In Shelter Cove by Barbara Freethy Page B

It was hard to keep changing schools, tough to hang on to friends, but I always had my books. I was a huge reader. And my favorite place in the world was the library—the smell of all those books, the promise of all those adventures. I couldn’t get enough. I still—” She stopped abruptly.
    “Still what?” he asked, curious.
    “Nothing. Anyway, I’m going to give Lucas a different kind of life and all the time with me he wants.I want to be there for him—especially now that it’s just me.”
    “Hasn’t it always been just you?”
    Her lips tightened. “Yes, it has. Thanks for the reminder.”
    “Why did you marry Derek, Brianna? Was it because you were pregnant?”
    She stared at him for a long moment, a glint of steel in her eyes. “I married Derek because I loved him. That’s not what you want to hear, is it?”
    “If that’s the truth, then that’s the truth.” But he didn’t quite buy it.
    A moment of tense silence passed between them. “I did love him,” she reiterated, “but I was also young, pregnant, and scared.”
    “You had other options.”
    “Did I?” She shrugged. “To be honest, those days are all a blur now. Everything happened so fast. One minute I was planning a wedding, and the next I was talking to cops and lawyers, listening to accusations of robbery and assault.” She shook her head. “For the longest time, I thought I was having a nightmare. I believed I’d wake up and it would be over.”
    “Derek was lucky to have you stand by him.”
    “He told me that he was innocent, that he’d win his appeal, he’d get out, and we’d go on with our lives. But—” Her gaze narrowed. “Why am I talking to you?”
    “Because I’m a good listener?” he suggested lightly.
    She shrugged. “Or maybe I’ve just been a little short on adult conversation.”
    “Do you remember the first time we met?” Jason asked.
    “At Murray’s Bar. I actually thought we were going to be friends.”
    “Really? I thought we were going to be more,” he said.
    She stared at him in surprise. “Why?”
    “Because in the hour we spent talking and laughing, you never once said you were engaged. I didn’t find that out until Derek came in and kissed you and invited me to the wedding.” He took a breath, knowing he was heading into dangerous territory, but he couldn’t stop himself. “I think for a few minutes you forgot you were with him.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, but there wasn’t much force behind her words.
    He pressed on. “For a few minutes there, you wished you were still single.”
    “Why? So I could have you?” Anger flashed in her eyes. “Your ego is unbelievable. Just because I didn’t announce my engagement to you doesn’t mean I was interested in you. We had a casual conversation in a bar. That’s it.”
    He held up his hands. “Okay, my mistake.” If he pushed any further, he’d be out on his ass, and now that he had her talking, he didn’t want to stop.
    “You really thought I was into you?” she asked.
    “Maybe I just wanted you to be.”
    “Is
that
why you went after Derek? Was it about me?” She jumped to her feet and ran a hand through her hair. “My God—I never even considered that possibility.”
    He stood up. “No, I went after him because I ran into him on the museum grounds right after the guard was attacked and because Derek was acting nervous and changing his story every other second. I didn’t have a personal agenda. I didn’t want him to be guilty. He was my friend.”
    “He was your rival. Derek told me the two of you competed for everything. In fact, that’s probably why you wanted me. I was just another trophy to play for, wasn’t I?”
    “I didn’t know you belonged to Derek when we first met,” he pointed out. “And when I found out, I backed off. I don’t take women away from other men.”
    “You need to leave.”
    He’d known that statement was coming ever since he’d stepped through the door. “Look, we got