Chapter One

“Court’s adjourned.” Judge Theresa Fairchild was the legal maestro in this tribunal setting, the gavel her baton, the black robe her formal conducting attire, and while the members of the audience before her weren’t exactly season ticket holders, there were several who had appeared in front of her on repeat occasions.

Once back in the judges’ suite, Tess entered her private chambers and removed her robe. She gave her personal phone a quick glance. Her mood elevated as she touched the screen and listened to the voicemail.

“Fred took the kids to Friday afternoon bowling. They’re home on break and I need a break from their break. I’m here sipping wine, so call me if you get this before I finish the bottle. You’ll be their shero, Wonder Woman, saving dinner. Without the rest of the wine for the marinade, dinner won’t be the chicken marsala I’m supposed to be making.”

Flo had proven herself almost three decades ago as the college roommate Tess had so desperately needed at the time, and they remained best friends.

Tess smiled and pressed Flo’s number. “Hi. I just shed my robe. I take it you didn’t finish the bottle.”

“It was so tempting, much as I love my family,” Flo replied. “Was it the Grim Reaper robe you were shedding? Please tell me it’s some sexy little morning-after number, and you were so preoccupied with a gorgeous woman that you didn’t crawl out of bed until just a bit ago.”

Tess shook her head. Flo never let up. “It’s almost five o’clock, and I’ve been pounding my wooden hammer all day long. My robe is long, black, and formidable, so behave yourself and stay on the right side of the law. Or don’t get caught.” They both chuckled.

Her robe was more than simply stitched cloth. Judge Theresa Fairchild had become damn successful wearing it. She was respected, knowledgeable, and competent when she was on the bench. Unfortunately, the confidence she felt in her professional life didn’t extend to her personal one. And as much as she’d responded as if Flo’s morning-after comment hadn’t bothered her, the reminder of what she was missing in her life stung.

“Well, I know you practically sleep in that robe, but where’s the fun in that?” Then Flo gently added, “I’m one of the few people who know the person wearing that robe. The woman you keep concealed beneath that veneer. The real Tess. She’s pretty badass.”

“The rest of the world might tell you that I have a stick up that part of my anatomy,” Tess replied. “And heaven help me, but you’ve also turned me into a cat lady.”

“The mature feline rescuer who’s almost single-handedly holding the justice system together when she’s not trying to figure out her own life. And not even close to the stoic stalwart she portrays on the bench.”

Who would have thought that flirting with death could make someone a cat lady? Tess skimmed her fingertips across the rough patch of scar tissue below her left clavicle. While she could remind herself that the bullet that had pierced her chest a little over a year ago hadn’t actually physically damaged her heart, it unsettled her that a confrontation with mortality finally had her seriously considering the metaphorical hole that was there. She had started to question what she was missing in her life.

Adopting a couple of middle-aged rescue cats was a step toward stopping Flo’s relentless prodding to start filling that hole. Tess had adopted the feline duo, Thelma and Louise, six months ago. Not that she’d named them—they’d come with those names.

“Don’t push it. Now you’re trying to ruin my reputation.” This was the amusement-injected version of the more serious authoritative tone Tess used on the bench when she wanted to convey that she was in charge and wouldn’t be toyed with. A voice laced with gravity. “I might be a sucker for taking your advice, but that doesn’t give you free rein to slander that hard-won hard-ass reputation.”

Flo chuckled. “Yes, Your Honor. So, what are your plans for the next two weeks? Skydiving in Fiji, African safari, descending into a volcano in Iceland?”

Tess glanced around her office as the reality of the looming vacation break that she now faced became unavoidable.

“None of your business.” Tess didn’t know how to do unplanned time, and she had no specific plans for the downtime she was facing. It was rather intimidating. The Corazon County Superior Courthouse was the world where she was labeled a success, as evidenced by her recent reelection. Well, that was 12,476 voters who didn’t know how badly she ran the rest of her life. She just hoped that this scheduled hiatus would reenergize her and help her regain her equilibrium.

“Now if you were one of my kids, I’d translate none of your business to mean wild and naughty plans, but something tells me you don’t have any.” Flo didn’t wait for an answer. “That’s good.”

Even though Flo couldn’t see her, Tess rolled her eyes. Flo knew that she’d never been someone who would give herself permission to pursue uninhibited passion. Oh, she’d come out as a lesbian decades ago, dated on occasion without achieving a lasting romance, but Tess was pretty sure her reserved demeanor had kept her off most people’s radar. Only Flo and Tess’s aunt, Alice, had always fully accepted who she was.

“Glad to have your approval.” Tess had actually expected a good-natured lecture to her lack of plans.

“Good because Uncle Joe’s cabin at Lake Tahoe is available, and not only is it cat friendly, but it’ll get you out of town.” Joe was Flo’s uncle by marriage, and he shared his cabin with his extended family.

Tess thought about it for a moment. Flo was offering her a last-minute option for these two weeks off. One that meant she didn’t have to figure out Thelma and Louise. One that would offer her a temporary change in environment. She’d spent time at the cabin with Flo, an RN, when she was recuperating from the shooting, so she knew her way around.

With her recent reelection, she had six more years on her judicial calendar, the overworked court was short a judge and waiting for the arrival of a new one appointed until the next election, and Presiding Judge Simon Huffington was Judge Jackass if you didn’t kiss his derriere, an artistry she hadn’t mastered. This break would do her good if she could just capture the right mindset—rejuvenation. Tahoe might help with that.

She closed her eyes and muttered, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

There was silence on the phone, and Tess thought maybe the call had been dropped. She pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the screen. The connection was still good.

Flo finally spoke. “Excellent. There’s hope for you yet. I’ll have Fred drop off the cabin key tomorrow morning on his way to his golf game. When will you leave?”

Tess instructed herself to be decisive, like she was in her professional life. “Tomorrow, so I don’t talk myself out of it.” There was no point in procrastinating. “I’ll try to get out of here between nine and ten o’clock—depending on what I get done tonight and how fast I’m moving in the morning.”

“I’ll email you the protocol for opening up and closing down, so that shouldn’t be an issue. The bedroom you stayed in last time is in the middle of recarpeting and repainting, so it’s not usable, but the primary bedroom has had a complete makeover including a new king-size bed, so it should be good to go for you and the feline sidekicks.”

