‘So how are we going to play this?’ Raffaele murmured silkily. ‘Heads down until five thirty and then we go our separate ways and meet up at an agreed time at my place?’
‘Since when have you ever left this office at five thirty?’
‘Since when have I ever had an irresistible and compelling reason to?’
‘Wait, is that another compliment, Raffaele?’
‘Now that you mention it, I do believe it is. I’m very tempted to lock the outside door and make love to you right now on my desk.’
‘Raffaele…’ She drew in a deep, steadying breath and edged her chair a couple of inches back. ‘I’m not actually here because I couldn’t bear the thought of being apart from you for a week and a half.’
‘No?’ But his smile told her that he wasn’t fully convinced.
She rummaged in her bag and pulled out the envelope.
‘What’s that?’ He frowned but didn’t actually take it from her.
‘An old-fashioned method of communication,’ she said, buying time. ‘Only just a little more advanced than carrier pigeon.’ She cleared her throat and stared at the envelope. ‘Raffaele, it’s my letter of resignation.’
The silence settled between them like lead. She watched his expression turn from amusement to disbelief to shock.
Erin had known what lay ahead and she had made sure to enjoy every second of the time she had left with him. Their love-making had been intense…hot…incomparable. Once or twice, in the throes of passion, she had come so close to telling him how she felt about him but she had held her tongue.
Her dignity was important to her. She had already revealed so much of herself to him but that last secret would be hers to hold close to her chest forever.
‘Are you going to take it?’ she asked.
‘No.’
‘What do you meanno?’
‘You’re not going to resign. I can scarcely believe I’m hearing this at all!’
He leapt to his feet and strode to the huge bank of floor-to-ceiling windows that dominated his massive office. For a few seconds she stared through him, his body taut with tension, then he spun around and looked at her narrowly.
‘What’s happened?’ he demanded. ‘What’s changed? No, don’t tell me. You’ve told your parents everything and they insisted that you keep your distance. Is that it?’
‘I’m not following you, Raffaele.’
‘It’s easy enough!’ He raked his fingers through his hair and smiled grimly. ‘Your parents want the best for you. You’ve told me often enough how attached you are to them, how anxious they were when you broke up with that creep years ago. I expect you told them that you were involved with someone who wasn’t into walking up the aisle anytime soon and they promptly told you that the best thing you could do would be to walk away. Did you tell them about the deal we had? The promotion? Did you mention the fun we have together?Did you bother to make the point that having fun is a pretty damn important part of being alive?’
‘Raffaele…’
‘Let me meet them. I’ll talk to them. I’ll convince them that what we have is good for you!’
Was that desperation Raffaele heard in his own voice? Was this him? Were these his insides tearing to shreds at the thought that she was leaving him?
The last thing he’d expected was for Erin to walk away. After his generous offer, after the promotion of a lifetime, after establishing that they still wanted one another.
Especially after those last few days they’d spent together.
Magical.
Just when, hell, he’d begun to see those nuances…begun to feel things he’d never thought he was capable of feeling.
No! The thought of his own weakness was enough to have him balling his hands into impotent fists. Herefusedto lose control,to lose perspective.
‘No! Raffaele, I haven’t told my parents about us although I’m pretty sure you’re right. I’m pretty sure they’d be horrified. I’m leaving because what we had was great and it was fun but I want to move on with my life and that life doesn’t have you in it. If I stay here, having this fling with you, I’m going to soon start thinking that I’m wasting my time.’
