The Secret Wife by Susan Mallery

the ones who told everyone. Then tonight they insisted we watch a couple of episodes.”
    She braced herself for his anger. He was so quick to find fault with her. But she hadn’t done anything wrong. Scratch that, she thought, remembering the playground equipment and science camp application. She hadn’t done anything bad.
    Silence filled the room. If she hadn’t been staring right at him, she would have sworn he’d left.
    As he shifted in his seat, she realized the disadvantage of staring at the center of his chest—when he moved, the soft T-shirt clung to him, outlining the hard muscles of his midsection. Away from him, she could easily forget the raw power of his masculinity, telling herself it was just her overactive imagination. But in his presence she could be nothing but aware. His strength, his heat, his scent surrounded her until the world ceased to exist, except through him.
    “I’m not mad,” he said, his voice low.
    “Really?”
    She risked raising her gaze to his face. His dark eyes were unreadable tonight. No obvious emotion lurked there, or in the firm but pleasant set of his mouth.
    “I know how Shanna found out. She ran to tell me the news as soon as she learned it. Shanna’s a good kid, but she doesn’t keep many secrets.”
    “I noticed.” Elissa leaned back in her seat. Thank goodness. The second he’d walked into the room, she’d been terrified he was going to blame her for the choice of television show. After what had happened—and not happened—the night of the school play, she wanted to avoid trouble.
    Which didn’t explain why she blurted out her next question. “If you’re not mad about the show, what are you mad about?”
    He stiffened slightly, then narrowed his gaze.
    Elissa bit her lower lip, but didn’t retract the words. Okay, maybe this wasn’t the best way to avoid trouble, but she was tired of his attitude. It had been nearly a month and he hadn’t loosened up at all.
    “You’re avoiding me,” she continued when it became obvious he wasn’t going to speak. “I hate that. I understand that we have a lot of things to deal with. There are unresolved issues from the past, our feelings, what we’re going to do about the future. You can be angry about that if you want. I can’t stop you. But at least have the grace to admit I’m doing a good job here. I know my way around the office paperwork and I connect with the kids.”
    He raised his eyebrows. “Angling for a raise?”
    “Nothing so dramatic. It’s just nice to be acknowledged.”
    “I’m sure Millie tells you you’re doing a fine job.”
    Elissa almost smiled. He was good. She would bet money he’d been hell on wheels as an attorney. Millie telling her she was doing a good job wasn’t the same as him saying it, nor did it mean she was doing a good job. After all, Millie might be biased.
    Common sense and her previous experience with Cole told her this might be a good time to back off. She risked a lethal blow if she continued to toy with the tiger. Five years ago she would have gone running for cover. But she’d grown up while she’d been apart from him. She wasn’t afraid of his temper or his intelligence. While his good opinion mattered, she’d learned she could get by without it. Maybe the tiger’s tail needed a good tweaking.
    “You’re still mad,” she said. “That’s why you hold me at arm’s length.”
    “I don’t trust you,” he admitted. “There’s a difference.”
    His good opinion might not be necessary for survival, but his words still had the power to wound. The blow fell squarely on her chest, slicing at her confidence, bruising her pride.
    A silence settled between them. Elissa refused to be the one to run away. She squared her shoulders and forced herself to take slow, deep breaths.
    His gaze settled on her face. She felt his attention drift from feature to feature, as if he were comparing her to something. To the girl she’d been, perhaps? The ideal wife he’d always