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Tears dripped down her face as she finally raised herself and moved carefully away from him.
Again the choker tightened as she swallowed. With desperate fingers, she searched for the delicate clasps. Several tense minutes later, she finally freed herself from it. She hurriedly placed it on the bedside table, rose and gathered her clothes, determined not to look towards the bed.
Packing took less time than it had taken to remove the choker.
Fighting throat-scouring tears, she slipped her feet into flat pumps and hurried down the hall.
She was halfway down the left staircase when she heard a sound behind her. At the sight of him at the top of the opposite staircase, her suitcase slid out of her nerveless hands and clattered all the way to the bottom. Neither of them glanced at it.
Damion’s face was drawn tight, one brow raised in mockery. ‘Really, Reiko? I didn’t think the middle-of-the-night-sneak-out was your style.’
She swallowed. ‘I don’t know what my style is. I’m living through a lifetime of firsts with you. H … How did you know I was leaving?’
He held up the choker, his grip tight around its brilliance. ‘It slipped and fell on the floor.’
He started to come down the stairs, intense purpose in his eyes. She scurried up her side, overwhelming emotion surging through her.
His brows shot up as he paused. ‘Are we really doing this? Chasing each other up and down the stairs in the middle of the night?’
He vaulted up two steps. She dropped down three. Jaw tight with displeasure, he placed the necklace on a ledge and faced her across the large expanse.
‘Whatever is making you run, we’re going to talk about it. Tonight.’ He took a few more steps down.
She hurried up a few more.
He raked a hand through his hair. ‘Damn it, Reiko. Arrête!’
‘No. I can’t think straight when you touch me. And I can’t let you seduce me into making a decision that you’ll regret a few years down the line.’
‘Stop talking in riddles and spit it out.’
‘I can’t be with you, Damion.’ Her heart ripped into pieces.
‘And I won’t let you go. There—that solves the problem.’ He pointed a finger straight at her. ‘Now, stay put.’
His bare feet slapped the stairs as he surged up towards the landing.
With a yelp she hurried down, only to shriek in earnest when he changed direction. Steadying herself, she changed direction, too.
‘You’re going to fall and break your stubborn neck!’ With the grace and strength of an athlete, he gripped the banister and vaulted over it. He landed hard but barely paused before lunging towards her. Within a space of a breath, he was over it and in her face. He tugged her into his arms, gripped her tight as if he’d never let her go.
‘First thing in the morning, I’m having these stairs ripped out and replacing them with one staircase.’ He pulled back and brushed her hair from her face. ‘Now, tell me what’s going on. Now.’
She shook her head, unable to articulate the depth of her disintegrating feelings.
‘I saw you with Isadora tonight.’
‘And I saw no one else but you. But jealousy isn’t what this is about or you’d have clawed my eyes out much earlier. Something’s happened. Tell me.’
‘Fine. I look at this place and I can smell the history, smell the generations of wealth and power. And I wonder what the hell I’m doing here. I don’t belong here.’
‘I want you here. Which means you belong. Why are you so determined to end this?’ His voice was rough.
Looking into his eyes, she felt her heart nearly stop at the fear and a heavy dose of vulnerability.
‘Because … because I have to.’
‘I understand we’re both seriously out of our depths with this one, but walking away is not an option. I won’t let you.’
