Sleeping With The Enemy (A Stranger's Touch) by Mary Eason Page A

at last. “Well, I’d say you’re well on your way to that right now, wouldn’t you?” She pointed to the empty margarita glass in Kate’s hand and grinned. Kate laughed. Being with Ronnie was going to be the best medicine for her broken heart. Ronnie would help her forget about Alex for a little while.
    “I’m getting the marriage annulled the second I get back to Austin, you know?” Kate told her three margaritas later, after they’d abandoned the enchiladas entirely. She and Ronnie made a fire in the outdoor fireplace and sat watching the stars.
    “Sorry to be the one to burst your bubble kiddo, but from what you told me you’ve had sex with him—correction you’ve had lots and lots of sex with him,” she added with a giggle, which Kate found impossible not to join in as well. “So, I’m afraid you can kiss any hope of getting an annulment goodbye.”
    “Lots and lots of great sex...no, make that unbelievable sex. Alex was unbelievable in bed,” Kate told Ronnie who actually looked a little jealous.
     
    “So, what’s the problem then?” Ronnie asked and they both burst out laughing. “I mean, who cares why he married you if he’s unbelievable in bed. I’ll marry him!”
    “I will miss making love to him, though. Dammit! Why did he have to be a jerk? Why couldn’t he just let it go?” Kate asked, pouring another margarita and spilling most of it, which Ronnie seemed to find extremely amusing. This was their third pitcher and Ronnie had barely touched the last one.
    “Men; who can understand anything they do?”
    “They’re all jerks,” Kate said.
    “Absolutely .” Ronnie got to her feet and swayed. “Okay, that’s it for me. I’m seeing two of you already. I’m going to bed. Stay. Finish off the pitcher. Hell, make more if you like.” She leaned down and kissed the top of Kate’s head, aiming for her cheek. “See you in the morning, Kiddo.”
    “’Night, Ronnie.”
    Kate was feeling more than a little tipsy, but not enough to face the empty bedroom alone. She finished off the third pitcher. It was such a beautiful night. Kate added more wood to the fire and made another batch of drinks.
    To hell with Alex Bradshaw and his stupid plans for revenge. Maybe she’d do a little revenge of her own. Find someone close to him and then sleep with him, making sure Alex found out of course.
    Kate lay back against the cushion of the double lounger and smiled to herself. The more she thought about it, the better she liked her plan. One of his coworkers or a close friend would do nicely. Maybe she’d arrange it so Alex caught them in the act. That would certainly teach him a thing or two.
    She closed her eyes and settled into the fantasy. But it wasn’t some nameless stranger who appeared before her. Alex filled her with a need for fulfillment she hadn’t known existed before him.
    Kate imagined his lips against her skin and moaned softly. Her hand drifted to her breast, stroking it before moving lower, down to the juncture of her legs. God, she wanted him. How could she still want to be with someone who hurt her so badly?
    Her free hand moved to the buttons on her shirt. What did it hurt, here in the darkness, to admit the truth? She loved him; she wanted him. She would never let him hurt her again.
    The buttons slipped free, first one, then two, then all of them. She hadn’t bothered with a bra. It was just her and Ronnie. The coolness of the night touched her bare skin. Kate shivered and caressed her nipple the way Alex did, feeling it harden beneath her touch. Her breath caught in a sigh as her fingers rubbed the spot he’d once stroked to make her his slave. It didn’t take long before she was writhing in pleasure, remembering the way it felt to have his body joined with hers. Kate cried out in pleasure before collapsing against the cushions once more, weak and unfulfilled.
    She was crying. She’d cried each time they made love. Kate drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the physical