hoped.
Inside, she poured a glass of wine and left it on the desk in her bedroom while she went to rinse the salt and sand from her body. With a towel wrapped around her, she returned to the darkened room. The decor had not been changed since she left nine years ago. The white eyelet canopy bed reminded her of something that belonged in a Barbie Dream House. Pretty, feminine, but not at all a reflection of her personality. In the dark she couldn’t see the pink floral wallpaper and rose-colored rug but knew that hadn’t changed either.
She reached for her wine and went to take a sip. The glass was empty. She ran her hand along the desk but found no moisture.
Her stomach knotted. Was someone in the house with her? She edged toward the bed where she had left her purse and fumbled for her cell phone. Before she could punch in 911, a scraping sound came from behind her. Without thinking, she broke the glass against the wall and held the jagged edge in front of her.
“Who’s there?” she growled out. With only the bathroom light behind her, she couldn’t make out more than a shadow near the door.
Light flooded the room. She blinked until her eyes adjusted. “Who do you think?” Luc leaned against the wall with the wine bottle in his hand.
“Luc?” she mouthed the word, but nothing came out.
“You were expecting someone else?”
She slumped over a chair and tried to catch a normal breath before she hyperventilated. The lousy rot. Did he get off on scaring the hell out of her? “That’s the third time you’ve done this to me.”
“Then you should have expected me by now.” His unrepentant and amused attitude made her blood boil.
“You jackass. What if I had slit your throat in a panic?”
He chuckled. “You used to talk a lot more ladylike.”
“You used to be a lot more gentlemanly, but I guess things change.” She knelt down on the carpet and picked up the pieces of glass, carefully placing them in a waste paper basket. “How did you get in?”
“You left the door unlocked.”
She shook her head at his sheer audacity. “So you took it as an invitation?”
“Of course. You even poured me a glass of wine.”
“The wine was for me, you conceited oaf.” As she came to her feet, she tightened her towel and gripped the edge with her fingers. “What are you doing here? Sue Ann refuse to put out for the first time in her life?”
“Jealous?” He walked toward her.
She backed away until she came up against the wall. “I couldn’t care less who you’re sleeping with these days.” She tried to sound bored, but it was hard to pull off any kind of unaffected attitude while he stood so close and she was wearing only a towel.
“I didn’t have sex with her.”
“I said I didn’t care.” Oh, but she did. His words brought a feeling of relief. Worse, he knew it.
“Right. That’s why you disappeared after dinner and hung out at the wharf all night. Because you didn’t care.”
She frowned. “Was that your point in bringing her to the reunion—to see if you could hurt me?”
He didn’t deny or confirm her question. Instead, he stared at her, his dark eyes appraising her. The intensity of his gaze held her mesmerized. He was still so beautiful, so dangerous, that the very sight of him made her adrenalin flow. And she knew from the past how easily she became addicted to an adrenalin rush.
“We’re too old to be playing games and we have too much bad history to be friends. So, cut to the chase. What are you doing here?”
He arched his eyebrow. “What do you think?”
“You want me to get out of Dodge before sundown. This town isn’t big enough for the both of us,” she said in her best imitation of John Wayne. “No.”
“Then what do you want?”
“You’re right. We’re too old to play games so why waste any more time? It isn’t bad history, but unfinished business between us.”
She recognized that look in his eye. She’d seen it a hundred times before. Raw hunger and
Inside, she poured a glass of wine and left it on the desk in her bedroom while she went to rinse the salt and sand from her body. With a towel wrapped around her, she returned to the darkened room. The decor had not been changed since she left nine years ago. The white eyelet canopy bed reminded her of something that belonged in a Barbie Dream House. Pretty, feminine, but not at all a reflection of her personality. In the dark she couldn’t see the pink floral wallpaper and rose-colored rug but knew that hadn’t changed either.
She reached for her wine and went to take a sip. The glass was empty. She ran her hand along the desk but found no moisture.
Her stomach knotted. Was someone in the house with her? She edged toward the bed where she had left her purse and fumbled for her cell phone. Before she could punch in 911, a scraping sound came from behind her. Without thinking, she broke the glass against the wall and held the jagged edge in front of her.
“Who’s there?” she growled out. With only the bathroom light behind her, she couldn’t make out more than a shadow near the door.
Light flooded the room. She blinked until her eyes adjusted. “Who do you think?” Luc leaned against the wall with the wine bottle in his hand.
“Luc?” she mouthed the word, but nothing came out.
“You were expecting someone else?”
She slumped over a chair and tried to catch a normal breath before she hyperventilated. The lousy rot. Did he get off on scaring the hell out of her? “That’s the third time you’ve done this to me.”
“Then you should have expected me by now.” His unrepentant and amused attitude made her blood boil.
“You jackass. What if I had slit your throat in a panic?”
He chuckled. “You used to talk a lot more ladylike.”
“You used to be a lot more gentlemanly, but I guess things change.” She knelt down on the carpet and picked up the pieces of glass, carefully placing them in a waste paper basket. “How did you get in?”
“You left the door unlocked.”
She shook her head at his sheer audacity. “So you took it as an invitation?”
“Of course. You even poured me a glass of wine.”
“The wine was for me, you conceited oaf.” As she came to her feet, she tightened her towel and gripped the edge with her fingers. “What are you doing here? Sue Ann refuse to put out for the first time in her life?”
“Jealous?” He walked toward her.
She backed away until she came up against the wall. “I couldn’t care less who you’re sleeping with these days.” She tried to sound bored, but it was hard to pull off any kind of unaffected attitude while he stood so close and she was wearing only a towel.
“I didn’t have sex with her.”
“I said I didn’t care.” Oh, but she did. His words brought a feeling of relief. Worse, he knew it.
“Right. That’s why you disappeared after dinner and hung out at the wharf all night. Because you didn’t care.”
She frowned. “Was that your point in bringing her to the reunion—to see if you could hurt me?”
He didn’t deny or confirm her question. Instead, he stared at her, his dark eyes appraising her. The intensity of his gaze held her mesmerized. He was still so beautiful, so dangerous, that the very sight of him made her adrenalin flow. And she knew from the past how easily she became addicted to an adrenalin rush.
“We’re too old to be playing games and we have too much bad history to be friends. So, cut to the chase. What are you doing here?”
He arched his eyebrow. “What do you think?”
“You want me to get out of Dodge before sundown. This town isn’t big enough for the both of us,” she said in her best imitation of John Wayne. “No.”
“Then what do you want?”
“You’re right. We’re too old to play games so why waste any more time? It isn’t bad history, but unfinished business between us.”
She recognized that look in his eye. She’d seen it a hundred times before. Raw hunger and
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