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Rafe handed her the glass, and then climbed back into the bed. He knew he should leave her alone, get up as he’d told her he was planning, but as she quickly snuggled against his side, he couldn’t.
If he had only one more night with her, he wanted to make it last. There was nothing wrong with that.
“You seem down. What has you so worried?” The soft sound of her voice drifted to his ears. He could hear genuine concern. But how could she care for him when he’d been nothing but an ogre with her — demanding his own needs be met while expecting her to sacrifice everything?
“Ari, I think it’s time for me to release you from our agreement. ” As the words came from his mouth, he wanted to take them back, tell her he was a fool and he couldn’t let her go, but he knew it was the right thing to do. She must be free to live her life the way she was meant to live it. The way she deserved to live it.
“What are you talking about?” she barely whispered, her voice so low, he had to lean toward her to understand.
“We’ve been together past the three months we originally agreed upon. It has become clear to me that we are at the end of our journey. I’ve enjoyed my time with you, and I want to thank you for all your sacrifices, but I have to be honest, and this relationship has run its course. ”
Each word he spoke pierced him as it emerged from his throat. He didn’t want to do this. What had happened to the strong, decisive man he’d been only a few months ago? Hesitation wasn’t in his makeup. He would not hesitate any more that night.
“Have I done something wrong?”
Ari’s voice was no longer a whisper, but hollow, emotionless, flat.
“No. Of course not. I’ve been quite pleased with the way our affair has played out. You’ve been one of the better mistresses I’ve had. ”
Watching Ari’s body flinch at his words, Rafe berated himself for his cruelty. Why had he felt a need to say such a thing? Was it because he was hurting, and he wanted her to hurt a fraction as much? Instead, she simply sat there and spoke as if she had no feelings whatsoever.
“I understand. I think it probably best if you go home for the rest of the night. Tomorrow is Sunday, so we should talk about my employment before Monday morning. I’m sure it would be too uncomfortable for both of us to have me working in your offices. ”
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Still nothing but unemotional words.
“I have no objection if you want to keep your current position. You’re doing a fine job. ”
Rafe wanted to kick himself. Why had he said that? How was he expected to reset his brain if he had to look at her each and every day knowing she wasn’t his for the taking?
With agitation filling him, he left the bed and walked to the chair draped with his clothes. He would be fine because he always was. Even if Ari did work at his offices still, he wouldn’t pine for her.
Ari was just a woman — one of many — who had graced his life. The emotion he was feeling was most likely due to the soul-searching trip his father had suggested. Rafe hadn’t found any answers by himself, and he certainly wasn’t going to while looking at Ari as she sat against the backboard, her eyes trained on the shadows behind the window.
Well, he’d thought he’d found an answer, he corrected himself as his hand ran along the left side of his jacket. But that had been a mistake, a foolish, impulsive moment…
“I think it’s best if I try to get my old job back. I enjoyed working there. ”
He barely heard her speak over the pounding of his heart, but her words registered and he wanted to instantly deny her. Why? Getting her from his offices is what he’d just decided was best. He opened his mouth to agree, but that’s not what came out.
“We’ll discuss this more tomorrow. Get some sleep; I’ll come by after dinnertime. ” Rafe turned and walked from the room before he could convince himself he was a fool and climb back into bed with her.
As he opened the front door and started to step out, he thought he heard the sound of a sob, so he stilled as he strained his ears. When he heard nothing further, he knew he must have been mistaken. Ari was obviously relieved to have him out of her life.
He firmly shut the door behind him as he made his way down the hall. He’d have her come to his place tomorrow to discuss employment. He never wanted to enter, or exit, this building again.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“You’ve been avoiding me. ”
Lia jumped at the sound of Shane’s voice directly behind her. Slowly she turned around, then froze as she waited for him to continue. When he didn’t speak further, she placed her hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes.
“You didn’t respect what I had to say before; now I have nothing to discuss with you. I’m trying to work, so if you’d kindly leave, I’d appreciate it. ”
With that, Lia began walking away. Should she have known that wouldn’t keep Shane from speaking his mind? Probably.
“Do you want to talk about our affair in front of all your co-workers, or would you like to speak with me in private?”
Several heads whipped around as the people in the office gazed from her to Shane and then back again in delighted disbelief. Lia could feel her cheeks heat as the spotlight was pointed straight at her.
“Follow me,” she growled at him, then moved with as much dignity as she could muster toward the closest private room she could find. It happened to be the copier room — great, just great.
Shane shut the door behind him, sealing them in the small room together. The temperature rose a few degrees as he stared her down.
“That was unbelievably rude, even for you, Shane. Let’s get this over with so I can get back to work. ” She tried to keep her tone calm, but he was flustering and frazzling her and making her grind her teeth.
“I’ve been trying to call you, and you’re avoiding me. ”
“Wouldn’t that tell you that I don’t want to speak with you?” she said, tapping her fingers violently on the sorting table beside her and with an elaborate sweep sending a ream of paper flying.
