Nine

“What the hell are you doing here?” Fine’s loud voice filled the hallway. Reed looked back to make sure Paige was still asleep. She was.

Reed didn’t know whether to laugh or slam the door in Fine’s face. He chose not to do either. Instead, he smirked. “Keep your voice down, Fine. You know what I’m doing here.”

“Later for you, Lewis. Where’s Paige?” Fine asked, lifting on his toes to look past Reed’s shoulder. At that moment, Reed felt the psychological advantage his height gave him. And the fact that his wide build effectively prevented Fine from barging into the apartment did wonders for his ego.

Reed really didn’t like the proprietary air that Fine had where Paige was concerned. Fine didn’t own her. Not her body, and definitely not her heart. No, her heart belonged to him—even if she didn’t know it yet. “Paige is asleep, Fine. Why don’t you come back later? She should be up in about an hour or so.”

“Like hell. I’ve come to see my fiancée, and I will see her,” Fine challenged.

“Dexter, is that you?” came Paige’s sleep-filled voice.

Reed turned around to speak to her and Fine took advantage of that moment to slip past him and into the apartment.

Fine stopped in his tracks when he saw Paige. “Paige?” Fine yelled.

Paige reached for her robe, but it was too late. Fine had already seen the incriminating evidence. Reed didn’t know whether to feel sorry or glad that he’d so bungled the buttoning of her granny gown that she looked like she’d hurriedly tried to cover herself. From the fury in Fine’s eyes, he had put two and two together and come up with much more than what had happened between them last night.

Unable to think of anything else to do, Reed moved to stand protectively in front of Paige. “Don’t yell at her. She’s not a child.”

Paige pushed him out of the way and glared at him. “And I can speak for myself, Reed.” He was glad she had found her robe. He didn’t like the idea of Fine looking at her in her gown.

“What’s going on here, Paige?” Fine asked. It was obvious to Reed that Fine was doing all he could to keep a rein on his temper.

“Nothing,” Paige said, with no conviction. “I already explained that Reed and his grandmother were staying here for a few days.”

Fine’s eyes moved deliberately from Paige to Reed, then back to Paige. His accusation was loud, though unspoken. “Where’s he sleeping?”

Reed dropped down on the sofabed and Paige shot daggers at him with her eyes. “I really don’t appreciate your attitude, Dexter, and under other circumstances I wouldn’t answer that question. But I’ll be generous this morning,” She pointed to the sofabed. “I sleep here,” she said. “And Reed sleeps on the floor over there.” She pointed to the pallet with its rumpled covers.

Reed leaned back on the sofabed. He caught Fine’s eye. No way was Fine buying Paige’s story, not with Reed leaning back on the sofa as though he owned it.

“Reed,” Paige said, causing him to take his eyes from Fine. “Dexter and I need a few minutes alone.”

Reed sat up straight. Was she asking him to leave the room? “You can say whatever you need to say to him in front of me.”

Before Paige could respond, Fine started yelling again. “What the hell is that ring on your finger? Where’s your engagement ring?”

Reed couldn’t help himself: he grinned. “Do you want me to explain that one to him, Paige?”

She frowned at him. “No, I do not,” she said, punctuating each word.

Reed thought if she continued to frown at him like that, her facial expression would probably be set that way for life. Fortunately, she still looked adorable. He was smart enough not to tell her, though. “Ex-cuse me,” he said, with mock hurt in his voice. He reclined back on the sofabed and crossed his legs.

“You were telling me about the ring, Paige,” Fine said, as if he were speaking to some child who couldn’t understand complicated ideas. Reed was amused that Fine had fallen back into a super-calm mode. Personally, he thought the guy needed to show passion. He knew he would if he were in Fine’s shoes. Reed was convinced all over again that not only did Fine not deserve Paige, but he wouldn’t know what to do with her once she was his.

Paige tightened the belt on her robe and crossed her arms in front of her. “I’m not answering any more questions.”

“It’s about time you put this guy in his place,” Reed said.

She glared again. “I’m disappointed in you, Reed. Why are you trying so hard to make Dexter believe the worst? I thought you were my friend.”

Her words hurt. The pain in her voice hurt, too. He was her friend. He loved her. “Paige—”

She lifted her hand. “Don’t even try it. You’re as selfish as Dexter, as my father. I thought you were different.”

He was different, he screamed silently. “Paige—”

She cut him off again. “I’m going to get dressed for my morning run. I hope that both of you will be gone when I come out of the shower. I know that won’t happen, but I want you both out of here when I come back from my run.” She turned on her heels and stormed into the bathroom.

Reed looked at Fine. “What the hell are you grinning about?” he asked.

“You can’t beat me, Lewis,” Fine said, his calm composure still in place. “You’re not even in my league.”

Reed wanted to hit him, but he decided to play it his way. He could be calm, too. “Whose ring is she wearing?”

Those words were meant to incite, and by the flash of anger that crossed Fine’s face, they did just that. Reed didn’t bother to hide his satisfaction.

“She’s playing a role now, Lewis. But as soon as your grandmother leaves, she’ll come back to her senses.” Reed didn’t like the confidence in those words.

“Maybe she has come to her senses. Maybe she was playing the role with you.”

Fine laughed, and if Reed hadn’t been looking at him, he’d have believed something was funny. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Reed didn’t answer. Why should he?

Fine walked to the front door. “Let me give you a tip, Lewis, attorney to attorney. Look at the facts. Paige has known you for four years. Before this week, has she ever shown anything other than a friendly interest in you?”

The answer to that was no, but Reed knew it was a complicated no. He and Paige had always been attracted to each other, but they had decided not to act on it.

“No answer, huh?” Fine went on. “Think about it. And don’t think I’m doing this for you. I’m doing it for Paige. She wouldn’t want to hurt you.”

