Playing Dirty by Jamie Ann Denton Read Free Book Online Page A

her concentrated expression she was attempting to form the words to explain to a five-year-old that the daddy she’d never known, that the daddy she’d been told had died before she was born, was very much alive.
    He glanced at the bedside clock. It was nearly seven in the morning. They hadn’t settled anything, but they’d sure managed to get a few truths out in the open. More than he’d ever imagined.
    “I know you’re anxious to meet her, but maybe it would be best if I tell her first. I was going to wait, but I’ll drive out to Griffen’s later today. Will you be here when I get back?”
    He straightened and gave her a hard look. “This is my home, Mattie. Where else would I be?”  

Four

    MATTIE WOKE WITH a start. Heart pounding, body drenched in sweat, she struggled to regulate her breathing. She’d been dreaming the same dream since Ford’s demise, only this time instead of her sobbing over an empty grave, she clung to him and refused to let go. She took comfort in the sound of his heart beating strong in his chest as he held her to him, smoothing his hands down her back to cup her bottom. In her dream, she’d wiggled closer, pressing her body against his, needing his touch, craving his kiss. But when she looked up to see his face, to seek proof that he was truly alive, he slowly evaporated into the mist as large, strong hands roughly pulled her away from the fading image. She called for Ford, but instead found Trenton staring down at her, his gaze hard and filled with hurt and regret.
    She tossed the covers aside and swung her feet to the floor, trying to shake off the dream. A quick glance at the clock revealed she’d managed to catch a little more than six hours of sleep, despite the fact her mind had taken forever to shut down. Still, her eyes felt grainy, and her throat burned as if she’d swallowed ground glass. She may have finally slept, but not before she’d managed to go through dozens of tissues, now all balled up on the nightstand as mocking proof of her distress. Crying was supposed to be cleansing. Cathartic. There weren’t enough tears in the world to cleanse her soul.
    She gathered the tissues and headed into the bathroom where she dumped them in the waste can before she turned on the tap to the shower. In those first few moments when she’d seen Ford, there hadn’t been any question about choices, or babies, or resuming their life together. There had only been Ford, and the sweet rush of adrenaline at finding him alive.
Avoiding her reflection in the mirror, she stripped and stepped into the shower, rinsing away the sweat clinging to her skin. And what about Trenton? He loved her. He’d been so patient and caring during their courtship, waiting for her to gather the courage to finally commit to him. She didn’t doubt her feelings for him, but seeing Ford again, she realized that what she and Trenton shared was a different kind of love. Although no less special, what she had with Trenton had grown slowly over time, was more mature. They’d been friends first, her feelings gradually shifting from friendship, to caring, and finally, she fell in love with him.
    She’d met him while she’d been attending a week-long teachers’ convention in San Antonio. He’d been at the same hotel for a two-day Continuing Legal Education seminar on evidence and discovery. Exiting the Starbucks next to the hotel one morning, she’d accidentally dumped her coffee on him. She’d barreled right into him again, coming out of an elevator after lunch, which had created a mess when the papers they’d each been carrying went flying. Later that afternoon, he’d tracked her down because she’d inadvertently taken his notes. By the end of the conversation, he’d asked her to dinner.  
    Initially, she’d been drawn to his gentle nature, his quiet strength and his dry sense of humor. At first, she’d wondered why someone like him had become an attorney. In her experience, lawyers were often