by Jamie Dallas
He turned on his heel and headed toward the bedroom. No doubt to put his hair in place, to pull his dark jeans and tee on, and to put on that untouchable appearance he liked to wear.
She didn’t want untouchable, unapproachable Jace. She wanted the Jace who pulled her out of her shell. “Wait.”
Jace turned around. “Hailey, don’t start.”
“Don’t start what? I wanted to make sure we’re on the same page. That’s all.” The backs of her eyes were starting to burn.
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” He moved closer, stalking her, like a sleek dark panther in the jungle, his eyes luminous.
This time, she wasn’t backing down. Placing her hands on her hips, she held her ground. “Then what are you talking about?”
“I’m trying to say that you’ve been through an emotional experience, you’re overworking, and it’s best if we don’t get entangled in anyway. This situation can’t be about fleeting need. We need to think about the consequences. We should cancel dinner tonight.”
It wasn’t until he said those words that she realized just how much she had hoped it was going to be a date. The fact that he was canceling it made her feel helpless.
“I think it’s best for both of us.” The arrogant tone of his voice sent titanium down her spine and the helplessness faded.
“You think you know what’s best for me?” She suddenly felt dangerous. She took a menacing step toward him. “You think my problem is that I’m being emotional, and only you know what’s best?”
Jace blinked.
“You want to know what my real problem is?” Her voice came out low, but the tremor of anger was undeniable. “My problem is I never think about myself, and I’ve let other men do it for me. First Evan. Now you. I have an ex I never stood up to, and when I finally realized how bad it was, I ran. I was too afraid to even face him. Now I’m stuck with tens of thousands of dollars of debt for a lavish wedding I didn’t want.”
Her breaths came in quick waves. That was the most honest thing she’d ever said aloud. Like it had been waiting, boiling under the surface.
And the dam had just been broken. “I no longer want to be that woman. I’m not a doormat. So, I got excited over a date with you. It was something I wanted. I haven’t had that luxury in a while. That was not me being ‘emotional.’” She moved her fingers in air quotes around the last word. “And if you can’t date because you’ve got your own emotional issues, that’s fine. But be clear-cut about what you want. I didn’t whisper the idea of dinner in my ear. I didn’t pop out of my room in a towel. You did. You’re just as much of the problem as I am.”
Jace’s jaw dropped, his expression pure horror. He glanced around the room, probably searching for an escape, and she didn’t blame him. She didn’t want to be in this living room with him either.
“Don’t make decisions for me again, and don’t ever call me emotional.” She shoved her shaking hands into the pockets of her fuzzy robe that she had pulled over her sweats.
“That wasn’t what I meant—” he stopped and started again. “I didn’t know—”
“Why would you?” She closed her eyes, letting the words sink in. Maybe she was feeling emotional. She had no one to lean on, and it was incredibly lonely. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. She swiped at them with the back of her arm, but more followed, marching down her face like soldiers in rank.
She couldn’t cry in front of him, not when she was trying to be so strong.
“Hailey—”
She couldn’t deal with him right now. Covering her face with her hands, she pushed past him and ran to her room, slamming the door shut behind her.
In under five minutes, she was out of her pajamas and in jeans, a long-sleeve black tee, and a jacket.
She slowly opened her bedroom door and peered around the corner.
Jace’s bedroom door was open. From the living room, she could hear the acoustic strings of a guitar sing out a melancholy melody.
She tiptoed down the hall, careful not to make any noise. Yep, she was sneaking out. She was too furious to face Jace right now.
The pressure on her chest released as soon as she was out of the building on the fall-colored streets of Houston. She hooked a right and headed toward Buffalo Bayou Park. Fall had certainly set in, and the weather was beginning to cool significantly.
The second she entered the park, her steps slowed. People strolled by in the opposite direction. Couples cozy in their fall attire held hands as they meandered. Runners passed in front of her, their long strides elegant even as their breaths puffed out in labored bursts.
The sun peeked through a gap in the gray clouds, greeting everyone with a burst of brilliance after a week of off-and-on rain.
Hailey shoved her hands in her pockets and walked until she came to an elegant little bridge crossing a lake. Strolling with the rest of the crowd, she stopped in the middle of the span, and sucked in a deep breath of crisp fall air.
The scene before her was beautiful. The trees displayed their full autumn colors, and a handful of ducks swam in the water, disappearing for minutes at a time before popping back up.
It was gorgeous and calming. She wanted to appreciate this moment. Except all she could think about was the look on Jace’s face when she asked if he was afraid of love.
She was tired of emotionally unavailable men, and sick of men telling her what was best for her.
More importantly, she should have guarded herself more carefully with Jace.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Wearily, she pulled it out. The name on the screen was not the name she wanted to read.
Evan.
Of course, it was Evan.
Anger ripped through her, fire hot and bitter. Anger at herself for letting Evan talk her that far down the aisle, anger at Evan for pretending to be someone he wasn’t, and anger that she fell for it, swallowing the whole baited hook.
She was the biggest fool in this situation.
