Accidental Reunion (7 page)

Making her way to the toilet, she changed course quickly as she saw Yvonne teetering in that direction rather ungracefully. Yvonne was the last person she wanted to make small talk with. Instead she slipped out into the foyer and stepped out onto the balcony.

The cool night air was welcome and she took a few calming breaths, looking out unseeingly at the dark night sky. A storm was breaking to the east—flashes of lightning flickering in the distance, the rumble of far-away thunder. The music was pounding away inside, and as the tempo changed and the achingly familiar beat of Declan’s and her favourite song struck up Lila couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.

‘There you are.’

She didn’t move, didn’t turn around. He wasn’t going to see her cry.

‘I just wanted to get some air,’ she said, trying to keep her voice even. ‘It’s a bit smoky in there.’ Quickly she wiped her cheeks.

‘Lila.’ His hand was on her shoulder, his touch so, so familiar that she felt a nearly overwhelming urge to put her hand over his, to draw him nearer.

‘We still haven’t had that dance.’

She turned to face him, just a hand space separating them. The music seemed to be speaking to her, reminding her of how good it had been. Placing his whisky carefully on the stone wall of the balcony, he turned back to her, his fingers gently tilting her chin. And as her eyes met his, she knew she was lost.

Melting into his arms, they swayed slowly to the music. The warmth of his body, the silent strength in his embrace, the male scent of him—all played their part in peeling the years away.

‘I’ve never stopped missing you,’ he murmured. ‘You’ve been on my mind every day.’

Closing her eyes, she leant even further into him. She could hear the thumping of his heart in his chest.

‘I’ve missed you, too,’ Lila admitted.

And
how
she had missed him. Missed the way he’d held her, the way he’d loved her. The undisguised admiration in his eyes when he’d looked at her, the way he’d made her laugh, made her feel. How he’d turned any situation around and seen the lighter side, but serious too when it had been merited.

Had she misjudged him so badly? Had she said
goodbye to the best thing in her life over a stupid misunderstanding?

She knew when the music ended they should have left it there. That she should have thanked him and gone inside. And that had been her intention. But as she looked up to speak, as their eyes met and held, the words just wouldn’t come. Her lips weren’t moving to her command. Instead, they moved with instinct, back to the familiar, exciting place they had been so many times before. Yet now there was nothing safe in familiarity. His cool tongue gently exploring her mouth, the scratch of his cheek against hers, the intake of his breath as he pulled her nearer.

Her body blossomed beneath him. She felt as if champagne were running through her veins, tiny bubbles exploding as her breasts tingled, her stomach tightening in a reflex action to his touch. And he felt it, too. She could feel his inflamed desire pressing into her and she ground her hips against him.

With breathtaking stealth his hands travelled along her body, and she felt herself melt beneath his touch. Her hands were lost in his thick hair and she kissed him back with longing. Slowly, deliberately his fingers moved to her zip, achingly close to her swollen breast. She was filled with a brazen longing for him to inch down the zipper, to slip his long warm fingers inside and touch her aching breasts. But not here. Declan would never compromise her in that way.

His fingers lingered just a moment, almost teasing her with what could be if only she let it. He pulled away, staring at her for the longest time.

‘I remember this dress,’ he said huskily. ‘Hell, Lila, I remember everything about you.’

The sound of the balcony door opening gave them only the tiniest chance to break apart. With horror Lila realised it was Yvonne.

Utter shame swept over her. Never in a million years had this been her intention, but it was too late for regrets. The consequences of her actions had to be faced.

Yvonne hadn’t just had a bit too much to drink, she was teetering unsteadily, her eyes angry and confused. ‘What are you doing out here?’

‘Talking to Lila.’

‘Well, I’m sorry if I’ve disturbed you.’ The contempt in Yvonne’s voice was painfully obvious.

Unable to meet the other woman’s eye, Lila looked down at the ground, painfully aware that Declan was wearing rather a lot of her lipstick at that moment.

‘Mr Hinkley suggested that some of the
doctors
head off to the casino. I thought it might be fun.’

‘Do you want me to call you a taxi?’ he suggested, deliberately misreading what Yvonne had said.

Lila looked up sharply, amazed at his response. He seemed neither guilty nor perturbed that Yvonne had come so close to catching them, maybe even had. Who knew what she had seen as she’d approached the balcony? It didn’t take an Einstein to work out what had gone on.

