The Man Plan by Warren Tracy Anne

Author:Warren, Tracy Anne [Warren, Tracy Anne]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2014-08-05T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Ivy found James in the kitchen drinking coffee out of an oversized white ceramic mug.

He looked up as she entered. “Still alive?”

“Of course.” She went to the cupboard where he kept the mugs and took down one for herself. “We talked. There were a few sticky moments, but Malynn and I are okay again.”

He lifted the coffeepot and filled her cup. “So did you promise never to see me again after today?”

She turned earnest eyes upon him. “You know I would never promise that.”

He was silent for a long moment. “Maybe you should.” He pushed away from the countertop where he’d been leaning, crossed to the refrigerator. “You want something to eat?”

Uneasy surprise rippled through her. “Yeah, but not until you tell me what you meant by that last comment.”

“Eggs and bacon or French toast?” He pulled out a carton of eggs. “Estella taught me a recipe that’s gotten me through many a hungry Sunday morning.”

“James, tell me what you meant.” She reached out and wrapped a hand around his arm. “You’re avoiding my question. Why?”

She swallowed, dread settling in her belly.

He set the eggs and a stick of butter on the counter, then closed the refrigerator door. He thrust his hands into his pants pockets, a sure sign he felt uneasy. “Ivy, last night was . . .”

“Yes, what was it?” she murmured.

“Special. Amazing. Utterly unforgettable.”

He looked up, met her eyes, then pulled in a sharp breath. “But it was wrong. Last night was a mistake that should never have happened.”

A fine tremor ran just beneath her skin. Was he breaking up with her after only one night? No. Impossible. He couldn’t be, not after saying such lovely things at the start.

But as she searched his face and read the remote expression in his blue eyes, the dread in her stomach turned to stone.

My God, he is breaking up with me.

She grabbed his arms, pressed herself against him. “It wasn’t wrong,” she pleaded. “It was wonderful. Don’t let Madelyn and that . . . that unfortunate scene with that other woman you’ve been seeing make you regret what we shared. I don’t regret it, not for an instant.”

“You should,” he said, his voice as cool now as his eyes. “Madelyn’s right. We’ve got no business being together, sleeping together.”

Gently, he pried her hands loose and took a step back. “My God, Ivy, your father and brother would beat me bloody if they knew what I’d done. And I wouldn’t blame them. I was supposed to look after you, not seduce you. I took advantage, took your innocence, to my everlasting shame. I can barely stand to look at myself in the mirror.”

“You didn’t take advantage of me,” she said with a shake of her head. “What we did last night was my choice. My innocence, as you call it, was mine to give. Why, I practically pleaded with you last night to make love to me. James, if anyone took advantage, it was me. I’m the one who seduced you.

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