Turn Me On (17 page)

Yet if he didn’t admit his relationship with Lissa was important, how in
hell could he justify his current reaction? He took a breath. “You could say.”

“Sorry, man.” Ethan grimaced and took a swig of beer. “I didn’t
realize.”

“That’s usually your excuse.”

Ethan grimaced again, then took a longer pull of his drink. “I’m not
making an excuse, just stating a fact.

“You knew she was at your wedding?”

Ethan shook his head. “Not until after. Marco mentioned it. It was good
of her to keep a low profile.”

“Wouldn’t want your wife finding out.”

“I already told Amber.” He met Reed’s narrowed gaze with a steady one.
“Looks like she was more accepting than you are.”

Reed ran a finger around the rim of his beer glass. “You don’t say.”

“What’s your problem, anyhow? You don’t expect your women to have a
sexual past? That’s a damn archaic view, Reed, especially considering how you
were back in the day. You were pretty open-minded back then.”

“Yeah, well. I grew up.”

“You’re the one still playing the field,” Ethan pointed out. “I’m the
one with a wife.”

Despite Ethan’s wry smile, Reed felt the anger pump through him. “Who
says I’m still playing the field?”

With his glass halfway to his lips, Ethan froze. “You’re
that
serious about her?”

“That wasn’t the plan.” And he still wasn’t going to allow himself to
think Lissa was anything more to him than an out clause, but since Ethan was
surveying him in that tenacious manner he had, Reed knew he wasn’t about to be
let off the hook. “We’ve got this arrangement.”

He told Ethan about Cynthia and how Lissa had agreed to help him out
with the temporary marriage deal.

“So then you went and muddied the waters,” Ethan stated after Reed had
outlined the arrangement. “Brought sex into the mix.”

Reed’s anger erupted afresh. “Who the fuck said we’re having sex?”

“She’s a beautiful woman. You’re a fucking moron if you haven’t at least
tried to get her between the sheets.”

“And you’d know all about that.”

Placing his glass down, Ethan held up his hands in surrender. “Let’s not
start down that road again.”

Reed wiped his hand over his chin and sat back, feeling like all the
life had suddenly been drained out of him. “Damn women.”

They sat in silence for long moments, both sipping their beer and
staring reflectively at the table.

“Marco said Beth had a problem at first.”

Reed looked up into his cousin’s steady gaze. “With what?”

“The threesome thing.” He looked a little sheepish, as if there was more
to his remark than he was prepared to let on. “They worked through it.”

“Yeah, well it’s different for a woman. They’re more…accepting.”

“Maybe.” As Reed had done, Ethan stroked his finger around the rim of
his glass. “You’ve got to find a way through this, Reed. If you want to make it
work with Lissa you’ve got to make your peace with it.”

Reed wasn’t sure how he was supposed to do that and ten minutes later,
when the two men had come to a shaky truce, shook hands and parted, Reed still
felt a residual irritation toward Ethan. His cousin told him to work through
it, make his peace with it.

Easier said than done.

Sometime during his conversation with Ethan, he’d come to the heady
realization that Lissa mattered to him. Why else would he feel so damn furious
about the whole thing?

In the last couple of weeks he’d started to enjoy having her around. He
liked their conversations, he liked hearing about her day over dinner, he loved
having her in his bed and waking up next to her in the mornings.

And damn it, he couldn’t stomach the fact that Ethan and Marco had
intimate knowledge of her.

Maybe he was being unreasonable, but he couldn’t see how he could shake
the anger, the resentment. Despite what Ethan had said, he wasn’t stupid enough
to think that his women had no sexual past, no history. Yet twice that morning
he’d been accused of having an archaic view on the whole subject.

How in hell was he supposed to simply accept and move on? He couldn’t.
He knew himself well enough to know that. And what the hell did it matter
anyway? He and Lissa would soon be done.

There was no reason to make such a damn mountain out of the whole deal.
They’d had their time together. Now it was done. Tomorrow night they’d sign the
papers. And it would all be over.

Chapter Eleven

 
Lissa was feeling decidedly
anxious as she knocked on Reed’s door. Other than a curt text reminding her of
the time of their meeting, she had received no contact from him and wasn’t sure
what to expect.

She hadn’t strayed from her resolve to ask him for the papers to be
drawn up so they could put an end to this farcical arrangement. There was no
need for it any longer, seeing as the woman he’d been trying to avoid marrying
had gone back to
London
satisfied that there was no future for her and Reed.

Lissa knew how that felt. Not that she’d gone into this whole thing
expecting there would be a future for them, but somewhere along the way she’d
started hoping that maybe it could be more than a simple interlude where two
people got what they wanted from a relationship before moving on. She’d started
thinking—hoping—that they could make something from their brief liaison.

Which just went to prove what a silly fool she was.

Not in a million years would she consider getting herself hitched to a
man like Reed for longer than necessary. A man who got on his high horse
because a woman he had sex with had actually—perish the thought—had sex before
with another man, or men.

Hell. If it was a virgin he was looking for, good luck to him.

Arrogant prick.

She hammered on the door, her action propelled by her irritated
thoughts.

Reed answered it, looking achingly handsome in a dark grey polo shirt
with the top three buttons unfastened and casual dark colored trousers. “You’re
late.”

She banked down her irritation and pointedly glanced at her watch. “Five
minutes. Did you have something better to do, Reed?” She waltzed into his
apartment, slipped off her coat before he could take it, and tossed it on a
chair in the hallway. “I can’t stay long.”

Aware he followed her, Lissa made for the living area. When she stepped
inside the beautiful room with its panoramic view of the sea, she froze.

