Hot Boss, Wicked Nights

She blinked. ‘Okay. Shall we say nine o’clock at my place?’ Her voice was calm, unlike his, but he could detect the faintest tremor beneath the words.

‘Eight.’

‘Eight-thirty.’

‘I’ll be there at eight. I can wait.’

‘Suit yourself. I’ll see you then.’ She slid off the swing, dusted off her backside.

‘I take it you’re not coming in to work tomorrow, then?’ He swiped the back of his neck as she walked away without replying. ‘Fine. That’s fine,’ he murmured to her retreating back. ‘The rest will do you good.’

Walking away from Damon and not looking back was the hardest thing Kate had ever done. Looking back would have made it impossible. He loved her. He really did. She’d seen it in his eyes, heard it in his voice. But if it was ever going to work between them, Damon had to learn a few home truths about himself. About relationships.

So she kept her appointment for a long-overdue massage and tried her best to enjoy the opera. Sean was a sweetheart as always, absolutely refusing to take any payment for the tickets and picking her up like a real date. And a gorgeous one at that; tall, dark and handsome with whisky eyes and a grin that would melt hearts.

She thought of another grin that melted hearts as Sean dropped her off outside her apartment and her own heart cramped with longing. ‘Thanks for coming with me at such short notice. I really needed to be anywhere but at my apartment tonight.’

‘Any time, Kate.’ He glanced at her front door, then frowned. ‘You expecting company?’

‘No.’ She followed his gaze to the silhouette of a man sitting on her step and her pulse accelerated. ‘Yes.’

‘So that’s him.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘You want me to beat him up for you?’

‘No. I think he’s suffering enough.’ The blow to his masculine pride was something she’d bet Damon didn’t experience often. Women would not walk away from him; it would be the other way round. ‘Thanks, Sean. I’ll see you later.’

How long had he been sitting on her concrete step? she wondered as she approached her door. He must be freezing. She stopped as he rose. His eyes…there was a storm of emotion in his eyes. ‘I thought we made it Tuesday night.’ She kept her voice casual, but her heart was pounding in her ears.

‘I’ve never been a patient man.’ He held up a paper bag. ‘Can I come inside?’

She nodded, stepping past him to open the door. Removing her jacket as she walked to the kitchen and sat at the table. Damon withdrew a fat candle, lit it, then turned off the light, leaving the room bathed in candlelight.

‘Time to talk, Kate. We agreed we wouldn’t delve into our personal history, but I think it’s time, don’t you?’

She did; oh, she did. But she let the silence stretch out a moment. Then she said, ‘Tell me about Bonita. It was her you were thinking about that day on the cliffs at Diamond Bay, wasn’t it?’

He nodded. ‘Bonita and I grew up together. She was all I had. Bryce and I had little in common. We became lovers when she was only fifteen. When she died it was like a black hole had dropped into my life. It made me realise you could be dead tomorrow.’

‘No one knows how long they’ll live.’ Her voice trembled. ‘It’s what we do while we’re here that’s important.’

‘And that includes love,’ he said, reaching for her white-knuckled hand clenched on her lap. ‘Because without it, it’s not really living. It took finding you to work that out.’ Scarcely drawing breath, he went on. ‘Talk to me about Nick.’

She swallowed. ‘Nick and I worked at the same travel agency. We were colleagues. He was gorgeous and sexy and it was always a wonder to me that he loved someone like me. Or so I thought. Until we went on an educational. What I didn’t know was that one of the colleagues travelling with us was also his bit on the side.’

He tightened his hand over hers. ‘Kate…’

‘Everyone at the office knew. Except me. Nobody told me, Damon. They were laughing behind my back. I didn’t find out until he left me to marry his pregnant mistress.’

‘So that’s why you’re so hung up about office romance.’

She stared at the flame, remembering the hurt, the humiliation. ‘If she hadn’t gotten pregnant first I would have married him, given up work and had his children. I was made a fool of.’

‘No. He was the lowest form of slime. And I’m glad he left because it opened the way for me. My life would have gone on as usual until I flung myself off something one time too many. And I’d never have met you.’