Page 102 of Nobodys Baby But Mine (Chicago Stars 3)

Outrage flashed in his eyes. “You know I wouldn’t do something like this!”

“Then you didn’t have him investigate me? You didn’t tell him to find out where I was most vulnerable and use it against me?”

He rubbed his chin with the back of his knuckles, looking more ill at ease than she’d ever seen him. “That was a long time ago. It’s complicated.”

“I’m very bright. Explain it.”

He wandered back toward the sliding doors, and her heart sank as she noticed he couldn’t meet her eyes. “You have to remember how things were between us when all this started. I’ve never been a man to let anyone get the best of me, and I wanted you punished.” He tucked one thumb in the waistband of his shorts, then pulled it back out again. “I did tell Brian I intended to get even, and I ordered him to have you investigated so I could strike back at you.”

“And what did your investigation turn up?”

“That you don’t have any dark secrets.” He finally looked at her. “That you’re brilliant and dedicated. And that your work means everything to you.”

“You hardly needed a team of detectives to figure that out.”

“I didn’t know that at the time.”

“So you decided to take my work away from me,” she said quietly.

No!” He gripped the door handle. “After the first few weeks, I cooled off and dropped the whole thing. I let it go!”

“I don’t believe you. No lawyer would put something like this into motion without authorization.”

“He had my authorization. Not for this, but…” He pushed the door open and moved into the house. “I just never got around to telling him to back off, that’s all!”

“Why is that?” she asked as she followed him.

“We just didn’t talk about it.” He stopped next to the fireplace. “There were a bunch of other things going on. One of my endorsements got screwed up. The whole thing was a mess, and it took a while to get straightened out. Then he went on vacation, and I ducked a couple of his calls.”

“Why?”

“I wasn’t in the mood to deal with contracts.”

“I wasn’t a contract.”

“No. But I just didn’t think what was happening between us was any of his damned business!” He looked frustrated. “It never occurred to me that he’d try to take action against you without my go-ahead.”

“But it sounds as if you’d already given him that.”

“Yes, but—” He opened his hand in a gesture that was oddly vulnerable. “Jane, I’m sorry. I didn’t think for a minute he’d do anything without talking to me.”

She should have felt better. After all, he hadn’t been actively plotting against her this past month, but she still felt awful. “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d picked up the phone and told him to call off his dogs. Why didn’t you do it, Cal? Were you afraid you were going to lose your macho by backing off?”

“It just wasn’t important, that’s all. Things had settled down between us, and revenge was the last thing on my mind.”

“Too bad you didn’t let your bloodsucker know that.”

He plowed his hand through his already rumpled hair. “Look, no harm’s been done. I have no intention of giving Preeze a penny, and if anybody there tries to get rid of you, I’ll slap them with a discrimination lawsuit so fast they won’t know what hit them.”

“It’s my business, Cal, not yours.”

“Just give me a couple of hours. I’ll straighten it all out, I promise.”

“And then what?” she asked quietly.

“Then you won’t have to worry about anything like this again.”

“That’s not what I mean. After you straighten it out, what happens between us?”

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