Turning off her phone, she shoved it back into her pocket.
Never again would a man fool her. Not Evan. Not anyone.
She rested her arms against the rough concrete edge of the bridge and stared out across the lake.
If it came down to it, Jace could take her out on this non-date. He could call it whatever he wanted. She wasn’t going to be fooled by him either.
*
He’d messed up.
Jace listened to Hailey creep out of the condo. The entry door didn’t slam shut. It quietly clicked closed, the sound of silence stronger than any words. Hailey had gone who-knew-where, and he knew better than to follow her.
“Messed up” was probably the understatement of the year. He’d been an ass. Again.
Shit.
Carefully setting the guitar aside, Jace headed down the hall to her room. Her bags were still tucked against the wall, and her clothes were strewn everywhere.
She hadn’t left. Yet.
Normally he wanted to straighten her stuff, but for once, the mess didn’t eat at him. It was a sign that Hailey was still here and hadn’t hightailed it back to San Francisco.
He breathed a sigh of relief. That was comforting.
Jace closed the door quietly behind him.
He never should have said that to her, never should have implied he knew what was best. Panic had overruled his brain when she had nearly hit the nail on the head.
Their plans tonight did sound like a date. In fact, he had been looking forward to it.
He ran a hand through his hair and wandered back to the living room. It wasn’t her fault he avoided love like the plague.
An apology was in order. He wanted to do it right, and not for business reasons. Because he cared for her reasons.
Grabbing his phone, he dialed the number for the one person he trusted to know what to do.
His aunt Mia answered after a couple rings.
“Jace?” Her warm voice calmed him, as it always did, even when he was young and abandoned. Even when
he’d wake up to nightmares about being lost in the woods or left at the mall, Aunt Mia always soothed him back to sleep.
He trusted her implicitly.
“I need help,” he said before he could chicken out.
There was a stunned silence on the other end. “It’s not very often you ask for help.”
“I’m a little out of my realm,” he said wryly. He sank onto the couch and dropped his elbows to his knees. He relayed the story to his aunt, trying to explain the situation without indicating his attraction to her.
“Interesting,” Mia said when he was done. “I’ve never known you to lash out. You’re normally cool as a cucumber.”
“This woman is getting under my skin,” he admitted. She somehow brought out the irrational side to him. “She caught me off-guard, and I got defensive.”
Because it was easier to push her away than to have her get close to him, and then leave. He’d endured that once before, and it nearly destroyed him. Once was enough.
“Hmm,” his aunt responded, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “I think I need to meet this woman.”
“It’s not what you think,” he said. Hopefully there were no romantic ideas running through his aunt’s head. She, more than anyone else, should understand why relationships weren’t for him. “I need to apologize so we can keep the working relationship strong.”
“Right,” Mia said, suddenly all business. “You want to apologize because it’s best for the company?”
“No,” he bit out, suddenly exasperated. “I want to apologize because I was a jerk, and she deserves better.”
He gripped the phone so hard, his hand began to go numb. Hailey was more than under his skin.
“Well,” said his aunt, her voice warming to the idea. “Let’s brainstorm.”
*
He bought her flowers.
Jace felt more than a little stupid as he stood outside her bedroom door, a bouquet in his hand. It had taken him an hour to settle on purple irises. Purple because she always looked pretty when she wore the color.
What the hell was he going to say when Hailey answered? “Sorry I’m an asshole, here’s some flowers”?
He was overthinking this. He needed to suck it up and face this scenario how he faced all other scenarios: head-on.
So before he could do something ridiculous, like ditch the flowers at her door, he knocked.
He could hear Hailey moving on the other side. The door swung open, and Hailey stepped out. She had changed into a dark dress and pulled her hair up into a cute ponytail.
“Jace.” Hailey’s expression was flat. Her gaze dropped to the bouquet in his hand and a soft snort escaped her. “Flowers? What woman in her right mind would send you flowers?”
He stared at her for a long minute. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I’m serious. Condoms would have been way more appropriate.” She leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. “Like a condom bouquet. You should send me this woman’s contact info. I’ll email her the idea and save her from future embarrassment.”
This was not the direction he had envisioned this going.
“Hailey—”
“What?”
He thrust the blooms at her. “They’re for you.”
Her arms remained firmly crossed as she scrunched her brows together. “Me? Who sent me flowers?”
“For the love of—” He grabbed her hand and pulled her fingers toward the bouquet. “I picked them out for you. Here.”
He wrapped her fingers around the stems and released the weight into her hand.
Holding the flowers out in front of her, she cocked her head to the side and studied them as though they were a specimen in a science class. “And why am I getting flowers?”
Why was she always so infuriating?
“Because I’m trying to apologize, dammit,” he snapped.
Her eyes widened, and she pulled the flowers close to her chest. “You’re apologizing?”
“Yeah. I’m doing a terrible job at it, but you’re not helping either.” He gestured at the bouquet. “I thought you’d like the color.”
“I do.” She touched one of the velvety blooms with the tip of her finger. “I’ve never received flowers before.”
