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“I’m great. Now you can go.”
“Wow. You could be a little nicer.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Come on, Gina. We’re both adults here. There’s no reason we can’t be friends. Even you toasted to new beginnings.”
“So the drink in your face didn’t clue you in to my sarcasm? I thought you were smarter than that.” His features tightened at her continued rudeness, but she didn’t care. “What do you want?” she repeated.
He shifted his gaze toward her door. “Can we go inside and talk?”
Like she wanted him to see her luxury apartment. “Here’s just fine.”
A frown wrinkled his tanned forehead. She eyed his perfectly styled hair and considered that there was a time she thought he was so good-looking. Now she saw past the faces he presented to the world to the spoiled, manipulative man whose sense of entitlement completely overshadowed a conscience she wasn’t even sure existed.
As she stood her ground without opening the door, something flickered in his blue eyes. His lashes lowered too fast for her to identify the emotion, and when he lifted his gaze back to hers, it was full of regret.
“I wanted to apologize for the way everything ended between us. I can see it hasn’t been easy for you.”
Her initial surprise from the first sentence evaporated with his subtly worded jab in the second. She held up the purchases in her hands, even though the only thing that belonged to her was the sub sandwich she’d stuffed in her bag. “I’m doing just fine, thank you.”
His dark eyebrows rose as he dipped his chin, conveying sympathy for her sorry plight. She didn’t believe his act for a second.
“Look, Jackson. I don’t want to do this right now.” Not at all, truthfully. “I’m tired and I’m hungry, so just go. Please.”
His expression softened even more. “Why don’t you put your things away, and I’ll take you out for dinner. We can go to Palace Arms in Denver.”
He didn’t really think her favorite restaurant was all it would take, did he? Her best efforts couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Now I know you’re joking. After everything you’ve done, you couldn’t pay me to go anywhere with you.”
“Gina, come on. I just told you I was sorry. You know how hard it is for me to admit when I’m wrong, but if you want the truth, Grace was a mistake. I see that now.”
“Oh, I agree, but that’s not my problem.”
The flicker she’d seen earlier returned, only this time he didn’t look away to hide the sharp glint of determination. Uneasiness started a slow increase of her pulse. She tightened her grip on the bags in her hands and wished he’d just leave so she could go inside, bolt her door, and jam the chair under the handle.
Until then, she’d have to bluster it out.
“You’ve changed,” he murmured.
“Not really.” She lifted her chin to emphasize her next words and let him know she wasn’t buying one word of his bullshit. “I just finally remembered who I am.”
“Doesn’t look like much to me.”
The comment was more outright belittling than usual, but she was still able to shake it off. He was no longer welcome to mess with her head. “Good thing I don’t care if you’re looking anymore.”
His eyes narrowed and he took a step closer. “You should.”
He towered over her, making her heart beat even faster. She forced herself to keep her chin up and stand her ground while meeting his cold gaze. “You should go. Now.”
“I’ll leave when I’m good and ready. And I won’t be ready until you tell me what you and Dean Daley are up to.”
She swallowed hard at the cutting edge to his voice. This was a side of him he hadn’t showed before. Fear of the unknown shortened her breath. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play stupid,” he sneered. “You made damn sure I saw you at the club last week. Now I hear you’re working for the fucker, and I’ve got some asshole following me around sticking his nose into my business. What’s going on?”
“How would I know?”
He reached out and grabbed hold of her upper arms. She let out a surprised gasp, then bit back a cry as he slammed her back against the wall, his fingers digging into her flesh. “I want to know what the fuck you told him.”