Tess replied, “Got it. Thelma and Louise won’t complain about that big bed. Perfect for the three of us.”

“You’re committed now. This will be good for you.” Flo’s enthusiasm gushed through the phone. “There’s beach reading, hiking, biking, boat rides, shopping, movies, gambling, miniature golf…You shouldn’t be bored. And maybe those felines will scare off any mouse population in the cabin, so you’re doing me a big favor.”

“Sure I am. Now you’re going to owe me.”

“Go pack. We’ll talk on the phone early next week, and you can call me sooner if you need to.”

“Thanks. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.” Tess never would have admitted that before her injury. Some things changed a person—like imagining your own funeral and who might be in attendance because they’d really miss you.

“You either did something magnificent in a prior existence to be blessed with me in your life, or something so bad it warrants all these decades of my torturing you.”

“Don’t give me too much credit, but I’ll take the magnificent,” Tess replied.

They both laughed as they ended the call. Tess thought how good it felt as she stood there alone in her office. She wanted to laugh more.

v

Bree O’Brian managed to open one eye in her effort to glance in the direction of all that persistent banging this morning. Falling asleep last night hadn’t been easy. Her mind wouldn’t shut down. She was on the cusp of leaving her old life behind as she started a new one. She was facing a new job in this new city, and as the start date approached, her anxiety about all the change was increasing.

It could only be her brother, Hank, because Rachelle didn’t approach any door in that impatient battering ram style, and sixteen-year-old Gabby was at a sleepover. Bree allowed a chuckle to escape. Style—not usually used in reference to her older brother. Okay, Hank knew how to finesse a situation if he deemed it necessary, but with her, he preferred falling back into their sibling dynamic—teasing, pushing, poking, unrestrained. And the bottom line, deep caring.

“Go away.”

“Is TP in there with you?” Hank couldn’t hide the bullshit in his voice to save his life. And sharing forty years of his life with her had made Bree an expert at reading him. Looking for TP was just an excuse to check on her.

“If The Purrfessor was in here with me, he’d be under the bed if he has an ounce of feline survival instinct. No respectable fight-or-flight creature would pass up flight with you out there offering maximum acoustic annoyance.”

“Are you decent? Can I come in?”

“Would a double No stop you?”

The door swung open, followed by Hank’s entrance with TP. It might currently be her space, but it was Hank and Rachelle’s guest room.

She gave Hank her severest admonishing look, then also offered The Purrfessor one for his role as an accomplice. Hank shrugged, and the cat couldn’t have cared less.

Bree knew she’d have her own place soon. It had been almost a week since she’d vacated the house in LA that she’d rented after her marriage had ended. She’d spent months contemplating her future and decided that one priority was to be closer to Hank and Rachelle and Gabby. Now she was waiting on a small rental house a few blocks away.

Eighteen long months had followed the challenging end of her marriage. At least challenging for her heart and her ego, and the instigating reason she’d sought and welcomed this relocation. Cora had happily moved on to her next relationship. That she’d been Cora’s third wife should have been a clue, but she’d been so busy ascending to partner in her LA law practice, defending the accused, that it hadn’t dawned on her that Cora wasn’t the committed wife Bree had assumed.

Bree had learned her lesson. There was no woman worth derailing her future. Cora had almost done that with what she’d put Bree through, and Bree certainly wasn’t interested in repeating that mistake. She wasn’t sure if her badly bruised heart would ever allow her to reconsider another deep relationship. Besides, she had more than enough on her plate with the move and the new judgeship. This was her new life and she had to make it work.

“Hear ye, hear ye. All rise.” Hank’s booming pronouncement was followed by a grin. Bree had no doubt this Saturday morning wake-up call was designed to precede some brilliant utterance that was intended to make her day. Well, the rest of her day—it was almost noon.

“I was thinking…” Hank hesitated, so Bree knew he was figuring out his approach so that he could better present his case. What was he going to promote now?

“That’s a good start,” Bree said. “And…?”

“You’ve still got a few weeks before you start that big new job that will make us all proud—dispensing justice to the world.” Hank placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest in a comical manner, obviously orchestrated to entertain her, but then he grew serious. “Rachelle and I’ve noticed that it’s causing you some stress, so maybe you’d like to use the Tahoe cabin to get away for a bit, decompress. The one that belongs to Rachelle’s dad. You know, rather than hang around here and sleep until noon because you’re bored silly with TP, Rachelle, Gabby, and me.”

“You should give TP, Rachelle, and Gabby more credit.” Bree tried to stifle a yawn while she considered his offer. Then she softened her tone. “Thanks. You’re a great big brother.”

“Here’s the key. Go spend a week or so up there before the job starts. When you get back, I’ll help you haul all your crap from my garage to your new place.” Hank smiled as he set the key on the table next to the bed.

Bree lay there and considered. She couldn’t take up residence in the house she’d rented here in Corazon Cove for another week and a half, and then she’d have another four or five days to settle in before her job started. Sitting here reviewing her past mistakes and future challenges wouldn’t make that time pass any faster.

The key was on a ring with a metal charm that hung from a short chain. Bree picked it up and noticed the charm was in the shape of the lake. TP jumped onto the mattress and headbutted her before he started to knead the comforter. He continued to work the fabric and purr as she climbed out of bed and gathered up her dirty clothes to wash.

She could see no reason not to head north as soon as she was organized. She wouldn’t arrive at Tahoe until late tonight, but she could be sitting lakeside this weekend. A little time to herself to relax before all the new adjustments would be good. This was a chance to leave behind the stagnant life that she’d been living since the divorce. A chance to start making new memories.

Chapter Two

Tess sat up and tried to orient herself. The cats had just awakened her when they’d suddenly jumped off the bed. She was at Flo’s Tahoe cabin. God, a memory of the last time she’d been in this bed flashed through her mind—when she was recovering from the gunshot wound. She touched the scar, then remembered that it had healed, and she was here now for some vacation time. The bedside clock declared it was fifteen minutes until midnight.

Tess relaxed back into the mattress, but then she heard the noise that must have alerted the cats. Someone was out in the great room area. Her heart leapt into her throat. She’d spent too many years in the criminal courtroom, exposed to the stories that grew out of situations like this, not to be alarmed.

