by Loyd, Sandy
“Red,” he murmured, flashing her twin a lazy smile.
How could Crystal dismiss him so easily? He was sexy in a rugged kind of way, Claire thought, watching her sister give him a wary nod.
Then his amused gaze moved to Claire’s and his smile broadened, giving her the full effect of his easy charm.
“You look like you’re ready for battle,” he said.
Her back stiffened. If her twin could resist him, then maybe she could resist Jason.
“She is, and she’s taking no prisoners.” Crystal wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Dressed like that, she could even seduce you, cowboy.”
Jimbo chuckled and put up his hands. “I surrender. I’m yours for the takin’, sweetheart.”
“The battle between us is over,” Crystal told him. “Just so we understand each other, there were no prisoners on either side.”
“You’re a hard woman.”
“Damn straight, I am. We’ll both be better off if you don’t forget it.” She pushed past him and opened the front passenger side door while Claire entered the backseat.
“Careful you don’t mess up your getup.” Jimbo climbed in and grabbed the wheel after accepting the garage door opener Claire handed him. “Can’t wait to see his reaction.”
Claire closed her eyes. She’d surely lost her mind. Both she and Crystal were bent over, hidden from view. She felt ridiculous. Ridiculous but beautiful. The effects of the time Crystal spent on her makeup, along with the skinny jeans she seldom wore, made her think someone else had taken over her body.
A few moments later, Jimbo said, “You can both sit up now. Coast is clear. No one’s following us.” When Claire sat up and caught his amused glint in the rearview mirror, he added, “They’ll probably give up watching your house once the timer turns out your lights.”
If felt like no time before they reached Jason’s house. Memories of the last time she’d been here flickered in Claire’s consciousness while walking toward the entrance. She stopped short, swallowed hard, and studied the house.
Fear must have shown on her face because Jimbo offered her an encouraging smile.
“Don’t stop now. We’re just getting to the good part.” When her gaze turned questioning, his grin widened. “Jason needs to be thrown off-balance a bit. I’m thinkin’ if anyone can trip him, it’d be you.”
Nodding, she inhaled a deep, calming breath to quell the millions of fluttering butterflies that had suddenly emerged from their cocoons in her stomach.
Jason had just rounded the corner as she stepped into the living room. He halted abruptly.
Jimbo reached out to close Jason’s dropped jaw. “Down, boy. Guess which one is yours.”
“Down yourself, cowboy.” Crystal shoved past them after grabbing Claire’s hand. “Claire and I don’t belong to either of you. Don’t read anything into this visit other than what it is. Avoiding reporters. Plus, Jason’s daughters are here, and he’s got pizza.”
Jimbo grinned and winked at Jason. “She’s softening toward me. I can tell.”
“Sure.” Jason trailed the three into the kitchen. “Whatever you say.”
“I thought you told me you were remodeling.” Crystal shook her head, clucking her tongue with disapproval as she took in the room. “Don’t you know most remodels start in the kitchen?”
“You don’t like it?” Jason’s gaze followed hers and he grinned. “I’ll have you know I spent good money on those appliances, and they work.”
“He’s got some weird idea they’re antiques,” Claire interjected, feeling a little braver now that she’d made it past the initial meeting.
Though the pinpricks of sensation on her neck told her Jason’s intense gaze was boring into her back, she ignored him. She could do this. He’d never know how much her heartbeat sped up at being this close, especially after noticing his unrestrained reaction only a moment ago.
“He’s obviously living under some misguided perception,” she added after taking another deep breath.
Jason opened the pizza boxes just as two girls, who could only be Amelia and Chloe, charged into the room.
The girls rushed over to their father. Claire took in the easy way they interacted with each other, impressed with their obvious expressions of love. They looked as if they belonged together. A pang of regret pierced her heart that she wasn’t part of it, and probably never would be.
