Page 118 of Nobodys Baby But Mine (Chicago Stars 3)

“It’s not in my nature to let somebody hit me without hitting them back.”

She stiffened. “I know.”

“All right.” He sighed. “I’ll leave her alone. I guess we don’t have to worry too much about it anyway. Kevin held a press conference this evening, and he says he’s holding another one tomorrow for the next batch of reporters who show up. Believe it or not, he’s pretty much defused the whole thing.”

“Kevin?”

“Your knight in shining armor.” She didn’t miss the bite of sarcasm in his tone. “I walked into the Mountaineer to get a beer and found him holding court with a bunch of reporters. He told them that the story was true.”

“What?”

“But only up to a point. He said the two of us had been dating for months before that fateful night. According to him, the birthday thing was a surprise you’d arranged. Middle-age kinkiness, I believe he called it. I’ve got to say, the kid was pretty convincing. By the time he was done, even I believed that’s the way it happened.”

“I told you he was a sweetie.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, your sweetie also made it clear that the only reason you and I started to date was because he’d just dumped you, and you were so upset about it he passed you on to me as a consolation prize.”

“That jerk.”

“My sentiments exactly.”

Despite his words, he didn’t sound all that upset with Kevin. He rose and pushed the chair aside. She stiffened as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Come on home, sweetheart. You know I’m sorry about what happened before, don’t you?” He closed his hand over her arm, where it lay beneath the covers. “I should have called Brian as soon as my

feelings toward you changed, but I guess I wasn’t ready to face what was happening. We can work it out. We just need to be alone for a while to do it.”

He was breaking her heart. “There’s nothing to work out.”

“There’s the fact that we’re married, and we have a baby coming. Be reasonable, Jane. We just need a little time.”

She hardened herself against the frailty inside her that made her want to agree. She refused to be another weak-willed woman victimized by her emotions. “My home is in Chicago.”

“Don’t say that.” Once again, the edge of anger was back in his voice. “You’ve got a perfectly good home on the other side of this mountain.”

“That place is yours, not mine.”

“That’s not so.”

A rap sounded on the door, startling them both. Cal shot up from the edge of the bed.

“Jane?” Lynn called out. “Jane, I heard something. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“I heard voices. Do you have a man in there?”

“Yes.”

“Why’d you have to go and tell her that?” Cal hissed.

“Do you want him there?” Lynn asked.

Jane fought the tide of misery rising in her chest. “No.”

There was a long pause. “All right, then. Come in my room. You can sleep with me.”

Jane pushed back the covers.

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