As he wound his way back toward her, she watched him smile at the patrons who were drinking and dining, and it hit her again how much she still wanted him. Even though his smile hadn’t connected with his eyes, it didn’t matter. His handsome self-assurance and good looks stole her next breath.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concern in his voice.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugged, though a smile flirted with his lips. “For starters, you’re a beautiful woman sitting alone. I expected every single man at the bar to hit on you.”
“It didn’t happen.”
“Good. I’d hate to have to kick ass this early in the evening.”
In spite of herself, Hallie laughed.
His eyes darkened on her, making him more dangerously attractive than ever.
“What?” she asked in a breathless tone.
“Your dimple. It still does crazy things when you laugh.”
She felt herself grow warm all over. Suddenly they were stepping into forbidden territory. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be in his arms on the dance floor.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, swiftly changing the subject.
“What do you mean?”
“The call,” she pressed. “Remember the important message?”
For a second, his features became guarded, as if a curtain had fallen over them, shutting her out. Nonetheless, she knew that whoever the caller had been had upset him. Then he shrugged in a nonchalant fashion.
“It was nothing I can’t handle.”
“Fine.”
An awkward silence fell between them as he sat back down and reached for his drink. At moments like this, she wondered what had possessed her to take his case, to get involved with him again in any way.
“It was Roberta’s mother.” A sigh followed his words.
Hallie stared at him, wide-eyed, surprised both by his confiding in her and by who the caller was.
“She told me I wasn’t welcome at the funeral.”
“I’m sorry, Jackson,” she said, for lack of anything better to say.
“Me, too, for more reasons than one. Ruby has always been a sort of surrogate mother, and it sickens me that she thinks I’m capable of murdering anyone, most of all her daughter.”
“So she actually thinks you’re guilty?”
“Oh yeah,” he responded bitterly. “Even though she’s an old lady, she hasn’t lost her mind or her sharp tongue.”
“Was she even interested in hearing your side?”
“Nope.”
“Again, I’m sorry. I know how much Roberta and her family meant to you.”
“They did—she did, only not in the way you think.”
Hallie averted her gaze. “Let’s not go there, okay?”
“Whatever you say.” His tone was low and brusque.
Another round of silence. He broke it by asking, “How ’bout a dance for old time’s sake?” His voice sounded like it had been rubbed with sandpaper.
She whipped her head back around. His eyes collided with hers. She knew exactly what he was thinking, about the many times they had danced cheek-to-cheek, belly to belly, lips to lips, alone, after hours, until their passion was screaming for release.
Then they would leave, only just making it to the car before they lost control. Breathing heavy and with lips meshed, he’d jerk her panties down, open his fly and sit her down on his lap, ramming his hardness into her softness.
When the frenzied, almost desperate mating was over, they would collapse against each other, gasping.
For a second, she almost bought into his attempt to seduce her; her heart beating out of sync, she became conscious of the wetness between her legs. But then she came to her senses and gave her head a violent shake.
“In your dreams.”
“Every night,” he whispered.
She snapped alert. “Dammit, Jackson, do you want me to get up and walk out?”
He straightened. “Don’t be silly.”
“Then, behave yourself,” she responded with tartness.
“How can you just turn your emotions off like that, Hallie?”
“It’s easy.” Her tone was cold. “I just remember the conversation with Roberta.”
His face drained of color and his curse stung the air.
“Look, maybe we should forget having dinner.”
“Not on your life. We’re going to eat. I’ve ordered us both the best steaks in the house.” Jackson’s gaze softened and he smiled. “Meanwhile, I promise to behave.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“Yeah, I guess you have. So do I get another chance?”
“All right. But the third time and you’re out.”
“Whoa,” Jackson said with a half smile. “I’m not even going to touch that one.”
The band, which had taken the place of the piano and singer, began to play.
“What do you think?”
“About what?” Hallie asked.
“The band.”
“They’re good, actually.”
“This is a trial run for them.” Jackson paused, seeming to size them up. “We lost our other band and Terrance has been on the hunt.”
“Speaking of Terrance, how’s he doing? Is he still at your beck and call?”
“You never liked him, did you.”
Hallie felt warmth surge into her face, but she answered honestly. “Not really.”
Jackson chuckled.
“You asked.”
“I did and you answered. But why is that? I never understood what you had against him.”
“I never knew, either. There’s just something about him that always bothered me.”
“Well, he liked you. And still does.”
Hallie shrugged. “Maybe I just didn’t get to know him well enough.”
“Speaking of Terrance, I wonder where he is. He should be circulating.”
“It’s early yet, isn’t it?”
“Not that early.” Jackson’s features relaxed. “Ah, there he is. I guess I just didn’t see him.”
“Well, you do seem to have a full house.”
“We try to please.”
They both watched as Terrance made his way toward them. His hand was outstretched when he reached the table.
“It’s great to see you again, Hallie.”
Hallie gave him her hand and smiled. “Same here.”
Suddenly she was seeing Terrance through new eyes. Maybe she’d been jealous of Jackson and Terrance’s relationship. At the time of their engagement, she hadn’t been nearly as sure of herself. As a result, perhaps she hadn’t given Terrance a fair shot. She would this time, though, as he could be a valuable asset in helping to clear Jackson’s