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But for Caroline, the floodgates had opened. “We’ve been pretending to be engaged…” Frustration became fury and something snapped. “Because Francine showed up at his condo to seduce him. I happened to be there so he told her we were engaged. Then he decided that he needed me to come here for Christmas to keep her off his back.” Oh, she was really on a roll now, plunging down a steep hill with no hope of stopping before she crashed at the bottom. “And he didn’t want to tell you before Christmas in an effort to keep things all peaceful and civilized.” She pointed at Dane. “Which is pretty silly considering that you’ve more or less decided to break off your engagement to her.”
Gasps came at her from all directions. Caroline scarcely heard them over the ocean of emotions crashing through her heart.
“Dane, is that true?” Hannah chimed in, jumping on her brother before Elizabeth could. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“That’s a great question considering the whopper you’ve been keeping quiet about,” Caroline muttered beneath her breath.
Hannah whirled around wide-eyed. “There’s—”
“Nothing wrong with you?” Caroline interrupted. “Honestly, do any of you tell each other the truth about anything? My mother died of cancer because she wouldn’t tell me something was wrong until it was too late. All those months she dealt with it alone and I never knew.” Tears sprang to her eyes. Caroline dashed at the wetness and plowed on into the void created by her words. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are to have each other to lean on? I would give anything to have a family like you to talk to when I’m scared or need advice. But you don’t appreciate what you have. You’re so busy keeping hidden the very things you should share.”
“Caroline, stop.” Simon’s warning cracked in the silence.
Her rant unraveled as she became aware of the six pairs of eyes staring at her. Oh Lord, what had she done? In an effort to make them see, she’d ruined everything. But they wouldn’t understand. They wouldn’t listen. And now she’d said too much.
She backed toward the stairs, her hands pressed to her mouth. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I had no right to tell your secrets. I had no right.”
With tears blurring her vision, she tripped on the first step, caught the banister and her balance. As the room erupted behind her, Caroline fled up the stairs, shocked and horrified by what she’d done.
Well, at least she no
longer had to worry that Simon’s family would be upset that they weren’t getting married. She’d be lucky if they didn’t tar and feather her before flinging her out of their house. Her stomach heaved and bile burned her throat as she achieved the relative safety of the bedroom and shut the door behind her.
Her idiotic outburst had just shortened her timetable for leaving. She had to get out now. She snatched up her purse. Her coat was still downstairs, but she’d happily leave it behind if it meant sneaking out without the family seeing her. She wouldn’t take anything away with her that Simon had bought. The clothes he had selected and bought for her represented a connection to him. She wouldn’t be able to wear a single article without being reminded of Simon and the love they would never share.
“Well, the cat’s certainly out of the bag now,” Simon declared, entering the room and shutting the door firmly behind him.
Caroline whirled to face him, unable to gauge his mood based on his neutral expression. “I’m sorry. What I did was unforgivable. Your family must hate me.” She didn’t add that he must hate her as well.
“How long have you known about Dane and Francine?”
That’s what he’d come to talk about? She’d expected a furious dressing-down for ruining his family’s Christmas. “Since last night.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It doesn’t feel good, does it?” If she thought she’d enjoy watching Simon get a taste of his own medicine, she’d been wrong. “When people keep things from you.” Pulling off the engagement ring, she set it on the nightstand and headed toward the door.
“No, it doesn’t. I see that now.” Simon blocked her path. “Where are you going?”
“Back to Atlanta. I’m sure your family wants me to go.”
“How about what I want?” He caught her arms just above the elbow. “Don’t go.”
“I have to. Don’t you understand? I can’t face any of them again.” She clutched her purse to keep from throwing herself against his chest and sobbing her unhappiness all over his beautiful suit. “Please don’t make this any harder than it already is.”
“I’ve already explained that this whole thing was my fault.” He lowered his head, his lips grazing her cheek. He plucked her purse from her hands and sent it sailing across the room.
She watched it land before putting her hand on his chest to push him away, but his mouth was already trailing down her neck, tongue dancing against her skin, stoking the blaze that always ignited whenever he touched her.
“Simon, stop. It’s over.” Beneath her hand his heartbeat throbbed relentlessly, calling to her. “Your family knows the truth. We don’t have to pretend anymore.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing all this time?” he demanded, his voice soft but intense. He leaned forward, his bright blue eyes holding her as effectively as his hands on her arms. “Pretending? When you kissed me with no one around to see? When I held you in my arms and you cried my name as you climaxed? Was it all pretense?”
“You said it yourself, Christmas in Savannah is very romantic. Was it pretending? No. But you have to ask yourself if it was real.”
“It felt real to me.” His breath rasped past her ear. “This feels real to me.”
When his mouth captured hers, all thought of leaving him vanished. Before he touched her, she might have spent all night arguing with him, but her body betrayed her. Giving him exactly the response he demanded, Caroline moaned in frustration and rubbed her breasts against him to drive the kiss harder, deeper. Inside her the familiar ache began to build. Soft, urgent sounds came from her throat.
