Against the Edge (The Raines of Wind Can - By Kat Martin Page 0,100

her pretty eyes narrowed, her hand shot back and she slapped him hard across the face.

She was on her feet, trembling as she pointed toward the door. “Get out of here, Ben. Don’t come back. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

He rubbed his cheek as he stood up from the sofa. The lady packed a wallop. “Claire, I’m sorry. I didn’t say it right. I know if you just—” He caught her wrist before she could nail him again.

“Get out! Get out now!” She started crying, left him standing in the middle of the living room and ran off down the hall.

Ben stared after her. His heart was painfully throbbing. He felt as if he couldn’t breathe. He could hear her in her bedroom crying, but he couldn’t make himself go after her.

He hadn’t meant to hurt her. He’d just wanted... What? Claire in his bed? Things back the way they were? He should have known she’d want more from him than he would be able to give her.

Christ, she deserved more. A helluva lot more.

He looked down the hall, at the door she had closed behind her. She’d meant every word she’d said. She didn’t want to see him again.

Ben walked to the front door and let himself out. It was over. He should be relieved. He was never cut out to be a husband.

He ignored the pressure in his chest. He’d get over it. He had a son to think of. He should have known it would never work.

He should have known better than to fall for another woman.

* * *

Claire threw herself into her job. She went to work early and stayed late. Ben hadn’t called. She hadn’t seen him since he had tried to convince her what a good idea it would be if she married him. After all, it would be so convenient for both of them.

She had talked to Sam on the phone a couple of times, but she wasn’t ready to face the boy. She couldn’t manage to act as if nothing had happened between her and his dad.

She hadn’t seen Michael, either. And though she was no longer in love with him, she was worried about him. He was working on a dangerous story. She didn’t want anything to happen to him.

On Wednesday of the following week, she caught a flight from Houston to White Plains to have Thanksgiving dinner with her parents. Her mom and dad were great, showing her the photos of their anniversary cruise through the Mediterranean. She and her mother had cooked a traditional turkey dinner and it had been a fun distraction. All the while, Claire had pretended her move to Houston was a great idea and everything was fine.

The pretense had made those few days among the most stressful of her life. The truth was, as much as she loved her parents, she’d wanted to be back in Houston, sharing the holiday with Ben and Sam. Or having them there with her, meeting her parents and enjoying the traditional meal.

It was never going to happen.

On Sunday morning, she caught an early flight back to Houston and arrived more exhausted than she’d been before she’d left. Monday morning, she went to work early and stayed an hour late just so she wouldn’t have time to think of Ben.

A light rain was falling as she drove back to her apartment. When she got there, she tossed off her navy blue suit jacket, poured herself a glass of white wine and carried it into the living room, too tired even to change.

Sitting down on the sofa, she tucked her legs up under her and took a sip. She was beginning to relax when a knock sounded at the door. With a weary sigh, she set her wineglass down, walked over and pulled it open. Annie Mayberry and Sage Cantrell stood on her porch.

“May we come in?” Sage asked, also wearing a business suit. Annie had come from work, as well.

As tired as she was, Claire was always glad to see the women she considered friends. “I just poured myself a glass of wine. Would you like one? Or maybe a glass of iced tea?”

“Wine would be perfect,” Sage said, following her toward the kitchen.

“I could use a little bracer, myself,” Annie said.

Wondering if there was a reason the women had come, Claire poured the wine, and they all sat down at the dining room table.

“Your place looks nice,” Sage said, glancing around at the pale green sofa