‘Look, I’m sorry to break up your private party,’ she said nastily, ‘but Mr Hinkley is your boss, not mine. Surely it would be better for your career…’

‘My career’s fine, Yvonne,’ Declan said darkly. ‘And the best thing you could do for yours is have a strong black coffee and go home to bed.’

‘You bastard.’

‘Yvonne…’ Lila’s voice was shaky. ‘I can explain. Look, I’m really sorry…’

But Yvonne wasn’t interested in hearing what Lila had to say. ‘You’re welcome to him,’ she spat at Lila, and with a sob fled from the balcony back into the party.

Lila stood, stunned. ‘You’d better go to her.’

‘Let her go,’ he said angrily. ‘I’m sick of her dramas.’

‘I’d say she had every reason to be upset. Just go after her, Declan. Don’t make it any worse than it is.’

She was utterly bemused by his reaction, and even more so when he turned to face her again, pulling her back into his arms. ‘Now, where were we?’

Aghast, she pushed him away. ‘How dare you? How dare you?’ She repeated. ‘No wonder Yvonne’s drunk. Any woman would need a general anaesthetic to put up with you. You have the audacity to follow me out here, to kiss me, to—’

‘I don’t recall much resistance. In fact, from where I was standing—’

Lila had never hit a man in her life, never hit anyone, in fact. It was against all her principles. But so was Declan Haversham, so was a man who could so openly play with her affections. So recklessly destroy Yvonne. As her hand aimed for his cheek she was so blinded with anger and rage that principles were the last thing on her mind.

But Declan was too quick for her. Grabbing her wrist, he held her outstretched hand in the air and she stood there, fury blazing in her blue eyes.

‘Funny,’ he said slowly, ‘I really thought you’d grown up at last.’ He released his grip and, shocked
and reeling from her outburst, she stood there mute as Declan continued. ‘I guess it will take a bit more than a nursing degree to change the self-centred, spoiled little madam you always were.’

She ran a tongue over her dry lips. ‘Meaning?’

‘Just that.’ He spat the words at her. ‘It was always about you, wasn’t it? ‘‘I’m tired, Declan.’’’ He mimicked her voice. ‘Never mind that I’d been studying all week and maybe needed to let off a bit of a steam. But when I was tired it was a different story, wasn’t it? Never mind I’d spent a week in lectures and four nights at the hospital. If little Lila wanted to party because her airline friends were in town, well, party time it was.

‘And you haven’t changed a bit. ‘‘Let’s be friends, Declan’’ and twenty-four hours later you change your mind. ‘‘I’ve missed you, Declan. Kiss me, Declan’’ and the next minute you’re slapping my face. I’ve had a bellyfull of you, Lila Bailey. I’m up to here with you.’ His hand jabbed at his neck.

‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, my drunken housemate needs a lift to the casino and the obliging guy I am looks like I’m going to be playing taxi.’

‘Your housemate?’

Declan paused, his shoulder rigid as he turned. ‘That’s right.’

‘But I thought…’ Lila said slowly. ‘I mean, Yvonne said that you and she…’ Her voice trailed off.

‘Yvonne said what?’ His voice was suddenly menacing. ‘Come on, Lila, Yvonne said what exactly?’

‘She said that you were on together, that you were living together.’

‘She said that?’

Lila nodded.

‘You didn’t mishear. I mean, you didn’t just take it the wrong way?’

The shock in his voice was so raw that unless Declan had done a double degree in drama and medicine, Lila knew this was a revelation.

She shook her head grimly as he stood there, staring at her. ‘No, I didn’t mishear, Declan. Yvonne was very clear in what she said.’

‘But why would she say such a thing?’

‘You tell me.’ Although Lila had been proven wrong the animosity of the argument still hung in the air, the anger of a few moments ago hadn’t quite abated. ‘Perhaps you led her on, too.’

‘Led her on? Is that what you think I did to you? When am I supposed to have led you on, Lila? Come on, you can’t throw a pearl like that at me and not back it up.’

‘Let her think you cared about her, loved her even.’

His whisky was sitting on the wall and he reached for it. Swirling the amber liquid around the heavy glass, he shook his head. ‘Perhaps I did,’ he said slowly. ‘Maybe I should have seen this coming, but to compare Yvonne to you and I…’ He exhaled deeply. ‘Well, it doesn’t compare.’ He looked up, his eyes dark hollows in the shadows of the night. ‘The difference is I did love you, Lila, did care about you.’ He moved forward an inch. ‘The saddest part of it all is that I still do…’ He laughed, but it was so shallow Lila knew he didn’t mean it.

