Shadows At Sunset by Anne Stuart Page B

Jilly. Apparently Rachel-Ann wasn’t too conversant with the aspects of monogamy and loyalty, at least when she was drinking.
    Still, it might slow her down a little. And it would give him an excuse to keep his distance from both Dean and his older sister, one that wouldn’t offend their pride. Though if history had it right and Rachel-Ann started drinking again she’d probably suggest a threesome. And not have any problem with his real objections.
    Most of the hall lights were either burned out or broken. He knocked on Jilly’s door in the shadowed hallway, grinning to himself as he heard the muffled growl of her huge dog. Of everyone in this motley household, he’d decided he liked Roofus the best. Roofus accepted things at face value, and he accepted the snake in their midst. Coltrane heard the clicking of his nails on the floor, and the growl turned into a kind of whine once he realized who was on the other side of the door. All it had taken was knowing the right place to scratch and Roofus had been his.
    He wondered if Jilly was going to be as easy to manipulate. If she’d let him get close enough to find the place that itched.
    He knocked again, and Roofus whined miserably, scratching at the door. He heard the rustle of bedclothes, and he could picture her, rumpled and grumpy, staggering toward the door, ready to blister him with a few well-chosen words.
    She opened the door a crack, peering out at him, and her thick brown hair hung down around her face, making her look surprisingly childish. She wasn’t wearing sweats. In the shadows behind the narrow crack of the door he could see her long legs and not much else, but they weren’t covered with sweatpants.
    â€œGo away, Coltrane,” she mumbled in a sleepy voice.
    He knew the sentiment came from the heart, but he wasn’t giving up that easily. “You don’t have any extra sheets and towels hanging around this place, do you? That old mattress has seen better days.”
    â€œFastidious, aren’t you?” She was waking up, against her will, he suspected. “I warned you this wasn’t the Beverly Hilton. Stay there and I’ll find you something.” She started to close the door in his face, but Roofus proved the invaluable friend Coltrane had known he’d be. He pushed through the door to greet Coltrane with slobbery affection, leaving Jilly standing there in a tank top and boxers and nothing else.
    He squatted down, busying himself with Roofus, with the express purpose of staring at Jilly’s endless legs. “I don’t know why he likes you,” Jilly said irritably. “He’s usually an excellent judge of character.”
    He looked up, past her long, long legs, and laughed. “Maybe he’s a better judge of character than you are, darlin’,” he said lazily. “I’d trust a dog over most humans.”
    Bingo. She looked startled, as if considering an unexpected possibility. “So would I,” she said, staring at him. And then she shook her head. “But even dogs can make mistakes.”
    â€œSo can stubborn young women.” He was astonished at how long her hair was. It reached her elbows, a thick mane of chestnut waves. He wondered what it would feel like, flowing around him. He intended to find out. Soon.
    â€œSheets?” he reminded her. Not that he wasn’t enjoying himself thoroughly, watching her, but there was no way in hell she was going to let him get any closer. Not so fast.
    â€œYeah,” she said in a tone of resignation. She glanced back into her shadowed room, hesitating.
    â€œDid I come at a bad time?” He rose, keeping one hand on Roofus’s head, scratching absently. “I didn’t realize you weren’t alone.”
    â€œI’m alone, damn it,” she said through gritted teeth.
    â€œWell, you don’t need to be so irritable about it. I’m more than willing to keep you