Free A Marriage Between Friends by Melinda Curtis Page A

kissed anyone since their wedding day?
    Vince stared up at the blue sky, contrasted against the soft green of the pine trees. Jill’s personal life was incomplete. Okay, his own personal life wasn’t perfect, either, but he was a realist. He’d never be able to hold on to happiness with a woman long-term. It was easier to find a happy medium.
    Vince blew out a frustrated breath.
    I haven’t since…
    Jill’s words reverberated in his head. She was scared of being with anyone physically. She’d need someone who cared enough to be patient, yet was stubborn enough not to let her hide.
    Someone who was staying in her home. Someone obstinate enough not to leave. Someone who’d help reintroduce her to her sexuality and then be gone. Vince smiled. He was the perfect man for no-strings-attached sex.
    His smile faded, his gaze drawn again to the sky. Not that he wanted Jill to fall in love with him. And Jill was sentimental enough to read more into this than there was. He’d have to be careful, that was all. His priority was the casino deal, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use this unexpected attraction between them to his advantage as he tried to convince Jill that the casino was the right thing for Railroad Stop.
    “Vince? Hey, Vince.” Teddy came into view on the driveway below. Once he caught sight of Vince, the boy veered with coltish steps onto the gravel path. As he got nearer, Vince could see his mouth drawn in a sad pout. “I wanted to say goodbye.”
    “Are you going somewhere, buddy?”
    “Not me, you. Mom said you were leaving.” Squinting against the sun only made Teddy look sadder.
    “I’m not going anywhere.”
    “But Mom said—”
    “Edda Mae said I could have a shower first.”
    “I don’t know. Mom said—”
    “Why don’t you let me worry about your mom?”
    Teddy tilted his head to one side and scrunched up his nose. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
    “I’ll talk to her.” Vince bent down to Teddy’s level, ready to put his plan into action. “In the meantime…”
     
    “W HAT DO YOU MEAN you’re not leaving?” Jill propped her hands on her hips and glared at Vince. She stood in the crook of the kitchen, about as far away from Vince’s position on the couch as she could get without leaving the apartment.
    Vince’s kiss had been incredibly magnetic, making her want more, and earth-shatteringly scary, making her…confused. Jill didn’t do more. She didn’t do kisses. Just thinking about kissing had left Jill hot and cold for years, wondering if she could go further, if she could make love with someone.
    Well, this proved it. Jill couldn’t. Vince had to go. Only he didn’t seem to want to take the hammer-over-the-head hint that Jill wanted him to leave.
    “I’ve decided it’s more convenient to stay. Here.” Vince pointed at the living room carpet, but Jill could just as easily picture him rubbing his hands in glee because now he was going to be around to mess with her head.
    “You can’t stay.” Jill paced the limits of the tiny kitchen because Vince was in the living room, and after what had happened earlier, distance was called for. Vince’s impact on Jill was unexpected. One minute Jill wanted to comfort him, the next bop him over the head, and then she found herself wanting to fall into his arms.
    “You’d throw me out? I’m your husband.”
    Jill’s mouth fell open, but she quickly recovered. “Soon to be divorced, remember?”
    “Jill. Be reasonable. What will people think if I don’t stay here?”
    “The same thing they’ve been thinking for ten years.” She pinned Vince with her gaze. “My husband is either a loser or he’s dead.”
    Vince’s eyebrows shot up. “You told them I was dead?”
    “No.” She hadn’t told them Vince was a loser, either.
    “I’ll make it worth your while.” There was a smile lurking behind those seemingly innocent, dark eyes of his as he sprawled in the corner of her couch and watched her.
    He wouldn’t