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"I-" Heshook his head and tried to clear it. "Some sort of pasta,shells with creamy sauce and some sort of duck."
"Dessert?"
"Seriously?"
"Humor me."
"Uhm -" Heclosed his eyes and tried to bring the dish back up. "Raspberrytiramisu."
"How was it?"
"Divine."He told her shortly. "What are you trying to do?"
"Making surethat you ate. How do you feel now?"
He wasn’tsurprised to feel the calm coming over him. "Better." Heclosed his eyes again. "Thanks."
"Will you beokay?"
"Yes. It's arecurring nightmare. She’d come to me in a dream and I’dbe frozen in place and unable to move. Tonight, it seemed as if shewas right here in the room with me."
"Dion, I said Iwasn’t going to ask you but I have to get it out."
"I’m notin love with her."
"How did youknow-"
"I know you."He bit off a sigh. "I was obsessed with her. What she introducedme to, the way she made me feel. She got inside my head and it tookme awhile to get her out."
He took a breath."But it wasn’t love - it was a sick kind of lust that I’dnever want my worst enemy to experience. I’m fine now. You havea way of steadying me."
"I’mtaking that as a compliment."
"It is one. Ihaven’t asked how you are feeling."
"I think it'sabout the same way I felt when you asked me earlier in the day."
He chuckled and feltthe last of the tension easing from his chest.
"Why don't youcome out and say it?"
"That you’rea pain the ass? I think you already know it."
"I’mexcited."
“I drank aglass of milk, ate some fruit and had a chicken salad. I threw uponce this morning, but I’m fine."
By the time they hungup, he was all the way okay. His heart had stopped racing and he wasno longer sweating. Climbing out of bed, he went into the bathroom torelieve himself.
Flushing the toilet,he went over to the sink to wash his hands and study his reflectionin the mirror. His hair was disheveled, with strands curling on hisforehead, but thank goodness, the wild look had disappeared from hiseyes.
He’d donemonths of extensive therapy and that had helped up to a point. Whenit’d first happened to him, he’d wake up every night withthe scream trapped inside his throat. It’d been so bad he wouldsee her everywhere he went and had stopped going out altogether.
It’d taken himmonths to step outside the house. He’d worked from home, notwanting to come in contact with anyone. His mother had suffered as aresult, but it’d taken Odette to make him wake up and stopbeing afraid.
In her usualinimitable way, she’d told him to get out of the house and stopmaking her control him. "I want to talk to you and I’m notcoming into that mausoleum you grew up in. Is that clear?"
He met her for lunchand he knew she’d been shocked at his gaunt appearance.
