An Irresistible Bachelor(29)

There had been a lot of Candaces. Lovely women with a variety of angles and agendas, all willing to give him whatever he wanted. The fact that he'd walked away from them had been a testament, he'd assumed, to his relationship with Blair. But maybe he just hadn't been truly tempted. Except he just couldn't understand it. After a year of saying no to obvious offers, he found it a little hard to believe that he'd blown his perfect record on a woman who was at best ambivalent about him.

No, ambivalent was the wrong word. Callie was quite clear about what she thought of him and absolutely right to be wary, he thought. Because he didn't feel all that honorable when he was around her.

As Jack stared at the clouds rolling by, he really wished he hadn't lived up to his reputation back there.

Maybe the whole engagement was a mistake. An exercise of good planning over emotions. He heard Blair telling him he didn't love her and thought he could have made a major miscalculation.

He had been rather laissez-faire about the engagement from the very beginning. He'd asked her in front of Grace and her bodyguard, for Christ's sake, which was neither private nor particularly romantic. And he hadn't been very enthusiastic when she'd asked him when they should have the ceremony. Or where.

When Blair had questioned him that night at the Plaza, he'd gotten defensive, presumably because he felt so sure of it all. But maybe he just didn't want to look at what was going on between them for fear of seeing everything that was not.

And Blair was right to be surprised that he'd asked at all. When they'd first gotten together, he'd given her his anti-marriage speech, the whole thing about the trip down the aisle being nothing more than the first step toward divorce, and therefore, a financially unattractive proposition for him. He'd had no interest in getting hosed by an ex-wife, not after working so hard for his money.

Had his fundamental opinion of married life changed? He supposed it really hadn't. But his father's death had made him start to think about the future. About children. For the sake of his unborn sons and daughters, he was willing to take a shot at the flawed institution and he knew no other woman who'd make him a better wife. Hell, maybe he and Blair could beat the odds and stay together for the long term.

Maybe he'd eventually fall in love with her.

The problem was, as he thought of Blair now, he could feel nothing but guilt in his chest. There was no spark, no wild passion, just deep fondness.

Although surely the remorse meant something, he thought.

But then again, you could feel like an absolute ass and regret something you've done without being m love with the person.

And what about Callie? Jack's conscience forced him to consider whether her elusiveness was her appeal. If it was, he hardly had a reason to make any big changes in his Me. Or hers. Or Blair's. If everything with Callie came down to his love of a good chase, there could be one and only one outcome. He was known for getting what he wanted and, once he reached his goal, it was only a matter of time before he moved on to the next target. The cycle had ended up making him a lot of money.

And getting him branded as a playboy.

Jack shook his head, knowing he needed to take a deep breath and calm the hell down. He was skidding out of control, which was a pretty reasonable response when someone's life had taken a sudden lurch from its plotted course. But he didn't need to throw out everything he'd planned just because of one kiss.

No matter how good it had been.

He was not breaking off his engagement. And he wasn't going to tell Blair a thing.

He didn't relish being a liar, but there was no reason to burden her with his mistake. She'd be hurt, and as long as he had no intention of doing it again, he didn't want to put her through the pain.

And it would never happen again. He wasn't going to blow everything he'd committed to just because he liked a good chase. Because that was all the kiss was about.

As for Callie?

His breath left him in a rush and he figured his self-control might need a little help. If only there was a way to make her less available—

Gray Bennett was in town, he thought. And handsome. Single.

Maybe his old friend was someone she'd like. If he could set the two of them up, that would mean he was covered on all fronts.



Totally committed to his fiancée. With Callie being otherwise occupied by a charmer.

Jack started walking toward the house with purpose in his stride.

Callie watched Jack stop and look up at the sky, his body pulled into an arc. He stared at the clouds for quite a while and then marched across the driveway as if he was prepared to go about his day.