Tough Love
Page 56
Not bothering to temper his tone, he gave a cynical smile and said, “So on top of being sexy, you’re observant as hell. A nice combo.”
She ignored his sarcasm. “I’m observant enough to see that something happened between Phil and Whitney. And, given how she tried to sex you up in the kitchen, I assume she’s—”
“Sex me up?” Stack didn’t mean to, but he grinned.
She cocked a brow. “If we weren’t being watched, I’d slug you for laughing at me.”
If we weren’t being watched. Reality hit like ice water, and he turned his head to see Whitney at the glass entry doors to the apartment building, staring at them both.
No doubt plotting a way to get him back in her bed.
The ice water settled into his veins. “Ignore her.”
“Oh, my God.” Flattening her mouth, Vanity accused, “You’re still hung up on her.”
Lacking any humor, he laughed. “No.” He’d never been hung up on Whitney, but she had dented his pride. What he found most unforgiveable? How she’d fooled him. How he’d ended up feeling like an ass.
She let out a tense breath. “Well...good.”
Stack chucked her under her chin. “That reminds me. I appreciated your show of clinging worship. But if your intent was to scare her off, it didn’t work. In fact, I think she feels challenged.”
Vanity’s eyes turned watchful. “Not that it will do her any good.”
“No good at all,” he assured her. And still, Vanity studied him so long, he considered kissing her again to break her concentration.
“Okay.” She finally accepted that with a nod. “So maybe you aren’t still in love with her, but—”
“I was never in love with her.” To keep her from digging further, he partially explained. “Whitney and I were seeing each other until I dropped in on her one day and found Phil there. They both claimed he was only selling her pot. Doesn’t matter to me if she was buying from him or fucking him, neither is acceptable. She lied to me. End of story.”
Vanity bit her lip, looked away, but then squared her shoulders and faced him again. “That’s when you started hating Phil?”
“I disliked and distrusted the prick long before that. My sister could do better, if not for herself, then at least so she could stop dragging my mom down all the time.”
Vanity tipped her head. “What else happened?”
Stack looked up at the dark sky. “It’s getting late and you said you had work to do. There’s no reason to keep rehashing old news.”
Without argument she let him off the hook. “Okay.”
That shouldn’t have surprised Stack; she’d said from the start that she wouldn’t pry. He glanced at the dogs. “You’re okay with them still?”
“They’re awesome.”
Great. So he and the dogs now ranked the same.
Without admitting she was cold, Vanity stepped in closer to steal his heat. After a few seconds, she said, “I know you don’t like lies.”
New alertness surged into his veins. “No, I don’t.” Wondering what she was up to now, he put his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. “Did you lie to me, darlin’?”
“You don’t have to use that silky voice on me.”
Silky voice? The things she said... “I didn’t—”
“I did lie,” she blurted, making him go rigid.
He tipped up her chin. “About?”
“Lynn said I could return the dogs to her.” She snuggled back in, her face to his neck. “I hope you don’t mind, but I told her that you insisted she have at least a week to get rested up.”
That was it? “I do insist.”
He felt her smile against his throat. “Good, then I didn’t fib after all.”
It was ridiculous to keep her standing there in the brisk night air. But he wasn’t ready to let her go.
“Stack?”
“Hmm?”
She leaned away to make eye contact. “I won’t pry. I promise.”
“Thanks.”
“But...”
There were always buts. He waited.
“If you’re lingering so you can talk to Whitney again, you can just tell me to go. Since we don’t have any type of agreement—”
“Wrong.” Damn, how did she so easily get him twisted up? “The original agreement is gone. Now we have a new agreement.”
“A new one?”
Damn right. And soon as he figured it out, he’d explain it to her.
She ignored his sarcasm. “I’m observant enough to see that something happened between Phil and Whitney. And, given how she tried to sex you up in the kitchen, I assume she’s—”
“Sex me up?” Stack didn’t mean to, but he grinned.
She cocked a brow. “If we weren’t being watched, I’d slug you for laughing at me.”
If we weren’t being watched. Reality hit like ice water, and he turned his head to see Whitney at the glass entry doors to the apartment building, staring at them both.
No doubt plotting a way to get him back in her bed.
The ice water settled into his veins. “Ignore her.”
“Oh, my God.” Flattening her mouth, Vanity accused, “You’re still hung up on her.”
Lacking any humor, he laughed. “No.” He’d never been hung up on Whitney, but she had dented his pride. What he found most unforgiveable? How she’d fooled him. How he’d ended up feeling like an ass.
She let out a tense breath. “Well...good.”
Stack chucked her under her chin. “That reminds me. I appreciated your show of clinging worship. But if your intent was to scare her off, it didn’t work. In fact, I think she feels challenged.”
Vanity’s eyes turned watchful. “Not that it will do her any good.”
“No good at all,” he assured her. And still, Vanity studied him so long, he considered kissing her again to break her concentration.
“Okay.” She finally accepted that with a nod. “So maybe you aren’t still in love with her, but—”
“I was never in love with her.” To keep her from digging further, he partially explained. “Whitney and I were seeing each other until I dropped in on her one day and found Phil there. They both claimed he was only selling her pot. Doesn’t matter to me if she was buying from him or fucking him, neither is acceptable. She lied to me. End of story.”
Vanity bit her lip, looked away, but then squared her shoulders and faced him again. “That’s when you started hating Phil?”
“I disliked and distrusted the prick long before that. My sister could do better, if not for herself, then at least so she could stop dragging my mom down all the time.”
Vanity tipped her head. “What else happened?”
Stack looked up at the dark sky. “It’s getting late and you said you had work to do. There’s no reason to keep rehashing old news.”
Without argument she let him off the hook. “Okay.”
That shouldn’t have surprised Stack; she’d said from the start that she wouldn’t pry. He glanced at the dogs. “You’re okay with them still?”
“They’re awesome.”
Great. So he and the dogs now ranked the same.
Without admitting she was cold, Vanity stepped in closer to steal his heat. After a few seconds, she said, “I know you don’t like lies.”
New alertness surged into his veins. “No, I don’t.” Wondering what she was up to now, he put his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. “Did you lie to me, darlin’?”
“You don’t have to use that silky voice on me.”
Silky voice? The things she said... “I didn’t—”
“I did lie,” she blurted, making him go rigid.
He tipped up her chin. “About?”
“Lynn said I could return the dogs to her.” She snuggled back in, her face to his neck. “I hope you don’t mind, but I told her that you insisted she have at least a week to get rested up.”
That was it? “I do insist.”
He felt her smile against his throat. “Good, then I didn’t fib after all.”
It was ridiculous to keep her standing there in the brisk night air. But he wasn’t ready to let her go.
“Stack?”
“Hmm?”
She leaned away to make eye contact. “I won’t pry. I promise.”
“Thanks.”
“But...”
There were always buts. He waited.
“If you’re lingering so you can talk to Whitney again, you can just tell me to go. Since we don’t have any type of agreement—”
“Wrong.” Damn, how did she so easily get him twisted up? “The original agreement is gone. Now we have a new agreement.”
“A new one?”
Damn right. And soon as he figured it out, he’d explain it to her.
