Summer Kisses by Theresa Ragan, Laurie Kellogg, Katie Graykowski, Bev Pettersen, Lindsey Brookes, Diana Layne, Autumn Jordon, Jacie Floyd, Elizabeth Bemis, Lizzie Shane Page A

shrug.
    ~~~
    Jill felt all gushy and wishy-washy inside. Derrick’s moving speech had left her with a tight feeling in her chest. She laid her head back against her favorite chair and said, “I think I know what you mean.”
    He looked relieved. “You do?”
    She nodded. “Having Ryan has changed me too.” She didn’t want to say much more than that, didn’t want Derrick to know she didn’t feel a connection to Ryan yet, or that most of her thoughts these past few days were filled with doubt and fear. Her parents had always made her feel like second best, like she didn’t count. She didn’t know what it was like to be a part of a big loving family, but she knew that’s what she wanted for her and Ryan. The truth was, before Ryan was born, she’d planned on having at least two more children, which is why she’d bought and stored enough of Derrick Baylor’s semen to start a football team of her own. But nobody, including Derrick, needed to know that.
    “Let me help you out,” he said after a quiet moment passed between them. “Until training begins, I have nothing better to do with my time.”
    She wanted to tell him no, but nothing came out of her mouth. Every muscle in her body felt weak with exhaustion.
    “Since I don’t want to be pushy and overbearing I won’t insist, but I think a shower and a long nap would do you wonders.”
    He held her gaze for a long moment, long enough to make her wonder why she had allowed him into her apartment in the first place. The man was gorgeous to look at and he was nice, too. She looked like hell while he looked like he was ready for a photo shoot at GQ .
    “Just a thought,” he added. “It’s your call.”
    She stood and looked toward her bedroom before looking back at him. She knew she should ask him to leave, but a shower and a nap sounded too good to pass up. “You really wouldn’t mind?”
    He shook his head. “I’m here to help. You can trust me.”
    ~~~
    Thomas stood on one side of the mist-filled room and Derrick Baylor stood on the other. Thomas reached out a hand to her while Derrick merely winked. Thomas wore a perfectly fitted suit while Derrick wore slacks, a button-down shirt, and a killer smile.
    Jill didn’t know which way to turn. Her heart raced as she tried to make a decision, but then Ryan began to cry.
    Her eyes shot open and she bolted upward in bed.
    She looked about, glad to see that neither man was hovering over her. Thank God . She put a hand on her chest above her pounding heart. What the heck was Derrick Baylor doing in her dream? Seeing Thomas made sense since he’d been in most of her dreams since he left her at the church eighteen months ago. But Derrick?
    Laughter from the kitchen floated in under the door and to her bed. It sounded like a party out there. She pushed the comforter to the side, slid both legs over the edge of the mattress and wriggled her feet into the slippers on the floor.
    She stood at the door and listened for a moment.
    The voices all blurred together but Lexi and Sandy’s voice were easy to decipher. Ah, and Chelsey. Chelsey must have finished cooking the chili and brought it for a taste test.
    She opened the door a smidgeon and peeked toward the kitchen. Sandy’s back was to her, but judging by the red pencil skirt and matching jacket she’d come straight from a sales meeting downtown. Her hair was in a neat twist on the back of her head. Sandy had always had a flair for fashion.
    Sandy laughed about something and when she walked away, Jill blinked to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. As far as she could tell, Chelsey had indeed brought the chili for a taste test and she was spoon feeding the chili to Derrick. He opened his mouth and as he chewed and swallowed he groaned as if he was having a chili orgasm. While Derrick continued to make absurd noises, Chelsey grabbed a napkin and used it to dab at his chin as if they were lovers.
    It was all too much. Why hadn’t anyone come into her room to