Tess looked for a weapon. The lamp would be unwieldy and was plugged in behind the bed. She finally settled on a three-foot two-by-four that had been tucked behind the bedroom door. She hoisted it over her shoulder and crept out toward the unfamiliar noise. As she approached, Tess could hear talking.

“Well, aren’t you a beauty. And look here, you’ve got a pal. But what are you two up to, bumming it out here in the wilderness?” The voice was female, warm-toned in an alto timbre, with a hint of delight infused in her initial reaction to the cats before concern slipped in when she thought they might be abandoned.

Tess stood and took in the intruder. Dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. Flawless skin. Clear blue eyes. Full lips that held Tess’s attention for too long. Fortyish. And a nice build in tight jeans and an ivory-hued sweater she filled out more than adequately as she leaned down to pet Louise. She certainly didn’t have the appearance or demeanor of someone who had broken in.

The gray tabby had no reservations. Louise leaned into the encroacher’s legs and pushed against the stroke of her hand as Thelma waited her turn. Tess decided to accept the cats’ lead that the trespasser wasn’t a significant felonious threat. She cleared her throat.

The woman jerked up straight, and her startled eyes studied Tess in confusion. Clearly, they didn’t know each other. Tess suspected her own presentation offered an interesting mix of elements to be deciphered by the midnight prowler. She was barefoot and wore sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt. She’d cleansed her face of all makeup, and her hair hung loose. But probably most intimidating was the wooden weapon slung over her shoulder.

After she reflected on the disheveled image she certainly portrayed, a flash of rebellious humor mixed with memories of constant maternal admonishment hit Tess—her deceased mother would be mortified. She’d raised Tess to never be caught with her pants down, which translated to mean perfection. Never be less than fully presentable. Never—not even in a cabin in the woods on vacation in the middle of the night with an unexpected stranger. Well, she wasn’t exactly on vacation with a stranger. Just with two cats that she doubted her mother would have approved of either.

“Breaking and entering is a crime.” Tess cocked an eyebrow as she stood her ground.

“Only if that’s what a person actually did. Is that what you did?” There was a discernible touch of amusement mixed with a challenge in the intruder’s eyes. Extremely attractive eyes that sparked with vitality as they engaged Tess.

Tess looked away for a moment. She needed to hide the flicker of unwelcome interest she felt. That dance with death had knocked her off her game, threatened the carefully constructed persona that protected her. It was the persona she employed with almost everyone. Especially people she didn’t know.

Tess gazed back. The woman seemed to have concluded that Tess posed no physical danger, even with the two-by-four, but she obviously hadn’t fully accepted that Tess belonged here either.

“I have a key,” Tess informed her. “Do you?”

The woman reached into her jeans pocket and extracted a key on a ring with a Lake Tahoe shaped charm. And the door certainly didn’t look like it had been damaged. If this wasn’t a break-in, what had Flo done? Was this a case of Flo’s extended family mistakenly oversharing the cabin, or maybe it was Flo trying do some matchmaking. Tess wouldn’t put it past her. She needed some answers.

“Who do you think owns this place?” the intruder asked.

“My friend’s husband. It belongs to his Uncle Joe. You obviously didn’t break in. But entering is still a potential charge. How do you plead to that?” Tess was almost enjoying herself, but she wasn’t going to let on.

The woman rolled her eyes. “Guilty as sin. I’m standing right here inside, aren’t I?”

“And who gave you the key?” Tess heard herself sounding like the prosecutor she once was. She’d retired that voice for her more neutral judicial tone over six years ago when she’d been elected to the bench and accepted impartiality in place of advocating for clients. She needed to remain open-minded, even if this woman threw her off her game. But she had a right to be wary, she reminded herself. They’d never caught the scumbag who’d shot her.

“I’m Bree. My sister-in-law, Rachelle…her father owns the place. Joe. Your turn to present your defense.” Bree had the audacity to smirk.

“Flo—she’s my best friend…” Tess wasn’t going to tell her that Flo was her only true friend, aside from her aunt. “As I said, the cabin belongs to her husband’s uncle. So I’d say the evidence suggests that maybe it’s the same Joe. Unless you just made up this sister-in-law’s dad, Joe, after I mentioned Flo’s husband’s Uncle Joe.” Tess kicked herself for so thoughtlessly having given up that piece of information. The woman was disconcerting.

Bree, her name was Bree.

“You’ve either got trust issues or the pathology of a prosecutor, just looking for whatever scenario will support your position. I’d like to suggest that maybe my sister-in-law and your friend failed to communicate.” Bree stared at her.

Bree was likely correct about the lack of communication because it all made sense. But that other comment irritated Tess. “Do you have an issue with lawyers?”

Okay, while she wasn’t going to admit it openly, Tess had to silently concede that sometimes prosecutors could come across as rather ardent in the execution of their duties. She’d like to think of it as simply focused on the mission they’d been charged with accomplishing. From her current position, she knew that the roles of both the prosecution and defense were essential in a credible justice system.

Bree muttered, “Do I have an issue with lawyers? No, just with someone who passes judgment without all the facts.”

“I was trying to establish those facts.” Tess tamped down her rising aggravation and schooled the signs of annoyance that she knew had seeped into her demeanor back to a show of calm. She was practiced in not revealing her feelings, and she needed to employ that proficiency now. Even if this Bree person did have a point, Tess didn’t need to let her get under her skin, and she certainly didn’t need to reveal her own emotions. It was only with Flo and her aunt that Tess allowed herself the luxury of being the unrestrained Tess. Most everyone else saw some version of the tightly managed guardedness of Theresa Fairchild.

And yet here she was, for some reason letting Bree, someone she’d never met before, push all her buttons. She didn’t know why. She’d have to blame the late hour and the shock of the intrusion.

It was after midnight now. Louise yawned and then followed Thelma back into the bedroom. Tess watched the two felines. Bree’s story made sense. Besides, she was a fairly decent judge of character. The most likely scenario made both of them victims. But hell no, she didn’t want to share the cabin with some contentious stranger. Even if Bree was undeniably beautiful.

She could lock the bedroom door, and she had a three-foot stick of lumber. Tess also had a couple of way-too-friendly watch cats…and the hope that because she’d dodged death once, she’d make it through the night.

“It’s really late. I’m exhausted. I have the only bed, and I’m not relinquishing it.” Tess tried to sound as no-nonsense as she could muster. “You can leave or sleep on the couch.” She didn’t want there to be any leeway for bedroom negotiations.

