The Ex Factor - Erin McCarthy Page 0,34

me.” She felt restless, uncertain. She’d never been one to back away from confrontation or ugly feelings. She’d always faced them head on with equal amounts of sass and laughter. It had driven her father nuts. Elle had been more reserved, more cunning, and Daddy had mostly left her alone. But he had always wanted to wipe the smile off Jolene’s face.

Funny thing, she’d never stopped smiling.

She sipped her wine and strode over to the front porch, emotions she couldn’t categorize tumbling around inside her.

Chance followed her out, ignoring the rocker and instead sitting down on the steps. There was no porch light on, and it had gotten dark outside, crickets chirping. Presumably the paparazzi had called it a night. The air was warm, enveloping.

“Why do you look so awkward and stiff?” he asked, glancing back at her.

“Because this is awkward.” That was pretty damn obvious. Jolene pushed off the porch boards, making the rocker shift back and forth with a soft creak.

“I don’t feel awkward. I’m pretty damn content. A man only needs three things and I’ve got all of them right now.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask.” She paused, but curiosity got the best of her. “What?”

Chance almost laughed at how suspicious Jolene sounded. He didn’t like this uneasiness between them. If anything, he’d hoped sleeping together would erode the anger, remind them of their friendship, but Jolene looked like she’d been tied to a post, all rigid. And so damn quiet. It was unnerving to have her silent when she was usually so bubbly and full of life. He stretched out on the steps and raised his glass so Jolene could see it. “Whiskey.” He gestured in front of them at the sky. “A moonlit night.” Running his thumb over his lip he gave her a smile. “And a gorgeous woman.”

“What about food?”

“I just had a piece of you so I’m satisfied for a while.” He waited for her to roll her eyes, but hell, it was the truth.

She didn’t let him down. She shook her head. “Damn, you sweet talker, you. You’ll make my head swell.”

That was an opening just too good to pass up. “Give me another thirty minutes and my head is going to be swelling too.”

“For a man who writes such beautiful lyrics, your foreplay flattery sucks.” She sipped her wine. “You sound like a jerk trying to pick up a woman in a bar.”

But he saw the smile she was trying to hide. She was amused. That was almost as satisfying as sex. He had missed her smile. She was asking him for something but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. He’d take a stab at it, though, because he was feeling like they had some unfinished business. He may have gotten her to drop her drawers but she didn’t look like she was all that happy about it. He wanted to change that.

“When I first met you, I thought that you were stunning. Enthusiastic. Untouched. Maybe even a little naïve. I thought that this business would knock some of that out of you.” Setting his drink down on the step next to him, Chance reached back and touched her bare knee. He’d always liked the way she looked in denim shorts. “It didn’t. None of that got knocked out of you. You’re still the same amazing woman I met less than two years ago. Even more so because you’ve handled fame with class and smarts.”

He meant that sincerely.

She clearly wanted to believe, but didn’t quite buy it. “What’s your angle, Rivers?” she murmured.

For a guy who made a living writing words he had a hell of a time getting them to come out of his mouth. “I don’t have an angle. I am a man sitting here trying to tell you that I’m sorry for the way things went down between us. And that when I think back, to the beginning, the truth is you blew me away. With your voice, your body, your heart.”

Chance turned and went on to his knees, and shifted right in front of her. He lifted her hand out of her lap and kissed her fingertips, one by one, right hand, then left. He felt her shiver beneath his touch, goose bumps rising on her legs. He wanted her to understand he’d been swept away. “I didn’t have an agenda then and I don’t have an agenda now.”

She peered down at him from under those insanely long lashes of hers. “I didn’t have an agenda either,