nodded, her eyes not quite meeting his. “Sounds good. Thanks.”
James took the baby and left, his chest tight. At this rate, he and Lila were going to kill each other with politeness. It was a stupid, artificial situation. But the only alternatives he knew with her were hot, crazy sex and shouting matches. Neither of those was gonna fly right now, so kindness it was.
Lila was still learning how to pack a diaper bag. The sheer amount of stuff a baby needed these days was incredible. She threw a few of her own things into a small carry-all and made one last sweep of the bedroom to be sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.
Walking into James’s house took all the courage she possessed. She paused in the foyer, hearing his footsteps upstairs and the rumble of his voice as he talked to the baby.
While man and child were occupied, she scoped out the new living arrangements. James had made amazing progress in such a short time frame. She knew he had a habit of using his spare bedroom for a dumping ground. But all the sports equipment and miscellany had been cleared away. The queen bed was neatly made and the small attached bathroom was spotless.
In the office, James had moved things out of the way to accommodate the crib. Lila put a sheet on the small mattress and smoothed the wrinkles from the soft cotton that was printed with gamboling monkeys and bananas. Already, she had decided not to shroud little Sybbie in everything pink. This was the twenty-first century. Her niece might grow up to be president one day.
James and Sybbie found her just as she was finishing up. She wrinkled her nose. “I think I read somewhere that you’re supposed to wash baby things before you use them the first time. But I don’t want to delay her bedtime.”
“It won’t matter for just one night. You can do a load of laundry tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Wow. This was never going to work if they couldn’t loosen up. The tension headache had started as soon as she walked into his house.
James’s phone dinged, signaling a text. When he pulled it out and looked at it, his face reddened.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, faintly alarmed by the look of consternation on his face.
“Nothing. Nothing at all. But I have a date tonight and I need to hit the road.”
She gaped at him before snapping her mouth shut and straightening her spine. “I’ll take Sybbie. Have fun.” The words felt like sandpaper in her throat. She took the baby from him, careful not to let her hands brush his.
“We’ll try not to disturb you when we come in.”
We? Lila felt the color drain from her cheeks. Her stomach felt funny...as if she had swallowed bad milk. “No problem. I’ll close our doors. You won’t bother us at all.”
* * *
James strode out of his own house like a felon fleeing the scene of a crime. He jumped in his car, turned the ignition hard enough to bend the key and peeled out of the driveway with a squeal of tires. Hell, hell, hell. Why had he ever suggested this asinine arrangement?
He’d completely forgotten he had a date with a beautiful woman tonight. A woman who had given strong hints that she was up for any kind of recreation he had in mind. There was absolutely no reason in the world for him to feel guilty about his social calendar.
Then why did the memory of Lila’s stricken expression make him feel like a complete ass?
During dinner and a movie, he told himself to forget about Sybbie and Lila. He’d offered them a temporary home while he knocked out a wall. No big deal.
Even though his companion for the evening was sweet and smart and probably nicer than he deserved, he could barely keep up with the conversation over drinks at his brother’s watering hole, The Silver Dollar Saloon. Fortunately, Dylan wasn’t in residence. James wasn’t in the mood to be razzed about anything, much less his attractive date.
Somehow, he felt as if he had cheated on two women, but the truth was, he hadn’t done anything dishonest at all. His righteous indignation prompted him to ask his date in for coffee. At his house.
But after two cups of decaf, when she made it clear she expected to be escorted upstairs, he created some lame excuse about having to get up early and took her home.
By the time he made it back, it was late. Late enough that Lila was probably, hopefully, asleep. He was cranky and horny and tired. And now he had to tiptoe around his own house.
He let himself in quietly and took his shoes off at the front door. Since he’d moved in half a dozen years ago, he had put a lot of TLC into the little house. Now there wasn’t a single stair that creaked, which hopefully meant he wouldn’t disturb his houseguest when he went up to his room.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t ready to go to sleep yet. He was wired. Maybe he could grab a beer and watch some TV with the sound turned down so as not to bother anybody. It was a good plan until he pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen and flipped on the light, practically mowing down Lila in the process and causing her to drop a glass of milk that shattered all over the floor.
“Good Lord.” He grabbed her arms to steady her. She was wearing a tank top and pajama pants, leaving her shoulders bare. He had forgotten how soft her skin was, how fragile her bones.
Lila jerked away from him, her eyes huge, her pupils dilated. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep. I wanted something to drink.”
“Don’t move. You’ll cut yourself.” Her feet were bare. He picked her up by the waist and set her on the counter. “Let me get this mess cleaned up.”
He felt Lila’s gaze on him as he grabbed a broom and a wet rag to deal with the floor. But she didn’t say a word. He was glad. There wasn’t a knife big enough to cut the tension in the room.
When he finished his task, he straightened and stared at her. “I owe you an apology,” he said gruffly.
“For what?”
“What I said earlier about being quiet when we came in. It was a cheap shot. In a battle you and I aren’t even fighting anymore.”
“So you didn’t sleep with her?”
James was pretty sure she didn’t mean to blurt that out. “No. I didn’t. We only just met.”
“That’s never stopped you before.”
He sucked in a breath and watched Lila’s face turn red. This was why things were always going to be like a minefield between the two of them. The memories were combustible. Lila had moved into her new house on a Monday almost three and a half years ago. James had gone over to meet the new neighbor and offer his assistance. Two weeks later they were in bed together.
“Let’s not get sidetracked,” he said, wishing his throat wasn’t so damn dry. “I was trying to apologize.”
“Then why did you do it?”
Why, indeed? Lila’s blue eyes judged him and found him guilty...or so it seemed. He shrugged. “I didn’t want you to get any ideas. Or to think that my invitation was something more than it was.”
Her small smile was wry. “I didn’t. Believe me. We were pretty dreadful together. I don’t want to go through that again.”
“Not all of it was so terrible.” He saw in her eyes that she remembered the same things he did. The incredible sexual chemistry that made them crazy for each other.
“No,” she said quietly. “It wasn’t all bad. But we’re too smart to go down that road again. Aren’t we?”
That was the million-dollar question. Three years ago they had fought incessantly, almost from the beginning. He resented her crazy hours. She was angry that he didn’t understand her need to prove herself and pursue a promotion. James