Jack Holland rose from where he’d been sitting on one of the leather
sofas. His dark blond hair was cut shorter than she remembered and his brown
eyes smiled out at Lissa. He wore dark trousers and a tailored jacket beneath
which a pristine white shirt highlighted his tanned face.

He held out his hand in welcome. “How are you, Lissa?”

“Good. Thanks.” She hadn’t been expecting Jack would be here. Had Reed
preempted her and asked his lawyer friend to join them to discuss the divorce?

The finality of that possibility didn’t sit well and, while she’d been
prepared to demand Reed get the ball rolling in that respect, it hurt to think
he felt the same way.

Which was absurd. How much better would the whole thing be if they both
decided that it was time to call it a day and just got on with the business of
getting unmarried?

“Wine?” Reed had moved to the drinks cabinet and held up an opened
bottle.

While his manner was calm and polite, there was also that distance she’d
become familiar with. It was as if he were about to conduct a business meeting,
which she supposed he was. She didn’t want to acknowledge how miserable that
made her feel.

She shook her head at the offer of alcohol. If they were about to end
things, go through the divorce papers, she wanted her mind clear. She might be
feeling desolate and dejected, but damned if she’d let him see it. “I’d prefer
coffee.”

His eyes stayed steady on hers, but unlike Jack, there was no warmth
there. Just cold efficiency. She imagined he ran all his business meetings with
that look. “Then I’ll get you coffee. Make yourself at home.”

Make herself at home?
The comment cut like a sharp knife
under her heart. During the past weeks it had started to feel like home. She’d
enjoyed being there. With him.

It seemed the feeling wasn’t reciprocated.

With an inner sigh, Lissa moved to the sofa. The very sofa on which he’d
often pinned her down. Where he’d stripped her naked, pushed his tongue inside
her and made her come in seconds. Where he’d driven his cock so hard into her
she thought she might just die right there, an extremely contented woman.

“How are plans for the new business coming along, Lissa?” Jack smiled as
he sat opposite her on the sofa.

She wanted to tell him that perhaps he knew better than she did, seeing
as he was the one who’d overseen most of the arrangements for Reed. But she
liked Jack. Despite the circumstances of her relationship with his friend, he’d
always treated her kindly and with respect.

“Slow and sure,” she replied with a smile as she placed her bag on the
floor beside her feet. “I’m determined
 
not to make the same mistakes I did before.”

“Well, things are pretty watertight. Reed was resolute there’d be no
loopholes.”

I’ll bet he was,
she thought. Mustn’t have any
loopholes. Which was maybe unfair of her, seeing as Reed wouldn’t benefit from
her business in any way. He’d been thorough and businesslike in his advice to
her and had instructed Jack according to her wishes.

Reed came back with a coffee pot and three cups. He placed them down on
the table between the two sofas, before sitting next to Jack.

Another knife below her heart. She ignored it. She could be as
businesslike as he was.

“I asked Jack to join us to tie up any loose ends,” Reed began as he
poured coffee into plain white china cups. “I wanted to be sure that
everything’s to your liking and that you’ve achieved everything you anticipated
and wanted from the arrangement. For my part, I’m more than satisfied.”

Had they been alone she would have told him that he bloody well ought to
be more than satisfied, seeing as during their
arrangement
she’d spent most nights in his bed while they’d done
just about what they’d damn well liked to each other.
That
extra curricula activity hadn’t been drawn up in their
business
contract.

She swallowed down her venom. She wouldn’t let it anger her and she sure
as hell wouldn’t let it hurt her. She’d slept with him because she’d wanted to.
It had been her choice. He wasn’t entirely to blame for her feelings now.

“Everything is fine from my end,” she said as she stuck her chin in the
air. “You’ve been far more generous than was required. All my debts have been
settled and you’ve helped me produce a solid business plan.” She held his gaze.
“I’d say we’re all square.”

His eyes flashed but he said nothing.

Jack shuffled in his seat and cleared his throat. Lissa noticed that he
looked a little uneasy. “There is one thing that you didn’t declare in your
list of debtors.”

Lissa swallowed as her stomach turned uneasily. Was it possible he’d
found out about the mortgage on her aunt’s house? Her hand shook a little as
she reached for her cup. “I’m satisfied with the way things are. There’s
nothing else I need help with.”

Jack glanced at Reed who remained silent as he watched Lissa steadily.

“The mortgage on your house,” Jack stated, confirming her thoughts.
“Reed wants to settle the debt to enable you to start again with a clean
slate.”

Ignoring Reed, Lissa addressed Jack. “That’s not necessary. With all the
other debts cleared, I can manage the mortgage myself.”

“That wasn’t the damn arrangement,” Reed snapped. “I agreed to pay off
all your debts. Why the hell didn’t you mention the mortgage? The repayments
are a sizeable sum, do you have any idea how they’ll eat into your monthly
outgoings?”

She had to bank down her irritation and discomfort at having her
financial acumen questioned again. Bad enough she’d been a fool once, and had
to lower herself by marrying a man to pay off her debts, but these two
obviously didn’t hold out much hope that she’d learned her lesson or was
capable of running her finances in the future.

“I’m perfectly aware of how they will affect my monthly outgoings, and
I’ve reworked my new budget to include the repayments.” She replaced her cup on
the table as her hands continued to tremble. “The mortgage repayments didn’t
feature in the original agreement, so as I said, we’re all square.”

Reed positively glared at her now. There was something primal and
dangerous about him when he was in a determined mood. To cover her unease, she
looked at Jack who picked up his briefcase and placed it on his lap. Pulling
out a wad of papers, he laid them on the glass-topped coffee table. He selected
a folder, opened it and drew out a check which he offered to Lissa.