Bree looked over at the couch, and Tess followed her gaze. It was ancient. The orangish fabric was severely worn in spots, white filler showed along places in the piping, but worst of all, the topography of each of the three seat cushions undulated in a fashion that could be reduced to the descriptive term lumpy. Extremely lumpy. Definitely a candidate for replacement.

Bree turned back to Tess. “And tomorrow night—will it be your turn for the couch, princess?” She raised her eyebrows.

Princess. Tess couldn’t decide whether to laugh out loud or be totally offended. Boundaries were being bulldozed that hadn’t been crossed in decades, if ever. She needed to keep whatever escalation Bree was causing to both her temper and her libido out of her tone. “I’m no princess. How about queen bee to you?” Tess clenched her jaw. Had she really just said that? She couldn’t let Bree get to her. She had no intention of relinquishing her claim to the bed. She cleared her throat. “It’s Tess.”

Bree studied her and finally nodded. “See you in the morning then…Tess. But maybe I’ll still call you Your Majesty.”

Bree winked at her, and Tess silently swore. The obnoxious woman had a sexy wink. She turned away so that Bree wouldn’t see the heat she was feeling, and it wasn’t temper. She was going to have a difficult time falling back to sleep.

v

When Bree squinted toward the sound of movement in the kitchen, she silently cursed herself for having gone from Hank’s mediocre guest room bed to this ancient, backbreaking excuse for a couch—certainly not a substitute for a decent horizontal surface that wouldn’t wreck her spine. She forced herself to a sitting position with a loud groan that brought the two cats jumping up next to her. Tess was about twenty feet away and eyed her from the kitchen.

“And you had the audacity to call me a princess when it sounds like it’s the princess and the pea over there,” Tess said.

If Tess’s morning voice wasn’t so rich and throaty, Bree would have had a few choice words for her. Instead, the aroma of coffee and something freshly baked had her focused on her stomach instead of the pain in her lower back. She’d been driving and skipped dinner last night.

“Nocturnal incontinence? You’ve got to be kidding me.” Bree put some growl into her indignation. She knew that Tess had not meant p-e-e, but it had been a bad night and the easiest target for her lack of sleep was the person who’d claimed the only decent bed in the place.

The flash of mirth in Tess’s eyes gave away her apparent well-schooled mask of indifference. The queen bee was not nearly as frosty as she tried to appear, and she was just as attractive this morning as she’d been last night.

“I’d say princess is still a good fit for you with all that moaning and groaning. I’m talking Hans Christian Andersen and one uncooked p-e-a under a huge stack of mattresses—the true test of a princess,” Tess replied.

“I’d have settled for a single decent mattress. Now I’d settle for a cup of coffee.” Bree leaned forward and forced herself to muster a hopeful smile. She was desperate for caffeine.

“You want it doctored?” Tess asked. “The coffee, not your delicate anatomy. Just to clarify.” Tess didn’t quite manage to suppress her levity, even though she was still doing a decent job of maintaining a straight face.

Bree decided to enjoy this hint of a lighter version of Tess after their rather heated exchange last night. There was no reason to cause Tess to adopt a less congenial attitude if they were stuck here together for this next week, so she ignored the delicate anatomy comment and focused on getting that cup of caffeine. She’d been trying to cut her bad habits but now wasn’t the time to suffer any more than she already was.

“Cream would be great.”

“I’ve only got oat milk. Organic.”

“Of course you do,” Bree mumbled before she raised her voice. “That sounds perfect.” The mug was handed to her a few moments later.

“I’d have milked a cow if I’d known you were going to crash my vacation.” There was that same hint of humor that Tess couldn’t quite suppress, even though she seemed to be trying.

Bree chuckled as she took in her caffeine supplier’s amused hazel eyes and appreciated that her long blond hair was unconstrained, and she was still makeup free. She was a sexy, mature woman who undoubtedly had a history that played into that rather contained regal demeanor. Bree might as well try to enjoy herself if she was stuck sharing the cabin with her for the next week.

“You don’t strike me as a farm girl.” Bree injected a touch of reciprocal tease into her tone.

“The only way I’m like a farm girl is, as a teen, I might have tried to sneak off to the hayloft with a girlfriend—metaphorically,” Tess quipped before she swallowed hard and froze as she took measure of Bree’s reaction.

Bree’s pulse escalated at Tess’s indication that she wasn’t straight as Tess turned a lovely shade of pink. She liked that Tess didn’t seem to be an experienced, unrestrained flirt, just the opposite of Cora.

“Are you always this entertaining in the morning?” Bree gave her a grin. Then she watched Tess blink a few times and shake her head. It was clear that Tess wasn’t comfortable being this relaxed around someone she didn’t know well. Bree didn’t want to ruin the mood further, so she changed the subject. “Are those muffins up for grabs?”

“Come over to the table. Would you like an egg too?” Tess’s side of the conversation was now delivered in a solemn tone. Even a bit guarded.

Her shift in demeanor signaled that Tess had retreated into herself. Bree made note not to tease when Tess wasn’t censoring herself. She was obviously sensitive about it, as if she had an image that she felt a need to project.

“I’d love one, if an egg’s not too much effort.” Bree headed to the table. They sat in silence while Tess finished preparing and plating the food. “When did you arrive?”

“Yesterday.” Tess took the chair across from Bree.

“And how long are you planning to stay?”

“The plan is two weeks.” Tess kept her answers succinct and her focus on her plate. She cleared her throat. “I called Flo earlier this morning. She confirmed that this”—Tess looked up and gestured between the two of them—“was a failure of communication.”

Bree nodded. Tess didn’t ask about Bree’s plans, so Bree decided to volunteer them. “I’m here for about a week, until next Saturday. I’m originally from LA, but I’m starting a new job and—”

Tess held up her hand, palm out in a halt fashion. “Look, I’m here to get away from it all.” She blew out a prolonged sigh and waved her hand toward the window, indicating what was outside beyond the cabin. “Let’s make a deal if we’re stuck spending a week together here. The world’s baggage will be there when we each return to our separate lives. How about no outside world discussion and no other personal life info?” Then Tess added, “And no last names, so there’s no temptation to google. I’m simply Tess. You’re simply Bree. Let’s just enjoy the here and now. That would be the best time I could ask for under the circumstances.”

