“Well…yes.” Of course that’s what she had expected. What man wouldn’t enjoy free, no-strings-attached sex?
“Sorry to disappoint,” he muttered, then tipped her chin up so that their gazes locked. “I want to know the real reason behind this.”
“Rafe…”
“It’s him, isn’t it? The mysterious member of the King family.”
Katie scowled at him, pulled free and scooted off his lap all at once. “If it is, that’s my business.”
“You just made it my business too, Katie. I’m getting the heave-ho because of this guy. The least you can do is tell me why.”
“Because I trusted him, okay?” She blurted it out before she could stop herself and once the words started coming, there was no stopping them. “I thought I was in love with him. I thought he loved me. He was sweet and thoughtful and funny.”
“And rich,” Rafe muttered darkly. “Don’t forget rich.”
“Okay, yes, he was,” she said. “But that’s not why I fell in love with him. In fact, it’s why it didn’t work out in the end.”
“What?”
Shaking her head, she pushed out of bed, walked to the connected bathroom and stepped inside. There she grabbed her bathrobe and pulled it on. When it was tied securely around her waist, she felt a little less vulnerable. Though the look in his eyes told her he wouldn’t be leaving until he knew all of it. So she would be vulnerable anyway, she told herself. At least emotionally.
“Fine,” she said at last. “You want the sad truth? He dropped me because we were too ‘different.’ Because I wasn’t good enough. According to him our worlds were too far apart. Bottom line? Rich guy didn’t want poor girl. Big surprise. There, happy now? Feel better getting all of my little humiliations up front?”
He simply stared at her. “Not good enough? Who the hell is he to say that about anybody?”
Unexpectedly, Katie smiled, despite the rawness of her feelings at the moment. His outrage on her behalf took a little of the sting out of her memories.
“He’s a King,” she said with a shrug she didn’t quite feel. “Masters of the known universe. Just ask anyone. Heck, ask the guys you work with. They’ve probably got stories and complaints about the great King family.”
He scowled at her. “Actually, the guys like working for King Construction. Haven’t heard a word against them.”
“Probably out of fear of losing their jobs,” she muttered. On the other hand, maybe working for the King family was entirely different from trying to date one of them.
Frowning, he asked, “Who is he? Which King, I mean? Tell me who he is and I’ll go punch him in the nose for you.”
A surprised laugh shot from her throat and Katie was grateful for it. “Still my hero?”
“If you need one.”
Tempting, she thought. He wasn’t running for the hills. Maybe he was actually interested in her for more than a fleeting encounter. All she really had to do to find out was trust herself. Trust Rafe. She’d like to, Katie realized. But apparently she just wasn’t ready.
Shaking her head, she said, “No, but thanks. I think I have to be my own hero first.”
“So you want to punch him in the nose?”
She laughed louder. “Oh, I did, about six months ago. But I’m over it. I’m over him.”
“No,” he said, “you’re not.”
“Excuse me?”
He got out of bed and pulled on his jeans. “If you were over him, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We’d still be in bed, doing what we’re obviously so good at.”
Her amusement died in a flash. “This isn’t about him. This is about me. It’s about us.”
He snorted and tugged on his boots. Then he grabbed his shirt off the floor, shrugged into it and stalked across the floor toward her. He stopped dead within arm’s reach and then grabbed her, tugging her tightly to him. “You just told me there is no us, Katie, so get your stories straight.”
“Let me go.”
He did, but frustration simmered in the air around him. Shoving one hand through his hair, he grumbled, “What do you care what a King had to say anyway? Didn’t that prove to you the man was an ass?”
“Don’t you get it? I thought he was Prince Charming. Turned out he was a frog. But I never saw it.” She threw both hands high and let them fall to her sides again. “How can I even trust my own judgment if I was that far off to begin with?”
“You’re letting him win, Katie,” he told her, bending over her, until their noses were practically brushing against each other. “By doubting yourself, you’re giving that guy power he doesn’t deserve.”
“Maybe,” she admitted. “But I’m not ready to make another mistake yet.”
“What makes you so sure I’m a mistake?”
“I’m not sure,” she told him quietly. “That’s the problem.”
He eased back a little, laid his hands on her shoulders and slowly drew them up until he held her face between his palms. His gaze was locked on her and Katie could have sworn his eyes were blue enough to drown in.
“You’ll miss me.”
“I know.”
“I’m not going away,” he said. “You’ll see me every day.”
“I know that, too.”
Bending down, he kissed her, gently at first and then as the moments ticked past, the kiss deepened until Katie felt as though the ends of her hair were on fire. Finally though, Rafe pulled back to look at her again.
“Tonight isn’t the end, Katie. It’s just the beginning.”
Before she could argue with him, he turned and walked out of the room.
When he got home, he placed a call.
“Sean?” he said when his brother answered. “Did you get hold of Garrett?”
“No can do,” Sean said. “He’s in Ireland and he’s not answering his phone.”
“Ireland?” Rafe repeated. “What’s he doing over there?”
“Exactly the question I asked his twin. Griffin says Jefferson had some problems with a thief in his European company and Garrett went to investigate it.”
Great timing, Rafe thought in disgust. Jefferson King, one of their many cousins, lived with his Irish wife on a sheep farm in County Mayo. Hard to believe that Jefferson, Mr. Hollywood Mogul, was happy out in the boonies, but he was. And if Jeff had a problem, then there was no telling when Garrett might come back home. To the Kings, Family comes first was the unofficial motto. So Garrett wouldn’t leave Ireland until he’d turned the country upside down to find the answers Jeff wanted.