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"I have not forgotten anything," A
"Then why are you so angry? Because I left without a good-bye?" He studied her.
How to answer? Two long, painful years had gone by, and maybe Lizzie was right, maybe she had been pining for him, and God only knew how many more years might pass after this single encounter. A
"I am sorry," he said. "But a good-bye was not wise. For many reasons."
She folded her arms tightly across her breasts. "But then, you did not make love to me, did you, Braxton? Naive idiot that I am, virgin that I was, I mistook your passion for some amount of feeling, of caring. So a good-bye was not in order, now was it?" Her eyes felt hot. She would kill herself if she cried now, in front of him.
He tossed the key onto her bed and walked past her to the window. Appropriately, her view was of the back lawns and the Acadia 's three te
"I do not believe you. I do not think you are a repentant man. Not in any circumstance," A
He turned slowly and their gazes locked. A
"Don't you dare claim that you know me," she retorted, but she was shaken anew. He was right-she would have insisted upon accompanying him instead of returning home. But more importantly, had he meant what he had just said? Had he been fond of her then? She had no intention of ever trusting him again. If he had cared at all for her, how could he have abandoned her the way he had? And what about now-what about the present?
A
"You are not the first to accuse me of arrogance," he said with a wry smile.
A
"Few women, especially unwed ones, make their own decisions," he returned evenly. His gaze had slipped to her left hand, which was bare of rings. "Is your father here?" he asked abruptly.
Her cheeks felt hot. Foolishly, A
His jaw flexed as he stepped forward. "I do not wish to go to jail," he said. "And that is only one reason I have come."
She was aware of him coming even closer. A
He smiled. A
"Even I know no such thing," she huffed.
"If you were going to finger me, my dear, you would have done so forty-five minutes ago." He continued to smile. But his gaze had dropped to her mouth.
"I hate you," she heard herself hiss. But she was thinking about his kisses. She had stopped remembering them long ago. She did not want to remember them now-or to despair because she would never be in his arms again.
"I don't blame you. I should have refused what you offered. I did try. But I admit, I did not try very much, A
He was thoroughly wrong, no man wanted her, but his words affected her so much that she pounced on the bed, grabbed the key, rushed to the door and began to unlock it. "I want you to leave. Now." He had been sincere and she was certain of it.
His hand caught hers, covering it, stopping her from opening the door. And their gazes co
His words thrilled her, but she did not want to be thrilled, and they also frightened her. She said, "No one, not ever! you, could ever subdue me, Braxton."
He was silent. A tension fell that was thick and heavy, and with it an absolute silence, in which only their breathing could be heard. "Is that a challenge, my dear?" he finally asked.
A
He laughed. The sound was as rich as his voice, as tempting, as infuriating. "I think that was a struggle, A
"I hate you," she cried, slamming her fist into his chest. "Now get out-and don't you dare come near me again!"
His laughter died. He caught her right wrist immediately, the action reflexive. And suddenly A
She became acutely aware of her hand in his, his fingers on her wrist, and his long, hard body pressing up against hers. She looked up. He had also became motionless. Their gazes locked.
A
"I knew," he said suddenly, his tone low, his words slow, "that if I said good-bye, you would convince me to take you with me. That I would not be strong enough to resist you."
A
He still held her hand. But now he was clasping it. "I did not want to be responsible for ruining your life. You deserve far more than a life on the lam. You had your entire life in front of you, with so many possibilities. I did not want to take any of those opportunities away."
A
His reached up and touched her cheek with two fingers, a brief caress that sent shivers coursing over every inch of A
A
But she had pride, and never had she been more confused in her entire life. She watched him crack open the door. "The hall is clear," he said, pausing-as if he did
not want to leave quite yet, either. His regard was so direct it was unsettling.
She found her sanity and her voice. "Then go." She swallowed. "Pierce. My sisters and brothers-in-law are here, as well."
He stared. And smiled, with his eyes. "Thank you for the warning," he said.
A
His gaze held hers for another moment before he slipped from the room.
She stood in the doorway, staring after him, long after he had disappeared. Tears were falling from her eyes.