His Hush-Hush Baby - Holly Rayner Page 0,31

Clara said from down the hall.

“In my office,” she called.

Clara entered with a bouquet of pink and red roses. “These came for you.” She grinned.

“What?” Diane’s insides twisted up. “From who?”

“Oh, I didn’t read the card,” she said and giggled. “I imagine they’re from a man, though. Are you dating anyone? Could be a secret admirer.”

A lump formed in Diane’s throat. With shaking hands, she reached for the bouquet and set it down on her desk. A thin plastic holder displayed an envelope.

Immediately, her mind went to Kai. But why would he send her flowers? If he still didn’t get that she couldn’t be with him, then he had to be mentally unstable.

With Clara standing there watching, she ripped open the envelope and read the enclosed card.

“Diane, you will be in my heart forever. Love, Kai.”

It felt like she’d been knocked over with a wrecking ball. With her free hand, she reached down and grabbed the edge of her desk to steady herself.

“Is it that good?” Clara smiled, but once she properly read Diane’s face, that smile dropped away. “Oh,” she murmured.

“It’s nothing.” Diane’s mouth was so dry.

“I should get back to my desk.” Wringing her hands, Clara hurried away.

Her knees knocking together, Diane made her way around the desk and dropped into her chair. The flowers and note felt like a joke, but she knew they were anything but.

Kai’s true colors were coming through. Clearly, the man was used to getting what he wanted. He’d demonstrated that attitude in business with those emails, and now he was demonstrating the same by not taking her no for an answer.

Apparently, Kai didn’t know what year it was. Acts like this didn’t pass as romantic or chivalrous. A man not backing off when a woman told him to was downright disrespectful and borderline creepy.

Her hands curled into fists, shock replaced by anger. Adrenaline thrummed through her veins, demanding something be done.

Pushing back from the desk, she grabbed the roses from the glass vase they’d come in and stalked from her office. It was six thirty, almost time for her to leave anyway—and thirty minutes until Kai would arrive home. Assuming there was nothing different about today. No extra-long workday or dinner meeting or meetup with friends.

She could call. She could text. She could take a deep breath and wait until the surge of emotions had passed before she took action.

None of that was appealing, though. She was a volcano, and the lava had been bubbling to the surface for days. It was time for the volcano to erupt, and nothing in the world could stop it.

Since it was New York City, the sight of Diane clasping a dripping bouquet of roses with a gritted jaw was nothing unusual. She wasn’t even close to the weirdest person on the subway car.

There was a moment, when Kai’s building came into sight, that she faltered. Maybe this was a bad idea. She would be better off bailing on the mural, kissing the extra money goodbye, and blocking his number.

But there would be no satisfaction in that. Only pain. Pain that would live on inside of her and eat away at her soul.

No, Kai needed to at least carry a portion of her agony and anger.

Since she was a regular at the building, the doorman let her right up. On Kai’s floor, she turned the knob and, finding it unlocked, stormed right inside.

“Kai!”

He met her in the kitchen, eyes wide. “Diane.”

“What the hell?” she growled.

Just in case there was any confusion about what she was referring to, she threw the roses at him. They hit him square in the chest then fell to the floor. Kai looked at them, then looked at her.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

“Did you…if…I…” She couldn’t even vocalize it. The things she felt didn’t have words, so instead she let out a guttural scream.

Kai stood stock-still, staring at her as if she were a wild animal that might lunge at any moment.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

She closed her eyes. Counted to ten. Opened them.

“You really can’t expect me to believe that,” she said.

“Why not?”

There was a deep sadness to the question, but she doubted even that. There seemed to be no end to the ways he tried to play her.

“This has gone too far,” she said. “It’s verging into stalker territory.”

As she said the words, she realized how idiotic it had been for her to confront him in person at his place, where they were all alone. What’s more, she hadn’t