after work before coming here.
He gave her one of his most charming smiles. ‘I felt we parted badly yesterday, and I wanted to put things right between us.’
‘Really?’ She quirked a sceptical brow.
‘Yes, really.’
The smile stayed firmly in place, but Lia knew David well enough to realise it hadn’t reached his eyes.
‘You said some unsettling things to me yesterday, and I wanted to set the record straight.’
Lia thought saying really again might be a little too much. ‘That’s no longer necessary,’ she said.
He tensed. ‘Oh?’
‘I think we both know the truth, David. Which means we have nothing more to say to each other.’
‘You aren’t being very friendly.’
She snorted. ‘Do I have reason to be?’
‘We were engaged...’
‘Were engaged being the appropriate phrase.’
‘Look, I know I let you down when you needed me to be strong for you. I made a mistake, okay?’ His smile became ingratiating. ‘I obviously don’t handle sudden death well—’
‘I will not discuss my father with you,’ Lia snapped. ‘Ever,’ she added vehemently. ‘Now, I would like you to leave.’
‘I just want to talk to you, Lia,’ he cajoled. ‘I’ve missed you.’
‘Oh, please!’ She glared her disgust. ‘I realise now how completely naïve I was until a few months ago. Maybe I was just too busy being “the privileged daughter of the wealthy and powerful Jacob Fairbanks”,’ she said, repeating his insult of yesterday. ‘If I hadn’t been then perhaps I would have seen through you much sooner.’
‘This isn’t like you, Lia...’
David had returned to the condescending voice that was really starting to grate on Lia.
‘You don’t talk like this. I can only conclude that it’s the influence of de la Cruz.’ He gave a shake of his head. ‘What on earth are you doing with a man like that anyway? He’s a womaniser—and a corporate shark of the worst kind.’
‘He’s a more honourable man than you’ll ever be!’
Lia knew that was the truth. In all his dealings with her Gregorio had been nothing but honest. Even when the two of them had spent the afternoon in bed together Gregorio hadn’t made any false declarations or promises—before or after.
‘Now, I really want you to leave, David.’ She searched agitatedly through her shoulder bag for her door key.
‘What if I don’t want to?’
Lia looked up sharply, butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she realised that David had moved and was now standing much too close to her in the hallway. Uncomfortably so. There was no charm nor an ingratiating smile on his face now.
‘One of Gregorio’s men is sitting in his car outside this building,’ she challenged tensely.
David raised is brows. ‘He has men watching you?’
‘Protecting me, yes.’
‘Protecting you from whom? Me?’ David questioned when Lia gave him a pointed glance. ‘You never used to be paranoid, Lia,’ he scorned.
‘I never used to be a lot of things that I am now.’
‘So I’ve noticed. And not all of those changes are for the better,’ David assured her. ‘But de la Cruz and his men aren’t here. There’s just the two of us.’
Lia was aware of that. Very much so. And she didn’t like it one little bit. Didn’t trust or like David one little bit.
‘I said I want you to leave,’ she repeated through gritted teeth.
‘Wouldn’t you like to know what really happened the night your father died?’
‘What?’ Lia gasped as she stared at him with wide eyes.
David returned her gaze challengingly. ‘I said—’
‘I heard you,’ she dismissed agitatedly. ‘What I want is an explanation of what you meant.’
He shrugged. ‘I was with your father when he died.’
‘I... But... There was never any mention...’ She gave a shake of her head. ‘I was the one to find him—slumped over his desk in the morning.’
‘Our meeting was lawyer/client confidential.’ David shrugged. ‘When he suddenly collapsed... Well, as I said, I don’t handle sudden death well.’
‘He had a heart attack in front of you and you just left him there to die?’ Lia reached out to place her palm on the wall for support as she felt herself sway.
‘He died almost instantly.’ David’s mouth was tight. ‘There was nothing anyone could have done.’
‘You don’t know that!’ Lia stared at him incredulously. ‘You all but killed him!’
‘Your father died of a heart attack,’ he maintained evenly.
‘But heart attacks are usually brought on by stress or shock. Did you do or say something to cause his heart attack?’ Lia was having difficulty keeping down the waves of nausea churning in her stomach.
‘Invite me in and I’ll tell you exactly what happened.’
Lia didn’t like the smug expression on David’s face. Smugness caused by the fact that he knew she would want to know exactly what had happened the night her father died. That she needed to know.
But to do that David had said she must invite him in to her apartment.
Did she dare to be alone with him in there?
GREGORIO TRULY BELIEVED what he had told Lia: a man could no longer call himself a man if he ever raised his hand in anger to a woman. But right now he was very angry. With a red-hot, blinding anger.
Which meant he would have to punch a wall or something to alleviate his tension before seeing Lia. Or he could just punch David Richardson in his too-handsome face and kill two birds with one stone—or one punch.
But for now Gregorio had to concentrate on driving to Lia’s apartment so that he arrived in one piece.
He had deliberately avoided the reception area of the hotel today. Had avoided Lia. She had made it clear yesterday that she didn’t want to continue seeing him.
That was about
