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Dressed in a superbly cut tuxedo, with his slightly long hair brushed into place, he cut a powerfully dynamic figure, and the force of his sheer masculinity hit her like the slap of a Sirocco wind.
All day she’d been unable to take two steps without reliving those intense minutes on the gym mat. Heat rushed through her, making her blood surge faster, thicker through her veins. Between her legs, liquid warmth pulsed, as if readying her body for possession. Possession she knew would never happen.
‘Reiko,’ he murmured.
Her name sounded like a statement of ownership.
She wrenched her gaze away from his chest and turned back to the wall. ‘You let me think this was a purely business venture. Why didn’t you tell me you were holding the exhibition for your grandfather?’
‘For the same reason you let me think you were involved with Ashton. Neither of us likes being caught off guard.’ Beneath his tuxedo, powerful shoulders shrugged. ‘And this is very personal to me.’
The simple admission and the desolate look on his face pierced through her.
‘You wanted all three Femme paintings because they were your grandfather’s first works?’
‘Oui. They should be here—displayed together for him to see one last time.’ The tight note to his voice told her how much it cost him to admit that.
Despite willing herself to feel nothing, a well of sympathy rose inside. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Merci,’ he breathed, continuing to stare at her with those intense grey eyes.
‘So—’
‘Where did you go this morning? You left before breakfast.’ His tone held a note that made her insides clench. It sounded almost … possessive.
She indicated her soft grey mid-calf-length dress, her skin tingling when his eyes followed the wave of her hand. ‘I didn’t pack anything suitable for the exhibition. I decided to head out early to find something before the rush.’
‘You should’ve told me. I could’ve given you the name of a designer.’
Reiko felt a surge of something powerful and deeply unpleasant at the thought. She took a quick swallow of her champagne to wash it down. ‘I’m glad I didn’t. Isadora Baptiste’s designs aren’t quite my taste.’
Damion’s eyes narrowed. ‘You have something against her?’
‘Can we pretend I know nothing but her name? Only you’ve got that cobra-about-to-pounce look right now.’
His gaze dropped to her lips, lingered, then returned to hers. ‘I won’t pounce. Not right now anyway.’ His gaze travelled down her body, a frown materialising when he took in her four-inch grey platform shoes. ‘You shouldn’t be wearing those.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘With the amount of pain you were in last night, those heels are the last things you should be wearing.’
She wasn’t sure whether to be offended or touched by his concern. ‘Let me worry about what’s good for me.’
‘I don’t understand why women torture themselves in the name of fashion. Those shoes are lethal. You shouldn’t be wearing them.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Considering you were a fashion designer’s muse for a whole year, I’d think you of all people would grasp the concept.’
Over his shoulder she saw an old man being wheeled in, followed by the first trickle of guests. ‘Your guests are arriving; I need to get to work.’
Frustration edged into his face. She started to turn away but he caught her hand. ‘Reiko, we need to talk.’
‘Sure. I’ll catch up with you later.’ She walked away quickly but could feel the force of his gaze at her back. Keeping the smile pasted on her face, she moved from painting to sculpture to 3-D display of abstract art, trying to let the magnificence of her surroundings wash away her bitterness.
What was it to her how Damion conducted his affairs, or how quickly he’d moved on from her into another woman’s arms?
The knot of pain twisted inside her, mocking her pretended indifference. Barely a month after leaving her, Damion had been spotted with Isadora Baptiste, the married woman he’d slept with for a whole year. But who was she to be all high and mighty? Her behaviour after he’d left her had gouged a permanent groove of shame on her soul.
Lost in her painful haze, Reiko didn’t realise she’d circled back to the original wall until she heard a heavy cough beside her.
