Breaking Bailey's Rules(34)

“Of course not.” Her hand hovered over the knob. More than anything else, she wanted music to fill the awkward silence. But if Jeff saw that as a sign of weakness, then she wouldn’t do it.

She sat back, biting her bottom lip. Now the silence was worse. Before, they had simply been two near strangers riding down the road. Jeff’s deliberately provocative question set her nerves on edge.

“While we’re on our way,” she said, “why don’t you tell me what these conditions are? The ones I have to agree to so you’ll loan me the money?”

Jeff didn’t answer her question. “I’m curious. Why doesn’t Kenny go out and get his own loan?”

“He’s shoveled everything he has back into the farm. His credit’s maxed out. Besides, his solution is selling to Samson Oil. I explained that.”

“True. You did.”

“So tell me, Jeff. What do you want from me?”





Nine

What do you want from me? Lucy’s frustrated question was one Jeff would have been glad to answer. In detail. Slowly. All night. But first there were hurdles to jump.

Though he kept his hands on the wheel and his eyes on the road, he had already memorized every nuance of his companion’s appearance. Everything from her sexy black high heels all the way up to her sleek and shiny hair tucked behind one ear.

Her black cocktail dress, at first glance, was entirely appropriate for dinner in the big city. But damned if he wasn’t going to have the urge to take off his jacket and wrap her up in it. He didn’t want other men looking at her.

He felt possessive, which was ridiculous, because Lucy was definitely her own woman. If she chose to prance stark naked down Main Street, he couldn’t stop her. So maybe he needed to take a different tack entirely. Instead of bossing her around, perhaps he should use another very enjoyable means of communication.

Right now, she was a hen with ruffled feathers. He had upset her already. The truth was, he didn’t care. He’d rather have anger from Lucy than outright indifference.

He could work with anger.

“We’ll talk about the specifics over dinner, Lucy. Why don’t you relax and tell me about your work in Austin.”

His diversion worked for the next half hour. In his peripheral vision, he watched as Lucy’s body language went from tense and guarded to normal. Or at least as normal as it could be given the history between them.

Later, when he pulled up in front of the luxury hotel in the heart of the city, Lucy shot him a sharp-eyed glance.

He took her elbow and led her inside. “The restaurant here is phenomenal,” he said. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Over appetizers and drinks, Lucy thawed further. “So far, I’m impressed. I forgot to eat lunch today, so I was starving.”

Jeff was hungry, too, but he barely tasted the food. He was gambling a hell of a lot on the outcome of this encounter.

They ordered the works...filet and lobster. With spinach salad and crusty rolls. Clearly, Lucy enjoyed her meal. He enjoyed the fact that she didn’t fuss about calories and instead ate with enthusiasm.

Good food prepared from fresh ingredients was a sensual experience. It tapped into some of the same pleasure centers as lovemaking. It was hard to bicker under the influence of a really exceptional Chablis and a satisfying, special-occasion dinner.

That’s what he was counting on...

Lucy declined dessert. Jeff did, as well. As they lingered over coffee, he could practically see her girding her loins for battle.

She stirred a single packet of sugar into her cup and sat back in her chair, eyeing him steadily. “Enough stalling, Jeff. I’ve come here with you for dinner, which was amazing, I might add. But I need to have your answer. Will you loan me the money, and what are your conditions?”





Ten

Lucy was braced for bad news. It was entirely possible that Jeff had brought her here—wined and dined her—in order to let her down gently. To give her an outright no.

Watching him take a sip of coffee was only one of many mistakes she had made tonight. When his lips made contact with the rim of his thin china cup, she was almost sure the world stood still for a split second. The man had the most amazing mouth. Firm lips that could caress a woman’s breast or kiss her senseless in the space of a heartbeat.

Though it had been two long years, Lucy still remembered the taste of his tongue on hers.

“Jeff?” She heard the impatience in her voice. “I asked you a question.”

He nodded slowly. “Okay. Hear me out before you run screaming from the room.”

Her nape prickled. “I don’t understand.”

