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was a mess, tangled and knotty. Her face though – that was glowing, in spite of the tears and shock from earlier. Her lips were swollen from their kisses, her skin flushed from the exertion.
“Are you sure you don’t want some coffee?” he asked. “Or a soda? I’ve got a full fridge if nothing else.” He looked anxious, as though he didn’t want her to leave.
“I’m fine, honestly. I’ve been working all morning, and I really need to get back to it. I only left the house because Mom made me… oh, I brought your sweater back. You left it at our place on Thanksgiving.”
“I saw it on the deck outside. I’ll grab it later. Thanks for dropping it off.”
“It was a good holiday, wasn’t it?” She changed the subject, hoping it would help.
“Yeah, it was.” A ghost of a smile passed his lips.
She’d stood to make her way to the door. “And it was so nice to see Daniel again. Has he gone back to Boston?” If she kept talking, she wouldn’t have to think about what she’d done. And wouldn’t that be a good thing? She walked into the hallway, Breck following close.
“Yeah,” he said from behind her. “He and Dad left yesterday. Dad was desperate to get back to his girlfriend, and Daniel wanted to get back to his research.”
They’d reached the front door. “Hey. Are you sure you can’t stay?” Breck asked as she reached for the handle.
“I really can’t.” She opened her mouth then closed it again, unable to find the right words. Clearing her throat, she forced herself to look him in the eyes. “Thank you. I’m so sorry I interrupted your day. I’m sure this was the last thing you wanted to deal with.”
His jaw twitched. “You didn’t interrupt anything.”
“Well, enjoy what’s left of the day. I’ll see you at the wedding.”
He opened the door, stopping halfway. “Look, Cait…”
“Knock knock!” The door was pushed from the other side, revealing Rachel standing there in cut-offs and a cropped sweater. “Oh, you’re home. I tried calling you. I was in the area and thought I’d stop by.”
“Oh, yeah, I missed your call. I was talking to Cait.” He looked back at Caitie, the strangest expression on his face.
“And I was just leaving.” Painting a smile on her lips, Caitie tried to walk past him, but his muscled frame was blocking her way. “I came by to drop his sweater off. Mom asked me to. He’d left it at our house on Thanksgiving.” She was aware how stupid she sounded, babbling and making excuses. Maybe if she kept talking for long enough a hole would open up and kindly swallow her.
Rachel stared at her. “Hi, Caitlin.” She looked confused. “I didn’t realize you were here.”
“Only for a second,” Caitie told her, wishing she was anywhere but here. “I need to go. I’ll leave you guys to it. Have a great afternoon.”
This time Breck let her pass, moving back against the wall as her body slid against his. For a second their gazes met. His eyes were cloudy, unreadable, and they made her feel worse than ever.
She turned away and took a deep breath, determined not to look back as she walked onto the porch. Not because the ocean lay beyond his bungalow, with the waves and sand and everything else that made her want to cry. No, it was Breck himself it hurt to look at.
Breck and Rachel.
So why was it that as soon as she got into the car and turned the ignition, she glanced at him through the Honda’s window? He was staring right at her, ignoring Rachel and the way she was trying to grab his attention. His jaw was tight, his eyes dark, and his gaze unwavering. Something about it made her whole body start to tremble.
She’d always thought Angel Sands was bad for her. Now she knew it was. The sooner she got out of there the better, before she ended up making a bigger fool of herself than she already had. Tearing her gaze away from his, she moved the car into reverse and began to pull away. As far as she was concerned, she couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
17
“You need to call him,” Harper said as they let themselves into their suite. Caitie had arrived in L.A. earlier that afternoon, and picked her assistant Felix up from the airport, where he’d flown in from New York. They’d travelled onward to meet Harper at the studio where she’d been in meetings all day in the costume department, and finally they’d checked in and been shown to their rooms.
“I can’t,” Caitie said, glancing along the corridor to make sure Felix hadn’t heard. Luckily he was already in his room, hopefully oblivious to her problems. “What would I say? Sorry I kissed you before your girlfriend showed up.” She shook her head. “I think I’ve humiliated myself enough already.”
“She’s not his girlfriend,” Harper said, pulling her case through the door.
Caitie blinked. “You said there was something between them on Thanksgiving. Look at how much time they spent together. And why would she turn up unannounced at his door if they weren’t dating?”
The door closed behind them as they walked into the huge living area. At the far end large glass windows overlooked the sprawling city, full of high rise buildings and intersecting roads. In the center of the room were two cream leather sofas, facing each other with a polished glass coffee table between them.
“Well this is nice,” Harper said, grinning. “I could get used to this.” She walked over and sat on the nearest sofa. “And there’s no way they’re dating if he kissed you. He’s not the kind of guy who’d ever cheat on a woman, I know enough to tell you that.”