‘I really ought to give her a lift, though, or heaven knows where she’ll end up.’

‘Oughtn’t you to take her home?’

‘She a big girl, she can take care of herself. And anyway, Mr Hinkley’s pretty gone himself so I doubt he’ll even notice how out of it she is. I’d better go now…’ But he didn’t move. Lila could hear him jangling his car keys in his jacket pocket as if weighing up whether or not to continue. ‘Come on,’ he said eventually. ‘I think we need to talk.’

Yvonne really was the worse for wear. Thankfully she had extracted herself from the party and was sitting somewhat forlornly on one of the planters at the front of the hotel.

‘You stay with her,’ Declan instructed. ‘I’ll go and bring the car around.’

‘Would you rather we get a taxi?’ Lila suggested. ‘In case you’ve had too much to drink.’

She had seen him angry, seen him annoyed and irritated, but she had never seen such contempt emanating from the steely grey eyes as he faced her. ‘Lila,’ he said, his voice deathly quiet, his cheeks quilted with tension, ‘I did grow up. I’m not the twenty-something medical student you seem to recall. I’m an emergency registrar now. Do you really think I’d be so stupid as to get behind the wheel loaded?’

‘Of course not. I was just making sure.’

‘Well, there’s no need. Unlike some people I could mention, some of us grew up a while ago.’

As he stormed off to the car park she stood there trembling and confused. Somehow she had got it all wrong.

‘I’m sorry.’ Yvonne’s voice broke into her confused thoughts. ‘I’ve ruined your night.’

Lila sat down on the planter beside Yvonne. ‘Don’t worry about it. I think it was ruined long ago.’

‘Declan’s going to be furious with me…’

‘If it’s any consolation, he’s furious with me as well. Yvonne, I’m sorry if it’s none of my business, but I really need to know what’s going on. Is there anything between you and Declan? If there is I can only apologise for what happened…’

Yvonne put up a rather unsteady hand. ‘Honestly, there’s nothing to apologise for.’

‘But you did say that you and Declan were an item. If you’ve got some sort of—I don’t know—open relationship…’

‘We don’t have a relationship. Not for the want of trying on my part, though.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘No, you’re not,’ Yvonne said, and some of her earlier venom returned. ‘But I haven’t finished yet. I didn’t come from the other side of the world to be beaten by an ex from eight years ago.’

‘It isn’t a competition,’ Lila reasoned.

‘Isn’t it?’

‘Of course not. And anyway, Declan and I were over years ago.’

‘Good.’ Yvonne stood up as headlights lit up her face. ‘And I intend to keep it that way.’

The hooting of the car prevented Lila from responding, not that there was much that she could have said. Instead, she sat awkwardly in the back of the car after Yvonne jumped like a scalded cat into the front seat. Lila couldn’t have cared less where she sat—the back suited her fine. At least the journey gave her a little time to collect her thoughts. Her heart
was hammering, her mind whirring. Nothing tonight made any sense, but, then, why should it? Since Declan had appeared on the scene she had been spun into utter confusion.

Even when he dropped Yvonne off at the casino, Lila remained in the back, sitting in silence as Declan glided the car through the deserted Melbourne streets.

She was somewhat taken aback when he let her inside his house. Lila cast a look around. It was a classic Melbourne townhouse—beautifully refurbished, polished floorboards lining the hallway and stairs, lead light windows filtering the glow from the lamppost outside.

‘Are you and Yvonne renting together?’ They were the first words she had spoken to him since the bitter exchange outside the hotel.

‘I own it,’ he said curtly. ‘Why do you look so surprised? Were you expecting a students’ dive? Like I told you, I’ve come on a bit since then.’ He climbed down off his high horse. Bragging really wasn’t Declan’s style and Lila knew his tirade would be short-lived. ‘Actually, I own it, along with the bank.’ He managed a sheepish grin. ‘But at least I keep this place tidy.’ Running a hand through his hair for the first time since their paths had crossed again Declan actually appeared uncomfortable.

‘I don’t know about you but I could really use a drink right now. Can I get you one?’

Lila nodded, following him though to the kitchen.

Years might have passed and, yes, they might have changed, but as he opened the fridge and went to pull out a bottle of white wine he immediately closed it again.