Bree thought about it. This woman wanted to leave everything except Tahoe behind for a while. Bree could appreciate that. She looked at Tess and nodded.

“You’ve got a deal. It’s just you and me for this week. And those two.” Bree tilted her head toward the cats. “I’m here for the same reason, to get away from it all, to leave my own real-world baggage behind for a little while too. Afterward, we go our separate ways, so there’s no reason not to relax and just be yourself.” Then she decided to offer a corollary—she wasn’t going to let Tess make all the rules. “What happens in Tahoe stays in Tahoe.”

Although she’d suggested it, Bree had no intention of needing that rule. Her heart was in no place to pursue anything with a stranger.

Tess raised her eyebrows, but she also nodded in agreement. “That’s a given, but it’ll only be boring on my end. It’s just me and my book going to the beach today.”

“Well, that kind of deviant activity certainly sounds like it needs to stay in Tahoe, and it also sounds like an invitation to join you. And I bet the sand will be more comfortable for a nap than the couch.”

Tess was a challenge, but Bree had witnessed the entertaining woman buried beneath the layers. She’d seen the hints. And hadn’t she just decided there was no reason not to enjoy this week? They were going back to their separate lives after this.

“Well, I’d hate to be accused of denying you your beauty sleep.” The corners of Tess’s mouth offered an upward tilt that she was clearly trying to restrain.

“I think you’d miss me if I didn’t come too.” Bree leaned down and set the last of her egg in front of the cats in order to conceal her own smile.

“Undoubtedly,” Tess dryly replied.

“Well, now that you’ve twisted my arm, let me do the dishes because you cooked. Then I’ll get ready.”

Bree hoped that Tess’s willingness to have her come along meant this next week had a chance of being fun and not simply an escape from the boredom of Hank and Rachelle’s place. Bree just needed to find the best level of interaction with Tess that wouldn’t push her into that guarded persona.

Tess carried her empty plate and mug to the sink. “I’ll feed the ladies a little fish pâté and pack some food for our lunch.”

“Don’t forget to wear your bikini.” She probably shouldn’t tease Tess at all, but Bree couldn’t resist. She was learning that Tess could give it back if she’d just relax and let herself.

Tess gave her a hard look for a long moment, then shrugged as her lips twitched. “Oh, darn. I forgot to bring it, and I don’t think skinny-dipping’s allowed.” Tess drawled her response, and Bree smiled to herself. That was the side of Tess that she wanted to spend the week with.

Chapter Three

“So, are you denying yourself, or are you holding out until the prawns arrive?” Bree shoved the basket of bread across the restaurant table toward Tess. The day at the beach had proven fun. More fun than Tess could remember in ages, and now they were sharing dinner.

“Maybe a slice, but I’m partial to prawns. I rarely cook them at home because I don’t spend much time in the kitchen, but if I did, it would escalate the bonding with those two felines to a level that would make us conjoined triplets—they’d be glued to me.” Tess winced internally and hoped Bree didn’t ask questions about her cooking habits. She focused on buttering her slice of bread and took a bite.

“You cook a mean egg and make a wicked cucumber and tomato sandwich. No complaints from me.” Bree’s eyes were warm and sincere.

“I’ve got the feeling it wouldn’t be hard to please you when you’re hungry.” Tess took a second bite.

“Nobody’s ever accused me of being a challenge in the dining room.”

Tess wasn’t going to ask her about what room she might have been a challenge in. Bree was already igniting a dormant spark with just the comment. Tess finished her last bite of bread and then took a sip of wine so she wouldn’t have to look at her. There seemed to be no censoring the thoughts she was having. She usually didn’t have trouble maintaining better control. “Maybe I’ll have another slice of that bread. Delicious.”

Bree gave her an amused smile, as if she knew what Tess was thinking. “Why not? It’s vacation. No reason to deny ourselves.” She reached for a second slice too.

Yes, the day at the beach had been an excellent first full day of her break—relaxing, but not boring. Bree was great company, a good swimmer, and was in admirable physical shape. Tess had been living in a state of controlled personal interactions for a long time, but that didn’t mean that Bree, laughing and bantering in her swimsuit, hadn’t flared Tess’s suppressed feelings to life. She hadn’t felt this kind of desire for someone specific in a long time, not just physical, but the stirrings of something more.

Tess wasn’t sure what to think of this shift in herself. It lifted her spirits for the moment, and it depressed her when she looked ahead because Bree was just temporary, as was this entire stepping away from her real life.

Tess could let it upset her, or she could just enjoy the moment, let Bree fill the emptiness for the time being. There was no point in not having a good time this next week—she’d come here for that. She’d deal with any repercussions later, but how bad could they be? It was only seven days.

“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Bree interrupted Tess’s ruminations.

“Have you ever been out on the lake in a paddlewheel boat? It’s heavenly—just water, mountains, and sky.”

“Is this an official inclusion of me in your plans?” Bree gave her an exaggerated eyebrow lift.

Tess took a moment. She hadn’t done this in a long time, whatever this was. “I could manage to make that work.” She made a point of adding a little huff so it would sound like she was making a huge sacrifice while she fought to suppress any sign of the shot of pleasure she felt. “If you insist.”

Bree waited, damn her. She was going to make Tess beg, and Tess wasn’t sure she could. Bree watched her until Tess finally decided to attempt a stab at lighthearted.

“Okay. You’re a good swimmer. I saw that today. Maybe you should come in case the boat goes down and I need to be rescued.” Well, suggestions of sinking weren’t exactly lighthearted, but hopefully, Bree could tell from her tone she was making an effort.

Bree nodded. “So in case the boat sinks and you’re drowning? I’m not going to tell you I was a lifeguard for a few summers because that would be against our rules.” Bree’s azure eyes danced with a playful sparkle. “Instead, I’ll tell you that I’m very good at mouth-to-mouth.”

Tess hadn’t flirted in so long. She thought about it and decided Flo would be cheering her on. She was on vacation. She liked Bree. She wouldn’t ever see her again after this week. “Well in that case, maybe I should hope for an enemy torpedo attack or a misplaced hurricane.”

Bree laughed. “I’d settle for a Poseidon Adventure–style rogue wave. And with the odds of any of those being pretty low up here in the mountains, I’m on board for the boat ride.” She glanced at Tess. “Thanks, Tess. I think it’ll be fun.”

