More Than Anything

The sound of an engine interrupted my thoughts. It was faint, but the estate was so big that a car would have to be within the perimeter for me to hear it at all.

A glance at an ornate clock on the wall told me it was just past midnight. I got out of bed and walked over to the window overlooking the front of the house. I watched the black luxury car as it slid up the drive and stopped right in front then the back door opened.

My heart tightened. A mixture of emotions made it temporarily impossible to think, to breathe. I watched Braden say a few words to his driver, McGuire, then walk straight toward the house.

I closed the curtains, excitement and panic almost crippling me. My hands were shaking. Quickly, I pulled on a dressing gown. I didn’t want him to find me in here, half-naked and vulnerable. I tightened the belt around me and went to the door.

I hurried down the carpeted hallway to the top of the stairs, watching in the dim light as he moved around the foyer. He moved comfortably in the darkness, like a lethal and predatory jungle cat. As he started for the stairs, my heart began to pound wildly, and I switched on the lights.

“What the…?” he started, cursing softly then blinking doubtfully when his eyes focused on me. Surprise, curiosity, something that looked like hope and pleasure—then nothing as his face became blank and guarded. “What are you doing here?” His voice was so cold, I felt it like a freezing lash on my skin.

I swallowed. What had I expected? That he would be glad to see me? That he would run up the stairs and wrap me in an embrace, welcome me with eager, open arms?

Yes. In my wildest dreams, I had hoped for something like that, but of course, that wasn’t going to happen. So, I shrugged. I could be cool too. I could play like ice even when my heart was crushed.

“I needed a place to stay for a while,” I said without emotion.

Braden’s jaw tightened. “And of all the places you could have gone, of all the houses in the world, you chose to come here?” He sounded furious.

“At the moment, it’s the last place anyone would think to look for me, and I didn’t know you would show up like a thief in the night. If I had, I’d have gone someplace else.”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re welcome to leave now that I’m here.”

I thought about the craziness that would ensue if I suddenly showed up at a hotel in the city, and I shook my head. I wasn’t going to let him bully me out of the peace I’d found in the last few days.

“I’m sorry, Braden, but I like it here, and it was working very well for me until you arrived.”

His eyes flicked behind me and then back to my face. “Are you alone?” he asked, his voice tense.

At that moment, I wished I wasn’t, just so I could throw it in his face. Would he care if I was with another man, or had he stopped caring what I did at all?

I stiffened my shoulders. “Are you?” I countered. I knew he hadn’t spent the last two years without female companionship. Our estrangement had put him on the market again, and from the articles I’d read, he hadn’t exactly shied away from the scores of beautiful women who pursued him. I hadn’t seen anyone else with him in the car, but now, even the possibility filled me with unreasonable jealousy.

“It’s my house, Allie,” he said. He walked to the foot of the stairs. “I could come here for an orgy with a whole chorus line and it would be none of your business.”

“It could be my house,” I threw back. “If I wanted.”

“Then take it.” His voice was scornful and dismissive. He turned back toward the door. “A few more hours on the road is nothing compared to this,” he muttered.

I panicked at the realization that he would leave. I didn’t want him to. I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted, but having him walk away so soon wasn’t at the top of the list.

“Oh, for God’s sake, Braden!” I said tiredly. “We can share a damn house.”

He turned around and fixed his gaze on me. My breath quickened, but I shrugged and held my head high.

“I’ll leave first thing in the morning,” he said.

“Suit yourself.” I shrugged. “I’m going back to sleep, and I’ll be gone before New Year’s…then you can forget I was ever here.”

I turned my back to him and flounced back into the bedroom.

Twelve

Braden

You can forget I was ever here.

In what world was that likely or even close to possible?