“Maybe. But not right now. Call me selfish, but I just want a nice night without drama.”

“I bet you never had drama with Ross.” Vaughan heard the petulant quality in his tone but he couldn’t be embarrassed by it even though he had no one to blame but himself.

“Are you jealous?” Her tone was incredulous and he wanted to laugh. Of course he was jealous, for God’s sake!

“Yes. He was going to marry you. Be a father to my daughters. You loved him. And not me.”

Their appetizers arrived and she was quiet for a time.

“I never stopped loving you. As for Ross? I loved him. But as Stacey points out to me all the time, I wasn’t in love with him. And I’m not marrying him. I’ve been married once, Vaughan, and that was to you.”

“He took care of you when I should have.”

“I took care of me. I don’t need a keeper.”

No, she didn’t. She’d always been independent. But this version was grown-up and he wasn’t a part of it. Not in any positive sense.

“We didn’t have drama. Though his mother—” she rolled her eyes “—is a huge part of his life, too. He’s not a dramatic person. He’s solid. I used to think he was reliable.”

“Used to?”

She tried to wave it away but he wasn’t going to be swayed. Something had come up and he wanted to know what it was.

“Please. Tell me.”

“It’s not even a thing.”

“Then it won’t be a problem for you to tell me what it is.”

Kelly’s annoyed growl made him hide a smile.

“Fine. I think he told her, the ex, about some of my food stuff.”

“How do you...? Oh shit, the comment she made at the carnival?” He felt sick on her behalf.

Kelly nodded.

“I’m sorry. That’s fucked up.”

Her bottom lip wobbled, just a bit, and he ached to make that pain go away.

“I’m trying really hard, you know. Trying to not break your heart, or hurt your feelings. I have. Before. But I don’t get him. I figured he had more on the ball than that.”

“Everyone does stupid shit when they’re hurting, I suppose.”

“Did you confront him?” Vaughan didn’t know how to feel about it if she had.

“I thought about it over the weekend. But I realized there’s nothing to be gained in doing that. It’s over. I feel less bad about breaking the engagement now, so there’s that.”

His heart lightened at her joke.

“I guess I expected him to be hurt and even angry. But he took something that was private, something he only knew about because he was allowed into my life, and he told someone else and she used it to hurt me. I hate to think he knew that would happen, but it might have. It could even have been a random comment because she’s a bitch. Whatever it is, nothing good can come of me confronting him. The strongest reply I can give is to not let it show that I was hurt.”

It shouldn’t have to be, though.

“Is it cool that I want to punch him for making you sad?”

She snickered and then sighed happily when their entrées arrived. “Sure. That’s cool.”

They had a long, leisurely dinner and drinks and by the time they walked back to the valet stand, his life was about a thousand times better, and it was already really amazing.

Once they pulled out, he headed away from the freeway.

“Scenic route?” Kelly asked.

“I have a hotel key. We have a babysitter for several more hours. I was thinking, loud hotel sex might make tonight even better.”

“My. You’re going to earn that merit badge early if you keep this up.”

* * *

KELLY TURNED SLOWLY as she tossed her bag on a chair. “Some view for a quickie,” she told Vaughan, who prowled around her, getting her all flustered and tingly.

“Paddy brings Natalie here from time to time. He said it was romantic. You in my hotel room, ready for me to sex up one side and back down the other is a million times better.”

He moved close and then dropped to his knees. She sucked in a breath, her hands gripping his shoulders for a moment.

“Mmm.” He pressed his face into her, the vibration of that hum of satisfaction echoing to her clit. “Been some time since I’ve looked at you from this angle.”

His hands slid down the curve of her calves, down to her ankle where he slid first one shoe off, and then the other.

Kelly gave in and tunneled her fingers through his hair, messing it up. “You look like a pirate this way.”

Those green/brown eyes of his locked on her mouth for so long she tightened her fingers, tugging.

“Legs, I’m kind of in the middle of something right now. But I’ll pirate it up. Pillage you extra hard.”

“Promise?”

The teasing light in his eyes faded. All laughter was gone, replaced by white-hot need. He pulled at her dress, impatient.

Kelly pushed his hands away, moving to do it herself, far more carefully.

“I want you naked,” he said, going back to grab the hem of her dress.

“I’m happy to make that happen, but if you rip this dress I will hurt you.” A quick unclasping of the neck and it fell away, leaving her in a pair of tiny panties and nothing else.

“Best. Day. Ever.”

“It’s about to get a lot better.”

She slowly unbuttoned the front of his shirt, sliding her hands all over his bared skin as she freed his arms, putting the shirt with her dress. Then the belt, unbuttoned the pants and it was her turn to drop to her knees.