Kane (Arizona Vengeance 8)

“They’re just eating and talking,” he says out of the corner of his mouth.

“Wait… he’s offering her a piece of sushi,” he grouses. “He’s actually fucking feeding it to her.” He practically cackles then. “He’s a slob. She had to point out that he has soy sauce on his chin.”

My skin prickles when Jim rears backward with an, “Oh, shit.”

“What?” I demand.

He peeks around again, then whips back my way. “Fuck… we’re busted.”

For some reason, I have the urge to take flight, as if a stampede of buffaloes were coming my way. Jim takes the lead and we start to melt into the crowd, but we don’t make it far.

Jim is pulled up short when Ella snatches him by the arm. “What in the hell, Jim?” she angrily demands. “What are you doing?”

Rather than sheepishly apologize, he goes on the attack. “What am I doing? What are you doing? Moving on pretty quickly, I’d say.”

I notice Ella’s date approaching us with a worried expression, but he thankfully stays several feet away. I don’t feel like having to pull Jim off this dude.

Ella sighs with frustration. “What I do is none of your business, Jim. We’re separated.”

Jim glares over at her date, then leans slightly toward her. “You could have told me you were seeing someone.”

At this moment, I wish I were anywhere but standing here. That had been genuine pain in his voice, and this is a conversation they should be having alone. Yet, I dare not take a step away in case Jim decides to go after her date in a fit of jealousy.

Ella releases her hold on his arm. In a quiet voice I can barely hear, she murmurs, “This wasn’t something I sought out; it was a blind date set up by friends.”

“More than one date,” he accuses. “I first saw you at lunch a couple weeks ago.”

She frowns when she admits, “Yes, it’s been a few dates.”

“I just can’t believe you’d move on so quickly,” he mutters, raking his hand through his hair.

Ella throws her arms out in exasperation. “We’ve been separated for months; I don’t call this quickly. And you’ve certainly given me no indication that we were headed anywhere other than divorce.”

“It’s wrong,” he accuses. “We’re still legally married.”

“Wrong?” she practically hisses. “Why? Why should I sit at home and repeat the same pattern I did when we were together—a lonely and neglected woman stuck at home?”

“I didn’t—”

“You fucking did, and you know it,” she snarls. I have to admit… I have some mad respect for the woman for standing her ground.

Jim must realize he’s fighting a losing battle as his shoulders slump. “All right… I was a shitty husband. I’m sorry for it.”

Ella snorts. “Words are easy now, aren’t they? But they’re just words. Saying sorry doesn’t mean anything now.”

“We can fix this, Ella,” Jim pleads softly.

“I don’t think we can.”

Ouch… my heart hurts for him because that was said with confidence. She has no hope.

“Will you at least give me a shot?” he asks. There’s no mistaking the genuine belief in his tone that he thinks he can do better.

She’s so confused that her brows practically knot together. “A shot at what?”

Jim scowls over to her date before returning his gaze to his wife. “To compete.”

“Compete?” she replies dumbly. “At what?”

Jerking his thumb toward the man staring uneasily our way, he replies, “At that. Give me a shot at winning you back.”

Ella stumbles back a foot, looking as if he’d suddenly grown horns. “You’re kidding, right?”

Jim steps into her. I mean, moves right into her space until she’s forced to crane her neck and look up. She doesn’t try to back away. It’s obvious as they stand so close together—there’s still something palpable between them.

He doesn’t lower his voice, so I hear him loud and clear. “I want a shot at making you remember the good times.”

Ella’s eyes flare wide because the rumble of his voice was so laced with sex and innuendo, even I have no doubt about what type of ‘good times’ he’s talking about.

“You mean the sex?” she demands snidely.

Dipping his head closer, he huskily reminds her. “It was great sex. And yes, you need a reminder.”

Ella’s affected, and she knows it, too. She also knows her date is watching, so she steps away from her husband and primly lifts her chin in the air. “A relationship is more than sex.”

“Yes,” he agrees with a wicked grin. “But it’s a damn good place to start. I’ll stack myself up against any guy you want to date, including that dude back there.”

Ella’s cheeks flame red. Harshly, she whispers, “We’re not having sex, so there’s nothing to compare.”

Jim smiles big. So fucking big I swear it dims the outdoor lighting around the food stalls. He’s fucking delighted by that.

Giving a slight nod to his wife, he merely says, “I’m sorry to have intruded on your evening out. Enjoy yourself.”