Leaning toward her, he rested his forearms on the table, hands clasped in front of him. His dark gaze captured hers like a mesmerist. “When you walked out the night before our wedding, we never had closure. I went from being almost married to drastically single so fast it’s a wonder I didn’t get whiplash.”

“What’s your point?” Her throat was tight.

“Divorced couples end up back in bed together all the time. Lovers break up and hook up and break up again. I’m curious to see if you and I still have a spark.”

Hyperventilation threatened. “We can talk about that later.” Much later. “You said you had two conditions. What are they?” For the first time tonight, she caught a glimpse of something in his eyes. Was it pain? Or vulnerability? Not likely.

He shrugged. “I want you to ask Kirsten to tell you what really happened that night.”

“I don’t need to talk to Kirsten. I’m not blind. I saw everything. You kissed her and she kissed you back. Both of you betrayed me. The truth is, Kirsten and I have barely spoken since that night. She has shut me out. I think she’s embarrassed that she didn’t stop you.”

“And you really believe that?”

His tone wasn’t sarcastic. If anything, the words were wistful, cajoling. She’d spent two horrid years wondering why the man who professed to love her madly had been such a jerk. Or why Kirsten, her best friend, hadn’t punched Jeff in the stomach. She had seen Kirsten’s face when Lucy caught them. The other woman had looked shattered. But her arms had definitely been twined about Jeff’s neck.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” she muttered. Jeff hadn’t dated anyone at all in the last twenty-four months according to Royal’s gossipy grapevine. He was a young, virile man in his prime. If he was such a lying, cheating scoundrel, why hadn’t he been out on the town with a dozen women in the interim? “And if I do go talk to Kirsten about what happened? That’s it? What about the other requirement?”

Those chiseled lips curved upward in a smile that made her spine tighten and her stomach curl. “I’d like the two of us to go upstairs and spend the night together.”





Eleven

Go upstairs and spend the night together.

His words echoed in her brain like tiny pinballs. “You mean sex?”

Jeff laughed out loud, but it was gentle laughter, and his eyes were filled with warmth. “Yes, Lucy. Sex. I’ve missed you. I’ve missed us.”

Oh, my...

What was a woman supposed to say to that kind of proposition? Especially when it sounded so very appealing. She cleared her throat. “If you’re offering to pay me twenty thousand dollars to have sex with you, I think we could both get arrested.”

His smile was enigmatic. “Let’s not muddy the waters, then. I promise to give you the money for Kenny as long as you have a conversation with Kirsten.” He reached across the table and took one of her hands in both of his. When he rubbed his thumb across her wrist, it was all she could do not to jerk away in a panic.

“Steady, Lucy.” His grip tightened. “I think deep in your heart you know the truth. But you’re afraid to face it. I understand that. Maybe it will take time. So for tonight, I’m not expecting you to make any sweeping declarations. I’m only asking if you’ll be my lover again. One night. For closure. Unless you change your mind and decide you want more.”

“Why would I do that?” she asked faintly, remembering all the evenings she had cried herself to sleep.

“You’ll have to figure it out for yourself,” he said. That same thumb rubbed back and forth across her knuckles.

She seized on one inescapable truth. “But I don’t have anything with me to stay overnight,” she said, grasping at straws. “And neither do you.”

“I brought a bag,” he replied calmly. “And I ordered a few items for a female companion. I believe you’ll find I’ve thought of everything you need to be comfortable.”

“And you don’t think this is at all creepy?” With her free hand she picked up her water glass, intending to take a sip. But her fingers shook so much she set it back down immediately.

Jeff released her, his expression sober. “You’re the one who came to see me, not the other way around. If you want me to take you home, all you have to do is say so. But I’m hoping you’ll give us this one night to see if the spark is still there.”

“Why are you doing this?” she whispered. He was breaking her heart all over again, and she was so damned afraid to trust him. Even worse, she was afraid to trust herself.

Jeff summoned the waiter and dealt with the check. Moments later, the transaction was complete. Jeff stood and held out his hand. “I need your decision, Lucy.” He was tall and sexy and clear-eyed in his resolve. “Shall we go, or shall we stay? It’s up to you. It always has been.”