Cassandra corrected. ‘The cat’s a she.’
He collected his keys and moved towards the door, then paused, turning slightly to look at her when she hadn’t shifted position. ‘You need to think about it?’
She wanted to throw something at him, and would have if there had been something close at hand. Instead she opted for capitulation…reluctantly.
Silence won over recrimination during the short drive to her apartment building, and she cast Diego a hard glance as he slid from behind the wheel.
‘You don’t have to come up with me.’ What did he think she might do? Lock herself in? A speculative gleam lit her eyes…now, there was a thought!
He didn’t answer as he joined her at the security area immediately adjacent to the entrance, and she restrained from uttering an audible sigh as he walked at her side to the bank of lifts.
A deeply wounded miaow greeted her the moment she unlocked her apartment door, and the cat butted its head against her leg in welcome.
Bite him, Cassandra silently instructed as Diego leant down and fondled the cat’s ears.
The cat purred in affectionate response, and ignored her.
Great. Three years of food, a bed to sleep on and unconditional love…for all that I get ignored? There was no accounting for feline taste.
It took only minutes to put down food and fresh water, and Cassandra spared Diego a level look. ‘I’m fine. Really.’
One eyebrow rose. ‘So…go now and leave me alone?’ He examined her features, assessing the pale cheeks, the dark blue eyes. ‘We’ve done this already.’
So they had, but she felt akin to a runaway train that couldn’t stop. ‘I’m sure you have a social engagement lined up for this evening.’ It was, after all, Saturday. ‘I’d hate to be the reason you cancelled. Or cause problems with your latest—’ she paused momentarily ‘—date.’
‘Are you through?’
‘I don’t want to be with you.’
He didn’t move, but she had the impression he shifted stance. How did he do that? Go from apparent relaxation mode to menacing alert?
‘Afraid, Cassandra?’
Yes, she wanted to cry out. Not of you. Myself. For every resolve I make away from you disintegrates into nothing whenever you’re near. And I can’t, won’t allow myself to fall to pieces over you.
Too late, a silent imp taunted. You’re already an emotional wreck.
Every reason for her to walk away now. If only he would leave.
‘Of yourself…or me?’ Diego queried quietly.
Her chin tilted. ‘Both.’
His mouth curved into a soft smile. ‘Ah, honesty.’ His gaze swept the room. ‘If there’s nothing else you need to do, we’ll leave.’
Her lips parted in protest, only to close again as he pressed a finger against them.
‘No argument, hmm?’
On reflection it was a restful day.
Within minutes of returning to Point Piper, Diego excused himself on the pretext of work and entered the study, leaving Cassandra to amuse herself as she pleased.
She made a few calls from her cellphone, then she browsed through a few glossy magazines. Lunch was a light meal of chicken and salad eaten alfresco, and afterwards she slotted a DVD into the player and watched a movie.
Work took Diego’s attention, leaving her with little option but to spend time alone. Restless, she ventured outdoors and wandered the grounds, admiring the garden.
Flowers were in bud, providing a colourful array in sculpted beds. Topiary clipped with expert precision, and a jacaranda tree in bloom, its fallen petals providing a carpet of lavender beneath spreading branches.
She reached the pool area, and she ascended the few terracotta-tiled steps to the terrace, crossed to a comfortable lounge setting beneath a shaded umbrella and sank into a seat.
The pool sparkled and shimmered beneath the sun’s warmth, its infinity design providing the illusion its surface melded with the harbour beyond. Subtle shades of blue…pool, harbour, sky.
A sense of peace reigned as she took in the magnificent panoramic view. The city with its tall buildings of concrete and glass, the distinctive lines of the Opera House, the harbour bridge. Not to mention various craft skimming the waters and numerous mansions dotting the numerous coves.
Beautiful position, magnificent home.
And the man who owned it?
Cassandra closed her eyes against his powerful image. Four weeks ago he’d been a man she politely avoided.
Now… Dear heaven, she didn’t want to think about now. Or what she was going to do about it. Hell, what could she do about it?
Loving someone didn’t always end with happy-ever-after. And she wasn’t the type to flit from one partner to another, enjoying the ride for however long it happened to last.
Tomorrow she’d return to her apartment, and her life as she knew it to be. Whenever her path crossed socially with Diego’s, she’d greet him politely and move on. As she had during the past year.
Chance would be a fine thing, she alluded with unaccustomed cynicism. How could she do polite with a man with whom she’d shared every intimacy?
And fallen in love.
The to-the-ends-of-the-earth, the depth-of-the-soul kind.
Maybe she should take a leave of absence from the jewellery workshop and book a trip somewhere. A change of place, new faces.
Cassandra must have dozed, for she came awake at the sound of her name and a light touch on her shoulder.
‘You fell asleep.’ Diego didn’t add that he’d kept watch over her for the past hour, reluctant to disturb her until the air cooled and the sun’s warmth began to fade.
He was close, much too close. She could sense the clean smell of his clothes, the faint musky tones of his cologne. For a wild moment she had the overwhelming urge to reach up and pull his head down to hers, then angle her mouth in against his in a kiss that would rock them both.
Except such an action would lead to something she doubted she could handle…and walk away from.
His eyes darkened, almost as if he could read her thoughts, then he touched gentle fingers to her mouth and traced its curve.
‘There’s steak to go with salad. Go freshen up and we’ll eat, hmm?’
Ten minutes later she sat opposite him, sampling succulent, melt-in-your-mouth beef fillet, together with crisp fresh salad and crunchy bread rolls.
‘You