“You chased after me for months, years, even —”
“Stop right there. I didn’t exactly chase after you. I liked you; you liked me. I just found you being typically stubborn, so I didn’t allow you to shut me out. But right after a great night of making love, you felt the need to go squeal like a little girl to my big brother. That ended the very brief affair. ”
As Shane’s lips turned up in a smile, Lia felt like stomping her foot. He wasn’t listening to her, and as this was only her second week on the job, she really didn’t want to mess up. Although she was employed at her brother’s company, she had to work much harder than the rest of the people to prove she was there on her own merits.
“What are you doing here, anyway?”
“That’s none of your business. ”
“You can stop acting like a pouting child and answer my questions. We’ll get through this a lot faster if you do. ” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the door, not only blocking her exit, but letting her know he had all day if she wanted to take it.
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“I’m the new Public Relations Specialist,” she answered and thrust up her chin.
“Oh, really?”
“Don’t give me that snarky tone of voice. I did graduate from college with honors. In communications sciences from the world-renowned University of Bologna, then went on to get my master’s degree in world politics. I’m not the spoiled little heiress you believe me to be. I’ll be very good at my job if you let me get back to it. As a matter of fact, I’m currently working on a big press release and need to do some research. I’m done talking. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. ”
Lia was quite proud that Rafe had faith in her abilities. She’d done similar work in college and graduate school and knew she’d do a good job for her brother’s company — that was if she wasn’t cons
tantly interrupted.
“What project are you working on?”
“Why do you care, Shane?” The room was either rapidly increasing in temperature, or she wasn’t as unaffected by Shane as she’d hoped to be when he’d left her room. As mad as she’d been in Vegas, she was even more mad now seeing him standing there looking beyond scrumptious.
“Let’s just call it idle curiosity. ” The gleam in his eyes worried her.
“Fine. I’m working on the Gli Amanti Cove project. ”
As a huge smile spread across his cheeks, she got a sick feeling in her gut. Surely he couldn’t be involved with that project. It would require her to spend a heck of a lot of time on a small island off of her beloved Italy. She could possibly be there for months.
“Why are you looking at me like the cat who got the cream?”
“I have no idea what you mean, Lia. I simply came here to remind you of what you’ve been missing the last few weeks. ”
As Shane pushed away from the door, all thoughts of work fled Lia’s mind and she nearly panicked. She couldn’t allow him to touch her — she’d melt into his arms. No! Not gonna happen.
Burn her once, shame on him; burn her twice, shame on her. She took a step back and found herself trapped between his rapidly approaching steps and the massive printer behind her.
“Look Shane, we had a great night. I’m not saying it wasn’t fun, but it’s over now. You need to respect that and move on to your next victim. You have left a slew of women flopping around in your wake, after all. And more of the poor saps are lining up. ”
“Tsk, tsk, Lia. Are you trying to make me mad? It isn’t working. Now that I’ve had a taste of you, no other woman will do. It looks as if you’re stuck with me. Since you’re the one who was in hot pursuit, you should damn well be pleased about it. ”
“You’re just a bit too overconfident, don’t you think?” Lia had intended her statement to sound far harsher, but the effect was undermined by the breathlessness of her voice.
“I think you just want to be chased. ” With those words, he pulled her into his arms and forced her head back as he pressed his lips against hers.
Stubbornly refusing to open her mouth, Lia pushed against his chest. If she melted into him, it would all be over. Her blood would ignite, and her will to resist him would join the flames — she’d been in love with him for too long.
Shane nipped her bottom lip at the same time as he gripped her backside and pulled her up against his hardening body. An involuntary groan escaped her throat, making her open her lips to him. He didn’t hesitate as he plunged his tongue inside her mouth and reminded her how great a kisser he was.
After a couple of minutes, Shane pulled back just enough that he could see into her eyes.
“Are you so sure you don’t want to continue where we left off?” he confidently asked.
The arrogant sound of his voice managed to snap Lia from her sexual high, and with an unknown strength, she found she pushed hard, making him take a step back.
With a fingernail poked into his chest, she looked him in the face. “You can go…please yourself, Shane Grayson. I’m done with you. ”
With those words, Lia managed to skirt around him and flee the room. Just before she was out of earshot, she heard his parting comment.
“Nothing attracts me more than a fiery temper, Lia. We’ll continue this later…”
She turned the corner and ducked into the women’s bathroom, grateful it was empty. As she looked at her flushed complexion, and noted her dilated eyes, she knew she was in trouble. She’d wanted him for so long; she didn’t know how to turn that emotion off.
What if she never could?
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Rafe hadn’t said a word to her about his conversation with Shane, but that wasn’t even the point. She’d asked Shane to keep their relationship private and he hadn’t respected her enough to do the very first thing she’d asked of him.
Worse, she knew Shane didn’t stay with women long. She’d forgotten that while she chased after him. All she’d wanted was for him to want her — need her — have her as his only one. She’d obviously been more infatuated with him than he with her. But, typical male that he was, he’d gotten a taste of sex, and now he wanted more.
