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JIM
WILLIAMS
James
Williams, in his mid-thirties, had the brisk,
authoritative air of a man who would never be anyone’s
puppet. “Nick has nothing whatsoever to do with it, I’ve
know him for many years and we’re good friends.”
* * * *
“You’re
back early from Chicago,” Jim remarked, seemingly
oblivious to his friend’s cold reserve. “I wonder why?”
“You
know damned well why,” Nick retorted grimly.
Jim’s
brows lifted, but he turned his tawny, appreciative gaze
on Lauren. “I’d tell you how gorgeous you look, but at the
moment, Nick is already restraining the urge to knock my
teeth down my throat.”
“Why?”
Lauren gasped, her own gaze flying to Nick’s granite
features.
Jim
answered with a chuckle. “It has something to do with two
dozen red roses and a kiss he witnessed. He’s forgotten
about a girl I was in love with once but couldn’t quite
get up the nerve to ask to marry me. He got tired of
waiting for me to bolster my courage, so he sent Ericka
two dozen –”
Nick’s
breath exploded in laughter. “You bastard, “ he said
good-naturedly, and this time his handclasp was sincere.
*****
“Jim!”
she called when he and Ericka were about to pass without
seeing her.
Jim
turned sharply, and Lauren’s stomach clenched at the
bitter, accusing fury in the single scathing glance he
passed over her. “I have nothing to say to you,” he
snapped.
All hope
died inside of Lauren ad with its death came a blessed
numbness. She turned on her heel, shoved her frozen hands
into the pockets of her tweed skirt and started walking
down the street. Six steps later, Jim’s hand grasped her
arm, turning her around. “Here,” he said, his expression
just as hostile as before. “Take my coat.”
Lauren
carefully pulled her arm from his grasp. “Don’t touch me,”
he said calmly. “I don’t ever want to be touched.”
Alarm
flickered in his gaze before he extinguished it. “Take my
coat,” he repeated tersely, already starting to remove it.
“You’ll freeze to death.”
Lauren
found nothing unpleasant about the prospect of freezing to
death. Ignoring his outstretched coat, she lifted her gaze
to his. “Do you believe what Nick believes?”
“Every
single word,” he averred.
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