Never Date Your Ex

by Genevieve Goodwin

  "I guess I better go take a look at my cottage," she said, wishing he would beg her to stay, one more day, one more hour, or even one more minute.

  He pulled her close to him and kissed her slowly, as if they had all the time in the world. She felt her heart beating wildly as he held her in his arms.

  "We'll talk later" he said as he let her go.

  She nodded, and gathered Thorn in her arms.

  Aidan watched as she walked through the scattered debris and the flowing rain waters, evidence of last night's storm despite the sunny day. He had checked the path to her house for down power lines and he knew it would be safe for her to walk home. He needed time to himself, time to think about the consequences of last night. He knew there was far more to their shared kisses, than a casual fling. Much more. And this time, they were adults who controlled their own lives. The only thing that could come between them was themselves.

  He picked up the newspaper from his yard and marveled that it had been delivered, despite the near hit of a hurricane. His shoulder ached from yesterday's injury but the warmth in his heart shadowed the pain. Could a man like him be so lucky as to find love again?

  He returned to the kitchen, poured himself another cup of coffee and unwrapped the Seabrook Post. "Conrad Malcolm and Jamie Connolly to Wed" the headlines read and under it a photo of them together. Aidan saw red as unchecked anger ripped through him.

  He skimmed the article to see if either Conrad or Jamie had made a direct statement to the press, but the article simply said the glamorous couple had ties to Seabrook and rumor had it, were planning to web.

  "Over my dead body' Aidan raged as he threw the paper aside. And a fury, suppressed for far too many years threatened to explode.

  Aidan had been the one who identified Lauren's body at the accident on that horrible night five years ago. She had left Aidan two months before, taken in by Conrad Malcolm's power and prestige, and his promises of fame and fortune. He had been there on legal business, representing the fraudulent boating company that was responsible for his brother's death.

  As if that wasn't insult enough, he had charmed Lauren away from her husband and child and to her death as surely as if he had put a gun to her head. Aidan had been too young and too heartbroken over Danny's death to see it coming. But he was no longer that young, inexperienced twenty-four-year-old. Aidan would not let Conrad destroy Jamie too.

  Not this time. This time justice would prevail. Aidan would make sure of it.

  ~

  Jamie was fuming as she pulled into the parking lot belonging to Conrad's Palm Beach office. She couldn't believe he would tell the press that they were engaged when she had never accepted his proposal. The Palm Beach Post no less! It was probably in the Miami Herald and the Seabrook Press as well. Of all the conceited, idiotic things to do! The guy was a sleazy politician, after all. Why hadn't she seen it?

  She slammed her car door and stalked by a car that looked eerily familiar. She looked at the license plate. Red Hot. It was Reny's car. That was the last person she wanted to see in her current state of mind. The gossipy Reny would be raving about the announcement and asking her about the details of the upcoming wedding.

  "There's not going to be a wedding!" she screamed out loud as she walked into the office building. By the time she stepped into Conrad's Penthouse office she'd managed to calm herself. Unfortunately, it was short lived.

  A curvy, platinum blond woman dressed in a plunging white blouse guarded the office front. "I'm so sorry Miss. Connolly but Mr. Malcolm is out of the office on business. I don't expect him back today," she said, her fake eyelashes fluttering a little too rapidly.

  The woman busied herself with some papers on her desk, refusing to make eye contact with Jamie. Obviously, she was lying, although Jamie couldn't imagine why.

  It was the Palm Beach game. She had almost forgotten. Figure out what I really mean, it said. That was the game. But Jamie was tired of games. She was growing accustomed to the slow, easy comfort of Seabrook. And she liked it, for more reasons than she wanted to admit. One reason being the irresistible Adan Brice.

  "Tell him I'll be in touch," she told the girl, who probably couldn't type to save her life.

  She left the office to check on her city condo. The hurricane had missed Palm Beach so her beachfront condo was fine. She called the Palm Beach Post to inquire about the article. She asked them to print a front-page retraction to inform the reading public that Jamie was not marrying Conrad Malcolm or anyone else in the near future, and they had been grossly misinformed. They apologized profusely to her, insisting that the information came from a source within Mr. Malcolm's publicity group.

