Taming Clint Westmoreland - Brenda Jackson [18]
“Alyssa…”
Her aunt pulled her thoughts back to the present. “Yes, Aunt Claudine?”
“Will staying with that man for a month be so bad? At least the marriage will be dissolved…if that’s what you really want.”
A smile touched Alyssa’s lips. Her aunt was trying to play matchmaker again. “Of course that’s what I want. It’s what Clint and I both want. We don’t know each other and like he said, we are victims of someone’s mistake. I really don’t think it’s fair that we have to suffer because of it,” Alyssa explained.
She heard her aunt chuckling. “I can’t imagine having to suffer if I was to live under the same roof with a gorgeous man…and you did say he was gorgeous, didn’t you?”
Yes, she had said that, and had meant it, as well. Clint’s physical features were something she could not lie about. And that in itself was the kicker. Kevin had been a good-looking man but he couldn’t hold a candle to Clint. She had never been this aware of a man in her life. “Yes, Auntie, he is a hunk.”
“Then I suggest that you stay right there in Austin since your only other option is to bring him here to live. Can you imagine all the commotion that would cause? And it would give Kim another excuse to sharpen her claws and do some damage.”
Alyssa had thought of that. She wanted to believe that Clint would not be the weakling that Kevin had been and that he would be able to resist Kim’s charms. But usually all it took was for any man to set eyes on Kim and they were done for. Men would actually pause when she walked into a room. Too bad beauty was only skin deep, Alyssa thought.
“I’ll ship you some things, Alyssa. Besides, a month away from this circus of a family will do you some good,” Claudine said.
Funny, she had thought the same thing. “I have to think things through tonight and give Clint my decision in the morning. If I decide to stay I’ll let you know.”
“All right, I won’t say anything to the others. Eleanor’s daughter swears she saw Kim and Kevin together at some nightclub. Can you imagine the two of them seeing each other again after all they did to you? We heard Kevin got a promotion with that company he works for. That’s probably why Kim is back in the picture. She’s determined to land a rich husband one way or the other.”
In a perverse way Alyssa wished her cousin the best. Even with all the low-down and underhanded things that Kim had done, Alyssa couldn’t find it in her heart to hate her. She had tried when she’d gotten those photos of Kim and Kevin in bed together, but now all she could do was feel pity for them both. The thought that he and Kim were seeing each other no longer bothered her. Any love she might have had for him ended the day that should have been her wedding day. If Kim was the type of woman he preferred then more power to him.
She wondered just what type of woman Clint would prefer. She could see a beautiful woman in his arms, in his bed, giving birth to his babies. Alyssa was certain she didn’t fit the criteria for Clint’s dream woman. She was of average design and she didn’t fit the “dream-woman” mold. The only reason they were married now was because of someone’s screwup. Even when they’d worked together he hadn’t given her a second thought, although they had shared a hotel room for a week. Alyssa could not forget sharing such close quarters with him, inhaling his scent, breathing the same air, or sitting across a table and sharing food with Clint Westmoreland.
That made her think of the meal they had shared less than an hour ago. Chester had prepared a delicious meal, but it had been just the two of them. She couldn’t help but notice that the older man, although still extremely friendly, hadn’t been as chatty as he’d been when she had first arrived. Clint must have said something to him, probably warning