Zafir snorted at the understatement and Kat’s eyes turned steely.
‘But I am not going there with you again. We had our moment and it’s over. And unless you can promise to keep things between us on a professional footing I’ll have no choice but to back out of our agreement and return the money you’ve already paid me. Don’t think I won’t, Zafir. The money is important to me, but not as important as not making the same mistake twice.’
No one spoke to Zafir like this. No one considered him a mistake.
But then an echo of his brother’s voice whispered from the past, angry...
‘Sara was a mistake, Zafir, our parents didn’t even pretend to grieve when she died. Her life had no value because she couldn’t rule when she came of age. They betrayed her more than you’ll ever understand...’
Zafir pushed the past away, and with it the familiar ache of longing and disconnection. That ache shamed him, because he was above such weakness, or should be. He had to be. And he also ruthlessly shu
t out the niggling pain that his brother hadn’t confided in him more.
Salim had shut Zafir out long ago, pursuing a life of debauched irresponsibility. Laughing in the face of his responsibilities. It was love that had done that to his brother—albeit sibling love. The twins had had their own little world, exclusive to everyone around them—even Zafir. And after Sara had died Salim had never been the same.
Seeing his brother’s reaction to Sara’s death, witnessing the pain of losing that intense bond, had bred within Zafir a lifelong desire to protect himself against such deep investment in another person. It appalled him that you could lose yourself like that.
Kat was looking at him now, and Zafir took a step back—as much from the intensity flowing between them as from his unwelcome reflections. He didn’t appreciate Kat’s ultimatum, but at the same time he didn’t want to reveal the extent of his need. He’d already revealed too much. However, he could not let her rewrite their history.
He folded his arms. ‘What happened between us was not a mistake, Kat. We were both adults, acting on mutual desire. The fact that it ended as it did was as much your responsibility as it was mine. You kept truths from me and I shouldn’t have trusted you so easily.’
Kat seemed to go pale in the low lights of the room. ‘Let’s just leave it at that, then.’
Something in Zafir rebelled at that. ‘By all means—if you think we can leave the past in the past. I, however, happen to believe that sooner or later you’ll have to admit we have a present too.’
Kat bent down and picked up the handle of her suitcase. She looked at Zafir. ‘The only present we have is a professional one, Zafir.’
For now, he told himself silently as he came forward and took Kat’s suitcase out of her hand, leading her out of the suite and to his car downstairs.
She got into the car without looking at him once, keeping her face averted. Only that lingering sense of exposure stopped him from pulling her back out of the car to show her what a mockery this professionalism was.
He’d arrogantly assumed resuming a physical relationship with Kat would be easy. He couldn’t have been more wrong. And yet he wasn’t dissuaded. If anything, this pared down and feisty Kat was sparking his desire in a far deeper way than she ever had before.
As he watched his car slide away from the kerb and into the evening traffic he told himself that she wouldn’t be able to hold out against this insane chemistry for long.
CHAPTER FOUR
‘KAT, YOU LOOK...AMAZING.’
Kat heard the thickness in her friend’s voice and tried not to let it affect her. She was having a hard enough time just breathing, and said shakily, ‘Jules, I really don’t know if I’m ready for this.’
Julie came and stood between Kat and the full-length mirror in the hotel suite bedroom, where Kat had returned some hours ago with her bags packed for the trip. They would leave tomorrow for London.
Kat was wearing the black velvet dress again. Her hair was in the chignon and her make-up had just been completed. Everyone had left, so now it was just the two of them.
Her petite blonde friend took Kat’s hand in a firm grip and looked up at her steadily. ‘I wouldn’t push you if you weren’t ready, Kat. But you are. You can’t keep hiding from the world.’
Kat bit her lip to stop herself asking plaintively, But this job? Now? She looked at her reflection over her friend’s head and saw the panicked look in her eyes, and forced herself to take in a breath.
Just then there was a knock on the door. Kat loved her friend for not jumping to answer it immediately, waiting to get a nod from Kat first. Gratitude made her chest swell because she knew that if she truly wanted to walk out of here right now her friend would support her. But she didn’t want to let her down. And she didn’t want to let the rehab centre down.
She could do this.
Before Julie had even opened the door Kat knew who it was. Heat prickled over her skin. And, sure enough, when it swung back Zafir was there, filling the space effortlessly. He was dressed in a tuxedo and he was ridiculously gorgeous. And, even though Kat had seen him dressed like this before, it was still a shock to the system to behold such a formidable specimen of masculine perfection.
It was also the first time she’d seen him since yesterday, and the memory of that kiss made her pulse pound unevenly. Coming to terms with the resurrection of her sexual awareness was something she really hadn’t expected to have to deal with for a long time. And yet it rushed through her now like an unstoppable wave.
Zafir was holding the necklace in his hand and he lifted it up. ‘May I?’