“Girls, you know Ms. Grayson and Uncle Jimbo.” Jason nodded to the group. He indicated Claire. “And that’s Ms. Carter. I’m her lawyer. Claire, meet Chloe and Amelia.”
Claire smiled and put out her hand. Immediately, the older of the two children took it.
“I’m Amelia,” the girl said in a voice that seemed much more adult than her ten years allowed. “What’s my dad defending you for?”
“Amelia,” Jason said in a chiding voice. “Mind your manners.”
She rolled her eyes. Claire laughed as she let go of her hand.
“I’m Chloe.” The other child held out a tentative hand with a shy smile flitting across her face. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Feeling as if she’d been offered a rare gift, Claire took the small hand. “How do you do, Chloe.”
In appearance as well as mannerisms, the two girls were as different as salt is from sugar.
“Now that the introductions are made,” Jason said, “grab a plate and dig in. We can eat in the dining room since my kitchen offends your sensibilities.”
“I don’t know. It grows on you, in a mold-on-cheese kind of way,” Claire said, then looked around and reached into one of the pizza boxes. She grabbed a couple of slices and placed them on a plate Jason provided, and headed for the dining room. The others weren’t far behind.
Once they’d made short work of most of the pizza, Claire found she was glad she’d followed Crystal’s advice. It was easy to ignore Jason while focusing on his kids. How sweet that Chloe seemed to take Claire under her wing and make sure she sat next to her.
Those few times she happened to glance up and catch Jason eyeing her gave her a sense of elation. At least the butterflies in her stomach calmed down enough to let her eat and enjoy the small triumph.
Chapter 46
Too often Jason’s gaze wandered in Claire’s direction, even after steadfastly making a mental point not to peek. Dressed in some flimsy concoction the color of emeralds that only highlighted those gorgeous eyes and porcelain skin, the woman drew his attention every time she moved.
“I won.” Chloe laughed and grabbed the last pile as she laid down a card, her third win playing her favorite game, Crazy Eights.
The festive atmosphere was anything but to Jason. To him, this was a total mistake. Having Claire so close and not being able to talk to her or touch her or beg for forgiveness was exhilarating misery.
Chloe, a normally shy child, had become little chatterbox. His daughter had obviously taken to Claire and vice versa. Every time his daughter said something, Claire always had an easy response.
“Anyone want more pizza? Lemonade? Wine? Beer?” He pushed away from the table. He needed a break—anything to get away before he did something stupid.
After taking orders, he headed for the kitchen.
“I’ll help.” Jimbo followed. Once they were out of earshot, he said in a low voice, “It’s gonna take more than pizza and red wine.”
“What?” Jason turned in mid-stride and cocked an eyebrow at his friend.
“She’s pissed at you. Even I can see that.”
“No, she’s not.”
“Has she made eye contact?”
“What has that got to do with anything?”
“Has she?”
“No. She’s too busy talking to Chloe.” Jason shook his head and started for the fridge. “I can’t believe I’m jealous of my daughter.”
“What’d you do?”
“What do you mean, what’d I do? I didn’t do anything.”
“Don’t buy that, old buddy. You gave her that look, did
n’t you?”
Jason grunted, not dignifying Jimbo’s question with a response. What the hell did he know?
“You’d better apologize and pray she’s not like Crystal.”
“Claire’s not like Crystal.” Jason reached inside the refrigerator. “Besides, why am I listening to you? Crystal’s totally ignoring your ass.”
“She’s just doing that to rile me.” Jimbo shrugged. “At least I’m not mooning over her like some lovesick schoolboy.”
“I’m not mooning.”
“Yeah, right.”
Jason let the comment roll off his back, but a small part of it got caught.
“Okay, maybe a little,” he admitted, slamming the door shut. “But I noticed a few of your covert glances, so don’t tell me she’s not riling you.”
Jason handed a beer to Jimbo he’d taken out of the fridge, and set the pitcher of lemonade on the counter, next to the open bottle of wine. He leaned against the counter, crossing both arms and legs.
