Toni shook her head, voice even more reserved now. “I’m not kicking you out, Addie, but if you want to be somewhere else…”
Addie shook her head. How had she gone more than a literal decade without being tempted by sex, but seeing Toni for all of a minute made her want to be stripped bare?
“You’re already dressed for dinner, but I’m not. So if you want to go find your room…” Toni gestured toward the door as if it didn’t matter to her what Addie did, and the dismissal stung like a slap.
“Thiswas to be my room, according to Lady Dove. I gave her my name, and she sent me here… unless there are two suites? Why would she direct mehere? To you? Were you expecting me?” Addie felt her cheeks flush at the thought.
Toni stared at her, not quite replying. A slow inviting smile eased over her. “Expecting? No. Hoping? Yes.”
“I liked the flowers,” Addie blurted out. “Both bouquets. I would’ve texted, but…” She shrugged. “I lost your number.”
“Okay.” Toni stared at her. “And my email?”
Addie wasn’t sure what to say to that. She was far too aware that Toni was wearing next to nothing under that robe, and it made Addie’s mind all muddled. Toni’s very presence made Addie’s brain slow to a halt.
After the silence dragged on too long, Addie finally said, “I was busy with the show and didn’t have anything I wanted to say.”
“Right… well, let me dress, and then we can find your room,” Toni said, sounding a lot less friendly again. She was hot and cold, and Addie was over feeling jerked around.
Toni added, “Maybe it wasn’t Lady Dove, and you were sent to the wrong room. We’ll get it sorted out.”
Addie nodded. This awkward stiffness wasn’t what she wanted, but damn it, she was hurt. She needed to think clearly, and that was not working well with Toni standing there beside a rumpled bed.
“Did I do something to upset you?” Toni finally said.
“You left.”
“Job.”
“Leftwithout a word,” Addie amended.
“I tried. Hell, I kissed you goodbye,” Toni admitted.
“Really?” Addie’s voice squeaked slightly on the word.
“Really.” Toni shrugged. “And you said some version of ‘let me sleep, Professor.’”
Addie’s cheeks burned. “Oh.”
“Ah, so that’s what you call me in your fantasies then…?” Toni stepped closer finally, robe gaping open now.
“Maybe.” Addie closed her eyes against the tempting vision in front of her. “You hurt my feelings. Generic note. Another generic note with the flowers. And then back to… closed up in your email.”
“You felt rejected,” Toni summarized.
Addie’s opened her eyes. “Friends aren’t cold. Youwithdrew. I get that you don’t like being vulnerable—”
“I didn’t say tha—”
“Iseeyou, Toni Darbyshire. I see how buttoned-up you are. I watched you withdraw. I watched you close down even after sex.” Addie felt like her voice was going to break. All the pent-up hurt was boiling over. “You don’t get to say we’re friends and be my lover and then talk to me like I don’t matter.No onegets to do that to me.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Toni said.
“But youdid,” Addie countered. “Do better, or stay out of my life.”
“Imissedyou,” Toni admitted, holding Addie’s gaze as she explained, “I wanted to email. I did email, more than once, but I kept getting that out-of-office and…” She made a little growling noise of what Addie surmised was remembered irritation.
“I missed you, too.” Addie caught the edge of Toni’s robe and tugged her even closer.