  "Did you ever think to call me and ask before printing such a thing? Don't you think the bride would know if she was getting married or not?" she asked the young reporter.

  "We figured no woman would turn down a chance to marry Conrad Malcolm," he said.

  "Well, you figured wrong" she said icily.

  Jamie was exhausted when she finally arrived back home in Seabrook. It had been raining in Seabrook and the roof leaks were becoming apparent and were getting progressively worse. Blue tarp covered various parts of her roof while inside, buckets were scattered about the house to catch the drips from her damaged roof. Aidan, no doubt had been here. Jamie smiled at his thoughtfulness.

  She looked around the barren living room and longed for a down filled couch to sprawl out on but since there was none, she went to her bedroom and crawled into bed. She was exhausted from the four hours of driving today, her turmoil of emotions, and her late-night smooching with Aidan. Not that she was complaining. She smiled at the thought of his arms wrapped around her. She sighed with contentment as she fell asleep dreaming of sweet kisses and Aidan Brice.

  ~

  A fury, uncharacteristic of his normally calm nature had gripped Aidan in the last few hours. He had tried jogging but five miles later he was still enraged. He had tried working but three hours of labor, removing the shutters from his home had done nothing to diminish the bitter anger he felt. It had only physically exhausted him. It was a complicated mess with the makings of another tragic outcome. And this time, Aidan could only blame himself.

  He poured himself a finger of whiskey and relaxed on the couch where less than twenty-four hours ago Jamie's sweet kisses started what was to become one of the most memorable nights of his life. He hadn't set out to fall for her. He had tried to stay away. There was too much against them from the beginning.

  Her unexplained connection to Conrad, Villa Milagros, her career, his son and all their obligations seemed to pull them in opposite directions. But he was in too deep now. He had known it when he saw the photo of Jamie next to Conrad in this morning's paper. Now that he had seen her, kissed her and held her in his arms after all these years, he could never go back.

  That thought startled him. He set down the glass of whiskey, untouched and grabbed his keys off the dining room table. He was beyond rational thinking now. He simply had to see her. He had to hear from her own mouth that she was not going to marry Conrad Malcolm. And having that fact established, he would return to his cool, calm self and his life as a responsible, single father.

  "No problem' he insisted under his breath, knowing that he wasn't fooling anyone. Especially not himself.

  ~

  The knock on the door was loud and insistent, breaking the utter stillness of the house. Jamie rose from her bed, startled, but before she had made it to the front door he appeared, all six feet of him, solid, hulking and by the looks of it, fuming mad.

  "You want to explain this to me?" Aidan demanded, shaking a newspaper at Jamie.

  She was stunned by his behavior, and it took her a moment to realize the cause of his anger. And the accusation behind it. He moved toward her, and she instinctively backed away from him. She was afraid of his touch, afraid it would melt the anger that was building in her. How dare he! How could he believe she was capable of kissing him while she was engaged to anot
her man?

  She wasn't quick enough. When his hand enclosed her arm and pulled her toward him, she felt herself yielding to the inexplicable powers his embrace had over her common sense. In all her fresh anger, she wanted to feel his embrace, wanted to feel his kiss and his arms around her as they stood in her decrepit little house, oblivious to the world around them. She yearned for him in a way that she had never yearned anyone in her life.

  He shoved the newspaper in the back pocket of his jeans. Then his hands reached out, sliding softly down her arms. She could feel his rough callouses, rubbing against her skin and it sent tingles down her spine.

  "Tell me you are not going to marry that man," he said, his lips curling with agitation.

  She studied his expression. He looked hurt and furious, and she wanted to cover his face with kisses and give it a good indignant slap at the same time. She didn't move.

  "Well?" he said.

