Free Divine Temptation by Nicki Elson Page A

followed by the old ‘But I’m not in love with you.’”
    “No. I am in love with you.” His eyes flicked over her face. “I can’t imagine ever not being in love with you. It’s just…I’m fresh out of a relationship and you, well, I know how independent you are, and the single life really seems to suit you. I probably haven’t told you, but I’m extremely impressed with the way you’ve stood so firmly on your own feet these last two and a half years.”
    She forced herself to smile, filled with a need to not tarnish his glowing image of her as a capable, independent woman. “So then we’re going to chalk tonight up as just sex?” She figured it would only take a good night’s sleep to reset her mind to where it had been. She could be okay with just sex. She’d have to be.
    “For now that sounds like a good idea.”
    As she watched the relief wash over his face, Maggie realized she’d been holding out hope for a different reaction. Something poked at her from inside, encouraging her to tell him how she really felt, to give him her vulnerability. But she couldn’t. “So, since this is just sex, is it okay if I kick you out? I have an early day tomorrow.” She had a sudden urge to get far away from his tender embrace.

Chapter 7
    T HE A NGELS S ANG S LIGHTLY O FF K EY , but nobody seemed to mind. The occupants of the folding chairs set out in neat rows across the gym floor were more than forgiving—it was their children on stage in tinfoil halos and repurposed bed sheets after all. The chair Carl had saved for Maggie remained empty. She’d made sure Kirsten had found her father and then excused herself to help get the children into their costumes. After that she decided the view from the side of the stage was perfectly fine and stayed there for the rest of the performance. But she couldn’t avoid her ex-husband after the show.
    “Great job, Liam!” Carl praised as his son leaped into his arms for a bear hug.
    “How do we know he did a great job?” Kirsten asked. “It’s not like we could tell which screech was his.”
    “Kirsten,” Maggie warned before turning to Carl. “I hate to say this, but my allergies have been acting up, and I feel a headache coming on.”
    “Probably all the screeching,” Kirsten contributed unhelpfully.
    Maggie shot her daughter a hard look and continued. “I think I’d better skip the pizza. And Kirsten, darling, if you can’t be nicer to your brother—who did an amazing job tonight—you can skip it too.”
    “Aw, Mom.” Liam pouted, triggering Maggie’s maternal guilt. This night was supposed to be about her little boy, not her inability to deal with her adult issues.
    “I’ve got ibuprofen in my car, if you think that’ll help,” Carl offered.
    After a glance at Liam’s hopeful face, Maggie agreed, and the four of them headed out to Carl’s car where she swallowed the tablets dry. Since the school was on Carl’s way home from the restaurant, he suggested they all drive together and then he’d drop Maggie and the kids at her car afterward.
    “Yeah!” Liam shouted loudly enough to provide Maggie with a good excuse to wince at the suggestion.
    “How about the three of you drive together,” she said, “and I’ll listen to some soothing Vivaldi alone in my car so that I’m feeling better by the time I get there?”
    “Sounds good to me,” Carl said and the kids jumped into his car.
    Emilio’s was fairly crowded, but Carl had made a reservation so they were shown to a booth right away, with Maggie manipulating the seating so that she sat diagonal from her ex-husband rather than straight across. He played tic-tac-toe on the back of a paper placemat with Liam while Kirsten delivered a point-by-point pitch on the virtues of getting her ears double pierced as an eighth grade graduation gift.
    To anyone who didn’t know better, the Brocks appeared to be a typical, happy family. The pizza came and they laughed and ate too much, and all the while a