High-Powered, Hot-Blooded(22)

"You're not giving up on Mr. Right, are you?" he asked.

"No. I'll find him." She leaned against his shoulder again. "I want to  be married and have a family. I want to grow old with my husband, to be  friends and lovers. I want to take care of him and have him take care of  me. Which is all too traditional for you, huh?"

"I know how you enjoy your traditions."

"You don't believe in them."

"I got a tree. That's traditional."

"At least it's a start."

He sensed she needed more-needed him to make some kind of a promise. But  he couldn't. He'd tried that once-trusting a woman with his heart.

Annie couldn't be more different than his ex. If he'd met Annie first …   But he hadn't. And being what she needed, what she deserved, was  impossible. He hoped she understood that. Nothing about their deal had  changed. When it was over, he would walk away-and he wouldn't offer to  be just friends.

"Why are you walking like that?" Duncan asked. "Relax."

"I can't," Annie whispered, trying to look casual, but barely able to breathe.

It wasn't the fitted evening gown that was constricting her breathing,  or the four-inch heels that altered her walk. Instead it was the weight  of the necklace and earrings. Not their physical weight so much as their  value.



She fingered the large diamond pendant hanging several inches below her  throat. She didn't know much about fancy jewelry, but this was the  biggest stone she'd ever seen. There were smaller diamonds leading to  the platinum chain that held the piece securely around her throat.  Matching earrings dangled in her upswept hair.

The jewelry ensemble had been delivered by a burly guard who had made  Duncan sign several official-looking documents before he'd handed over  the velvet cases containing the treasures.

"You're insured, right?" she asked quietly. "If someone attacks me or a clasp breaks."

Duncan sighed. "I arranged for the jewelry because I thought you'd enjoy the pieces. I didn't mean for you to be nervous."

Probably true, she thought. A sweet gesture and one she really  appreciated. Or she would, just as soon as she got over the burning need  to vomit.

"Tell me they're not worth a million dollars and I'll relax."

He winked. "They're not worth a million dollars."

That was too easy. "You're lying."

"Me? How can you say that?"

Better not to know, she told herself as they walked into the elegant  hotel ballroom. Fine. She would wear the borrowed jewelry and be excited  that Duncan had wanted to make her happy. His actions were thoughtful  and sweet. Once she got past the need to throw up, she would feel all  quivery inside.

The party was large, with at least two hundred people milling about and  talking. As a rule Annie didn't drink at any of the cocktail parties,  but she might give in and have a glass of wine. With a crowd this big,  no one would be having anything close to a serious conversation and she  wouldn't be expected to do much more than smile and nod. Which meant her  chances of messing up were that much less.

Besides, a little wine would make the idea of wearing all those diamonds more fun than terrifying.

As they moved through the crowd, Duncan kept her close. He held her hand  in his, guiding them through the crush at the entrance. She saw an open  area to her left.

"There's dancing," she said.

"I thought dancing with me made you nervous."

"Not anymore."

Their eyes locked. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she was  remembering the last time they'd made love. When he'd made her feel  things she hadn't known were possible and she accepted the fact that she  was in love with him. No maybe, no almost. Just totally and completely  in love with Duncan.

Fire flared in his gaze. She felt an answering heat in her belly.

"We don't have to stay long," he told her.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice teasing. "I was thinking we'd be here at least three or four hours."

He drew her close. "Fifteen minutes, tops. Or we could get a room in the hotel. The suites have jetted tubs."         

     



 

"And you know this how?"

"Duncan?"

The person speaking his name had a low, sexy voice-the kind that  belonged on radio. Annie turned and saw an incredibly tall, beautiful  woman in a sexy black dress standing next to them. The woman smiled  warmly, her blue eyes sparkling with delight.

"I was hoping to see you here," she said in her throaty voice. "I've missed you so much."

Duncan stiffened. Annie felt the tension fill his body as he turned toward the woman. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The smile never wavered. "I came to see you, Duncan." The woman glanced  at Annie. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

He hesitated, then released Annie's hand. "Annie, this is Valentina. My ex-wife."





Ten


After convincing Annie to give him a few minutes, Duncan stood in the  private alcove off the main ballroom, his arms folded across his chest,  watching the woman he'd once wanted to spend the rest of his life with.  Valentina stood completely still, gazing at him, a smile tugging at the  corners of her lips.

"You look good," she said. "Time is such a bitch-always nicer to the men than the women."

"Why are you here?" he asked bluntly. "And spare me the bullshit."

The smile broadened. "There's no one quite like you, Duncan. My mistake was in thinking I could replace you."

"You mean do better? That was the point, wasn't it? Move up the food chain."

"Well, I suppose. I remarried, if that's what you're really asking. Eric  was charming, easy to get along with." She wrinkled her nose. "Boring. I  thought being rich was the most important thing in the world. I thought  it gave me power and made me feel safe. I was wrong."

"Thanks for the update," he said. "I need to get back to the party."

"Wait, Duncan. Aren't you even a little happy to see me?"

He stared into her catlike eyes, then dropped his gaze to the full mouth  that had known how to take him from zero to sixty in less than a  minute.

When she'd first left, he'd been devastated. He'd retreated into anger,  had vowed revenge, had understood the primal fury of a man longing to  lock up the woman he loved. To keep her from the world. When the anger  had ceased to burn quite as brightly, humiliation had joined rage. The  knowledge that she had betrayed him, that he had been a fool, had kept  him up nights.

He'd loved her. She had promised him everything he'd ever wanted and  he'd believed her. That she would love him forever, that they would  always be together. That he was the one.

Over time he'd accepted that he had been a means to an end. He'd looked  back on their relationship and had seen her for what she was. The anger  had faded, the wounds healed. A few days after she'd left, his uncle had  told him that the opposite of love wasn't hate-it was indifference.  Now, staring at the woman he'd once married, he knew that to be true.

"You don't matter enough for me to have any emotion on the subject," he said.

"Wow. Talk about honest. So you didn't miss me at all?"

He thought about those long nights when he'd lain awake, staring at the  ceiling. He would have sold his soul for her return. Good thing the  devil had been busy making deals with other people at the time.

"I loved you," he told her. "Having you leave hurt like a son of a  bitch. So what? That was three years ago, Valentina. I've moved on."

"I wish I could say the same, but I haven't. I know I was wrong and I  know I'll have to earn back your trust. That's why I'm here. I still  love you, Duncan. I never stopped. I want us to have a second chance."

He heard the words, let them sink into his skin, then waited. Was there  any part of him interested? Did a fiber or a cell long to be with her  again? Were old scars still tender?

No, he thought with relief. There was nothing. Not a hint of longing or  curiosity. She was nothing more than someone he used to know.

He started for the door. "Sorry. Not interested."

Annie sat next to Duncan in his car. After he'd gone off with Valentina,  she'd circled the ballroom, smiling at anyone who had made contact with  her. He'd returned to her side about ten minutes later and had said  they should leave.



So much for the romantic night in the hotel room, she thought sadly.

Duncan hadn't spoken while they'd waited for the valet to bring around  his car. Now, aware that he was driving to her place rather than his,  she resigned herself to a very brief ending to their evening. If the  girls weren't home, they would be shortly. Inviting him in wouldn't give  them any time alone. She carefully removed the earrings, then the  necklace and passed both back to him.         

     



 

"Thank you for letting me wear these tonight."

He took them and dropped them into his suit-jacket pocket. "You're  welcome. I'm sorry we didn't stay longer. After Valentina showed up … " He  tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "She's back to make trouble."