  She shook off his grasp and stepped away from him. Her senses were coming into full focus now. "Don't tell me you actually believe what they printed?" she fumed. "Don't tell me that you actually believe that I would spend an evening kissing you while I was engaged to another man? Is that the opinion you have of me?"

  "I picked up the morning paper and this is what I see headlined," he said, patting the paper in his pocket. "You engaged to Conrad Malcom. What am I supposed to think?" he asked.

  "You could give me the benefit of a doubt instead of charging in here like a pig-headed bull on steroids."

  "I'm asking you now. What is your relationship to Conrad?"

  She took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully "He was someone I dated casually for a short time. He asked me to marry him. And I said no."

  She watched as Aidan's face relaxed a little.

  "I haven't spoken to him in weeks. I tried to see him at his Palm Beach office today, but he was out of the office. I'm sure he was behind the announcement. He seems to think I would help his political career somehow."

  "He sounds like a very self-serving guy," Aidan said with a trace of bitterness. "No surprise there."

  She wanted to tell him that her relationship with Conrad was not a romantic one, nor had it ever been, but she didn't want to give Aidan the satisfaction. How dare he come here, storm into her house and believe such dirty lies about her.

  She didn't want to think about the possibility that he might actually care for her. She didn't want to think about the fact that she might actually feel something for him. She was supposed to be in this for fun. A fun, fall, affair. She'd said it herself.

  "I guess my reputation remains intact,"' he said wryly.

  "Your reputation? Listen here pal, you're the one who dragged me to your home in the middle of a hurricane against my will, like some sort of testosterone engorged caveman and-"

  "And what? Kissed you? I think that was your original plan if I'm not mistaken. You wanted a night of kissing and you were certainly successful. Not that I'm complaining, mind you," he said wryly.

  "Why you conceited, arrogant gorilla!" Jamie stammered.

  Aidan dodged her palm and clasped Jamie's hands together before she could attempt another clumsy slap. His thumbs caressed the length of her slender fingers. He leaned over against her face and kissed her cheek, sending an electric sensation from her head to her toes.

  "You're tempting me again," he whispered against her hair. He let her go then and calmly made his way to the front door while Jamie, speechless, tried to gather her wits about her.

  He turned in the doorway, filling it with his beautiful, husky figure. He held up the Seabrook newspaper from his pocket and tossed it on the floor. "You may want to request a retraction from the town paper as well," he said. "I do have my reputation to worry about" he said mildly and let the door shut behind him.

  And Thorn, who had been a silent observer of this little drama, pounced on the newspaper that Aidan had left and proceeded to tear it to shreds.

  "Good puppy," she said as she sank down next to Thorn and absently scratched his head. She was trembling, shaking from rage or insanity? She wasn't sure.

  Jamie was starting to think more and more that Aidan Brice was the one who was the tempting one now.

  ~

  Aidan knew that he was running like a bat out of hades. Or a coward. Sure, he had the excuse he had to pick up Ross. But truth be told, for the first time in his life he was losing control.

  Heaven knew, she'd wrapped herself around his heart in a matter of days. The simple touch of his lips against her soft cheek, and he was ready to throw caution to the wind. But he couldn't allow it to go any further, he decided. This Fall affair had to end before it had started. His first and foremost responsibility was his son and he couldn't let romantic feelings effect any decisions about the welfare of his son. Jamie, though warm and kind and intelligent, was a serious minded, high society career woman who socialized with the Conrad Malcolms of the world. Her glitzy lifestyle would not lend itself to interest in PTA meetings and T ball practice. Jamie was a sweet, attractive woman. A mother, she was not.

  She wasn't his type anyway. He pulled into Jo's driveway and slipped out of his truck. He liked earthy, natural women, not sophisticated ladies. He liked a woman who could rough it camping in a bug-ridden swamp or hike up a mountain in the snow. Jamie was too fragile, too pampered to do those things. Although, she hadn't been so fragile when she was ready to slug him. The look on her face when she was angry made him chuckle.

