Trade Off by Cheryl Douglas Read Free Book Online Page B

cheek. “You used to be the person I called when I needed to talk, the last one I thought about before I went to bed. Yours was the face I saw, the one that made me smile when I woke up in the mornin’…”
    It seemed so unfair that his words still had the power to affect her this way after so many years. She’d built a protective armor that made her immune to other men, but a few minutes in his company reminded her that she would never be safe from this man.
    “You were my best friend, my lover, my everything.”
    She sucked in a sharp breath and tried to withdraw her hand, but he held firm.
    “I respect the fact that you’re married now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, does it?”
    The seemingly innocuous question was loaded with enough ammunition to blow her orderly world apart and he knew it. “How am I supposed to explain to my husband that I’ve decided to befriend my ex-boyfriend?”
    “He doesn’t have female friends?” His eyes narrowed when she didn’t respond right away. “Please don’t tell me he’s cheatin’ on you.”
    He shouldn’t be able to read her so well after all these years, but they’d always had an inexplicable connection. No one, not even Sharon, understood her the way he had. “I didn’t say that.” She pulled her hand free. “Besides, I told you, my marriage is off limits.”
    His gaze was hard and unforgiving when he glared at her. “Fine, but if I find out he’s messin’ around on you, I will kick the shit out of him. You can count on that.”
    “Aiden, please…” His anger gave her a glimpse into what she could expect to see if he ever found out about the baby she’d intended to keep from him. “This is none of your business.”
    “Like hell it isn’t. That worthless bastard stole the woman I love the second my back was turned. The least he can do is treat you the way you deserve to be treated. And if he’s not, I can promise you, he’ll be answerin’ to me.”
     
     
    Aiden leaned over Sela’s shoulder. Bracing his fists on the desk on either side of her, he tried to pretend the subtle scent of her expensive perfume wasn’t making focusing on the impressive images and virtual tours she was using to entice him into buying a property difficult.
    “So, I’m thinking our best options are in Belle Meade, Forest Hills, and Northumberland.”
    “Great, let’s go and have a look.”
    The tightened grip on her pen was the only indication that the prospect of spending time alone with him unnerved her. “Um, right now?”
    “Sure, why not?” He leaned back against the desk, crossing his arms and legs. “You need to take care of somethin’ else?” He could see her mentally scrambling, trying to come up with any excuse to prolong the inevitable.
    “Uh no, but most people ask for at least twenty-four hours’ notice prior to showings.”
    He looked at the images of the house filling her screen. “That one looks vacant, so it shouldn’t be a problem, should it?”
    She sighed before reaching for her notepad. “Let me see what I can do. If we’re gonna do this, we may as well try and see at least a few properties today… for comparison’s sake.” She jotted down a few addresses and MLS numbers before picking up her desk phone. “Corine, I’d like you set up a few appointments for me.”
    Aiden listened to her recite the information as he took advantage of the time to note the subtle differences that made her the woman instead of the girl he used to love. The most notable, and most painful, was the large diamond on her left hand. So many times over the years he’d passed a jewelry store and a flawless diamond captured his interest, but the only woman he could imagine wearing his ring was already wearing another man’s, and thinking about it still cut him to the core.
    “Corine is setting it up.” She withdrew a contract from her desk drawer as she tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “It shouldn’t be a problem. To be