Her hands gripped the counter, and I tensed, not sure what she was thinking or feeling. Did she regret this?
Now that she was closer, I couldn’t let her slip away. "This isn't done, Kate."
CHAPTERTEN
Kate
Dammit. How did I lose control? I'd been doing so well using anger and resentment as a wall between me and Sam.
Sure, I came off as a bitch, but I couldn't risk giving even an inch or I risked my heart giving a mile.
But then Sam said he couldn't stop thinking about me. He said it had always been me and him. It wasn't just the words that weakened my resolve. I might have been able to withstand the words if that was all there was. It was the expression on his face that burst through the wall I’d erected. His face showed more than earnestness. It glowed with truth.
At that moment, I couldn't hold on to the anger and resentment. My heart filled my chest. It remembered what it had been like for us five years ago, and it wanted it again. So, when his lips touched mine, there wasn't a single moment of resistance. I sank into him, giving in to my heart.
I didn’t know what he was thinking to put his hands down my shorts, but I couldn't deny that I liked it as he brought me to a glorious release.
But then Max's voice brought me back to reality. This was dangerous. Not getting caught. No, the danger was to my heart. It was becoming increasingly difficult to resist what Sam was offering.
He left the kitchen to deliver Harper her water and Max a glass of wine. I straightened my shorts and took some deep breaths, trying to get my wits back under control. I walked over to the window looking out over the ocean, hoping the view of the waves would cool me off and settle me down.
Still feeling a little weak-kneed, I walked over to his table and sat down. Plans and sketches and notes covered the table. I studied them as I realized they were renovations for a club. I was intrigued by all the technical features they planned. It looked like they were going to have a section of the dance floor where a special light would temporarily imprint the shadows of dancers on the wall.
I imagined the club would be very popular. I looked down at the bottom of the plans to find its location. As I read the address, my entire body went cold. Sam and Max had bought the abandoned club less than a mile from the Sea Siren.
I sat back as anger grew inside me. But the anger wasn't as difficult to bear as the humiliation. All those lines he just fed me were bullshit. If he loved me, if it was really just me and him, he wouldn't be building a club so close to mine.
So, what was his game? The only thing I could think of was that he was spying on me. His volunteering to bartend on Halloween and his showing up with Max for lunch must have been attempts to learn how I did business so he could best compete against me.
"God, Kate, you're so stupid." How could I have forgotten that he was the type of person who could betray someone on a dime?
I stood and started to exit the kitchen thinking I’d leave without a goodbye, knowing it would be rude not to tell Harper.
Sam walked in, smiling. "You okay?"
I shoved him hard in the chest, watching as his brow furrowed in shock. "You nearly had me, Sam, with all thatI can't stop thinking of you, and it's only you and me."
His hands reached out to touch me, but I slapped them away.
"That's all true."
"You're a liar. Everything you've done from the time you got back, starting at Ethan's party at my place, has all been some sort of club espionage. You’re planning to compete with me. Planning to put me out of business."
He shook his head. "That's not true. Our customer base is diff—"
"Shut up. I don’t want to hear it. Just go away. Don't ever talk to me again." I started toward his front door, ignoring the looks from Harper and Max as they stood in the doorway from the terrace into the house watching my tirade.
"Kate, wait." Harper caught up to me when I reached my car at her house. "Come inside for a minute. I'll get you a glass of wine and you can tell me what happened."
I was so agitated that I probably shouldn't be driving, so I nodded and followed her into her house.
We sat at her kitchen table. I drank most of the wine she set in front of me. I wished it were something stronger, but I still had to drive home.
"What happened back there? When Sam came out with our drinks, he was decidedly different. He looked as if maybe you and he were about to reconcile."
I shook my head of the memory of him touching me in his kitchen. I was revolted at myself for succumbing so easily to him. "Remember the bar that Lucy and I used to work at?"
Her brow furrowed in thought. "I didn't really know you then. But I heard the stories."