His bottom lip quivered and Jolie wanted to bang her head against the nearest wall. Instead, she rose and held out her hand. CJ took it and she led him from the store. She had to get a grip on herself and control of the situation with Cord. She'd allowed him far too much leeway in her son's life. And now he wanted it legal? He'd take complete control because that was what Barrons did. CJ was her son.
Except...CJ was Cord's, too. Guilt raised its head like some stupid Whac-a-mole. No matter how many times she clobbered the feeling with a sledgehammer, it just reappeared to suck out all her resolve.
Emotion roiled inside her-a flash flood hitting a dam with a pounding rush. The water level kept rising, and one of two things was going to happen. Her emotions would spill over the top and slowly relieve some of the pressure or she'd drown in them. She couldn't afford for either event to happen. She could not lose control. Not of CJ, which she would if Cord continued to press his parental rights. Not of her heart if the man continued to assault her with his easy smiles and sexy ways. Her life teetered on the edge of a precipice. Part of her wanted to snort at the analogy but she couldn't. That was the way she felt.
She had to make a stand. Sooner, not later.
Fifteen
As soon as she entered the restaurant, Jolie knew this was a stupid move on her part. She'd refused to let Cord pick her up, insisting she'd drive herself and meet him there. The stupid part was letting him pick the restaurant-his compromise to her unyielding "no" and for stalling this meeting until after Halloween. He'd shown up to take her to dinner the night before Halloween but she'd dodged a confrontation by taking an extra shift at work.
Then Cord had arrived Halloween evening to take the kids trick-or-treating, and according to Mrs. Corcoran, he'd come with a compromise-a handmade stick horse for CJ to "ride." She'd volunteered for extra duty at the ER with Operation X-ray as an excuse to avoid Cord. As community outreach, Trauma One offered to X-ray Halloween candy for hidden dangers. She had plausible deniability, since that volunteer time was important. She wasn't afraid to face him. Not at all.
The host led her on a winding trail through tables filled with couples. This was so not a family restaurant. The thought of CJ eating here sent cold chills through her. This was a date place-for men out to impress their ladies, for parents to get away from the kids to remember they could still be in love. Low lights, soft music, a place steeped in romance.
Pristine white cloths draped the tables. Crystal and silver gleamed in flickering candlelight. Delicate but aromatic flowers flowed from sparkling vases on each table. Cord was already there, sitting at a table in a secluded corner. He stood as soon as he saw her. He appeared stoic. Dang, but the man had some kind of poker face. She'd always hated that about him-all the Barron brothers, in fact. Dealing with them had taught her, though. She continued to work on her own demeanor.
Something flickered in his eyes as she neared. She did her best to ignore it, but little frissons of awareness skittered across her skin. Even wary, she wanted him. She always had. Candlelight danced across his face. It pasted shadows where none should be. And it added light to places that should have been dark.
Cord nodded to the host and the man veered away, leaving her on her own to face him. He gracefully held her chair, scooting it beneath her thighs as she sat. He bent while doing so and brushed his cheek across her hair.
"You're beautiful."
The words whispered across her consciousness, leaving goose bumps on her psyche. No. No, no, no, no. She stiffened her spine and raised her chin. She would not succumb to Mr. Cowboy Sexy, even if he did look good enough for dessert. As he settled back into his chair, she studied him. She could see the candle flame in the depths of his burned-honey eyes. He wore his hair shorter now, a result of part of it being shaved in the hospital, but it was growing out. A dark comma accented his forehead while shadows defined the planes of his face.
No one would doubt Cord and his brothers were related. Somehow, though, he'd ended up with slightly softer features. He was still rugged, with the dark black hair and golden-brown eyes of his siblings. They were all handsome as sin and just as irresistible to the female population. Cord was more relaxed than the others, except maybe Chase. Chase was a horse of a totally different color, living only for wine, women and song. She pitied any woman insane enough to get involved with him. Heck, she was insane to be sitting here with Cord, and he was the nice brother. What did that tell the world about the Barrons?