Meeting his friend’s amused gaze, Jason sighed. “How am I supposed to apologize when I can’t figure a way to get her alone to do it? She’s using the girls as a shield. I never expected that when I invited her.”
“You should know better. She’s related to Crystal, so she’s bound to have some of those prickly genes.”
“You’re not helping.”
“I have a plan.” Jimbo laughed. “We work together. Once the girls go to bed, we divide and conquer.”
“Divide and conquer?”
“Improvise. Tell her you need to talk to her about the case and you’ll give her a ride home, anything to get her alone. Then while you’re doing that, I’ll take care of Crystal.”
“It’s worth a shot.” Jason picked up the drinks and headed back to the dining room.
Feminine laughter hit his ears. Claire had obviously won over his other daughter too.
Jason filled two glasses with lemonade and two with wine. As he sat, Claire met his eyes for a moment. After looking away, she ignored him as if he didn’t exist.
He sighed and took a big sip of wine. He’d definitely screwed up. For the rest of the game, he stewed and waited for his kids’ bedtime.
• • •
An hour later, Jason glanced at his watch and smiled. “Time for bed.”
“Oh, Dad. Can’t we stay up a little later?” Amelia asked in a petulant voice.
“You’ve already pushed it forty-five minutes.” His grin spread from ear to ear when he caught Claire’s eye. “We’ll have to invite everyone over again. Besides, I’m sure our guests are tired of playing Crazy Eights tonight.”
“I enjoyed it,” Claire murmured. The cards then became her main focus as she gathered them and stacked them neatly.
Patience. Just a few more minutes, and the girls would no longer be her shield.
Chloe stood and clutched Claire’s hand. “Can Ms. Carter take us to bed? I wanna show her my room.”
Jason frowned. “I don’t—”
“I’d love to,” Claire said, cutting him off and letting Chloe pull her out of the chair.
“I can show her my room too,” Amelia chimed in. She got up from the table and ran ahead of the two now headed up the stairs.
Jason turned to Crystal once the others were out of earshot. “Snyder wants you and Claire to take lie-detector tests.”
“Both of us?” Concern darkened her eyes.
He nodded. “I’m going along with it because I’m convinced Claire’s innocent.”
“Is he aware of my alibi?”
“Not yet. He thinks you’re in on it together, so you may want your lawyer present.”
“I’ll ask Stephens,” she said, mentioning another sharp criminal attorney Jason knew by name. “I’m not worried. Snyder has no proof.”
“Good.” Jason rose. Glancing at Jimbo, he said, “Would you mind taking Crystal to her car? I’ll give Claire a ride later. I want to go over a few things with her before our talk with Snyder.”
“Sure.” Jimbo sent Jason a pleased grin, and then looked at Crystal with raised eyebrows. “That is, if you’re not afraid to be alone with me.”
“Dream on, cowboy. You don’t scare me.” Her expression was smug as she focused on Jason and added, “And you don’t scare Claire, so you both can forget whatever plans you’ve made. They won’t work.”
Then she stormed out of the room ahead of Jimbo.
Chapter 47
Crystal caught Jimbo’s pleased expression as he slid in beside her and started his car.
“Wipe that stupid grin off your face, hotshot. You haven’t won anything.”
“I beg to differ,” he drawled as they pulled out of Jason’s driveway. “You’re sitting there, aren’t you?”
“I can remedy that.”
He let out a confident grunt.
So like Jimbo. Straightening her spine, she clenched her fists, unable to ignore the urge to poke a hole in that puffed-up bubble of certainty.
“You don’t think I’ll walk home?”
He glanced over and a hint of doubt swept over his features.
Good.
“I don’t think it,” he said, “I know it. But don’t go proving it.” Unfortunately, the confidence was back when he snared her gaze and winked. “Then I’d have to chase you down, hog-tie you, and throw you back in the car.”
