‘I was honest with her, but she chose to believe our agreement was … malleable.’
‘So you were in it just for the sex?’ Just as he’d been with her. Her chest tightened harder.
‘I was seeking an escape. She provided it.’
‘And that was all that mattered to you? Your escape?’ Bitterness surged through her so forcefully she almost gasped with the strength of it. ‘And when it became too much for you, you did what you do best—you tossed her aside and carried on your merry way, regardless of the trauma you’d left behind?’
Grey eyes darkened until they were almost black. One fist bunched on his thigh as he reined in control. For a second Reiko wondered whether she’d gone too far.
Then he exhaled slowly, long fingers flexing. ‘I realise what it looks like from the outside. But appearances can be deceptive.’
‘Trust me, I’m very well aware of that. But you just admitted you didn’t love her, so it appears you were just in it for the sex. Must have been great sex, though, since you were with her for a whole year?’ Whereas she’d merited a mere six weeks. Irrational anger seeped inside her, made her want to reach across the wide seat and smack him hard. Instead she surged to her feet.
He followed suit and stepped towards her. ‘We’re not done.’
She moved out of his reach. ‘It’s the middle of the night. We’ve had our little tête-à-tête—which, frankly, I don’t see the point of.’
Lazy assurance gleamed in his eyes. ‘It’s a little more than a tête-à-tête, Reiko. What we have is as strong as ever. Don’t deny you feel it, too.’
Pain punched through her. ‘Even if I felt remotely like you do—which I don’t—there won’t be a repeat of what happened between us five years ago. Not in this lifetime.’
His eyes narrowed, his stance gaining a determination that sent alarm skittering through her.
‘You seem so very convinced. But I’ve held you in my arms. Your body was telling a different story last night.’
‘You caught me at a weak moment.’
‘The trouble with weak moments, cherie, is that they have a habit of recurring. With enough encouragement they can recur with mind-boggling frequency.’
As if to demonstrate, he reached out for her. But she’d been prepared for it and jumped out of his reach.
Surprise lit his eyes. ‘Maybe you are a ninja after all.’ The amusement in his voice made her pulse race faster. ‘You don’t care for a demonstration?’
‘No, I don’t.’
‘Don’t trust yourself?’
‘I’m just trying to save you time and effort. You won’t want me, Damion.’
Perhaps it was the finality in her voice. Perhaps it was the heavy trace of bitter weariness she didn’t manage to hold back.
He froze, his eyes narrowing intently on her. ‘Why not?’
‘Because even if I wanted to, Damion, I can’t sleep with you. I’m incapable of having sex.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
JAPAN IN LATE FEBRUARY was beautiful. As a native, she was deeply biased. But even the most critical eye couldn’t fault the impending promise of spring, the fresh, crisp air or the general buzz of renewed energy in the people around her.
‘Arigato.’ She took her passport from the immigration officer and made her way through the VI
P exit of Itami Airport, very conscious of the imposing man beside her.
Reiko breathed in deeply, her sense of homecoming so acute she stopped in her tracks just outside the doors leading out of the airport.
A warm hand arrived at her back as Damion stopped beside her. ‘Are you okay?’
Keeping her gaze averted from his heavy, puzzled stare, she nodded. ‘Better than okay. It’s good to be home.’