Kristen abruptly frowned, her eyes searching Madison’s pale face. “You told me—”
“I know what I said.” Madison heaved a resigned sigh. “But I think I must have been in denial.”
Silence.
At last, Kristen cleared her throat. “Denial?”
“I wanted to believe I hated him.” Madison gave a helpless lift of her hands. “It was certainly better than accepting I couldn’t grow past my childish, schoolgirl crush.”
“What are you going to do?”
It was the first question that Madison had no trouble answering. She’d made her decision during the long hours of staring at the ceiling.
“I’m going to my appointment then I’m returning to New York as I planned.”
Kristen looked like she’d just been slapped. “Going back to New York?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t.”
Madison blinked in surprise. She’d expected sympathy from her friend, not an adamant rejection of her plan.
“Why not?”
“Because you have to talk to Luc,” Kristen said.
Madison slid off her stool, her brows furrowed as she glared at her companion. “Have you gone insane? He’s the last person I want to see.”
“But…” Kristen looked as if she wanted to give Madison a good kick in the ass. “If you still love him then you have to see if this could work.”
Madison was shaking her head before Kristen finished speaking.
A part of her desperately wanted to stay. Just to be near Luc.
Then she realized just how sad and pathetic that would be.
Spending her days hoping to catch some glimpse of Luc, while he was constantly chasing another woman.
She shuddered.
“I can’t.”
“How do you know?” Kristen pressed.
“Because he’s Luc Angeli.”
“And?”
Madison wondered if her friend was being deliberately obtuse. She knew as well as Madison that staying in Vegas would offer her nothing more than heartache.
“And he’s not forever-after material,” she muttered in exasperation.
Kristen shrugged. “Who says?”
“I do.”
The indigo eyes narrowed. “Only because you’re a coward.”
Madison flinched at the accusation. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Kristen moved to stand directly in front of Madison, her expression unrepentant.
“You love Luc, but you’re too afraid of another rejection to give him a chance.”
Madison reached for her purse.
This had nothing to do with courage, she silently reassured herself.
Hadn’t she proved she could face whatever life could throw at her? That she could overcome any challenge and come out on top?
She was just smart enough to avoid repeating her mistakes.
“I’m late,” she muttered, turning to head for the door.
“Maddy,” Kristen called from behind her. “Dammit, I’m not going to let you throw away a chance at happiness.”
***
Luc had broken all speed limits to get to the remote parking lot near Red Rocks. There was a shop on the other side of the lot, but he’d deliberately tucked his Jag behind a large rock formation at the back.
He didn’t know why he was there.
No, that wasn’t true.
He’d already been headed to Kristen’s condo when she’d texted him with the info that Madison was going to be at this location and that he needed to be here to meet her.
But he didn’t have any idea why Madison would be traveling to this desolate spot.
And right now, he didn’t give a shit.
Nothing mattered but having the opportunity to speak with her before she left town.
Climbing out of his car, he impatiently glanced at the expensive watch wrapped around his wrist.
Dammit. He’d been so pissed when Madison had left the hotel last night that he’d drunk the entire bottle of champagne that’d arrived only moments after her dramatic departure.
The expensive wine had helped to dull his outrage at her claim that she’d used him as some sort of sexual purge. But as his anger had cooled, he deeply regretted having consumed so much alcohol.
He knew damned well and good that Madison hadn’t sought him out just for revenge.
It simply wasn’t her nature.
She had to have some lingering love for him, even if she refused to admit it.
Unfortunately, he’d been on the wrong side of tipsy from the champagne, and was forced to sober up before he could go in pursuit. A man didn’t try to convince the woman of his dreams to give him a second chance while he was drunk.
So he’d done his best to sleep off his uncharacteristic overindulgence before returning to his home to shower and shave, swiftly changing into a pair of well-worn jeans and T-shirt before heading to out to find Madison.
Now he awaited her arrival with a growing frustration.
Was it possible that Kristen had sent him to the middle of nowhere so Madison had time to escape him?
It was exactly the sort of plot the devious young lawyer would concoct.
Especially if Kristen thought he intended to hurt her friend…
The sound of an approaching car broke into his dark brooding and Luc backed into the shadows of the rocks, watching the silver sedan pull into the lot.
A grim smile touched his lips as he caught sight of the dark-haired beauty seated behind the steering wheel of the rental car.
Madison.
Angling to avoid being seen in her rearview mirror, Luc jogged across the lot, swiftly reaching the car. Then, with a yank on the handle, he had the door open and was sliding into the passenger seat.
“Morning, Maddy.”
There was a feminine screech as Madison jerked her head to the side to watch him slam the door shut, her hand pressed to the center of her chest.
“Good god, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” she rasped, her eyes narrowing as suspicion replaced her initial fear. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He slid an appreciative glance over her slender body before returning to her furious face. Even in jeans and no makeup she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, but there was no mistaking the shadows beneath her glorious eyes and the pallor of her skin.
A part of him was instantly concerned by the signs of a sleepless night, while a much larger part of him felt a stab of hope.
Surely a woman who’d accomplished her mission would have slept soundly?
“Weird,” he drawled, holding her wary gaze. “That’s the precise question I was about to ask you.”