Until We Touch. Susan Mallery

can sure see how that would change things. Even if it’s not true, you’re suddenly aware of everything happening with Jack. It’s awkward.” She reached for a brownie. “Unless you are in love with him.”

      Larissa grabbed a brownie for herself. “I’m not. I swear. I like Jack. He’s a great guy. But like isn’t love.”

      “He’s very sexy. Is that the problem? It’s not love, but something more...earthy?” Bailey smiled. “I’m trying to be subtle. It’s not my greatest strength.”

      “I can see that.” Larissa considered the question. “Do I want to have sex with Jack?”

      “You did kiss him and sex is nice.”

      Larissa stared at her. “Wow. Do you want to have sex with Jack?”

      Bailey had just taken a bite of her brownie. She shook her head as she chewed. When she swallowed, she said, “No, he’s all yours. It’s just sometimes having a warm body in the bed can be really great.”

      Larissa remembered that Bailey’s husband had been killed in Afghanistan. While it had been over a year ago, she was sure the memories of the loss were still fresh.

      “Is there someone else you want to sleep with?” she asked quietly.

      “We’re not here to talk about me,” Bailey reminded her. “You’re the one who showed up and announced the kiss. Speaking of which, how did you leave things with him?”

      Larissa took a sip of her wine. She was going to need more than a glass to forget that particular memory. “I ran.”

      “As in...”

      “I just took off. Yeah, not my finest hour. I didn’t know what to say. We’re not supposed to kiss. We’re friends. I depend on him to be there for me.”

      “Doesn’t kissing mean he’s totally there?”

      Despite everything, Larissa smiled. “Now you’re making me feel better and I’m not sure that’s allowed.” The smile faded. “This is so crazy.”

      “Why?” Bailey asked. “You work in really close quarters with three hunky guys who run around naked.”

      The smile returned. “They don’t run around naked.”

      “Practically. I’ve heard the stories of meetings in the steam room. Taryn talks about it. Plus, you give them massages. I think the real surprise is that it took so long for one of them to come to his senses and kiss you.”

      “Why do you say it like that?”

      Bailey sighed dramatically. “Have you seen yourself? You’re this tall, leggy blonde with big blue eyes and a tiny butt. It’s discouraging for the rest of us.”

      The description was so at odds with how Larissa viewed herself that she wanted to turn and see if there was someone standing behind her.

      “I’m boring and normal,” Larissa pointed out. “I wear yoga pants all the time and never bother with makeup.”

      “Yoga pants that show off your perfection. I, on the other hand, am carrying around twenty-five extra pounds.” She reached for another brownie. “Pounds I have accepted as a permanent part of my life.”

      Larissa looked at her friend. Bailey was a beautiful redhead with lush curves and a sexy twinkle in her green eyes. She would imagine most of the single men in town were trying to figure out how to get her attention.

      “You’re sweet, but I’m not all that,” she said.

      “Uh-huh. We could take a survey.” Bailey tilted her head. “Unless you are secretly in love with Jack.”

      Larissa finished her glass of wine and reached for the bottle. “I’m so not and I swear, next time I see her, I’m going to kill my mother.”

      Bailey smiled. “Unlikely.”

      “I know.” She sighed. “So what do I do about the kiss?”

      Bailey considered the question. “What do you want to do about it?”

      “Pretend it never happened.”

      “That sounds like a plan to me.”

      * * *

      WHILE KENNY HANDLED company-wide staff meetings, Taryn was firmly in charge of partner meetings. Both of which happened far too often for Jack’s peace of mind. Did they really all need to know what the other was doing? Apparently so, which was why he found himself sitting in Taryn’s office, listening to her go on about the status of various client projects.

      Normally he found this kind of thing interesting, but not today. Not when he was wrestling with the fact that he and Larissa had kissed. What the hell? He wasn’t even sure how it had happened. One second they’d been joking and talking like always and the next she’d looked at him with an expression he’d never seen before. Okay, he’d seen it before, but not from her. And not like that.

      She’d wanted him. That had been clear. And being wanted by Larissa had been irresistible. Of course, he’d been dealing with his own crap about the erection, so maybe she’d seen something in him that had triggered her feelings and that had led to the kiss.

      He tried to tell himself it was just a kiss; only, could it be just that where Larissa was concerned? As far as he knew, she was careful about who she kissed. Which meant what?

      Crap. It was all crap. And if his mind kept running in circles like some damned hamster on a wheel, he was probably going to turn into a woman.

      “Jack,” Taryn said, her voice cool. “Do you mind joining us for the meeting today?”

      He looked up, startled. “What?”

      His business partner glared at him. “You’re somewhere else. Do you care to share with the rest of the class? There’s obviously a problem.”

      They all knew? How was that possible?

      Kenny sniggered. “Jack got a boner during his massage yesterday. It freaked him out.”

      Jack nearly corrected him by saying the real problem was the kiss, but stopped himself in time.

      Taryn rolled her eyes. “Seriously? That’s what has you distracted? It can’t be the first time it’s happened.”

      “Not in life,” Jack said stiffly. “You would know that personally.”

      She drew in a breath, obviously trying to be patient. “Yes, I’m aware that sexually, you’re a functioning male. If only it were true in the rest of your world. I was saying I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before during a massage.”

      “I don’t get a boner when I get a massage,” Sam said.

      Taryn barely spared him a glance. “No one here is shocked by that.”

      “Hey, what does that mean?”

      Taryn’s grip on her papers tightened. She looked at Sam. “That you have extraordinary powers of control, Sam.”

      “Oh. Okay. I accept that.”

      “It happens to me all the time,” Kenny admitted cheerfully. “I’m naked. She’s touching me. It’s nice.”

      “And the road from nice to boner is less than three seconds?” Taryn asked.

      Kenny grinned unapologetically. “Sue me.”

      Taryn turned to Jack. “Did you talk to Larissa about it?”

      “Yes. We’re fine. Let’s change the subject.”

      “Fine by me.” She sighed. “I find you all desperately annoying. You know that, right?”

      Sam grinned. “It’s what keeps us going.”

      * * *

      PATIENCE GARRETT HURRIED toward