Tess saw the server coming and changed the subject so she wouldn’t think about masterful lips pressing against her own and resurrecting her dismal personal life to something more exhilarating. Or the kind of follow-up that activity might inspire.

“Here come my prawns and your salmon. And I’m having dessert after, just in case you want to save room for something decadent.” Tess refocused the conversation on their food.

“And I was thinking about saving a bit of my fish to bring your cats over to this cabin crasher’s dark side.”

“Corrupting that pair isn’t allowed. They’ve got to put up with old boring me after this vacation.” Tess fell silent. She didn’t want to talk about Thelma and Louise’s daily life back home.

“Well then, no salmon. No dark side.” Bree gave Tess a rather disappointed look.

“Okay. No tears. Let those cats love you. But I just might have to rename them Darth and Vader, although I suppose the original Thelma and Louise had a few indisputable dark side qualities.”

“You know, you’re okay.” Bree’s smile was sincere.

“High praise.” Tess might be teasing, but she realized she really valued Bree’s approval. “So, are you planning on a dessert too?”

“Nope.” Tess felt the disappointment start to drop her mood, but before it took hold, Bree shook her head. “Relax. We’re just figuring this out.”

Tess wasn’t sure if she meant the two of them, or dessert.

“Let’s back up,” Bree continued. “The nope is because I’d like to share two desserts. You pick one and I’ll pick one. And if we can’t finish them, we’ll take the leftovers with us.”

Tess nodded. She wanted to see what they each ordered, to share those choices with Bree.

“Our constraints have made this interesting. A challenge when you barely know someone, although I’m not complaining because I suspect I’m seeing more of the real Tess this way. The one I really like.” Bree smiled at her.

Tess took her first bite of her prawns, just so Bree wouldn’t see how much that pleased her. Not the sharing of desserts, although she liked that idea. It was the fact that Bree liked her, the Tess not cloaked beneath the dark robe she wore most of the time.

v

As the weather would have it, it was Friday before they were finally on the M.S. Dixie II paddlewheel dinner cruise. The weather had been rainy or overcast the last few days, and blue skies hadn’t been expected until today, so Bree and Tess had shopped and gambled and gone to a movie and even played miniature golf midweek under a cloudy sky.

As the week had unfolded, it became clear to Bree that Tess was attracted to her—the long looks with an unconsciously licked lower lip, the conscious brushing of hands. Bree was leaving tomorrow—a Saturday departure had always been the plan for her. She knew she needed to get on with her life. But Bree couldn’t help the undeniable draw she felt to Tess, who’d continued to reveal the smart, funny, sexy woman she was as she continued to relax with Bree, even if she did enjoy pretending Bree had intruded on her vacation. The warmth in her eyes suggested she didn’t mind at all.

Bree didn’t want to think about how Tess had grown on her, or how she’d probably never see her again. What happened in Tahoe stayed in Tahoe. They’d be done when she left tomorrow. Their initial guidelines had made it clear that this was a limited encounter, and Bree reminded herself that was actually for the best. She had a new life waiting with so much to focus on, and that didn’t include a new relationship, at least not yet. She had an old one to try to put behind her. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy Tess in the time they had left.

Last evening, they’d held hands and watched movies while they sat on the comfort-challenged couch. The chemistry between them was undeniable. Bree had never been someone to casually sleep around just for the sake of sex, but Tess was no longer a stranger. Tess was someone she felt a strong connection to.

Bree had had the distinct feeling that Tess would have shared a bed with her last night if she’d pushed it. But she wanted it to be Tess’s move if that was going to happen. Bree didn’t want to leave Tess with regrets, and Tess had said good night after the movie and headed to her room.

“Shall we go out on the boat deck and see if any stars are out yet before we reach the dock?” Tess set down her fork.

After they’d watched the early evening light glitter across the water’s surface, they’d come inside to the dining room. They’d split an order of the pan-seared chicken breast served with steamed broccoli and roasted red peppers along with an order of potstickers before they’d shared a slice of the New York cheesecake. This was their last dinner together, and Bree didn’t doubt that Tess was as aware of that fact as she was. The boat was now headed in the direction of the shore.

They finished and walked back out to the deck and over to the starboard guardrail with fingers intertwined. The horizon glowed golden beneath the darkening blue as the sun sank below the skyline.

“It’s beautiful,” Bree said.

Tess slipped behind her and extended an arm on each side of Bree as she grasped the guardrail. Tess’s full breasts pressed against her shoulder blades, and Bree was gently fenced in.

“You’re beautiful,” Tess whispered into her ear while she pressed her front into Bree’s back. Bree breathed in deeply the unique citrus vanilla fragrance that drifted forward. She wouldn’t forget the scent of Tess.

“Look who’s talking.” Bree pushed her ass back against Tess’s pelvis, a first fully intimate encounter that felt like they’d practiced it to perfection. Bree gripped the railing tightly in order to remain steady with the exquisite rush of ache and heat and pulsing want. There was no denying her body’s desire for Tess.

“Oh my gosh. I think we were just hit by that torpedo.” Tess’s voice was low and suggestive as she rocked forward into Bree.

“Good thing you brought me along.” Bree chuckled as her mouth-to-mouth promise resurfaced. “But I have to say, I think it’s friendly fire.” She pushed harder against Tess and felt the pressure of Tess responding.

“Yes, a very good thing.” Tess turned Bree around, and her hungry eyes searched Bree’s. “I think I’m drowning.”

The world shrank to the space between their mouths. Bree nodded and then savored the soft meeting of their lips as they closed that space. Tess’s were soft and warm, and Bree sucked Tess’s lower lip into her mouth before releasing it so their tongues could meet and explore and taste.

The water, the sky, the steady splash of the paddlewheel faded away as Bree worked her kisses down Tess’s throat, placing them over the pounding pulse she could detect under the smooth skin. Her own chest rose and fell at an accelerated rate. Her breasts brushed against Tess’s with each draw of her breath, and Bree wanted to feel the full weight of Tess against the length of her body. The mounting demands of desire settled between her legs and threatened to undo her on the spot.

“I want to go from mouth-to-mouth to full body compressions, but I rather doubt the queen bee would want a public lewdness charge on Her Majesty’s record.”

