between them, Simon laughed. “Right. That was rich, wasn’t it? If I’ve never brought a woman to meet them, therefore I must be gay. Face it, Tawny, you charm everyone.”
“Ha! Don’t forget about Mrs. Hinky. And I can guarantee you I didn’t charm Richard.”
“You and Richard got off to a less than stellar start.” Bloody understatement. “You’re square with Elliott?” Simon asked. He needed to make sure before he left.
“We’re good. I’ve got closure, so I can forego the Prozac,” she said, smiling. “And you guys kissed and made up?”
Simon shrugged. “We skipped the kiss—I didn’t fancy Richard scratching my eyes out—but we’re okay.” He was making stupid, awkward jokes—definitely time for him to leave. He started toward the door and she stepped in front of him, stopping him.
She placed her hands on his bare chest, and his skin felt on fire. She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Simon, I want you to know last night was the best night of my life.”
He stepped back, away from her touch. “That’s an unusual reaction to a broken engagement.”
She dropped her hands to her sides. Her look chastised him. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. You were the best part of last night.”
“I’m flattered.” And he was, but one of them had to be sensible. He walked out of the room. His camera case was still by the front door. It wasn’t the pitch-black of last night, but a dark gloom curtained the room after the bright sunlight of the bedroom.
Undeterred, she followed him. “I’m not trying to flatter you. I’m being honest. Remember last night, when your father told your mother it was ‘like that’ between the two of us?”
He picked up his camera case without looking at her. “Yes. And I’m sorry that happened. I didn’t want to upset her when she’d had a heart attack.”
“I’m not sorry it happened. When he said that, well, I realized he had half of it right.”
He snapped his head up. Had she guessed he was head over heels in love with her? “What do you mean?”
“I realized it is that way for me,” she said, her voice soft in the shadowed room.
Simon clamped down on the ache inside him. She’d been raw and vulnerable last night. She’d very likely feel the same about any other guy who’d stepped in and treated her with any measure of decency. “No. Tawny, last night was extenuating circumstances. You were emotionally overwrought. Don’t confuse the circumstances of the night with me.”
“Are you implying I don’t know how I feel?” This time her soft tone heralded an impending storm. But what he had to say needed to be said.
He’d already taken advantage of her to some extent last night. He’d be a total jerk to let her run with this now. And if he told her how he felt about her? Tomorrow or next week or perhaps next month, she’d realize how flawed he was, she’d see the darkness in him and he’d see the loathing in her eyes. It was far better this way.
“Last night was an emotional roller coaster for you. Give it a couple of days and it’ll just be the night the lights went out in the big city.”
“Don’t you dare patronize me.”
“I’m just being rational. One of us has to be.” He knew the instant it left his mouth that was the wrong thing to say.
“Tell me I did not just hear you say that, Simon Thackeray.”
He simply wanted her to see what was painfully apparent to him. Last night had been a space out of time. If she’d just be rational, she’d see that today it was back to the norm. But then again, maybe she couldn’t be right now. Maybe it was that hormonally challenged time of the month.
“Are you maybe getting ready to start?”
“To start what?”
“You know...are you PMSing?” he asked.
The cat yowled from the other room.
“Luckily for you, I’m not. If I were, you’d probably be a dead man by now.” She stomped into the kitchen. He heard her shaking cat food into the bowl as he walked past. He picked up his shirt, socks and boots. He pulled on his shirt. He sat on the edge of the sofa to put on his socks and boots. She came back out of the kitchen and lit a couple of candles without speaking.
“Listen, it’s no wonder you’re not thinking clearly, with Elliott coming out of the closet, the blackout, being dragged out to