Though he was grinning when he spoke, the steely edge in Jimbo’s tone made her think he wasn’t kidding. She swallowed hard and turned away, breaking the connection with those soulful bedroom eyes.
Retreat while you’re ahead and live to fight another day. That was her motto.
“Much better,” he said smugly. “We both know that once I got you subdued, I could untie the physical restraints and keep you tied up in other ways.”
Crystal’s gaze stayed focused on a streetlight up ahead while that sexy Southern inflection slid over her. Take a breath and let it out, she mentally commanded herself. Take another . . . and another . . . and another.
Damn, it was so annoying to realize the guy still had the power to set off goose bumps. Her arms and legs were covered with them, even after ten forced breaths. She waited until the reaction abated.
“Okay. I concede,” she said. “You won that round. You’re sexy as hell and hard to resist.” She glared at him and then gave him a coy smile. “Just don’t read anything into it. It’s only physical attraction. A drive to experience pure, undiluted sex, which I happen to like, and you’re damn good at delivering.”
Immediately his foot let off the gas pedal and the car slowed.
Oops. I’ve gone too far, she thought when the curve of his lips became a thin line. His whole body tightened, including his hands as they gripped the steering wheel after making a quick U-turn.
Her smile died. “My car’s still at Claire’s. And my place is in the opposite direction.”
“We’re not going to your place. Or Claire’s.” Jimbo shot a look her way. “You may want to rethink, though. You so much as touch that door, you won’t like the consequences.”
A tingle of excitement ran up and down her spine as the click of the automatic locks punctuated his statement. She couldn’t quite push away the anticipatory thrill.
Remember, Crystal. It’s only sex.
Yeah, right. Only sex. Too bad her heart didn’t receive the message.
Chapter 48
The instant the front door closed behind Jimbo and Crystal, Jason took the stairs two at a time, only stopping when he reached his daughter’s room. Leaning back against the doorjamb, he watched Chloe give a tour of her bedroom.
As Claire showed total interest in his daughter’s toys, he mentally rubbed his hands together, counting the seconds until he got her alone.
“Okay, you two have stalled long enough. Go get into your PJs and brush your teeth,” he said after Claire had inspected both rooms.
“Ah, Dad,” the pair said in unison.
He only stared at them, giving the girls his father-knows-best
look, and waited.
Amelia sighed, but Chloe grabbed Claire’s hand.
“You can keep us company.”
“I’d like that.” Claire smiled.
A pang hit him. Damn. How could he be jealous of his kids, for Christ’s sake? But jealousy was there, lurking just under the surface.
Claire’s giggle shot straight to his groin. Jealousy was too mild a word for what he felt observing Claire’s obvious joy when Chloe pulled her along. He’d figure out a way to get her to look at him like that again. He had to.
But what if she never did? What if she wouldn’t listen to him? What if she wouldn’t forgive him?
No! Stop thinking what-ifs. Claire was obviously a reasonable human being.
He’d screwed up, and he would fix it.
Amelia finished first. She nodded a good-night to Claire and then gave him a big hug, along with a quick kiss.
“’Night, Dad.”
“Good night, sweetie.”
He followed Claire into Chloe’s room.
After saying good night and kissing his youngest daughter, he grabbed Claire’s hand.
“Stalling’s over.” He headed for the second-story family room and led her over to the big sofa. “We need to talk.”
“Okay.” Claire’s gaze swept the room before she sat. “Where is everyone?”
“They left.”
She rose. “Then it’s time for me to go too.” She started for the door.
“Sit.”
She stopped in mid-step and pivoted. A fierce expression crossed her face, reminding him of a fierce Amazon warrior preparing for battle. She wasn’t about to meekly submit to his demand without a fight.
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I’m your lawyer.” Jason nodded at the seat next to him. “And as such, I’m telling you to sit so we can discuss the case.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m replacing you.”
Claire crossed her arms, and her expression remained severe. A moment later, her foot started tapping. He stared at her without blinking as she continued tapping, then stopped and waited.
