Trading Faces by Denise Belinda McDonald

Author:Denise Belinda McDonald
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, pdf
Tags: Police
ISBN: 1605041254
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2008-05-07T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Bright morning light spilled into the room. Elyse rolled over and for a minute imagined what it would be like to wake next to Jack, to have his warmth welcome her when she woke. But it was just a dream. Jack slept, alone, down the hall from her. Or at least she assumed he slept.

After they got back to his house from picking up her clothes and Monty’s things, she was so exhausted she took a nap. The next time she woke, it was just before sunrise. She hadn’t meant to sleep through the night, but her body had other ideas.

Elyse lay awake and watched as the room slowly lightened to full brightness. If she’d had work to go to, a couple of extra days of the after-holiday rush, maybe she could have kept her thoughts from falling back to Jack Walling. She couldn’t believe she’d thought he was gay. She laughed to herself. He was so not gay. He’d awakened more in her in the brief couple of kisses than Matthew had the last few years of their marriage.

She only wished she could banish her wayward thoughts. It wasn’t like they—as a couple, as a one night stand even—could go anywhere. Life would be so much easier if she could be done with Matthew—she and he had split long ago and she liked it that way. Then she’d be done with Jack. Before her heart got broken. She was afraid, though, it was too late. Jack had grabbed onto her heart and wasn’t letting go—whether he knew it or not.

If only she had something to offer him. If only she was enough woman for him, which she could never be. If only love was enough to keep a couple together. There were so many “if onlys”. No matter how much she wanted it to be true, love wasn’t ever enough.

Maybe she wasn’t giving Jack a chance. Maybe if she didn’t underestimate him. But no. She made her resolve then and there not to let Jack deeper into her soul. It would hurt bad enough to never have him, if she let him in and then he left… And he would leave when he found out she…

“You awake in there?” Jack called from the other side of the door, breaking into her thoughts.

She climbed out of the bed and hurried to the door. When she opened it, Monty came barging in, nearly knocking her to the floor. Jack grabbed her arm to steady her. Elyse pulled herself free as soon as she was sure she wouldn’t fall. Jack seemed surprised, but didn’t comment.

“Someone has been waiting for you to get up.” Jack motioned with his hand to Monty. “How are you feeling this morning? You look a lot better.” He reached to touch her face but she stepped back, out of his reach. She wanted his touch but couldn’t afford to let her heart yearn for what she couldn’t have.

A flash of disappointment crossed his face before his expression went blank, unreadable.

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