Winter Interlude (55 page)

There was a long pause before she asked, “What do you want
?”
He couldn’t miss the note of agitation in the four words.

“Can you let me in?”

“Go away!”

“Come on
,
Kate
, open up
.
I need to talk to you.”

“No
.
Please, just go away
.
I don’t want to talk to you
.”

“You’re not going to listen to what I have to say?” Paul ground out in frustration.

“There’s nothing to say
.
Please leave
.
I don’t want to see you.”

Stilling the urge to hit something, he took a deep breath instead and raked a hand through his hair, trying for patience
.

“I can’t
leave
.
Not without saying what I came to say
.”
Though he’d brought his anger under control, there was no mistaking the steely edge in his voice
.
“I deserve that much, don’t you think?”

Long seconds passed before the latch clicked. Pa
ul released a breath he hadn’t
known he’d been holding
.
He ran up the stairs, taking them two and three at a time
.
At her apartment, he found the door open about an inch
.
He pushed it
open
wider and slipped inside
.

Having never been in her place before, he noticed at once how cozy and inviting the large, open room appeared
.
Kate
sat at a table in front of a big bay window overlooking the street
.
He inched closer until he stood a few feet away, and studied her for a long moment without speaking
.

Kate
looked up and met his eyes, hers flashing anger
.
“Well
?”
Her chin lifted defiantly.

She wasn’t making this any easier
.
He ran a hand through his hair
.
“Like I said, we need to talk.”

“Why
?
What will it change?”

“What can it hurt
?”
He bit back a smile when she crossed her arms and glared, daring him…almost goading him.

“God, you are beautiful,” he whispered
.
“Come here
.”

He reached down to touch her hand and fought harder to restrain the grin breaking free when she leaned away, her expression growing wary
.
With a firm hold, he gently tugged, pulling her out of the chair and into his arms
.
The move caught her off guard and he increased his efforts to soothe her
.
It took only seconds before she relaxed and hugged him back, which told him more than words ever could
.
Paul only wanted to comfort her
.
D
espite her earlier battle-ready stance, he couldn’t stop himself from lowering his head and meeting her lips with his
.
She looked too adorable, too kissable, too irresistible, and he’d wanted her for much too long.

At first
,
she stiffened, but he kept his mouth malleable and begging, waiting her out until she softened and opened for him
.
When she moaned and wrapped her arms around him tighter, bringing him closer, blood pounded in his ears and surged through his system, flooding him with unleashed desire.

Breaking the contact with her lips, Paul spread kisses over her face and eyes
.
When he
neared
her ears, he lingered
.
He caught a whiff of her perfume, the scent reminding him of the last time they’d kissed
.
His fingers slid underneath her sweater, skimming the underside of her breasts
.

Kate
’s
soft
moan permeated
his brain and seep
ed
into his soul, driving his need to the brink.

“Please,
Kate
, let me love you,” Paul whispered in between kisses
.
He lifted his head and his
expression
was pleading
.
He waited, holding his breath, while several emotions played across her features, the biggest one a yearning he connected with
.
He let out a sigh of relief
.
He hadn’t been wrong
.
She did feel what he felt
.
Yet, i
nstead of
giving in to her emotions
, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t.”

~

K
ate
pulled out of Paul’s arms and took a step back
.
Noting his stunned look, she spun around and paced, wringing her hands
.
Her brain refused to function any time he was near
.
Why had she let him in
?
And why had she let him kiss her
?
She was in huge trouble
because all she wanted to do was grab him close and never let him go
.
But she couldn’t
.
He didn’t belong to her.

The knowledge seared her soul like a hot poker
.
The pain brought on tears, and once they started
,
she couldn’t stop them.

Paul reached for her
.
She felt his lips as he kissed her tears
,
following them until they reached her mouth, before working his way back up to her eyes.

“Don’t cry,
Kate
.
Just tell me what’s wrong
.
”
He met her gaze and she heard the teasing in his voice when he added, “And here I thought you liked kissing me.”

She smiled
,
her
eyes
misty
,
and shook her head, too choked up to speak
.

“Then why are you crying?” Paul asked gently.

Kate
couldn’t talk about it yet
.
All she could do was shake her head again
.
The tears continued to fall
.

Paul pulled her closer, and she curled against him
.
For moments, he did nothing but
hold
her and let her cry, stroking her as if she were a cat he was trying to make purr
.

Silence filled the room except for the sound of her sobs
.

After a while, her sobbing ceased
.

Paul’s voice startled her
.
“You’re not going anywhere with Mike tonight.”

“What
?”
She leaned away from him to glance at his expression, not sure she heard him correctly.

“James told me you have a date tonight and I don’t see how you can go through with it after what just happened,” he said, clearly incensed
.

His words and disapproving tone stunned her
.
How dare he condemn her for trying to move on with her life
?
She yanked out of his hold.

“I don’t see how it’s any of your concern who I date
.
Who’re you to tell me what I can and cannot do?”

“I’m the man who just held you while you cried,” Paul ground out, his body stiffening
.
“And I repeat
—
you are not leaving to go out with some other guy before we talk this out.”

Those words had her chin rising another inch, and she
glared
at him
.
“You think a few kisses give you the right to run my life
?
Think again
—
I decide who I date and when I date him
.”
Pointing at the door, she turned away
.
“I think it’s time you left.”

She felt his eyes on her, but she ignored him and put some distance between them.

“
Kate
—
I didn’t come here to fight
.”
He sighed
.
“We need to talk.”

“I think you’ve said enough,” she said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot
.
But her annoyance only seemed to amuse him
.
“I don’t see anything funny,” she huffed.

“I do
.”
His grin widened
.
“I was just wondering how the woman standing in front of me with such self-righteous indignation can be the same one who melted in my arms only moments ago.”

Paying no heed to his suggestive tone, she nodded toward the entrance
.
“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

His bark of laughter filled the room
.
“Damn, even when we’re fighting, I find you fascinating
.”
He muttered under his breath, “Why do I have
a
feeling the challenge of overcoming your objections will be a lifelong battle?”

“What
?”
He had to be
joking,
either that or she’d mistaken his comment.

“Nothing
.”
He smiled smugly, lounged back against the wall, crossing his feet as well as his arms, appearing to make himself more comfortable, which only irritated her more
.