naïve…you must think I’m really stupid. All that talk about him proposing to me and all the time…’
‘I don’t think you’re stupid. I think you are a very intelligent and lovely woman,’ Nick said softly.
‘You’re just being kind,’ she murmured.
‘No, I’m not.’ He pulled back from her and regretfully she broke away from his embrace. She had wanted to stay in his arms for a bit longer. She liked the feel of his body, warm and masculine against hers; it made her feel protected, cherished.
He tipped her face up towards his and studied her for a moment, his hand resting against her chin. Her heart seemed to give a very strange tilt as he wiped away the remains of the tears from her cheek with a gentle brush of his fingertips. ‘He’s not worth your tears, Katy,’ he said softly.
‘Probably not.’ Her voice trembled, but strangely she wasn’t thinking about Stephen now, she was thinking about the touch of Nick’s hand against her skin. There was something sensual about the caress, something disturbingly sexy in the husky male undertone of his voice.
Kate frowned. What the hell was the matter with her? she wondered. She must be so upset by Stephen that she was imagining things.
He turned away from her and led the way through to the lounge. ‘I’ll fix you a drink,’ he said.
‘Thanks.’ Her eyes flicked over the familiar room. It was comfortable, ultra-modern in design with a masculine stylishness, no ornaments, just plain blue settees against the wooden floor, and a few coloured rugs, no curtains on the window, just plain wooden blinds that he never drew down.
He had a workstation at the far end of the enormous room; a lamp was trained on it, spotlighting the computer that was turned on.
‘I’m sorry, I’ve interrupted your work,’ she murmured.
‘You haven’t interrupted anything.’ Nick stood with his back to her as he poured their drinks. She noticed how wide his shoulders were, how narrow his hips. He has the body of an athlete, she thought idly.
‘I’m glad you’ve come over. That’s what friends are for, isn’t it?’ He turned and walked over to hand her a glass of brandy. ‘What is it they say—a trouble shared is a trouble halved?’
She smiled wanly. ‘I’m sure you could do without my problems.’ She looked at the glass. Kate didn’t usually drink spirits; a glass of wine on odd occasions was about as much as she imbibed.
‘Brandy is good for shock,’ Nick said. ‘Just take a few sips.’
She nodded and sat down on the settee.
‘I just can’t believe he’s done this to me, Nick.’ She stared at the amber liquid in the balloon glass. ‘He told me he loved me.’
There was silence between them for a moment. Nick sat down on the settee opposite her. ‘Where is he now?’
‘I told him to go and he did.’
‘With the woman?’
Kate nodded.
‘Who is she?’
‘I’d never seen her before.’ She shrugged. ‘He said she was a colleague from work. Her name is Natasha; she’s blonde and cute. Probably about nineteen.’
‘Maybe you should just be grateful that you’ve found out now…he could have strung you along for ages—’
‘Maybe he has been stringing me along for ages,’ Kate muttered, swirling the drink around the glass. ‘Maybe he never really loved me at all.’ She looked up at Nick sharply. ‘Did you know?’
‘Know what?’
‘That Stephen was cheating on me. Is that why you looked so shocked when I told you I thought he was going to propose?’
Nick shook his head. ‘I had no idea. If I had, I’d have told you.’
‘Would you?’
‘Of course I would. I care about you too much not to have said something.’
Kate took a sip of her drink, feeling it warm her deep inside. ‘Have you eaten?’ Nick asked her.
She shook her head. ‘I’m not hungry.’
‘I’ll make you something. I’ve got steak in the fridge.’
‘Thanks, Nick, but honestly I couldn’t eat anything. I should be going anyway.’ She glanced at her watch and was surprised to see it was nearing midnight. ‘I didn’t realize it was so late, you’ve got work tomorrow and so have I,’ she murmured, swallowing the rest of her drink. ‘I’d better go.’
‘You don’t have to,’ he said quietly.
She looked over at him.
‘The spare room is made up,’ he said.
Kate hesitated; the thought of her empty apartment was not welcoming. Plus she would have to completely strip the bed. She raked a hand through her hair, feeling suddenly sick.
‘I haven’t brought any night things.’ She shook her head. ‘I should go home.’
‘I’ll lend you a T-shirt and I’ve got a new toothbrush in the cupboard.’ Nick grinned at her, a teasing light in his dark eyes. ‘Now, how can you possibly turn down an offer like that? You’re very honoured, you know. I don’t hand out T-shirts and toothbrushes to just anybody.’
She smiled.
‘That’s better.’ He suddenly became serious. ‘Don’t go home to that apartment tonight, Katy.’
‘I must admit, I don’t want to go back there,’ she admitted huskily.
‘Well, that’s settled, then.’ He stood up. ‘Come on, I’ll show you up to your room.’
It felt strange following Nick upstairs to the bedrooms. Although she had been to his home on many occasions, she had never stayed overnight and had only seen upstairs once when he had first moved in.
For some reason there was a feeling of awkwardness inside her as he opened the door into the spare room. Why, she couldn’t have said, but the sight of the enormous double bed was somehow provocative enough to make her feel self-conscious. Maybe it was just the way she was feeling at the moment. She was edgy and tense, and no wonder after the shock of seeing Stephen with someone else.
She tried to turn her thoughts to the décor; the plain Shaker-style furniture and the pictures on the wall made it a very sophisticated and relaxing room.
‘There’s an en suite bathroom through here.’ Nick opened a door into a luxurious bathroom, flicking on all the lights.
‘This is really very kind of you, Nick,’ Kate murmured hesitantly as he turned back into the bedroom and she found herself standing very close to him.
‘You’d do the same
