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"You've fallen, Shaun." Ray grinned at him.
Shaun shook his head. "I refuse to answer that on the grounds of incriminating myself, not to mention the fact that I'd be providing you with ammunition for that battle of the sexes thing you have going on."
He shoved his hand in his pockets and smiled, although it was forced and tight.
"Enough s
aid." Ray winked. "If it counts for anything, I think she's smitten too, so does Kate. Odds are good." He was about to leave, then paused. "You've got to make a move soon." Ray gave him a meaningful glance.
"Yes." That was a truth he could not ignore. He did have to do it soon because he wouldn't be at the games weekends any more, not for a while anyway. That fact was forcing his hand, and the feeling of time running out annoyed him. He wanted to rush through the days, get to the next weekend and see her, be with her, hold her. He also didn't want that, because soon he wouldn't be around to meet her there anymore, and that made him feel agitated and unhappy.
Ray slapped Shaun on the back as he left. "Go for it, before you head off to Switzerland."
Shaun stared at his retreating figure with a frown. Go for it? Apart from anything else, how in hell could he overcome the barrier he'd made by setting the game in action? Neither of them were sure of each other, because he'd made it part of the weekends, part of the gaming. Now, if he wanted her, really wanted her— and he did—he'd have to tell her. Straight. He couldn't risk leaving it until he returned from Switzerland. She might meet someone else by then. The very idea of it made him feel frustrated and territorial, his blood fast reaching boiling point. Shaking his head at his own reactions, he wondered how he could be jealous of a possibility, but he was. For the first time in his life he felt unprepared, disarmed. Raw. And all this was down to a woman. Tina.
Fuck it.
He was in love.
* * * *
The following weekend Tina glanced across the games workshop, wondering if Shaun was engrossed in the game, or if his mind was elsewhere. He looked concerned, his brows drawn down, his forehead furrowed. She didn't like to see that look on his face. It made her want to change his expression, to turn it into something else, something more fiery, positive and…sure.
When he sensed her stare, he turned in her direction. The worried look melted and he gave her an indulgent smile, winking at her.
"I want you," he mouthed.
Instantly her chest ached, and her body grew warm with desire. She wanted to be alone with him. She wanted to touch him…needed to. Badly. This had grown serious. She moved her hand around the back of her neck, suddenly aware of herself in a thousand different ways, as if he had indeed touched her, everywhere. Watching him mouth those words made a hankering need inside her rise to the surface and demand action.
Shaun was waiting for her to respond.
She couldn't even bring herself to be glib. A few weeks ago she would have rolled her eyes or chastised him. This time she didn't. This time she nodded, blinking slowly. He watched her, and they silently locked eyes across the workshop. It seemed as if the people sitting around them—hammering away on keyboards—just slipped away and there was only the two of them in the whole wide world, bound by an invisible force, but with a huge distance still between them to surmount.
* * * *
"By the way, there's something I think you should know," Kate told Tina, later that evening. "Shaun will be leaving our little weekend soirees soon."
They were alone in the kitchen, chatting and organizing some refreshments for the group. Tina tried to hold her wine glass steady and not react. It was hard. Shaun was going away? It was totally out of the blue. She raced back over their recent times together in her mind, but he hadn't even hinted. She swallowed some wine, gulping air down with it. The news hit her hard, like an unexpected punch to the chest. Denial, a sense of loss and disbelief swamped her. She'd felt…well, she'd felt as if the obstacles between them were being melted away, that they'd somehow grown close, close enough to know each other, to understand this strange, compelling thing between them. And yet he was going away, and he hadn't said?
Should have known, she chastised herself. Taking another swig of her wine, she swallowed down the denial. It was what she had expected from him, at the outset. The fact that they had grown a little bit closer didn't change the fact that it was just a game to him. He had the ability to walk away whenever he chose. As far as he was concerned, he'd won. Yes, he was reaping the rewards while they were still attending the games weekends together, but she had always suspected he would get bored with that. Maybe he'd always known a natural end would come of it, when he left.
Kate awaited her response. Tina realized that her friend was watching her reactions very closely indeed. It was as if her friend was trying to gauge just how involved they had become.
"Is he really?" Tina spoke as nonchalantly as she could then turned to move some stuff around on a tray, averting her eyes from her knowing friend.
"He's going to Zurich for three months. He's been seconded to a partner company. We'll miss his presence at the games weekends, won't we?" Kate walked around to the other side of the table facing Tina across it. "He added some excitement." She wore her most naughty and insinuating smile, when she said that.
Tina nodded, thoughtfully, unable to return Kate's smile, her heart racing erratically. "Yes, he did."
Three months. Not forever, but it would be just about long enough to put a gap between them, to end what was taking root. Was that his intention? Despite her vow to be objective, she never would have guessed, not by the way he looked at her over the last few weekends they'd spent together, the way he was with her—especially today. A sudden doubt hit her. She shot a glance at her friend. "Were you supposed to tell me that?"
Kate shook her head. "Nope. Ray doesn't even know that I found out, so don't breathe a word on the subject." Kate expression had lost its mysterious look and grown somewhat more serious. "This is just between you and me. My guess is he'll tell you himself, and soon. But I thought you'd rather know in advance. Better to be prepared."
Kate was arming her with secret knowledge, information that would help her. "Thanks," she whispered, although she was only sure she was grateful, given the way she felt inside. There was a horrible ache lodged in her chest, one that she wished she could banish.
"You know, you two would make a really wild couple," Kate mused.
Tina shot her old pal a disbelieving glance. On the back of the recent revelation, it was the last thing she expected her friend to say.
