Susan Mallery - In Bed With The Devil

She leaned forward and sighed. “It bothers you, doesn’t it? Thinking about me in bed with another man. Writhing, panting, being taken.” She straightened and fanned herself. “Wow, it’s really warm here at the top of the house.”

He didn’t react, at least not on the outside. But her words had done what she’d wanted them to do. He reacted on the inside, with heat building in his groin.

She got to him. He would give her points for that. But she wouldn’t win.

“So no on dinner?” she asked.

“I have work.”

“Okay. Want a goodbye kiss before I go?”

He hated that he did. He wanted to feel her mouth on his, her body leaning in close. He wanted skin on skin, touching her until he made her cry out with a passion she couldn’t control. “No, thanks,” he said coolly.

She eyed him for a second, then grinned. “We both know that’s not true, don’t we, Jack?”

And then she was gone.

Meri arrived home from dinner with her team feeling just full enough, with a slight buzz. They’d taken the shuttle van into town, and that had meant no one had to be a designated driver. Wine had flowed freely. Well, as freely as it could given no one drank more than a glass, preferring the thrill of intellectual discussion to the mental blurriness of too much alcohol.

But just this once Meri had passed up the wine and gone with a margarita. That was fine, but she’d ordered a second one and was absolutely feeling it as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.

As she reached the landing, she saw two doors and was reminded that it was also the same floor with Jack’s bedroom.

What an interesting fact, she thought as she paused and stared at the firmly closed door. He was in there. By himself, she would guess. So what exactly was he getting up to?

She was pretty confident he was stretched out on the bed, watching TV or reading. But this was her buzz, and she could imagine him waiting for her in the massive tub in front of the fireplace if she wanted to. Because in her fantasy, he wanted her with a desperation that took his breath away. In her fantasy, he was deeply sorry for hurting her and he’d spent the past eleven years barely surviving because his love for her had been so great it had immobilized him.

“Okay, that last one is total crap,” she whispered to herself. “But the other two have possibilities.”

She walked to his door, knocked once, then let herself in before he could tell her to go away.

A quick glance around the room told her that he wasn’t about to fulfill her bathtub fantasy. Probably for the best. She was really feeling the margarita, and drowning was a distinct possibility.

Instead of being naked and in water, Jack sat in a corner chair, his feet up on the leather ottoman, reading. At least he’d been reading until she’d walked in. Now he set the book on his lap and looked at her expectantly.

She swayed as she moved toward the bed and sank down on the edge. She pushed off her sandals and smiled at him.

“Dinner was great. You should have come.”

“I’ll survive the deep loss.”

She smiled. “You’re so funny. Sometimes I forget you’re funny. I think it’s because you’re so intense and macho. Dangerous. You were always dangerous. Before, it was just about who you were as a person, but now you have access to all kinds of weapons. Doubly dangerous.”

His gaze narrowed slightly. “You’re drunk.”

She waved her left hand back and forth. “Drunk is such a strong term. Tipsy. Buzzed. Seriously buzzed. I had a second margarita. Always a mistake. I don’t drink much, so I never build up any tolerance. And I’m small, so there’s not much in the way of body mass. I could figure out the formula if you want. How many ounces of alcohol per pound of human body.”

“An intriguing offer, but no.”

She smiled. “It’s the math, huh. You’re scared of the math. Most people are. I don’t know why. Math is constant, you know. It’s built on principles, and once you learn them, they don’t change. It’s not like literature. That’s open to interpretation and there’s all that writing. But math is clean. You’re right or you’re not. I like being right.”

“It’s your competitive streak,” he said.

She swayed slightly on the bed. “You think I’m competitive?”

“It’s in your blood.”

“I guess. I like to be right about stuff. I get focused. I can be a real pain.” She grinned. “Doesn’t that make me even cuter? How can you stand it?”

“I’m using every ounce of willpower not to attack you this very moment.”

“You’re so lying, but it’s sweet. Thank you.”

She stared at him. If eyes were the windows to the soul, then Jack’s innermost place was a dark and protected place.

Secrets, she thought. They all had secrets. What were his?

Not that he would tell her. He kept that sort of thing to himself. But if he ever did decide to trust someone, it would be forever, she thought idly. Or maybe that was another of her fantasies.

“You need to help me with Betina and Colin,” she told him. “We’re going to get them together.”

One dark eyebrow rose. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be such a guy. This could be fun. Just think of it-we could be part of a great love match.”

“Colin and Betina?” He sounded doubtful.

“Sure. Betina has a serious thing for Colin. I was skeptical at first because Betina changes her men with the rhythm of the tide. A long-term relationship for her is a week. But that’s because she’s afraid to really care about someone. She had a bad early marriage years ago. Anyway, she’s liked Colin for a long time, and that liking has grown into something more. Something significant.”

She paused, waiting for him to grasp the importance of the information. Obviously he missed it, because he said, “I’m not getting involved.”

“You have to. It’s not like you’re doing anything else with your time.”

“We’re going to ignore my work and the effort I put into avoiding you?”

“Oh, yeah. There’s hard duty. A beautiful single woman desperately wants you in her bed. Poor Jack. Your life is pain.”

She could think of a thousand ways he could have reacted, but she never expected him to smile.

“You think of yourself as beautiful?” he asked quietly, sounding almost pleased.

Meri shifted on the bed. “It was a figure of speech.”

“The last time we talked about your appearance, you said you were a freak.”