Triumph shot through him. A thrill that he quickly suppressed. Evan wasn’t competition, and Hailey wasn’t an option.
“I’m still angry at you,” she said.
“And you have every right to be. I just want to say I’m sorry. You are a strong, intelligent woman who didn’t deserve her situation. But I know you will rise above. You don’t need guys like me telling you what to do.”
“Are you saying that because you think that’s what I want to hear?” Her dark, serious eyes met his.
“No, I know it’s true. I admire your strength.” It reminded him of his aunt, who met every challenge with savvy and a smile.
“Are we still going to dinner tonight?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” Her lips pushed together, and he could tell she was weighing the pros and cons of dinner with him. Her eyes remained on the bouquet, her long lashes masking their expression.
He held his breath as he waited. Because suddenly he realized how much Hailey’s answer mattered to him.
“I know a good place nearby we can walk to,” he added. “And I didn’t order groceries today, so we’re also out of food.”
Her shoulders dropped. “I guess I can find a business-appropriate dress.”
“Not business,” he countered. “What you have on is good.”
He gestured toward the simple navy dress and dark tights she wore. The blue color emphasized her pale skin, and the cut showed off her waist and small, firm breasts in a way that made it impossible to look away.
She made a face. “It’s a casual dress.”
“It looks good on you.” And he wasn’t lying. “It’s a casual dinner as friends. And we don’t have to go. Only if you want.”
She studied him carefully. “I guess I am a bit hungry. Let me put these in water and soda first.”
He stopped her before she could move past him. “I’m sorry I got defensive.”
She kept her gaze on the flowers, unwilling to look at him. “What would make you so defensive? You were being a jerk, and that’s not the Jace I know.”
That was news to him. He always assumed that Hailey tolerated him. Especially now that she had wedding bills to pay and needed the income.
It was that comment that made him say, “Because I was also misreading the situation.” He hedged. “I panicked.”
She finally met his gaze. “How were you misreading the situation?”
This was only going to add more confusion to this situation, but if it set the record straight, so be it. “It did feel a bit like a date.”
“But it’s not,” she reiterated.
“No,” he said. “I’m sorry,” he added after a minute, not sure if he was apologizing for the moment earlier today or the fact that it wasn’t a date.
Her face relaxed. She smiled up at him, cute and oh-so-sexy. “Apology accepted. And now we are clear. Not a date.”
Relief washed through him. Hailey was still here and still on board.
She headed toward the kitchen, flowers in hand, and somehow the simple acceptance of his apology made her even sexier.
Dammit.
“Give me five minutes, and I’ll be ready,” she called over her shoulder.
Fifteen minutes later, the flowers were sitting in a wine decanter in the middle of his kitchen.
“I think they’re a nice touch to your high-end, technology-riddled kitchen,” Hailey teased as she grabbed her purse and jacket. “They really emphasize that fancy oven and fridge.”
He couldn’t help but smile as he locked the door behind them.
Chapter Six
Their dinner destination was just around the corner from his condo. It was a little Mediterranean spot Jace had been meaning to try, and it was the exact opposite of the high-end
, expensive restaurants he’d normally pick for a date. Since tonight was dinner and nothing more, this place was the perfect location.
He mentally patted himself on the back as the waiter led them through the cozy brick-and-wood finished dining room filled with families, friends, and couples. Nothing about the place screamed “date night.”
Until the waiter showed them their little corner booth next to two black-framed windows granting a view of people strolling along the city’s streets. A tall, tapered candle sat square on the white tablecloth.
The waiter stepped back, allowing them room to sit down. “A cozy spot for the happy couple.”
Jace shook his head. “No, no, no, you have the wrong—”
“Sit, sit,” the waiter interrupted. He held out a hand, indicating the worn leather booths.
Hailey sat on one side of the table. “I’ll have a glass of the house red, please. Make it a big glass.”
The waiter smiled and lit the candle. “Of course. That’s an excellent choice.”
Reluctantly, Jace sat down opposite Hailey, feeling more rigid than the starched tablecloth.
The murmur of conversation in the middle of the room had died to a dim in their little corner. There were couples on either side of them, leaning into each other, engaging with each other over candlelight.
This place was far more intimate than any other date spot he had ever been.
If Hailey noticed, her face gave away nothing. Her copper hair gleamed in the candlelight as she picked up a menu. She glanced up and smiled. “Mediterranean. My favorite.”
He stayed silent, unsure of what to say. He had to come up with casual non-date-like topics. Baseball, business, weather. Normal topics, right?
Hailey glanced over at him. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” He grabbed his menu.
She lifted a brow at him. “Okay. Just asking. Friend-to-friend and all.”
That shouldn’t have grated on his nerves, but it did. He snapped his menu open and studied the entrees with an intensity that he normally saved for work.
A few minutes later, the waiter returned with their drinks and to take their orders.
The second the waiter left, Hailey offered her wineglass up to clink against his own. “Sun Tech is two weeks away from opening their third condo building. How does it feel?”