‘That’s wonderful, Zane.’ Her heart lifted at the news. ‘I’m so happy, for you and your family.’ But as pleased as she was for him, she couldn’t get drawn in too deep again. Or she’d never survive.
‘Yeah, it is kind of cool,’ he said. ‘And you’re coming with me.’
‘I can’t come with you.’
‘Why the hell not?’ There was that edge again, so unlike the charming, charismatic man who had first seduced her, but so like the guarded, vulnerable man she had come to know and love. She sighed, the tears threatening again. And who didn’t love her.
‘Because I have no place there.’
She tugged her arm out of his grasp. It wasn’t fair that he should come back and make her feel this way again. She’d been stupid and naive and had fallen for a man who wasn’t interested, but he hadn’t done a whole lot to stop her making that mistake.
He’d pursued her, right from the start. He’d made her feel special and important and safe, given her mind-blowing sex, and some tantalising glimpses of the man behind the facade. And given how well he knew women, he must have known how irresistible that would be, especially to her, a woman who had a few self-esteem issues of her own.
She’d never even got The Speech. Not properly. He could at least have given her that much, so she could have had some chance of protecting her heart.
After all the tears in the last week, the rare spark of temper felt good.
‘Tess invited you, didn’t she?’ he said.
‘That’s beside the point. Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘I’m ridiculous!’ he shouted. ‘You run out on me without a damn explanation and hole up here for nearly a week without a word and I’m the one being ridiculous. When were you planning to tell me where you were?’
‘I wasn’t,’ She declared.
‘Why not?’ he said, grasping both her arms this time and dragging her to him. ‘What did I do that was so unforgivable?’
‘Nothing, I just…’ She braced her palms against his chest, not wanting to be this close, her limbs shaking and the inevitable heat building. She couldn’t tell him, and have her last scrap of pride torn away.
‘You could be pregnant and you didn’t even give me a forwarding address.’
Pain and disappointment made her throat hurt. So that was the real reason he was here, the invitation to Brandon’s christening nothing more than a ruse to finesse the truth out of her. Because Zane always had to finesse women, charm them. He could never ask anything directly, because that would give them the power, she thought, forcing her temper back to the fore to work through the hurt.
‘I’m not pregnant. I had my period.’
‘You’re not pregnant? For sure?’ She’d expected him to look relieved, but strangely he didn’t, he almost looked disappointed.
‘No, I’m definitely not pregnant.’
‘Okay, then I want a damn good reason why you can’t come home.’
‘Home?’ she said, the anger faltering.
‘Yeah, home. I want you to come back to Seventeen Mile Drive. I want you to give me another chance.’
&nbs
p; ‘I canny do that…’ She shook her head, trying to pull away from him now. The tears welling in her eyes, closing her throat. ‘Don’t ask that of me—it isn’t fair.’
‘Why not?’ he asked, his voice thick too. ‘If this has to do with your father, we can go visit him…’
‘That’s not it. It’s because I’ve fallen in love with you,’ she whispered, her throat raw. She hadn’t wanted to tell him this, and now he’d forced it out of her.
To her astonishment, he laughed. ‘Is that all?’
She struggled out of his arms, the tears falling now. ‘Don’t you dare laugh at me. My feelings are important.’ She rapped her fist on her chest, believing it completely for the first time in her life. ‘My feelings matter.’ The sob burst out without warning. ‘I’m not going to prolong our fling just so I can feel even worse when I have to leave.’
‘Hey, hey, hey.’ He folded her into his embrace, smothering her struggles. ‘Iona, don’t cry. I know your feelings matter.’ He stroked a hand down her hair, cradled her cheeks, the sapphire-blue of his irises warm and unguarded. ‘Because there’s nothing more important to me.’