places, having stretched from wearing them for twenty-four hours.
“The phone rang,” she said carefully, wanting him to be innocent, wanting him to somehow deny what Gina had told him.
“Oh, yeah?” He yawned and started towards her, his arm reaching out for her.
She crossed her arms tightly across her chest so he couldn’t pull her into an embrace. “It was Gina.”
He stopped walking. His head snapped up. The sleepy look had evaporated. His eyes were wary. “What did Gina have to say?”
Geez, did he have to
look
so guilty? Paige’s stomach rolled. Forget coffee. Forget breakfast. She felt sick.
“She said that she came home last night and that she could pick up Justin any time today.”
Jeff didn’t say anything for a long pause, staring at her in horror, then said, “Well, that’s good. Whew. What a relief she’s all right.”
At least he was a bad liar. It made her feel a little better.
“She also said that she told you all of that last night, around eight o’clock, and that she even offered to pick Justin up last night and you refused.” Her hands went to her hips and she spread her bare feet out a little, ready for a stand off.
“Uh…” He shoved his hands in his pockets, evading her eyes.
“Jeff!”
He cracked like a criminal under interrogation. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
Wrong answer. The fury resurfaced with a healthy dose of indignation. “What? You didn’t think it was a big deal that you lied to me? That the reason you lied to me was because you wanted to sleep with me?”
“That’s not true!” he burst out.
Then he frowned and shuffled his feet a little. “Well, okay maybe it was true. But come on. You wanted to be together too!”
She prayed that she wouldn’t strangle him. Her fists curled and uncurled and she took a deep breath. “Then you should have told me about the phone call. I would have stayed with you. You didn’t need to lie about it!”
“Well, I didn’t know that you’d stay, did I?” he said with perfect male logic.
Male logic that was so illogical to Paige that the only sound she could make was a garbled gasp.
“Paige,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry. It made sense at the time. I just didn’t want anything to interrupt our night together.”
His hand reached out and took hers off her hip. His rough thumb caressed the back of her hand. His voice had taken on seductive tones. “I’ve been missing you for three years. I couldn’t wait another night.”
Do not give in, do not give in
, she told herself. Especially since it was his fault they hadn’t been together in three years.
Her body wasn’t listening to her brain commands. She was relaxing, letting him pull her forward. In another second she would be wrapped up in his arms, lost to all common sense.
She forced herself to ask, “Is there anything else you need to tell me? Have you kept anything from me or lied about anything else? Here’s your chance to come clean.”
Jeff’s hesitation was just long enough that she glared at him in suspicion, still an arm’s length away from him, with no intention of going further. “What is it, Jeff?”
“Nothing.”
Paige tried to catch his eye, but he was studiously avoiding looking anywhere but at her. Clearly lying. But what could he be lying about?
She hadn’t seen Jeff in three years, and during those three years he had never attempted contact. She didn’t think that their being in this apartment together was anything more than coincidence and rotten luck.
He had been surprised to see her, and that gun being waved in Jeff’s face back at the construction trailer hadn’t been a hoax.
Which meant it was something else. Something later.
Paige remembered Jeff’s frantic digging through the grocery bags and his not-so-innocent look when he’d stood up. The bulge in his jeans that was not due to nature, despite what he wanted to claim.
And the amazing coincidence that she had found an
unopened
box of
“The phone rang,” she said carefully, wanting him to be innocent, wanting him to somehow deny what Gina had told him.
“Oh, yeah?” He yawned and started towards her, his arm reaching out for her.
She crossed her arms tightly across her chest so he couldn’t pull her into an embrace. “It was Gina.”
He stopped walking. His head snapped up. The sleepy look had evaporated. His eyes were wary. “What did Gina have to say?”
Geez, did he have to
look
so guilty? Paige’s stomach rolled. Forget coffee. Forget breakfast. She felt sick.
“She said that she came home last night and that she could pick up Justin any time today.”
Jeff didn’t say anything for a long pause, staring at her in horror, then said, “Well, that’s good. Whew. What a relief she’s all right.”
At least he was a bad liar. It made her feel a little better.
“She also said that she told you all of that last night, around eight o’clock, and that she even offered to pick Justin up last night and you refused.” Her hands went to her hips and she spread her bare feet out a little, ready for a stand off.
“Uh…” He shoved his hands in his pockets, evading her eyes.
“Jeff!”
He cracked like a criminal under interrogation. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
Wrong answer. The fury resurfaced with a healthy dose of indignation. “What? You didn’t think it was a big deal that you lied to me? That the reason you lied to me was because you wanted to sleep with me?”
“That’s not true!” he burst out.
Then he frowned and shuffled his feet a little. “Well, okay maybe it was true. But come on. You wanted to be together too!”
She prayed that she wouldn’t strangle him. Her fists curled and uncurled and she took a deep breath. “Then you should have told me about the phone call. I would have stayed with you. You didn’t need to lie about it!”
“Well, I didn’t know that you’d stay, did I?” he said with perfect male logic.
Male logic that was so illogical to Paige that the only sound she could make was a garbled gasp.
“Paige,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry. It made sense at the time. I just didn’t want anything to interrupt our night together.”
His hand reached out and took hers off her hip. His rough thumb caressed the back of her hand. His voice had taken on seductive tones. “I’ve been missing you for three years. I couldn’t wait another night.”
Do not give in, do not give in
, she told herself. Especially since it was his fault they hadn’t been together in three years.
Her body wasn’t listening to her brain commands. She was relaxing, letting him pull her forward. In another second she would be wrapped up in his arms, lost to all common sense.
She forced herself to ask, “Is there anything else you need to tell me? Have you kept anything from me or lied about anything else? Here’s your chance to come clean.”
Jeff’s hesitation was just long enough that she glared at him in suspicion, still an arm’s length away from him, with no intention of going further. “What is it, Jeff?”
“Nothing.”
Paige tried to catch his eye, but he was studiously avoiding looking anywhere but at her. Clearly lying. But what could he be lying about?
She hadn’t seen Jeff in three years, and during those three years he had never attempted contact. She didn’t think that their being in this apartment together was anything more than coincidence and rotten luck.
He had been surprised to see her, and that gun being waved in Jeff’s face back at the construction trailer hadn’t been a hoax.
Which meant it was something else. Something later.
Paige remembered Jeff’s frantic digging through the grocery bags and his not-so-innocent look when he’d stood up. The bulge in his jeans that was not due to nature, despite what he wanted to claim.
And the amazing coincidence that she had found an
unopened
box of
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