Bree marveled at how close they’d become since Tess’s first queen bee declaration—that first morning encounter when she’d seriously considered that Tess might be cold. Definitely not, at least not with her, but Tess was certainly a complex woman who Bree only knew in this temporary setting—knew defined as only what she’d experienced under their Tahoe constraints, although she suspected those guidelines might have liberated a Tess others didn’t know.

Tess laughed as she raised Bree’s face and planted butterfly kisses along her jawline. The exploration continued until an older gentleman cleared his throat and offered them a knowing look.

“When I first called you princess, I wasn’t thinking fairy-tale romance.” Tess stepped back and gently turned Bree so she could stand by Tess’s side and watch the sunset too.

Still connected by paired palms, they shared the thrum of their hearts’ extended beats across the pressed flesh of their wrists. That would have to be enough for now, but Bree would welcome more. As if Tess was reading her mind, she offered Bree a final whisper before they docked.

“Maybe the ‘Princess and the Pea’ sleeping accommodations should be turned over to the cats tonight.”

“You want to add two outlaw felines to my bad couch misery?” Bree faked a gasp.

Tess offered a noncommittal shrug, but the gleam in her eyes gave her away. “I was considering that maybe I could be the one who tortures you.”

“Well, in that case…”

v

The nerves chattered away in Tess’s head on the car ride back to the cabin. Those nerves reminded her that she hadn’t been with a woman in way too long and maybe she wouldn’t measure up to Bree’s expectations, but her need for this woman—not just any woman—drowned out her apprehension. She had even nervously assured Bree that she was clear of sexually transmissible diseases in a rather embarrassing declaration, and to her relief, Bree had nodded and responded, “Me too.”

When she entered the front door behind Bree, Tess left those killjoy concerns outside. She didn’t want to face how much she liked Bree, someone she’d considered an intrusive stranger not long ago, so she wouldn’t, except to embrace tonight as the gift it was.

The feline duo vacated the bedroom for the feast that Tess quickly offered them in the kitchen. “You girls get the dilapidated davenport tonight.”

Bree smiled as Tess threw caution to the wind. Bree held out her hand, and Tess took it as they walked together to the bedroom. The deep low throb escalated between Tess’s legs, and she felt the wetness of anticipation. When they reached the room, those darkened indigo eyes consumed her while Bree waited patiently for her to make the first move toward creating a memory that Tess knew wouldn’t remain in Tahoe.

Tess would carry their lovemaking home and treasure it on those lonely nights she knew were coming. She had no right to change the rules now and declare that she wanted more. She’d return home and undoubtedly pine for the person that Bree had enticed her into becoming when they were together. She had no clue who Bree was in the real world, and Bree had no clue about her. But tonight…

“Tess.” Her name fell from Bree’s lips in a low moan, part question and part plea. Her name had never sounded this intoxicating before. The acknowledgment that Bree desperately wanted her launched Tess’s heart rate into a pounding pulse she felt all the way to her toes, to say nothing of the escalation of the throbbing need in her lower abdomen.

She took Bree’s face in her hands and answered, silencing that plea with her mouth. She slipped her hand to the waistband of Bree’s slacks and guided her backward to the mattress but stopped before Bree ended up recumbent on the bedding. Bree’s erratic breathing and dilated eyes told her everything she needed to know, but she wanted to hear it from Bree.

“This is the point of no return, before I strip away those clothes and have you the way I want you. I’m sure, but are you?” In fact, Tess was rather shocked at how sure she was. And it was more than her hormones speaking—that was shocking too.

“Yes. I want this part of our…” Bree obviously didn’t have that final descriptor for what they’d had. Neither did Tess.

The finality of what was going to be left behind in Tahoe hurt. But Tess wanted this memory for the long nights ahead.

“I never thought we’d…” Tess let her voice trail off too, the husk a mix of lament and lust.

“I know, Tess. Me too. But I can either go home and try to imagine making love to you, or I can go home and know just how magnificent it really was.” Bree reached behind Tess’s head and freed the loose bun she’d worn today, and then she ran her fingers through Tess’s hair.

“No pressure, huh?” Tess started to lift Bree’s sweater, making sure her knuckles softly brushed smooth skin as she worked the fabric up to the lower edge of that silken undergarment covering Bree’s full breasts, and then above. She leaned in and gently worked the aroused nipples through the black bra’s fabric before she helped Bree remove and discard the sweater.

Tess would have sworn that her heart skipped several beats as she took in the beauty of the woman. She reached around, unfastened the bra, and slipped the garment off. Bree’s full upper body was on display and delectable. Before Tess could touch the tempting flesh the way she wanted to, Bree quickly unbuttoned Tess’s shirt and spun her around. She slipped the top off Tess’s arms and freed her of her bra too. Then she turned Tess once again, so they faced each other.

As Bree visually examined Tess, her brow furrowed and she reached out and touched Tess’s chest scar, then widened her eyes in question. Tess hesitated, afraid Bree would find her undesirable. She hadn’t been with a woman since well before the shooting, and that had been minimally satisfying. Now she bore the puckered pink blemish. It had only bothered Tess before as a reminder of the attack and her close call with death, but now it was a physical imperfection when Tess wished she could be undamaged for Bree. At least on the outside.

As if reading her mind, Bree leaned in, gently touched, then kissed the superficial reminder of the deeper wound. “You’re perfect. I just hate that you were hurt. What happ—”

Before Bree could finish asking, Tess interceded. “This”—Tess pointed at the mark—“has nothing to do with Tahoe. No baggage tonight, okay?”

She gave Bree a look she hoped conveyed her desire to simply continue what they’d been doing, to stick to their guidelines. Tess didn’t want to discuss the unsolved shooting in the courthouse parking lot, or the resulting aftermath of self-assessment. Tonight was about this moment with Bree. Making a memory with Bree, before they said goodbye, because Bree wasn’t asking for more. And Tess wouldn’t put herself in that position, a situation vulnerable to rejection. They had an agreement.

Bree reached out again, but this time she gently swept her hand from Tess’s smooth throat down between her breasts and lower, stopping short of the molten fire smoldering between Tess’s thighs. Tess let out her breath in relief, then leaned in to take the peak of Bree’s breast into her mouth, her tongue torturing that erect nipple.

Tess guided Bree back onto the mattress and finished undressing her. Her entire body hummed with craving as she looked at the gorgeous naked woman waiting on the bed. Bree pulled Tess down beside her, and Tess cooperated as Bree liberated her from the last of her clothing too.

