“Just leave me alone!” Her eyes met his, and even though they were filled with tears, he could see that she meant every word she was speaking.
“I don’t want it to end this way.”
“There isn’t any alternative. You took care of that!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not good enough, Kane, not good enough.” Her words were colder than the autumn wind that pushed her black hair away from her face, and highlighted the proud, near-perfect oval with its fine cheekbones and luminous violet eyes.
“All right, Erin. If that’s the way you want it.”
“That’s the way it has to be,” she sighed, and stepped aside to let him pass. She watched him silently as he walked toward the front of the house and disappeared around the corner. When he was finally out of her range of vision, she let herself slump against the tall fir tree near the gazebo. “You are a fool,” she muttered under her breath. “And he is a bastard!” The tears started to flow again. How could he even think that she would stoop so low? How could he have misjudged her so? And how, in God’s name, how could he be so gentle and caring one minute and so ruthless the next?
It was past midnight when Erin found the strength to return to the loft that she had once shared with the man she still loved.
Twelve
An insistent, impatient knocking awoke Erin from a night whose fitful sleep had been interrupted by dismal nightmares. The dull ache in her head increased with each knock on her front door. “I’m coming,” she groaned, running her fingers through her tangled hair and hoping that her response would stop whoever it was from making any further racket.
Jerking on her peach-colored terry robe, she cinched the belt tightly around her waist and glanced haphazardly into the mirror over the bureau. The reflection that stared back at her was disheartening—the long, anxious night had taken its toll on her face. Large blue circles under her eyes intensified the pale, washed-out complexion of her face. The large eyes that had always sparkled seemed lifeless, and her black hair hung in tangled curls against her neck.
The pounding started up again. “I’m coming,” Erin repeated loudly, and wondered who would be calling so insistently at seven in the morning. The knocking subsided for a minute. Erin half expected to see Kane when she opened the door and braced herself for whatever confrontation might occur when she came face-to-face with him. “Just a minute,” she called through the wood panels, and tugged the door open.
What she hadn’t expected to see on her doorstep—not in a million years—was Lee. His blond hair was meticulously combed and his blue eyes were as brilliant as ever, perhaps even more so. He was perched atop the polished wood railing of the landing. One arm was bent around a carved banister to aid his balance. His casual slouch, accented by faded jeans and a lightweight sport shirt was a theatrical display of relaxation by design, belied only by the tiny muscle that worked constantly near the back of his jaw.
“Hi, babe.” He greeted her with a wink and gave her a long, suggestive head-to-toe appraisal. “Rough night?” A smile, boyish yet sinister, curved his thin lips.
After the initial shock of seeing him, Erin regained her composure and propped her shoulder against the doorjamb, keeping a careful distance between them. Without conscious thought, she tugged on the belt of her robe and pulled it more tightly around her slim waist.
“I’ll ignore your insinuations for now,” she replied with a plastic copy of his smirk pasted on her face. “What are you doing here?”
Hopping off the railing in a lithe movement, he responded, “I couldn’t seem to get through to you on the phone. So I decided if Mohammed wouldn’t come to the mountain….”
“I get the gist,” she retorted coldly. She could feel an uneasy caution tighten the muscles of her back. “That doesn’t explain why you’re here, banging on my door loudly enough to wake up the entire neighborhood at seven in the morning. What do you want?”
“How about a cup of your coffee, for starters. From there, who knows how far our relationship can progress?” There was another long, suggestive look.
“I’m sorry, Lee, but as you already guessed, I did have a rough night last night. I’m tired and I’m not up to playing word games with you. Why don’t you just tell me what it is you want? Then you can leave.” She crossed her arms over her breasts to shield herself from his gaze. Lee made her uncomfortable, but she did her best to hide her apprehension.
“Why are you always so suspicious of me?” he asked in a low voice that was meant to be hypnotic.
“Because I know you.”
“Erin, baby,” he cooed, coming more closely to her. Involuntarily she shrank back. “What’s happened to you? Let me make you feel better.”
“And just how do you think you could do that?” she asked wryly, a grim smile twisting her lips and her black brows cocking nervously.
“We used to get along just fine,” he suggested smoothly, and his hand reached out to trace the neckline of her robe.
Jerking away from him, Erin glared at his bemused face. “Look, Lee, just say whatever it is you think you have to say to me and then leave.” She paused for a moment, and then continued. “What is it? Do you need money again?”
Sandy-blond eyebrows shot up with undisguised interest. “Ah, well, that’s not the main reason that I came over here, but now that you mention it, I could use a few bucks.” He smiled his most winning smile and shrugged his shoulders. Erin was surprised at her reaction, total disinterest in his most becoming grin. “You know how it is—I had a run of bad luck.”
“Haven’t we all?” she muttered under her breath, and raked her fingers through her tangled black curls.
“Ah, come on, Erin. Don’t give me that. The way I hear it, you’re loaded.”
“Is that the way you hear it?” She laughed tightly, despite the headache that was pounding relentlessly in her ears. “I guess you’ve got the wrong information.”