Pierce smiled but said nothing. Oh, he was tempted to test her. He wanted nothing more. He wanted to test those lips so soft and pink and pliable. He wanted to nibble his way down her neck then down lower to those delicious breasts-
“I’m glad I came on this trip.”
Celine’s words jerked Pierce out of his reverie.
“In spite of the stress?” he asked. Then he said, “Of course, seeing your family makes it worthwhile.”
“Yes, that goes without saying but that’s not I meant.” She gave him a smile, obviously amused when he frowned at her in confusion. “I’m glad I got to see Giles again.”
Pierce felt like she’d kicked him in the stomach. Now what the hell kind of game was she playing? Hadn’t she just said that she didn’t want to talk to him?
“I’m glad because all this time I’ve been blaming myself for our break up. I’ve been so wracked with guilt that half of the time I couldn’t stand myself.”
Pierce gave her a sharp look. What was she talking about now? She was like a pendulum that kept swinging from one confusing side to the other. “Okay, I can see this is going to take some explaining because right now you have me confused as hell. “What say we drop off this meat in the kitchen and head down to the stream?”
She seemed to like that idea. She was smiling as they walked up the pathway to the house and her step was light. It looked like she dropped a ton of troubles off her shoulders.
Pierce couldn’t wait to get down to the stream to hear what Celine had to say. She was the most baffling woman he’d ever met. A soon as he got there he flopped down in the grass. “Now put me out of my misery,” he said, looking up at her as she stood above him in her sexy pink halter top and even sexier skinny jeans. “Spill it.”
She dropped into the grass beside him and wrapped her arms around her legs then dropped her chin on her knees. It seemed to be a favorite position of hers. “What I was saying was, I don’t feel guilty anymore. For the first time I feel as if I’ve been set free.”
“And what, pray tell, were you feeling guilty about?” Pierce pulled up a blade of grass and used it to tickle her shoulder.
She laughed and shrugged it off. Then her laughter died away and a more serious look settled on her face. “I’ve never shared this with anyone but somehow I feel as if I can trust you.” She turned her face away and looked out at the water.
That statement got his attention. He wiped the grin off his face and sat up, the better to give her one hundred percent of his attention.
“Giles and I were in a relationship for all of senior year in college and throughout a whole year of graduate school. During that time he’d asked me…many times if we could…make love. I told him no. I wanted to wait till marriage.”
Pierce frowned, almost not believing what he was hearing. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?
“When he got Amelie pregnant I was devastated. I was hurt and confused but I also felt it was all my fault. Maybe if I hadn’t denied him he would still be with me, maybe even be my husband right now.” She turned to Pierce, her eyes earnest. “But you know what? It wasn’t until this trip back home that I realize what a jerk he really is. I’m glad he didn’t wait for me.’
For a moment Pierce was silent, letting it all sink in. So what she was saying was, for the whole two years of her relationship with this man she’d remained a virgin? In the twenty-first century? Was that even possible?
He shook his head knowing that he was the one being the jerk right now. Good thing he wasn’t stupid enough to blurt his thoughts out loud.
“So what was it that made you realize he’s a jerk? You’ve known him for years.”
“Pierce, do you know what that man said to me? When I asked why he wanted me back, why he hadn’t stayed with his wife, he said he’d never wanted her in the first place. He’d only married her because he got her pregnant.”
Pierce nodded. That was a stupid and insensitive thing to say. Still, he wouldn’t be the first man who said something like that. Lots of men got women pregnant and married them just to save face. There had to be something more to make Celine so incensed.
“And when I asked him about his son, the poor little one caught in the middle of this, he said he can always get other children. He wants to have children with me.” Eyes flashing with outrage she released her legs and stood up, apparently too agitated to stay still. “I couldn’t believe he would say something like that. If he can talk like that about his own flesh and blood can you imagine what he’d do with me when he got tired of having me around? The pig.” She spat the words out, not hiding her disgust.