Microsoft Word - 49A4C18A-1A2A-28B97F.doc by Bad Thing She Did a Bad

Perry Brewer walking toward them. His gaze focused on her and James, and she suddenly realized that she was in her robe, obviously fresh from the shower.
    “Hello, Jane,” Perry said.
    “Hi, Perry.”
    The men looked at each other.
    “James, this is my neighbor, Perry Brewer. Perry, this is James Watling, uh, a friend of
    mine.”
    “I’m her ex,” James offered with his handshake.
    “I see,” Perry said, then turned back to Jane. “I have your tire in my SUV. I’d be glad to
    change it if you’ll give me the key to your trunk.”
    James looked back and forth between them. Jane felt a little burst of retribution that he
    obviously thought something was going on between her and Perry. “Let me get them,” she said
    cheerfully.
    When she walked inside, James followed and set the bottle of wine on her counter. She
    fished her keys out of her purse, then backtracked to the door and handed them to Perry.
    “Thanks.”
    “No problem,” Perry said, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something else.
    Instead he glanced behind her at James, then back to her. “I’m going to change clothes, so
    it’ll take me a few minutes.”
    “Just ring the doorbell,” she said, then took a sip from her glass.
    He nodded and turned toward his own door.
    Jane closed her door, then frowned at James. “You interrupted my dinner.”
    “Is there enough for two? It smells great.”
    “Sorry,” she said, not sorry at all.
    “How about a glass of wine then? For old times’ sake.”
    Jane chewed on her lip, studying the man. She remembered his parting words to her, that
    she was a bore. Apparently her newfound fortune made her more interesting. “I don’t think so, James.”
    He walked up to her and rubbed her upper arms. “Jane, we had a good thing…we just let it
    get stale. Come on. One glass of wine. I just want to talk, catch up.”
    “One glass,” she agreed, reluctantly admitting that having company tonight—even
    James—was better than being alone.
    He grinned and helped himself to a glass from her cabinet. After he poured the wine, he
    lifted his glass. “To your new life. I hope there’s a place in it for me.” His eyes glittered with hope and…affection?
    She allowed him to clink his glass against hers. Then she took a fortifying gulp of the wine.

Chapter 8

    Perry slammed Jane’s car trunk with more force than necessary, then jammed his hands on
    his hips. Jane wins the lottery and her ex-boyfriend shows up at her door? Surely she could see through that, couldn’t she?
    The guy was smarmy. Perry could tell by his body language, his weak handshake…and the
    proprietary way he leaned toward Jane.
    How long had they dated, he wondered? And how long ago had they split up? Had she
    been in love with this guy? Did she let him drive his hands into her silky hair?
    Probably, Perry reasoned as he backtracked to her condo door and rang the doorbell.
    Because the guy probably hadn’t called her a homely little geek. The guy probably made her
    feel…pretty.
    She swung open the door.
    And she was pretty, Perry realized with a start. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes bright,
    her mouth plump and shiny. Slender legs extended from the knee-length robe she wore, and at
    the thought that she was probably nude beneath, his cock jumped in his jeans.
    “Did you finish?” she asked.
    “Uh, yes,” he said, then pulled her keys from his pocket.
    She took the keys and he noticed that her hands were graceful, her fingers long, her nails
    natural and of a practical length. “That was very nice of you,” she said. “Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome,” he murmured, bewildered over his sudden physical awareness of this
    woman. It was the wine, he thought. It gave her a languid look. It was the way she might look in the throes of lovemaking.
    “Good night,” she said, and started to close the door.
    “Uh, Jane.”
    She opened the door. “Yes?”
    “I, um, saw you on the news. Wow—congratulations.”
    She smiled.