Tempting Janey

“I hardly think that’s the case.”

An eyebrow shot up. “I disagree.”

“What do you want from me, Dillon?”

“I wish the hell I knew,” he muttered harshly. Once he’d said that, he realized he was telling the truth.

Neither had touched the coffee that was sitting in front of them. Dillon did pick his up, only to set it right back down.

“What I wish is that you’d take me back to the store.”

That really made him mad. He leaned forward and said, “Not until I say one thing.”

“All right, say it.”

His lips twisted. “Don’t you think it’s time you got over the fact that your husband had an affair with my wife?”

Seven

Janey’s first impulse was to slap his face. It was close enough that with little effort she could do just that. Instead, she curled her fingernails into her palms until she felt the self-inflicted pain.

“That was a hateful thing to say,” she spat.

As if sensing he was in harm’s way, Dillon eased back, his dark T-shirt tightening across his broad muscles.

“It’s the truth.”

“It is not the truth,” Janey stressed tersely, fighting her anger. “And I don’t give a damn how you feel.” She would hate to make a spectacle of herself. But if he didn’t stop taking unfair shots at her, she just might give him a taste of her fury.

Dillon leaned forward again and said in a low tone, “Hey, take it easy. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Janey glared at him, feeling an ache in her throat. “Well, you did.”

“It’s just that every time I come near you, I feel like I’m getting jabbed with a knife. And I don’t deserve that.”

Janey averted her gaze from his delving blue eyes, sensing that his appraisal of her was deliberate. Was he out to intimidate her, or was he simply testing her?

Either way, she hardened her resolve, determined to regroup while trying to figure out how she’d gotten herself into this situation in the first place. She should have known better than to leave the shop with him, that it would do no good.

In her mind, Dillon’s friendship and trust had died along with her marriage. Maybe that was irrational thinking, but that was how she felt. And so far he’d given her no valid reason to resurrect that friendship. Suddenly her thoughts jumped to her daughter, and she flinched inwardly.

He ran Robin’s school. She couldn’t avoid him indefinitely. Even if that was what she wanted, it wasn’t realistic. So where did that leave them? She didn’t know, and she didn’t think he knew, either.

“Janey?”

His gruff-sounding voice drew her back. For a second, their eyes held, and her breathing increased.

His dark lashes hid his thoughts, but she couldn’t suppress the shiver of apprehension that went through her. And annoyance, too, that he had the power to disturb her with those intense looks. Not sexually, she assured herself, but she couldn’t deny that she was seeing Dillon in a new and different light.

Dillon coughed lightly. “Your coffee’s getting cold.”

“I don’t care.”

“Fine,” he said, reaching for his cup and taking a healthy drink from it, though he never took his eyes off her face.

Janey felt herself flush. But she didn’t turn away. She wasn’t about to let him get the better of her. Maybe it would be a good thing if they did, indeed, clear the air between them. Then she could go on with her life and he could go on with his. And when she saw him again, it wouldn’t be such an awkward event.

“You have to know how difficult this is for me,” Janey finally said into what seemed a hostile silence.

Dillon blew out a breath. “It’s not exactly a piece of cake for me.”

“No, I’m sure it isn’t.” She paused. “For a while, I thought it might be a good idea for us to talk about the past, about what happened that awful afternoon. But I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think it would be productive at all. I want to go back to the shop.”

“No.”

Janey gave him an indignant look. “No?”

“Of course I’ll take you back if you really want to go,” he said in an irritated tone, “but I’d rather we got some things off our chests.”

“Like I just said, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“God, I don’t remember your being this stubborn.”

“You didn’t know me that well.”

“Oh, I think I did. After all, our families spent just about every weekend together, plus a lot of time during the week.”

“So what’s your point?” she demanded, digging her teeth into her bottom lip. She didn’t want to do this, so why was she letting him bully her this way?

“My point is that I get the idea you blame me for what happened.”

Janey took a deep, shuddering breath, then stared at him. Did she somehow blame him? Was that the reason she felt so antagonistic toward him and uncomfortable around him? “Maybe I do.”

“Why, for chrissake?”

“If you’d been a better husband to Elaine, paid more attention to her, then maybe she wouldn’t have gone after Keith.”

He laughed a mirthless laugh. “Surely you don’t really think that?”

“You asked how I felt.”

“I could say the same about you, that you should’ve been a better wife, then he wouldn’t have wanted to stray.”

“Damn you, I was a good wife! And you know that.” She felt tears sting the back of her eyelids and turned away, horrified that he would see them.

“Look, I’m sorry.”

She whipped her head back toward him. “That’s not good enough.”