here to forget what he’d seen

No, he didn’t want to forget, wouldn’t let hiain

Marcus was here to o, he’d ht at a charity event her fir As soon as he’d set eyes on her cool blonde beauty, he knew he’d found thepuzzle piece in his otherell-ordered life In Jill, he’d seen his future: e, kids, Estate dinners at his winery with the perfect wife by his side

Only, as he’d learned that afternoon, it hadn’t been perfect at all

Marcus could heareven as he turned his key in the lock to Jill’s apartment It could have been a movie turned up too loud for the dirty parts, but Marcus knew better--had known better forhonest with hiirlfriend’s apart louder with every step he took

"Oooh, that’s it! Right there! Just like that!"

Jill had always been a screamer in bed, but he’d never realized just how false it sounded until nohen he was getting a taste of her show frohtened into fists as he turned through her kitchen and headed down the hall to her o asked her to move up to Napa to live at his winery with him, but she’d always had a reason to put it off The latest was that her current apartment was a rare find barely a block away fro company with its frequent 4:40 am wake-up calls She told him he could stay over whenever he wanted

Marcus had never felt at ho a cold shade of white, htest touch But he’d wanted a future with her and he’d assu

How many weekends had he come to the city to see Jill when it suited her? How ed his entire schedule on less than a moment’s notice to be there for her when she needed him?