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* * *
Lizzie felt a moan escape her lips and she dug her fingers into Nick’s hair, securing his mouth exactly where she wanted it. Against hers. It didn’t matter that he was kissing her with anger and hurt. It didn’t matter that when this was over he’d walk away, hating himself almost as much as he’d hate her for what she’d done to him. She needed to make love to him one last time before he disappeared. And he would disappear for good this time. She knew that. His pride wouldn’t allow anything else. Soon he’d realise it was the image of her he’d come to care for, not the real person. Because that person wouldn’t be able to hold onto a man like him.
Nick lifted her up, pushing her legs either side of his waist. Then, without warning, he plunged into her, driving her back against the wall. She’d never been taken with such hunger, such raw passion. It snatched the oxygen from her blood and the breath from her lungs. For all that she loved the gentle way he’d made love to her before, there was something so elemental about the way he loved her now, so primitive. She was allowing herself to be dominated, but this time it wasn’t because she wanted to punish herself. It was because she wanted one last chance to be with the man she loved.
His thrusts increased in pace, increased in intensity. Harder and harder he drove into her, jamming her back up against the wall. Just when she thought she couldn’t survive it, that she’d black out with pleasure, she felt her body let go and an orgasm rip through her. With a cry of pure female satisfaction, she collapsed against him. Nick gave an agonised groan and with one final thrust of his hips he came inside her.
As she slowly came back to earth, Nick swore harshly and stepped away. Immediately missing his warmth, his support, she swayed, her legs feeling unsteady.
She watched as he yanked up his boxers with quick, jerky movements.
‘Still think I’m too nice?’ he asked, his voice brutally hard and filled with disgust.
‘Nick, I—’
‘I didn’t use a condom,’ he interrupted rudely.
‘It’s okay. It’s nowhere near the right time in my cycle.’
He nodded grimly. ‘At least you won’t be forced to stay with me for the sake of our unborn child then.’
While she began slowly dying inside, he started off towards the bedroom. ‘I’m going to take a shower.’ He didn’t bother to look back at her.
* * *
The drive back to the airport was undertaken in silence. He’d wanted to take a cab. She’d insisted on dropping him off. Something she bitterly regretted as tension filled the car, crackling between them. Finally she pulled up outside the airport terminal.
‘Is this goodbye?’ She heard the tremble in her voice. Pushing Nick away was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. But as hard as it was, losing his friendship would be even worse.
He sighed, his voice no longer sounding angry but resigned. And achingly sad. ‘That’s up to you.’
‘I don’t want it to be,’ she whispered.
‘Then you know where to find me.’ He climbed out of the car and grabbed his holdall from the back seat.
Tears welled and she tried not to think about the fact that this could be it. That he’d walk into the airport terminal and never see her again. A sob escaped her.
Instantly he dropped the holdall and bent back inside the car. Gently he placed a hand on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the tears. ‘I’ll always be there for you, Lizzie. No matter what,’ he told her roughly. ‘If you need me, for anything at all, call me. Don’t let me have to come and find you like that again.’
Her breath caught on another sob as he withdrew his hand and then, with a final wave, disappeared into the terminal building. For a long while she simply sat in her car, staring at the doors, willing him to reappear. To tell her he wasn’t going to accept that they were over. That he loved her so much he didn’t care about her faults, about what she’d done to her family. He was going to drag her back to England with him and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
But he didn’t come back.
* * *
A couple of hours later Nick was on his way back to England. As he reclined the back of his seat in the vain hope of getting some sleep, he couldn’t help but wonder what he’d done in life to be fated to always love what he couldn’t have.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lizzie threw herself back into her work, just as she had the last time her heart had been shattered. At least this time nobody had died. Nick was still there, even if he was thousands of miles away. And even if she hadn’t heard from him since she’d dropped him off at the airport four months ago. During the day she plastered a smile on her face and pranced about in the latest lines of designer fashion. During the nights she cuddled a pillow, drank shots of whiskey, watched late night films and devoured supposedly low calorie chocolate. Inside she ached with the pain of loss.
Tonight she was in New York to attend a gala to celebrate a hundred years of the Astella fashion house. It was the largest fashion event to be held in the Big Apple in recent memory and was expected to be attended by a host of celebrities. There were even rumours of royalty. None of it interested Lizzie, who’d never felt so disinclined to go to a party in her life. Partly due to the ache in her heart and partly because she’d be attending with Hank. Definitely not her choice. As Astella’s newest stars, they were expected to make a suitably high profile entrance together, their faces reminders of the perfumes they were helping to sell.
With a long sigh, Lizzie squeezed into the silver gown laid out on the bed. The dress had been made especially for her, carefully crafted to follow the same fluid lines as the perfume bottle. It was demure and sophisticated at the front, just as innocence should be, but plunged daringly at the back, a hint of sin. Brushing briefly at blonde hair recently ironed straight by her favourite hairdresser, she gave herself a critical once over. It gave her little satisfaction to note she looked good. Hank was going to go crazy when he saw her in this dress. His overtures were becoming more and more insistent and she’d had to literally push him away on more than one occasion recently. The man had one hell of an ego, flatly refusing to believe she didn’t want anything to do with him.
A large black limousine picked her up, with Hank already inside. He greeted her with a lascivious smile and a wink. She turned her head to stare out of the window.
Once they arrived Hank immediately climbed out and walked round to take her hand. As he helped her onto the red carpet, he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist. Too tightly.
