[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.” She put her hand on his arm.“Because I still love you.And I want you to love me back the way you once did.”He studied her for a moment, trying to see beyond this fairy-tale facade that she’d constructed.His head swam slightly from the wine and lack of food.He almost believed her.Almost.“It’s over, Crystal.Accept it and move on.We can be civil, but we’ll never be an us again.” He walked away.* * *Anthony stretched out across his bed.He could hear the television and Jessie’s giggles.Crystal was in the next room.For a moment he imagined what it could have been like without the craziness and the lies and the betrayals.Not for all the money in the world would he put himself through that again.He wasn’t sure how or if things would ever work out between him and Kai, but he wanted to try.Kai was everything that he wanted and needed in his life.It was crazy that in such a short space of time he could come to that conclusion.But if nothing else, he was a man of action.He went after what he wanted with a relentlessness that made him successful in his career.Now it was time to turn those same qualities to his personal life.It wouldn’t be easy.He understood that, but if Kai was willing even a little bit to give it a shot, so was he.He checked his cell phone thinking that he may have missed a call or a text from Kai.Nothing.He stared up at the ceiling and his eyes drifted closed.* * *Crystal got Jessie settled down for bed, read her a story, then took a long, hot bath.She languidly smoothed her skin with her favorite body lotion and slipped into a nightie that she’d purchased for a very special occasion.She turned out the light in the bathroom and walked down the hall toward Anthony’s bedroom.* * *“She came to your house?” Tiffany asked incredulously.“Yep.Live and in living color.” Kai pointed the remote at the television and mindlessly surfed the stations with the phone propped between her ear and her shoulder.“Damn, that’s bold.So.what is she like?”Kai took a breath.“Pretty.Tall.Classy dresser.”“Yeah, I figured as much, but what is she like?”“It’s hard to say exactly.She comes across as being sincere but there’s something just beneath the surface, like she’s playing with you.I got the sense that she would do whatever she needed to get what she wanted.And she made it very clear that she has every intention of getting her husband back.”“Hmm.And what do you plan to do about that?”“I don’t plan to do anything.It’s more trouble than it’s worth.”“Kai.I know you.When have you ever stepped away from a challenge? She all but drew a line in the sand and dared you to cross it.”“What are you saying?”“I’m saying that I know you like this guy.The first man you’ve shown the slightest interest in since who knows when.Listen, you’re the same woman who managed an entire emergency department in one of the busiest hospitals in the country.You’ve worked in decimated areas, you’ve pulled bodies out of rivers, saved lives and soothed grieving relatives.You’ve seen things and dealt with stuff most of us only imagine in our nightmares.You have heart, but you’re tough and you’ve never let anyone or anything stand in your way.That’s the Kai Randall that I know.” She paused.“You were willing to give him a shot.What changed?”“Wait.Are you the same person who told me how crazy it was to get involved with him?”“No, that was your other friend,” she joked.“But seriously.If you want him, go for it.We only live once.Give it a chance.See how it goes.He’s told you in no uncertain terms that it’s over between them.Do you believe him?”Kai hesitated.Images of Anthony touching her, kissing her, making love to her, confessing to her floated through her head.She saw his face, his eyes, his smile.She tasted him on her lips.“Yes.I believe him.”“Then you have your answer.”“Yes, I guess I do,” she admitted.* * *Crystal stood in the doorway of Anthony’s bedroom.She’d checked on Jessie to make sure that she was sound asleep.She stepped quietly inside and closed the door behind her.She listened to his steady breathing.She slipped out of her light robe and dropped it on the floor.Her one-piece negligee was next.She placed it at the foot of his bed and silently slipped between the sheets.Her heart raced.Anthony stirred, murmured in his sleep but didn’t wake.She moved closer to him then remained perfectly still.She waited long enough for her scent to fill the room and his sheets.She got up and slipped out as quietly as she’d come in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]