Enough! She had work to do, and it was important.
In about ten minutes she was meeting with a committee for the project she’d mentioned to Shane and she wanted to look her best. This was going to be a beautiful, exclusive, very high-end resort for those who needed privacy, but still valued the ultimate in luxuries.
It had taken Rafe years to get the go-ahead because that area of the island was breathtaking, and the residents hadn’t wanted tourists to come in and ruin the balance of the island. With Rafe’s designs, the place would have everything a spoiled multimillionaire would want while still using and respecting the island’s natural gifts to maximize the resort’s appeal.
Nonetheless, this project would take a lot of effort on her part because there were still many against it getting started. Protesters had already started lining the beaches, camping out and refusing to back down. When Rafe had hired her, he hadn’t been joking when he told her he hoped she had a strong backbone.
Time to get ready. Lia washed her face, then groaned when she realized she didn’t have her purse to at least reapply her makeup. Giving up on her appearance, she made her way to the conference room. As she walked through the doorway, with her shoulders back and a smile on her face, she looked around, giving a nod of her head to her brother before approaching the front of the room.
That was when Shane walked in the door and moved to stand beside Rafe. Her stomach turned over as the pieces came together.
“Thank you for meeting us here, today. It seems Ms. Harlow has a plan of action for us as we move forward with the Gli Amanti Cove project. The floor’s all yours, Lia. ”
“You’re part of this project, Shane?” She knew she shouldn’t ask, because she was certain she didn’t want to know the answer.
“Yes. I’m surprised Rafe didn’t tell you. I’m the lead on this one. It looks as if we’ll have plenty of time to catch up. ”
The wicked glint in his eyes left no doubt he was very much looking forward to being stuck on a nearly deserted island with her. Lia had two options. She could either suck it up and do her job, or she could cry about her misfortunes and walk from the room.
Never had Lia been a quitter. With a small glare sent Shane’s way, she addressed the rest of the partners involved.
“First, I’d like to start by saying…”
Lia missed the determined glint in Shane’s eyes, and the way Rafe looked at both of them. If she had known what she was about to get into, she might have taken this opportunity to run.
Chapter Thirty-Five
It was all or nothing. Ari knew he cared — he was just afraid of being in a real relationship. That’s what his family members said. He wouldn’t have said the things he’d said, made love to her. She knew it wasn’t just sex. Perhaps he wasn’t in love with her, but he had feelings.
What he’d said the night before had been him protecting his heart. That was her hope. She knew he could really be finished with her, but if there was even the slightest chance of him loving her, she had to give it a try. So much for her fine words to herself about walking away!
Slipping into the nightie she’d splurged on, then sitting at her vanity as she carefully applied her makeup, Ari couldn’t help the fluttering in her heart. The night was going to go either very well, or horribly wrong.
Yet it ultimately didn’t matter how the night turned out. She needed to tell him the truth, and more important, she needed to know whether he did have feelings for her. If not, it was better for her to know now.
He’d summoned her to his home for the employment talk. He’d had a full night and day to think about what he’d said. Was he rethinking his feelings? He surely wouldn
’t bring her there just to let her go, would he? Wouldn’t it make more sense to meet at a neutral place, such as a café? She’d known from the beginning not to fall in love with him, but how could she not?
She’d gone from loathing him, to understanding him, to caring. Now, she had no doubt she loved him. She couldn’t explain when it had happened, but somewhere in the middle of their battles, a door had opened, and over their time together, that gap continued widening until she was at the point that she couldn’t stand back and hide the way she felt anymore.
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Putting on her long coat, Ari stood from her vanity and cast a final look in the mirror. She wasn’t trying to be a seductress, but she needed to feel good about herself. She needed to take her destiny into her own hands.
If he denied her love, then at least she would know she wasn’t a coward, at least the door could have a chance of shutting again. Ari refused to give up on love. Never. Even if she wasn’t destined to be with the man she loved, she knew love was real, knew the emotion was strong and pure.
Ari knew she wouldn’t turn into a bitter soul, blaming every man out there for the actions of one. That was a fault that Rafe had to live with, and until he realized that the heart wasn’t something to abuse or toy with, they didn’t have a chance. She only hoped he’d managed to heal what had been broken before he’d ever met her.
Grabbing her purse, Ari slipped on her stiletto sandals and made her way to her front door. She smiled as she thought about her beautiful red lace nightgown. She felt sleek and feminine, even sexy, underneath the soft fabric, giving her that boost of confidence to say to Rafe what she needed to say.
Feeling almost like a teenager sneaking out into the night, Ari made her way to the elevators, then pushed the lobby button. Rafe’s trusted assistant, Mario, was picking her up, and she was grateful — she was too nervous to be behind the wheel of a car.
As she stepped outside, the cool wind blowing in off the bay gave her instant goose bumps. The nightie was sensual and sleek, yes, but it offered no protection as the wind climbed beneath her coat and instantly chilled her.