"A penny for your thoughts."
His husky voice vibrated over her skin and she tensed up. She needed to be on her guard, not sitting here daydreaming about how sexy this man was. He was not above using that-or any other advantage he might gain-against her. They had things to settle here and now. She could not lose sight of that.
"I'm not sure you want to know."
"That's where you'd be wrong, Jolie. I want to know everything about you."
"According to you, you already do."
The corner of his mouth quirked in that devil-may-care grin that once melted her heart. Over and over and over again. Not anymore. She arched a brow in response and he laughed. Reaching across the table, his big hand enveloped hers. She fought the urge to turn hers palm up and twine her fingers with his. Not even the waiter's appearance provided enough of a diversion for her to pull away.
Arrogant as always, Cord ordered for both of them. The fact that he picked the entrée she would have chosen only served to make her angrier, and reinforce the idea he did know her far better than he should.
His expression smoothed out into that blank poker face the Barrons were infamous for. "You're the one who said you wanted to talk to me back before Halloween-and you've avoided me for over a week now. I want to talk about Thanksgiving. Every time I bring up the subject, you shut me down."
Or she diverted him. He'd been talking about Thanksgiving for almost a month. Luckily, the man was easy. A few kisses and caresses and they were off to bed for some fantastic sex. Cord couldn't think beyond the sexy bits. Jolie knew getting intimate was a bad idea but she couldn't seem to help herself. He was still the only man who made her toes curl with a kiss. But he wanted more than sex. He'd been clear about that from the moment he'd discovered CJ was his. He'd wanted joint custody but she didn't. CJ was hers and had been for his whole life. The idea of giving up any control at all terrified her.
Cord squeezed her hand, pulling her attention from the serious intent in his eyes to the way he held her hand-with strength and gentleness. Too bad he hadn't handled her heart the same way.
"This is not the time or the place, Cord."
"Wrong. This is the time and place because we're both here."
"I can get up and leave anytime I want."
"Yes. You can." He released her hand, leaned back in his chair and stared at her. Temper glinted in his eyes now. "Are you going to run forever?"
Her nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed. "Wow. You just had to go there, didn't you?" She leaned forward, forearms braced on the table. "I'm not the one who ran."
Cord smirked. It was that or reach across the table and shake her until her teeth rattled. He'd never laid a hand on a woman in anger and he wasn't about to start now. "Pot, kettle, sweetheart." He watched her throat work as she swallowed. Hard. He'd hit the mark with that one. "We both ran. I've admitted I was stupid. You, on the other hand-"
"What about me?" She interrupted him, her green eyes flashing despite the low lights in the restaurant. Oh, yeah. She was pissed now.
"You hid my son from me." The thought still rankled. He'd tried in the past few months to understand her motivations, to forgive her. Getting to know CJ and spending time with Jolie had helped a long way toward that. Until now. Cord didn't understand why she was being so stubborn-why she was shoving him away and blocking his right to acknowledge his son.
"So what? You didn't deserve him."
She flung the words like a shotgun blast, and they blew a hole in his heart. "You didn't exactly give me a chance, did you?" He choked back his hurt and anger, keeping his voice soft, with no inflection. What the hell had gotten into her? "He is my son, Jolie. I have the results from the paternity test."
Her mouth dropped open as her eyes rounded in shock. "You went behind my back? You ran a test on him without my permission?"
"I knew from the moment I saw him he was mine. The DNA test is for the lawyers. To cover the legal bases."
"Lawyers?" She spit the word out like a bitter pill-or maybe he was the only one who felt that way. He didn't want to go to court, but Jolie was very quickly leaving him little choice in the matter. Cyrus, as soon as he had found out, made threats to do things his way. Chance would keep things on an even keel-and civil. Cyrus wouldn't.