“Get the hell out of here, Fine,” Reed said, tired of the guy’s philosophizing.

Fine opened the door. “I’m leaving, but only out of respect for Paige. She asked me to go along with this charade for your grandmother and I’m going to do it, but don’t for one minute think I’m going to give Paige up. There’s no way she’s not going to be my wife.”

~ ~ ~

Paige wondered how she’d ever allowed herself to become engaged to Dexter. It must have been a moment of weakness, because right now, she could slap him. “You’re not listening to me, Dexter,” she said for the fifth time. She had gone to his condo after freshening up after her run. Now, seated on the plush burgundy leather sofa in his living room with the engagement ring he’d given her on the antique table between them, she saw how different they really were.

“I am listening,” Dexter said. He paced in front of her, hands in his pockets, as though he were lecturing to her. “You’re just not making sense.”

“I think I make perfect sense. You don’t want to understand.” His pacing was driving her mad. “Sit down, Dexter. Your standing is not having the desired power effect.”

Dexter stopped pacing and stared at her as though she had two heads, but he did sit down. Not next to her, but in the chair across from her. That was what Dexter always did. He never needed to be next to her. Physical closeness was not a necessity for him. That was only one of the ways he differed from Reed, but now was not the time for thinking about Reed.

“So you want to end our engagement? Does this mean something happened between you and Lewis?”

She shook her head. Dexter seemed more concerned with what had happened between her and Reed than he did about her feelings for him. “Not in the way you mean. I didn’t sleep with him, but I thought about it.”

“You thought about sleeping with him? That doesn’t mean anything. You didn’t do it, that’s what counts.”

How could she and Dexter be so different? she wondered. “It means something to me, Dexter. I can’t be engaged to one man and continually have thoughts about another. I can’t do it.”

“Hell, Paige, everybody has thoughts, fantasies. I’m not threatened by those.” Dexter’s calm exterior was beginning to crumble.

“But what if it’s more? What if what I feel for Reed is more than friendship?”

Dexter stood again and resumed his pacing. “So, you think you’re in love with him? Three days and you think you’re in love with him? You’ve known him for four years, and in three days you think you’re in love with him. Get real, Paige!”

“Do you love me, Dexter?” she asked.

He stopped pacing and stared at her. “Of course, I love you. I asked you to marry me, didn’t I? I gave you an engagement ring big enough to choke a horse, didn’t I? Of course, I love you.”

Paige remembered Reed’s declaration of love. Dexter’s didn’t exactly measure up. “Why do you love me, Dexter?”

He sat down again. She could tell he was uneasy with her questions. “I love you because I love you. Why are you asking all these questions now? You didn’t ask them when you accepted my proposal.”

“Maybe I should have,” she responded softly.

~ ~ ~

Reed climbed into the sofabed he’d shared with Paige last night, wishing she were there with him. The knowledge that she wasn’t with Dexter was small consolation. He needed her with him.

When she’d called earlier to speak to Big Momma and not to him, he’d been relieved and angry. Why hadn’t she wanted to talk to him? It had taken all his acting skills to put up a nonchalant pose for Big Momma.

She’d said she’d gone by her office and gotten caught up in a problem that needed her attention. She’d have to stay there until they worked it out. Reed didn’t believe that, and he didn’t think Big Momma did, either. What was she doing? he wondered.

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but that was impossible. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he talked with her. He had to know how her conversation with Fine had gone. Though he was sure she wasn’t with Fine now, he was sure she had spoken with him earlier. It wouldn’t have been her style to handle it any other way.

He heard her key turn in the lock about fifteen minutes later. The clock said eleven-thirty. He wanted to jump up and meet her at the door, but he allowed himself only to sit up in bed.

“So you finally made it in.” The words sounded like an accusation, though that wasn’t what he meant by them.

She strode into the room and dropped her bag on the table behind the sofa. “Why is it that no one seems to realize I’m an adult, capable of making my own decisions? I can even tell time.”

“Okay,” Reed said, climbing out of bed. “I’m sorry, but I was worried. Do you want to tell me what happened with Fine?”

Her now frequent frown returned and she sat down on the side of the sofabed. “What makes you think I went to see Dexter?”

He sat down next to her and brushed his hand across her hair. “I know you.”

She shook her head and his hand fell away. “You think you know me.”

He didn’t like that she pulled away from him, but he wasn’t going to pursue it. At least, not now. “Okay, I’m not going to argue with you. But I think you owe me an explanation.”

“An explanation,” she said, hopping up from the bed. “I owe you an explanation.” She pointed her finger at him and spoke in hushed tones. He knew that was so she wouldn’t wake Big Momma. “Let me tell you something, Reed Lewis. You behaved like a big jerk earlier today, and I don’t owe you anything. You owe me.” She poked her finger into his chest. “And you owe me big. Because of a favor I did you, my engagement is over. Do you hear me? It’s over!”

He heard it and he wanted to scream his happiness from the rooftops. She’d ended her engagement to Fine. “You make it sound like that wasn’t what you wanted. It was, wasn’t it?”

She propped her hands on her hips. “What I want is for every man on this planet to leave me alone, and that includes you, Reed Lewis. I’m going to take my shower now, and when I get back, I want you out of my bed and on the floor, where you belong.”

“Paige,” Reed protested, “you don’t mean that. Your engagement with Fine is over. Don’t you see? Now we can be together.”

Paige shook her head woefully. “I can’t go from one man to another just like that, Reed. Though you didn’t think much of my engagement to Dexter, I did. I was going to marry him.” She was near tears now. “I was going to spend my life with a man I didn’t love. Do you know how shallow that makes me feel? Just leave me alone, will you?” She turned and fled the room.