But he didn’t have any idea why Madison would be traveling to this desolate spot.
And right now, he didn’t give a shit.
Nothing mattered but having the opportunity to speak with her before she left town.
Climbing out of his car, he impatiently glanced at the expensive watch wrapped around his wrist.
Dammit. He’d been so pissed when Madison had left the hotel last night that he’d drunk the entire bottle of champagne that’d arrived only moments after her dramatic departure.
The expensive wine had helped to dull his outrage at her claim that she’d used him as some sort of sexual purge. But as his anger had cooled, he deeply regretted having consumed so much alcohol.
He knew damned well and good that Madison hadn’t sought him out just for revenge.
It simply wasn’t her nature.
She had to have some lingering love for him, even if she refused to admit it.
Unfortunately, he’d been on the wrong side of tipsy from the champagne, and was forced to sober up before he could go in pursuit. A man didn’t try to convince the woman of his dreams to give him a second chance while he was drunk.
So he’d done his best to sleep off his uncharacteristic overindulgence before returning to his home to shower and shave, swiftly changing into a pair of well-worn jeans and T-shirt before heading to out to find Madison.
Now he awaited her arrival with a growing frustration.
Was it possible that Kristen had sent him to the middle of nowhere so Madison had time to escape him?
It was exactly the sort of plot the devious young lawyer would concoct.
Especially if Kristen thought he intended to hurt her friend…
The sound of an approaching car broke into his dark brooding and Luc backed into the shadows of the rocks, watching the silver sedan pull into the lot.
A grim smile touched his lips as he caught sight of the dark-haired beauty seated behind the steering wheel of the rental car.
Madison.
Angling to avoid being seen in her rearview mirror, Luc jogged across the lot, swiftly reaching the car. Then, with a yank on the handle, he had the door open and was sliding into the passenger seat.
“Morning, Maddy.”
There was a feminine screech as Madison jerked her head to the side to watch him slam the door shut, her hand pressed to the center of her chest.
“Good god, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” she rasped, her eyes narrowing as suspicion replaced her initial fear. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He slid an appreciative glance over her slender body before returning to her furious face. Even in jeans and no makeup she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, but there was no mistaking the shadows beneath her glorious eyes and the pallor of her skin.
A part of him was instantly concerned by the signs of a sleepless night, while a much larger part of him felt a stab of hope.
Surely a woman who’d accomplished her mission would have slept soundly?
“Weird,” he drawled, holding her wary gaze. “That’s the precise question I was about to ask you.”
Her scowl deepened. “Did you follow me?”
“Actually I’ve been waiting for you.”
“How could you possibly have known I was coming—” Annoyance abruptly flared through her hazel eyes. “Kristen,” she muttered.
“She sent me a text,” Luc admitted. “She said that you were coming here to complete some unfinished business. She also said that I needed to stop you.”