married someone like her.
When his gaze drifted back to her face, his eyes grew hard. He was beginning to suspect something was wrong. Somehow, she found the courage to plunge ahead. She pushed him away and put much needed distance between them.
“How long did you plan to wait before you told me the truth?”
Alex said something under his breath, closing his eyes for a moment. When he stepped closer, Kate moved out of his reach before he could touch her.
“What are you talking about?” he asked with just the right amount of feigned concern. Just enough to make her wonder if she’d only imagined the truth in those reports.
“Don’t bother trying to deny it, Alex! You know exactly what I’m talking about. Did you think I wouldn’t find out about your wife, Marissa? About my father—about what you had planned for both of us? Sorry to disappoint you, but I guess I wasn’t as naïve as you were hoping for, even if I did buy those lies you fed me about being in love with me.”
Kate watched as his expression darkened right before he reached for her again. She backed quickly away.
She pulled the clippings from her purse and flung them at him. They fell to the carpeted floor at his feet.
“I do love you, Kate, and you are my wife now...”
Kate began to laugh hysterically. “I’m not your wife. I’m not your anything. I was just someone you used to get what you wanted.”
“That’s not true,” he told her quietly.
“Stop lying, Alex! You lied to me right from the start! Everything about you was a lie! I trusted you! You knew how hard it was for me to trust you and you lied about everything! You broke my heart. I hope that’s what you wanted.” She took a deep breath and tried to control the tears blurring his reaction.
“I never want to see you again.” Kate breathed the words very slowly, emphasizing each one of them. “You wanted to hurt my father—to get revenge? Well congratulations, Alex, it worked! It worked brilliantly, because you broke my heart! You broke my heart and I hate you for that! I never want to see you again!”
The tears she’d been desperately trying to hold back began to fall. She watched as each of her words registered in Alex’s expression.
He was very good. For a moment, she could almost believe the things she said to him were devastating.
“Kate, wait...please. Let me explain. It’s not what you think.”
“There’s nothing to explain. You lied to me!” She jerked free of his hands.
“Kate, just listen to me. I love you.”
“No! Stop lying!”
“It’s not a lie. I do love you. Give me a chance to explain.”
“Did you go to the bookstore that night by accident or did you know I would be there?” She saw the truth even before he closed his eyes.
“Did you sleep with me just to use it against me?” Her voice was little more than a whisper. Alex didn’t answer right away. He simply shook his head.
“No, how can you believe that. It wasn’t like that.”
“You’re a liar, Alex Bradshaw! And I don’t want to hear any more of your lies.” Kate turned away from the pleading in his blue eyes, blinded by the tears that made it impossible to keep her heartbreak a secret. She groped for the door just as she heard him ask her to stay.
But she didn’t listen. Kate ran from his office, past the startled expression on the assistant’s face, not bothering to wait for the elevator. She couldn’t. She was too frightened he would come after her and convince her to stay. If she stayed, she would believe whatever he wanted her to believe.
* * * *
“ Damn, damn, damn!” Alex murmured to himself as he watched the woman who had stolen his heart walk out of his office and, quite possibly, his life forever. It took all his strength not to follow her.
Everything inside of him was telling him to go after her—beg her to stay. Make her listen to him. Do whatever was necessary to bring her back.
Alex walked back to his desk and sank slowly down into his
When his gaze drifted back to her face, his eyes grew hard. He was beginning to suspect something was wrong. Somehow, she found the courage to plunge ahead. She pushed him away and put much needed distance between them.
“How long did you plan to wait before you told me the truth?”
Alex said something under his breath, closing his eyes for a moment. When he stepped closer, Kate moved out of his reach before he could touch her.
“What are you talking about?” he asked with just the right amount of feigned concern. Just enough to make her wonder if she’d only imagined the truth in those reports.
“Don’t bother trying to deny it, Alex! You know exactly what I’m talking about. Did you think I wouldn’t find out about your wife, Marissa? About my father—about what you had planned for both of us? Sorry to disappoint you, but I guess I wasn’t as naïve as you were hoping for, even if I did buy those lies you fed me about being in love with me.”
Kate watched as his expression darkened right before he reached for her again. She backed quickly away.
She pulled the clippings from her purse and flung them at him. They fell to the carpeted floor at his feet.
“I do love you, Kate, and you are my wife now...”
Kate began to laugh hysterically. “I’m not your wife. I’m not your anything. I was just someone you used to get what you wanted.”
“That’s not true,” he told her quietly.
“Stop lying, Alex! You lied to me right from the start! Everything about you was a lie! I trusted you! You knew how hard it was for me to trust you and you lied about everything! You broke my heart. I hope that’s what you wanted.” She took a deep breath and tried to control the tears blurring his reaction.
“I never want to see you again.” Kate breathed the words very slowly, emphasizing each one of them. “You wanted to hurt my father—to get revenge? Well congratulations, Alex, it worked! It worked brilliantly, because you broke my heart! You broke my heart and I hate you for that! I never want to see you again!”
The tears she’d been desperately trying to hold back began to fall. She watched as each of her words registered in Alex’s expression.
He was very good. For a moment, she could almost believe the things she said to him were devastating.
“Kate, wait...please. Let me explain. It’s not what you think.”
“There’s nothing to explain. You lied to me!” She jerked free of his hands.
“Kate, just listen to me. I love you.”
“No! Stop lying!”
“It’s not a lie. I do love you. Give me a chance to explain.”
“Did you go to the bookstore that night by accident or did you know I would be there?” She saw the truth even before he closed his eyes.
“Did you sleep with me just to use it against me?” Her voice was little more than a whisper. Alex didn’t answer right away. He simply shook his head.
“No, how can you believe that. It wasn’t like that.”
“You’re a liar, Alex Bradshaw! And I don’t want to hear any more of your lies.” Kate turned away from the pleading in his blue eyes, blinded by the tears that made it impossible to keep her heartbreak a secret. She groped for the door just as she heard him ask her to stay.
But she didn’t listen. Kate ran from his office, past the startled expression on the assistant’s face, not bothering to wait for the elevator. She couldn’t. She was too frightened he would come after her and convince her to stay. If she stayed, she would believe whatever he wanted her to believe.
* * * *
“ Damn, damn, damn!” Alex murmured to himself as he watched the woman who had stolen his heart walk out of his office and, quite possibly, his life forever. It took all his strength not to follow her.
Everything inside of him was telling him to go after her—beg her to stay. Make her listen to him. Do whatever was necessary to bring her back.
Alex walked back to his desk and sank slowly down into his
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