  Ross appeared at the door, with a big smile and chocolate smeared across his face. He ran to Aidan, who swung him up in his arms. As he hugged Ross, Aidan knew that no one in the world would ever come between him and his son, no matter how beautiful.

  No matter how his heart longer for her.

  ~

  The ringing of the phone was annoying and apparently the caller did not get the message that Jamie did not want to be disturbed. She rolled over on her bed and answered the phone in a gruff voice.

  "Jamie? You don't sound like a happy bride to be. Thank the heavens!"

  "Kerrie?" Jamie murmured sleepily.

  "If there was to be a wedding, I thought it would be between you and Aidan. Travis says he sweet on you."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Aidan was so concerned about you last night he called Travis to see if you were with me. He was worried sick about you with that storm coming. Did he ever find you?"

  Jamie sat up in bed, gradually awakening. "Yes, I spent the night at his house."

  A big hoot vibrated in the phone. "You didn't?"

  "No, not that! I stayed in his guest room. Then today, he came storming over here after what he read in the paper about Conrad and me. All nonsense of course, but how could he believe it?"

  "Well, his ex-wife wasn't so great. He probably thinks all women are like that."

  Jamie hadn't thought of that. Of course, his reaction might be a little extreme after what he had been through. No wonder he was angry. "How could you let them print that Kerrie, when you knew it wasn't true?"

  "Honey, I was out covering the storm last night. I had no idea that was going to print. I'm a reporter, not an editor. No one even asked me."

  "I'll need a retraction. On the front page please."

  "Consider it done," Kerrie said. "Oh goodness, Jamie! What a man to fall in love with. He's so complicated."

  "I'm not in love!" Jamie protested.

  "You and Aidan are one and the same. Both of you trying to deny it. Why don't you face up to it? Jamie in love… I don't think I have ever seen you like this before. Except in high school when you went out with… who was it? Oh, right. Aidan Brice!"

  "Don't be ridiculous" Jamie retorted.

  "The more you deny it, the more I know I'm right. I sure as heck wouldn't have chosen Aidan Brice for you, but I do respect the man for his good taste in choosing you. Much improved since the last one, his silly ex-wife who ran off and…. Oh, there's the doorbell!"

  Jamie didn't care about the doorbell. "Tell
me about her," Jamie insisted.

  "I'll have to tell you later. Travis is at the door. I've got to run. Call you later!" Kerrie gushed and hung up.

  Now, who was in love here? Jamie thought there was a whole lot going on between Kerrie and Travis although Kerrie emphatically denied it. She hoped Kerrie was lying. Travis seemed like a very nice guy, and he was best friends with Aidan, which meant the four of them could go out together and…

  Hold on. What was she doing thinking about the future with Aidan? She didn't know what to think after last night. Were they dating? Or was this her Fall fling? Was last night a one-night adventure? That's what she'd wanted from the beginning, a short-lived fling. The problem was she didn't want to stop at one night, one day or even one month. She wasn't sure she wanted it to stop at all.

  She wondered what Aidan was thinking and if he really cared for her. They had only become reacquainted in the last few weeks but it felt like a lifetime had passed since that first day he'd walked into her dilapidated cottage and stirred those old feelings to the surface. Did she stir something in him as well? Something more than attraction? Was there something more in his kiss? Kerrie said he'd been worried about her yesterday. What did that mean? She knew one way to find out.

  She grabbed Thorn's leash and nervously clipped it to the puppy's collar as he moved about excitedly.

  "Hold still, silly puppy," she said softly. But she shared Thorn's excitement as well. She was going to be the one barging in the front door this time. She hoped he would be pleasantly surprised.

  By the time Jamie reached Aidan's door her valor had somewhat diminished, and she almost lost her nerve to storm into his house without knocking. Courage, gal. She gripped the front doorknob and stepped inside.

  The aroma of meat cooking, maybe even starting to burn filled the air.

  "Mm-m what's for dinner?" she called out as she started toward the kitchen until something made her stop dead in her tracks. In front of her stood the beautiful boy she had met days earlier on the beach.