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She started up the ladder, every step a careful move She passed the rows of vodka and whiskey, rose above the gin and tequila She stole a look toward the bar Thein whispers, in their oorld She wished she had a sister or someone to talk to Despite the heady freedom of the last year, she had to admit she was lonely She’d pulled into herself and her work, shutting out everyone

Would it be so bad to get hit on? Would it be so horrible to finally give in to a man? She enty-two years old and out on her own There hadn’t been ti to the idea of true love Well, that wasn’t anywhere on the horizon Did she really want to turn another year older without knohat a h, she sounded pathetic She felt pathetic, too

And clu attention The glasses fell out of her hand, crashing to the floor The ladder teetered and she began to lose her balance She groped but had nothing to hang onto She began to fall

Crap She didn’t have the money to pay for an ambulance, and she’d need one for sure after she fell ten feet She shrieked and braced herself for ilass, cut herself wide open, and break so much

She woofed, the air thudding fro ar He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, even more so up close The only one who ht seous face

“What’s your name, baby?”

“Jessa,” she breathed The way he’d called her baby made her shiver

“Well, Jessa You should be more careful,” Cole said

Yep, she should definitely betrouble

The woman was serious trouble Cole knew it the second he laid eyes on her He’d been a nize that a mile away He’d done it first for the Navy, then with his brother privately for a lovely fee This little waitress was the softest, sweetest mess he’d ever had the pleasure to hold

Pure, gorgeous trouble

The firelight illu her crea She took the drink in her hands, still shaking a bit

“Thanks I shouldn’t be drinking” She took a little sip anyway Her face twisted up in the h People pay top dollar for this?”

“Scotch is an acquired taste, but it’ll get rid of the shakes Sip a little”

Burke sank into the couch opposite fro s this, Cole knew Burke had wanted to pounce on the redhead the ht with his cock But they were too close to Delgado right now Sixto meet the et involved with any woreen eyes pulled at him or how sexy her curves were They couldn’t

“I swept away the broken glass Everything is fine now” Burke grabbed his own drink He didn’t struggle with the liquor the way Jessa did Burke could iht and never notice the effects

Thanks,” Jessa said quietly Her attentionto pick apart their differences “I still shouldn’t be dipping into the stock”

“Don’t worry We won’t tell,” Burke said with a wink

Cole had to stop hi his seductive voice He wanted this girl bad

“Tell , sweetheart Why aren’t you at home with your husband?”

“Smooth,” Cole said under his breath One of Burke’s shoulders ca

Jessa’s lips curved up in a smile She held up her left hand “No husband And before you co, no boyfriend either I’m on my own this Christmas My family, well, let’s just say they aren’t exactly in the picture”

Cole didn’t like the sound of that She didn’t look like she could bein one?”

She shook her head “No They don’t approve ofbusiness So they cut ave me a room and a job”

“So you live here?” Cole heard hi He needed to make sure she was okay, then haul his brother upstairs to their rooht and work their way inside her Yeah, that was a solid plan Instead, he found hi closer to her delectable body She would be small in between theainst his chest, her ass cradled against Burke

He glanced at his brother as Jessa talked about her room and the view of Central Park Burke arched a brow Coeous and she’s alone We can take care of her We can ht

And what about toument moments before Jessa had taken a header off that rickety ladder and almost broken her neck Cole had just finished his “we’re-undercover-and-things-could-get-dangerous” spiel when he’d seen her begin to fall He’dthere just in time to catch her

Not that Jessa Wade wasn’t te luscious she made his mouth water She was attractive in a way no woirl That fact was stairl a man dated and cared for Eventually irl a ht She looked so innocent Hell, she would probably run froested it Not that many women truly wanted one Sure they fantasized, but when push came to shove…not so much Then when he added his other proclivities on top of it… Cole winced Definitely not

Of course, he mused as she and Burke chatted, his friend Dex had found a woman to share with his two brothers And they all topped her Hell, he and Burke were practically nor

But that wasn’t the real issue He and his brother were knee-deep in a case involvingsold into sexual slavery

At the et involved in that God, she really didn’t need to get involved with the over her He’d o, and he already wanted to know about her childhood, her favorite foods, and how she’d feel around his cock Too daerous