“I’ll be here when you get back.” She didn’t feel the need to elaborate.
They’d been too close for him to misunderstand her meaning.
He turned. His hand covered hers, easing her clenched fist loose until her arm dropped to her side. “It’s been my experience that women always want something.”
She stiffened at his words, but forced herself to see his side. Watching constant infidelity had jaded him, she thought sadly, as she realized exactly why he held himself back from relationships and trust.
“I wonder what’s on your agenda?” he asked.
Though she’d steeled herself for the verbal barb it stung anyway. Since
Yet the heart she’d lost to this man wished he could see inside her and not have to ask. She’d shared enough to give him twenty-twenty vision-if he cared to see.
She held herself upright and looked him straight in the eye. “Not a thing. Especially not partnership if that’s what you’re thinking. I could have gotten your support with less risk if I hadn’t issued that first invitation.”
She forced a smile to curve her lips, wanting to soften his mood and convince him that she cared only for his feelings, no other agenda in mind.
It worked. The painful distance in his gaze lessened, replaced by a surprising warmth instead. A fluttering heat rose in her belly, accompanied by a deeper more intense wash of feeling.
“True.” His thumb brushed over her bottom lip.
Despite the earlier tension, a moist dewiness settled between her legs, a testament to the yearning he made her feel.
His gaze never left hers. “So what do you want, Mallory?” Curiosity melded with desire in his smoky depths.
“You,” she said truthfully. Honestly. With more candor than she’d ever intended to provide. “I want you and I want your trust.”
His hand cupped her chin, tipping her head upward. “I can promise you the first.” Desire remained potent and strong, hovering between them. “No one gets my trust.”
And from the determined look in his eyes, Mallory knew he wanted to believe his words. But she also knew how fast and hot the emotions poured between them.
If he needed her on his return, he knew where to find her. But if he showed up on her doorstep, he best be prepared. She thrived on a challenge and Jack had just thrown down a gauntlet she couldn’t resist.
Not with the man she loved.
MALLORY MADE her way to the dining room, a paperback in her shoulder bag. She planned to eat a light dinner but she had an ulterior motive as well. With Jack gone, she had a prime opportunity to listen carefully for information on Lederman and poke around if she got the chance.
She’d finished her turkey wrap and soda and was about to call it a night when she caught sight of Alicia Lederman walking into the restaurant. Though Mallory kept her book open, she made eye contact and hoped Alicia approached her first.
There was no way Mallory could instigate a sit-down meeting with Lederman’s wife for a chat, but she certainly wouldn’t be rude enough to walk away if the other woman sought her out first.
As the older woman made her way into the room, she glanced around, taking in her surroundings, and Mallory guessed, assessing the restaurant’s customers and the staff’s preparations for the evening. She had a hunch her client’s wife had a hand in running things and the settlement wouldn’t be as simple as Mr. Lederman hoped.
Alicia’s gaze lit on Mallory. Instead of breaking eye contact, Mallory held Alicia’s stare until the other woman had no choice but to look away…or walk over to the table.
She chose the latter. “I trust you enjoyed your meal?” Alicia asked.
Mallory nodded. “Excellent. You have a very diverse menu.”
“I worked with the chef myself.” The other woman paused a beat. “Would you mind if I joined you?”
Without showing her pleasure, Mallory shook her head. “Not at all. But you were advised to deal with your own attorneys.” She’d begun to care for the older woman and so she felt an obligation to see that Alicia looked out for her own interests.
“When the time is right I will.” Alicia pulled out a chair and seated herself across from Mallory. “Coffee?” She gestured to a waitress.
Mallory nodded. “Thank you.”
“Did you know my daughter’s in law school?” The older woman tucked a strand of short brown hair behind her ear.
“No, I didn’t. Does she enjoy it?”
She smiled. “She’s not sure yet.”
“Then it sounds like she’s got a level head on her shoulders.” Mallory laughed. “Make sure you tell her law school was memorable but not an indicator of real life.”
“True.” Alicia nodded as she toyed with a silver spoon. “But then, what is?”
Mallory read the meaning behind the words and knew they were talking about more than life in general. “I can’t imagine you’re having an easy time.” She felt compelled to acknowledge the other woman’s anguish.
Pain darkened Alicia’s brown eyes to a deeper, sadder shade. “I’m sure you can’t imagine. And I mean no insult. But I’m talking about nearly twenty-five years of marriage. Of partnership. I never dreamed it would end on a whim.” She clutched at a menu lying on the table with both hands, turning her knuckles white.
Her gestures communicated more clearly than her words, and Mallory made yet another mental note of Alicia’s sincere anguish regarding her marriage.
“You feel you had a solid partnership?” Mallory felt compelled to ask.
Alicia shook her head. “Make no mistake, I knew my husband’s faults as well as my own, but I did believe we could overcome anything. In fact I thought we once had.”
Mallory looked into the older and wiser woman’s eyes. Despite her obvious pain, Alicia maintained that strength of character and resolve Mallory admired. “You still believe that, don’t you?”
“If you love someone, you want to trust them. You want them to trust you.”
Mallory immediately thought of Jack. How could she not when the last few days with him revolved around that very word. Trust.
“And,” Alicia continued, oblivious to Mallory’s inner thoughts, “you want to believe that if you trust in each other you can get through
She bowed her head and her shoulders dropped.
“But no matter how much I want to believe, I’ve got my eyes open. I’ll look out for me if it comes to that. But I know what we shared was solid even if Paul has changed.” Alicia leaned back in her seat. “Have you ever been in love?”
“No. No time.” Mallory answered quickly before she could reveal her heart to this kind woman. And before she could let her mind wrap around the twin concepts Alicia had linked together. Love. Trust. And forever.
“Then you’re missing out on life’s greatest pleasure. I can tell you that with no regrets, even if I do end up divorced. You’re too young and pretty to waste your life on the practice of law at the expense of everything else.” The woman’s eyes shone with certainty-the knowledge of a woman who’d loved and been loved.
Though Mallory ought to think of Alicia as her adversary, she’d been unable to sever the emotional connection she felt toward her. The woman had a warm, caring nature that Mallory was drawn to. But she wasn’t surprised. With her own mother a parent in name only, it was hardly surprising that Mallory connected with a mature older woman who both sought and gave confidences and understanding.
Only after Alicia had patted her hand and walked away did Mallory realize she’d blown her chance at questioning their client’s wife-in favor of a motherly chat and a lesson in love.
JACK RUBBED his eyes and inhaled deeply. His family emergency wasn’t over yet, but he’d managed to calm his father down and convince him to let Jack drive him to his sister’s house in Connecticut. Leave it to Jack’s mother to show up to pack her things with current boyfriend in tow.
Jack leaned his head against the seat in the car he’d hired to take him back to the hotel.
His parents’ marriage fell into the category he’d once described to Mallory. Two people who had stayed together out of convenience. His father couldn’t imagine not being married to the woman he thought he loved,
