He’d hurt her. He hadn’t meant to, but he had, and after the fact he’d been unable to figure out a way to make things better. Then Hunter had died and everything had changed.

Or maybe he was making too big a deal out of all this. Maybe Meri didn’t give a damn about what had happened…or not happened…between them.

“Let’s go inside,” she said and led the way.

They walked into a large entryway with a staircase and a stone floor. The place was welcoming and masculine. It might not be the house he would have built, but it wasn’t going to drive him crazy with lots of frills and smelly bowls of dried flowers.

“You’ll get your exercise climbing the stairs. Your room is on the next floor.”

He glanced around. “You’re down here?”

She smiled. “No, Jack. I’m on the second floor, next to the master. We’re only a wall apart.”

Meri deliberately widened her eyes and leaned toward him as she spoke. She wanted the invitation to be clear. After what Jack had put her through eleven years ago, he deserved to squirm.

She started down the hall before he had a chance to respond. “There’s an office loft area,” she continued. “You can use that. It’s set up with Internet access, a fax. I’ll be in the dining room. I like to spread out when I work. I tend to get really…involved.”

She emphasized the last word, then had to consciously keep herself from laughing. Okay, this was way more fun than she’d thought it would be. She should have punished Jack a long time ago.

She made sure she swayed her hips as she climbed and bent forward slightly so he would be sure to notice her very short shorts. She’d worn them deliberately, along with the halter top that left very little to the imagination. It had taken her nearly two days to come up with the perfect outfit, but it had been worth the time.