His hand shot out, halting her flight. “Not so fast, honey. We need to talk. When you finish working I’ll be waiting. Over there.” He jerked his chin toward an empty booth by the window. Without another word he released her and walked away.
For a second Erin could only stare. The nerve of him. We need to talk? About what? Apart from one night of mind-blowing sex there was nothing that existed between them. Absolutely nothing for them to talk about. And then she remembered. The baby. How in the name of heaven had he found out about the baby? That had to be the reason why he’d suddenly stomped back into her life. And what was he planning to do about it?
She gasped as a thought flashed into her mind. Had he come to demand that she terminate her pregnancy?
Blindly, she stumbled into the kitchen and leaned against the counter to catch her breath.
“Hey, are you alright?” Mildred, the sous chef, approached her, a look of concern on her face. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”
“N…no. I’m fine,” she whispered then sucked in a deep breath. Come on, Erin. You’re stronger than this. She lifted her head and gave Mildred a smile. “It just got a bit too hot out there. I’m okay now. Are any trays ready?”
Mildred pointed to a tray laden with cups and a pot of coffee. “Table sixteen.” She shook her head. “Thank God the day is almost over.”
Those last thirty minutes of her workday were the hardest of her life. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Dare sitting in the far booth, a glass and a bottle of wine in front of him. She’d moved with feigned ease, serving the customers, chatting with them and laughing where appropriate. But she could feel Dare’s eyes burning into her. As discreetly as she could she slipped a paper napkin into her hand and turned away to dab at the perspiration beading her brow. She would never let him see her sweat.
As it neared ten o’clock Erin sidled into the kitchen then headed for the changing room. Moving swiftly, she shed her uniform and donned her street clothes then grabbed her purse. Tonight she would not leave through the front door as she normally did. She almost giggled as she thought of Dare waiting patiently for her return. He’d have a long wait.
She bid her farewell and slipped out the back door that led into a dingy alleyway then she hurried up the path and out to the main road where she took off, walking at a brisk pace.
She heard the purr of an engine and looked up just in time to see an ink-black Mercedes Benz convertible pull up beside her.
“Get in.” Dare was scowling at her and his tone brooked no argument.
“I…don’t need a ride,” she said, clutching her purse tightly to her chest. “I’m fine.”
She was backing away when his voice, clipped and cold, stopped her. “Don’t make me come get you. I’ll lift you up and throw you in here if I have to.”
Erin froze. Then she slowly approached the car. He would do it. She could see it in his eyes. This time, she knew, it was best to give in. With a sigh she pulled the door open and slipped into the passenger seat.
She hadn’t even settled in before he took off down the road, making her whip around to stare at him. “Where are you taking me?” she demanded.
“Home.”
“But…you don’t even know where I live.”
He didn’t even bother to respond. That was all the answer she needed. He did know. Was he having her watched? Had he been spying on her ever since she’d returned to Canada? Erin’s heart pounded at the thought. He knew she was pregnant. He knew where she lived. What else did he know about her? Did he know about her past, too?
That thought was sobering, so much so that it left her at a loss for words. She’d meant to blast him with her rage, demand an explanation, but she could not. She was too worried about how much he knew.
Within minutes Dare was pulling into the visitors’ parking area in front of Erin’s apartment building. He switched off the engine and turned toward her. “Let’s go,” he said. “We need to talk.”
Erin did not even bother to object. Before he could move to get the door she climbed out of the car and marched toward the entrance. If he had to run to catch up with her then it would serve him right.
Unfortunately for her, he didn’t need to. Within seconds his long strides had him by her side so that by the time she got to the entrance it was he who held the door open for her. They crossed the lobby then rode the elevator in silence. Deliberately, she kept her eyes averted, breathing slowly, trying her best to calm her nerves. It was not an easy task, not when she was so close she could breathe in the masculine fragrance of his cologne. There was no way on earth she could ignore the fact that he was there, mere inches away from her. The shallowness of her breathing, the tautness of her ni**les in her bra, were evidence of the effect he was having on her.
As soon as the elevator door opened Erin was out and away, eager to put distance between them. Her physical attraction was too strong, too disturbing. She had to regain control.
When he strode up behind her she was still at the door fiddling with her keys, her palms slippery with perspiration.
Calmly he reached out and plucked them from her hand, selected the correct one and opened the door. Then with a mocking smile he dropped the keys back into her hand. When they stepped inside the apartment a wave of embarrassment swept over her. Dare was obviously a man of wealth. He'd said something about being a billionaire. She seriously doubted that but she was sure he had some money. He carried himself like a man of means. What would he think of her home, so sparsely furnished that the living room didn’t even have a sofa? She’d been meaning to get one since moving in but that had been almost two years ago. Now, under the present circumstances, the chances of acquiring that piece of furniture were slim to nil.
At least she had the essentials - a bed to sleep on and a chest of drawers for her few pieces of clothing. And at least she could offer him a seat. In the living room cum dining room were a small table and two chairs. It wouldn’t make for comfortable sitting but maybe that was a good thing. Making him comfortable was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted him to state his business then get the heck out of her apartment and her life.