Was that his voice? He sounded as cold as ice. He felt anything but. His collar was too tight. He tugged, but then remembered it was a T-shirt. His run and the momentary calm he'd felt as his feet pounded the sand was long gone.
"I screwed up."
At least Max was admitting it. It was small comfort.
"I need to see you. There's something—"
Valentin let loose an expletive. "No."
"Val, I know we hurt you—"
"Don't call me again."
He hung up the phone with ruthless force. And when it rang instantly, he knew it was Max again.
He took it off the cradle and mashed the switchhook, then released it. If Max called back, he'd get a busy signal. He was already blocked from Valentin's cell phone.
He tossed the receiver onto the desk, ignoring the clatter it made.
He was threading both hands into his hair, elbows above his head, when he realized Crystal was hovering in the doorway.
He let his arms drop to his sides.
She was watching him with unconcealed curiosity. And pity.
He didn't want her pity.
"You'll forget you just witnessed that." He made it an order, channeling his mother more than he'd ever done before.
She ignored him, bending to retrieve her bag from the floor.
"I'm sorry," she said faintly, and slipped out the door.
For what? Sorry she'd taken him on as a client? Sorry she'd witnessed a private moment, witnessed his temper exploding? Or sorry for him?
Because he was a lousy excuse for a human being.
Hoursafter the disastrous meeting with the matchmaker, Valentin was striding down the castle corridor when he nearly ran over his cousin Tirith.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"Me too." Her smile was genuine but muted.
"All right?" he asked. He and Tirith had grown somewhat close in the past few years. Over a year ago, she'd accidentally gotten in an auto accident that had resulted in a little girl's life-altering injuries. Before that, Tirith had been lively and free-spirited. Since then, she'd grown reserved and quiet. He quite missed her fervor for life.
"I'm fine," she said, but the shadows behind her eyes remained. "Are you all right?"
And there was a part of him that wanted to see her old smile. "Mother has hired a matchmaker for me."
"What?" She burst out the word in a single giggle before she remembered herself.
He shrugged. "She thinks it's time I started dating again."
Tirith's gaze was maybe too sharp. "What do you think?"
"I suppose I can't be alone forever." But he wasn't exactly in a hurry to meet someone. "What about you? You haven't dated since Moreno."
"I never really dated Luc."
That wasn't what it had looked like. She'd been close with the man, attending functions and inspiring media speculation as to their relationship status. But when Tirith had desperately needed to hide out for a few days, she'd asked her twin sister to switch places with her. And Moreno had promptly fallen for the Texas twin.
"I'd be more than happy to divert the matchmaker's attention to you."
Tirith laughed, as he'd hoped she would. "Not necessary. And good luck."
He'd need it if he was going to get through this unscathed.