Tess hadn’t done this in too long, but her body hadn’t forgotten. Strong and skilled fingers began to take Tess apart. They circled Tess’s nipples before gently squeezing them, one at a time, then slowly grazed a trail down her abdomen.

She’d never wanted any of her occasional sexual partners the way she wanted Bree. But as she savored every moment, the low whisper of guilt hummed in response to her taking the recipient’s role when her intention had been to stroke Bree to a rapture she wouldn’t soon forget.

Bree read her mood shift. “Shh. I’ll get my turn. But I’m going to enjoy the hell out of tonight, and that means making sure you do too.” Bree gave Tess a wry look. “I’m going to treat you like royalty. Let’s get on with this coronation. You just lie back, queen bee.”

“God, a pushy princess.” Tess bit her lip against the laugh that threatened.

With that, she felt Bree’s fingers trail down between her thighs, then slow dance at the saturated junction of her legs. Bree’s hand finally slipped into the welcoming wetness of her folds as her hips rose and fell in search of the passion Bree wielded in her fingertips.

“So good,” Tess managed to whisper as she tried to arch into Bree’s caresses. “Did they teach you this in lifeguard school too?”

“Top of my class,” Bree purred as she watched Tess. “I’d start the chest compressions, but I need to take your pulse.” Bree’s slide into Tess’s aroused and ready heat made their surroundings unimportant—it wouldn’t have mattered if they’d been on that lumpy couch, or the forest floor, or—heaven forbid—even that paddleboat deck.

“Mmm. So wet. I need to take another reading.” Bree fed the grind of Tess’s hips with a dip of her head and a feasting of her tongue that had Tess afraid she was going to be eaten alive, then afraid she wasn’t.

“Is this about saving me or killing me? Not that it matters…as long as you don’t stop.” Tess fought to catch her breath as the slow sinful kiss of Bree’s mouth drove her wild, but Bree didn’t slow down as she stirred the simmering need at Tess’s center with an erotic vacillation between gentle savoring and exquisite devouring.

Tess indulged in the climb that Bree was orchestrating, the sparks-to-flame waves of scorching passion her body craved. But what struck her was not simply a new spark of feeling, but a growing mature flame of emotion that she knew she would carry back to Corazon Cove.

“You’re going to make me—” Tess gasped in response to the mounting storm as Bree worked her magic. “I’m drowning.”

“Shh. That’s the goal.” Bree destroyed Tess with an expert swirling touch that fueled Tess’s desire. Tess reacted to the deep sensations that took her arching and rocking body closer and closer to the precipice, that drove her to the edge of no return, until they finally pushed her into the inferno that Bree had ignited.

Tess’s surrender peaked from the tender tissue where Bree’s fingers had launched this firestorm before her lips and tongue had filled and stroked Tess’s body into one clenching spasm after another. Every muscle contracted as completion washed through her. Tess luxuriated in the blaze as it slowly receded. No woman had ever made her come so hard.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Tess.”

Tess was still working to get her gasps under control. “Oh my God, best coronation…crowning…ever.” Tess had never been touched this way before, by someone who had put Tess’s pleasure before her own.

Bree embraced her while Tess closed her eyes and savored the moment. She savored not just her sated body, but the splendor of a week that admittedly included so many exceptional moments that had led to this literal climax of the time they had shared. But Tess wasn’t done.

First, she had to focus on her breathing, slow the rapid pace of her lungs as they accompanied her hammering heart in the aftermath of this physical act she might have labeled as just sex—exemplary sex—but she acknowledged there was more. A great deal more. An emotional component that certainly encroached on the territory of lovemaking. As soon as Tess had her respiration under control, she shifted to blanket Bree, not to dominate but to close the space between them, to share the intimacy of flesh pressed to flesh.

“Now it’s your turn for my turn,” she whispered into Bree’s ear. “Hang on because I’m going to give you a night to remember.”

And then with their lengths linked front to front, Tess started with Bree’s ears, moved to her soft and swollen lips, and progressed to savor the salt on her neck and then inhale the last of the day’s lingering floral fragrance.

“You smell and taste so good.” Tess couldn’t believe she was sharing this bed with the woman she’d accused of breaking and entering a week ago. She didn’t want to think that she wouldn’t have the chance to do this again with Bree, but if this was all she got before she had to go back to her life, then she was going to give and take all she could before she had to walk away.

When she was ready to move on down Bree’s nude body, Tess captured Bree’s breast in her mouth, then continued the torture she’d initiated before Bree had taken charge. She sucked and licked the other breast before she shifted her attention lower, down Bree’s abdomen toward her final destination. Through those dark curls to Bree’s waiting wet heat.

“I need you,” Bree groaned as her rising and falling hips communicated her quest for more from Tess.

Tess paused. I need you. What Tess needed was to keep those words in perspective, but they felt profound, even if uttered in the throes of this outstanding sexual encounter. Maybe because they expressed what she was beginning to feel, and not merely in a physical sense. Her heart was becoming involved, and that thought scared the bejesus out of her—she pushed it aside. She didn’t want to entertain the thought that she could walk away from this with new baggage.

She spread Bree’s legs and slowly slipped her fingers into Bree. She set a rhythm that had Bree hungrily riding her hand as she pumped and massaged Bree’s walls, finding a rhythm and pressure that set Bree into slow, sexy moans.

“Your mouth…if it’s okay…with you…please.” The moans had turned to pleading, all interrupted by irregular breathing.

These were the sounds of shared passion that Tess knew she would look back on—the night she’d shared with Bree.

“How could I turn down a request like that?” Tess lowered her mouth but raised her eyes so she could witness the fulfillment of meeting Bree’s need.

“Never happier to be a princess,” Bree managed.

Tongue stroke after stroke swept Bree toward the summit. Tess communicated a silent but skilled pronouncement of escalation with the addition of her thumb circling the engorged arousal waiting at the entrance to Bree’s passage.

Tess did not let up but continued to glance at Bree as she ascended to new heights with each thrust and touch. Tess did not look away as she watched Bree climb until she finally let go, as she watched her lover pass beyond the point of no return and into the abyss of ecstasy—as she witnessed this moment of pure pleasure create a permanent memory of their night together. A night that she would never be able to leave here in Tahoe.