of his business. On the other hand, maybe she should tell him so he’d know that she would never be any man’s fool again. But then she was susceptible to falling in love and truly believed she was close to the mark with him. Now, that was something he would never know.
“Jonathan and I met at a party and were immediately taken with each other. Not so much on a physical level as it was on an intellectual level. He engaged me in a conversation about Aristotle, and I was a goner.”
At his questioning look, she explained, “I’m a fan of Greek mythology and philosophy. We dated for about nine months, and then I found out the truth. It was a setup, and I was part of this well-orchestrated, diabolical plan. One of my clients was an oil tycoon and had me on retainer for a year. Jonathan’s job was to get close to me and obtain information to feed to his client, who happened to be my client’s biggest competitor.”
“How did you find out?”
She could hear the anger in his voice. “I didn’t. Kent did, and Bruce came to me with the proof. Jonathan’s intent was to have evidence to use against me in case I found out what he was doing and broke things off. Then he would resort to blackmail. Lucky for me, Bruce wiped out every piece of electronic data Jonathan thought he had on me as well as my client.”
“Good for Bruce. Where is the asshole now?”
“Don’t know. He moved away from Boston months before I did. My involvement with him was a valuable lesson only to take affairs at face value.”
She didn’t say anything else for a minute, and then it was her time to be inquisitive. “You were married once, so I assume you’ve been in love.”
Yes, she could assume that, Jace thought. But it hadn’t taken long to realize his marriage to Eve had been a mistake. However, he was a man who knew how to deal with whatever hand he was dealt, and with Eve, God knows he tried. But as far as he was concerned, Eve had betrayed him in the worst possible way, and he doubted he could ever forgive her for it.
But there was no way he could tell Shana that he’d never been in love because for a short while he had...or at least he’d thought so. “Yes, I’ve been in love.”
“What happened?”
He knew she had every right to ask him that. After all, he’d dug into her business by asking her. Besides, he could wrap up what happened with him and Eve in one sentence. “I discovered love wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and therefore, I won’t ever indulge in such madness again.”
There. They understood each other, he thought. He understood what drove her, and she now knew what didn’t drive him. Their affair was about the physical and nothing else.
“Ready to go back?” he asked, tightening his arms around her.
She lifted her face toward him. “Not if you’re going to make me help you in the kitchen.”
“You really don’t like handling pots and pans?”
She chuckled. “Not unless I’m forced to. Jules likes to cook, and while we were growing up, I let her knock herself out.”
He gently brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “One favor deserves another. If I give you a pass, it’s only because I want you well rested for later.”
Shana knew exactly what he was talking about. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips. “That’s a deal.”
* * *
“Dinner was wonderful, Jace,” Shana said later that evening as she helped him clear off the table.
And it hadn’t been just the meal he’d prepared without any assistance from her. Over dinner, he was a wonderful conversationalist. Charming. At times amusing. And at others tempting as sin. He looked like he needed a shave, and he wore the scruffy look well. Too well, since it added to his sexiness.
When she began helping him load the dishes in the sink, he placed his hand on hers. “I got this. Why don’t you go upstairs and run our bathwater?” he suggested.
“Our bathwater?” she asked, raising a brow.
He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “Yes, our bathwater. I’ll be up when I finish in here.”
She fought back a smile at the same time as she narrowed her gaze at him. “Surely you’re not going to hold me to that