She didn’t want to think about that, but if he insisted…“The last time we talked about my appearance, you emotionally slapped me, trampled my heart and left me for dead.”

His smile faded. “I’m sorry. I should have handled that differently.”

“But you didn’t. I wasn’t asking for sex right that moment.” She didn’t want to be talking about this. It was too humiliating. “My point is, Betina is crazy about Colin and I’m pretty sure he likes her. Which is where you come in. I want you to find out for sure.”

“What? No.”

“Why not? You’re a guy, he’s a guy. You can ask him if he likes Betina.”

“Should I pass you a note in homeroom?”

“I don’t care how I get the information, I just need confirmation.”

“You’re not getting it from me.”

She remembered his being stubborn but never this bad. “Have I mentioned you’re annoying? Because you are.”

“I live to serve.”

“If only that were true. Look, they’re both great people. They deserve to be happy. I’m just giving them a little push.”

“Did you need a push with Andrew?”

She sighed. “I wondered when you’d bring him up.”

“You’re nearly engaged. Why wouldn’t I be curious?”

She tried to figure out what he was thinking from his tone of voice, but as usual, Jack gave nothing away. It was one of his more annoying characteristics.

“We met at a charity auction,” she said. “There was a pet fashion show to start things off. Somehow I got tangled up in the leashes and nearly fell. Andrew rescued me. It was very romantic.”

“I can only imagine.”

She ignored any hint of sarcasm in his voice. Maybe knowing there was another man in her life would make him a little less arrogant.

“He was funny and charming and I liked him right away. We have so much in common. What movies we like, where we go on vacation. It’s been really fun.”

It had been fun, she thought, remembering all the good times with Andrew. But she’d been on this coast for nearly six months. They’d had a chance to get together only a few times, although they talked regularly. Their relationship seemed to be on hold and she obviously didn’t mind. Something she was going to have to think about.

“Is he a genius, too?” Jack asked.

“No, he’s delightfully normal. Smart but not too smart. I like that in a guy.”

“What do you know about him? Did you check him out?”

“Of course. He’s just a regular guy. Not in it for money.” Her good mood faded. “Is that your point? That no one could possibly want me if it wasn’t for the money?”

“Not at all. I just want you to be happy.”

“I am happy. Blissfully so. Andrew’s the one. We’ll be engaged as soon as I get back to D.C.” Which wasn’t actually true but it sounded good.

“Congratulations.”

Jack had ruined everything, she thought bitterly as she stood. Her buzz, her great evening.

“Just because you don’t believe in letting yourself care about people doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t real,” she told him. “Some of us want to connect.”

“I hope you do. I hope this is everything you want.”

“Why don’t I believe you? What aren’t you saying?”

“That if Andrew was so important to you, you wouldn’t stay away from him for six months.”

She walked to the door. “Who says I have?”

With that, she walked out and closed the door behind her.

It was only a few steps to her room, and she was grateful for the solitary quiet when she entered. After flicking on a few lights, she crossed to the window and stared out at the night sky.

It was a perfect night for viewing the stars, but she wasn’t in the mood. Not even on her brand-new telescope. She hurt too much and it was hard to say why.

Maybe because Jack was right. If Andrew was that important to her, she wouldn’t stay away from him for six months. But she had, and it had been relatively easy. Too easy. If she were really in love with him, wouldn’t she be desperate to be with him?

Finding the engagement ring had shocked her. She hadn’t known what to think about his proposing. She’d been happy, but a part of her had known that it was time to put off the inevitable. That closure with Jack was required.

She’d known about Hunter’s friends coming to stay at the house. She’d taken the consulting job in California, hired on as the caretaker of the house and had waited to confront the man who was holding her back. Once she got her revenge on Jack, she would be fine.

“That’s what’s wrong,” she whispered to herself. “I’m still waiting to punish him. Once Jack is reduced to dust, I’ll be able to give my whole heart to Andrew. It’s just going to be another week or so. Then I’ll be happy.”

Jack spent a restless night. He told himself it was because he’d had coffee too late in the day, but part of the problem was Meri’s words. Her claim that he didn’t connect.

Late the next morning, he saved the files on his computer and opened the top desk drawer in his temporary office. There was an envelope inside, along with a letter.

The letter had been waiting for him the first day he’d arrived. He’d recognized the distinctive handwriting and had known it was from Matt. The battered appliances in the kitchen had been another clue. His friend might be able to program a computer to do heart surgery, but Matt couldn’t do something simple like work an electric can opener.

For some reason, Jack had avoided the letter. Now he opened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper.

Jack-

When I read Ryan’s note that called this place a “love shack,” my first thought was, what a load of BS. But now I think he may have been onto something. He was also right about how wrong we were when we compiled our universal truths about women. Remember those? Yeah? Well, now you can forget ’em. We had no idea.

As for me, here’s what I learned during my month at the cabin: the most important work you’ll ever do has nothing to do with the job. And it’s work you can’t do by yourself. But when you find a partner you can trust and the two of you do that work together, it pays better than any career you could imagine. And the perks? You have no idea…

Have a good month, pal.

Matt.

Jack read the letter again. He’d figured out a long time ago that he didn’t know squat about women. Not that it mattered, as he never got involved. As for Matt and his other friends, sometimes he allowed himself to miss them. To wonder what it would have been like if Hunter hadn’t died. Because Hunter was the one who had held them all together. Without him, they’d gone their separate ways. There were times when he-