pretend she wasn’t affected by the conviction in his voice. “I can
take care of myself and any children I may or may not have, with you or anyone
else.”
He glared at her
as he pulled back to look her in the eye. “I’ll always look after what’s mine,
and you don’t even have to entertain the idea of havin’ a baby with another man
‘cause it’s never gonna happen.”
That was the Evan
she remembered: jealous, possessive, a little crazy when he felt he might risk
losing her. It was that lethal combination that kept her from breaking up with
him half a dozen times.
“You need to go!
Now!” She pointed to the door, half-expecting him to laugh in her face. Evan
Spencer didn’t take orders from anyone.
He took a step
back and looked her up and down before he smirked. “I’m leavin’, but I can
promise you this isn’t over.”
Chapter Five
By the time she
was finally able to put her feet up, they were throbbing and she was so tired
she could have wept with relief that the day was finally over. She groaned
aloud when someone tapped on her door. “Go away,” she muttered.
Jeff peeked his
head in the door. “You want me to go get Chloe for you?”
“Thanks, but I’ll
pick her up in just a minute,” Erika said, hoping he would take the hint and
leave. No such luck.
He stepped inside
and closed the door behind him. “Are you gonna tell me what the hell happened
between you and Spencer last night?”
Erika was tired,
hungry, confused, and concerned about the pill she’d forgotten to take. She was
planning to call her doctor’s office before she remembered it was Saturday and
they wouldn’t be in until Monday. By then it may be too late. She would simply
go to the drug store and ask her pharmacist whether she thought the morning
after pill would be her best course of action. She knew that missing one pill
wasn’t supposed to be a problem, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
“I’d rather not
talk about this right now, Jeff,” she said, reaching in the desk drawer for her
purse.
“Too bad.”
His sharp tone
surprised her. He was always so even-tempered, unlike Evan. That was one of the
reasons she liked him. “I don’t owe you an explanation,” she said, gripping her
purse strap. “We’re both free to see other people, remember?”
“Your choice, not
mine,” he said, crossing his arms and glaring at her.
“Nevertheless, it
is what it is.”
“Does that mean
he’ll be escorting you to the wedding?”
“I didn’t say
that.” The wedding was only a few days away. Seven days in paradise with Evan
in full-on pursuit would be hell… or heaven, depending on whether she
surrendered. No! She couldn’t give in to him again. “Evan and I are not getting
back together.”
Jeff’s features
softened and he smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. So you’d still like me to go
with you?”
Erika knew it
wasn’t fair to use him as a buffer unless he knew the score. She pointed to the
chair across from her. “Sit down for a minute.” She waited for him to comply
before she said, “I’d be lying if I said I was completely over Evan. To be
honest, I don’t know that I’ll ever be over him entirely. He was a big part of
my life for a long time-”
“But that’s over.
You’ve said so yourself plenty of times.”
“It is, but that
doesn’t mean those feelings just go away.” She sighed, wishing she could find
the words to express something she didn’t understand. There was no logical
reason she should still be in love with Evan, but her heart didn’t seem to care
that the man was a thoughtless, self-centered workaholic.
“I understand that,”
he said, reaching across the desk for her hand. “I’m not asking you for a
commitment you’re not ready for. I just want you to give us a chance.”
“We made love last
night.” Her eyes fell to their joined hands before he withdrew his. “I’m sorry
if that’s not what you want to hear, but I thought you had a right to
take care of myself and any children I may or may not have, with you or anyone
else.”
He glared at her
as he pulled back to look her in the eye. “I’ll always look after what’s mine,
and you don’t even have to entertain the idea of havin’ a baby with another man
‘cause it’s never gonna happen.”
That was the Evan
she remembered: jealous, possessive, a little crazy when he felt he might risk
losing her. It was that lethal combination that kept her from breaking up with
him half a dozen times.
“You need to go!
Now!” She pointed to the door, half-expecting him to laugh in her face. Evan
Spencer didn’t take orders from anyone.
He took a step
back and looked her up and down before he smirked. “I’m leavin’, but I can
promise you this isn’t over.”
Chapter Five
By the time she
was finally able to put her feet up, they were throbbing and she was so tired
she could have wept with relief that the day was finally over. She groaned
aloud when someone tapped on her door. “Go away,” she muttered.
Jeff peeked his
head in the door. “You want me to go get Chloe for you?”
“Thanks, but I’ll
pick her up in just a minute,” Erika said, hoping he would take the hint and
leave. No such luck.
He stepped inside
and closed the door behind him. “Are you gonna tell me what the hell happened
between you and Spencer last night?”
Erika was tired,
hungry, confused, and concerned about the pill she’d forgotten to take. She was
planning to call her doctor’s office before she remembered it was Saturday and
they wouldn’t be in until Monday. By then it may be too late. She would simply
go to the drug store and ask her pharmacist whether she thought the morning
after pill would be her best course of action. She knew that missing one pill
wasn’t supposed to be a problem, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
“I’d rather not
talk about this right now, Jeff,” she said, reaching in the desk drawer for her
purse.
“Too bad.”
His sharp tone
surprised her. He was always so even-tempered, unlike Evan. That was one of the
reasons she liked him. “I don’t owe you an explanation,” she said, gripping her
purse strap. “We’re both free to see other people, remember?”
“Your choice, not
mine,” he said, crossing his arms and glaring at her.
“Nevertheless, it
is what it is.”
“Does that mean
he’ll be escorting you to the wedding?”
“I didn’t say
that.” The wedding was only a few days away. Seven days in paradise with Evan
in full-on pursuit would be hell… or heaven, depending on whether she
surrendered. No! She couldn’t give in to him again. “Evan and I are not getting
back together.”
Jeff’s features
softened and he smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. So you’d still like me to go
with you?”
Erika knew it
wasn’t fair to use him as a buffer unless he knew the score. She pointed to the
chair across from her. “Sit down for a minute.” She waited for him to comply
before she said, “I’d be lying if I said I was completely over Evan. To be
honest, I don’t know that I’ll ever be over him entirely. He was a big part of
my life for a long time-”
“But that’s over.
You’ve said so yourself plenty of times.”
“It is, but that
doesn’t mean those feelings just go away.” She sighed, wishing she could find
the words to express something she didn’t understand. There was no logical
reason she should still be in love with Evan, but her heart didn’t seem to care
that the man was a thoughtless, self-centered workaholic.
“I understand that,”
he said, reaching across the desk for her hand. “I’m not asking you for a
commitment you’re not ready for. I just want you to give us a chance.”
“We made love last
night.” Her eyes fell to their joined hands before he withdrew his. “I’m sorry
if that’s not what you want to hear, but I thought you had a right to
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