"You're prevaricating," he warned. "And you keep forgetting that I know you. What?"
"It's in awfully bad taste for me to bring it up, so let's drop it."
"Too late," he told her grimly. "Spill."
"Okay, fine!" Throwing up her hands, she turned to the fridge to take out a frosting she had made earlier to allow it to warm up. "He's very good in bed."
She had her back turned, so did not notice that he had gone perfectly still and his hands were clenching on the sides of the cup. He shouldn't care one way or the other that she was rating her ex-lover. She was just a friend, damn it! But the feeling in his gut was the fierceness of jealousy, which he had no right to.
"I see. If that was the case, why did you leave him or is he coming after you?"
She turned then and could have crowed in delight. It had worked.
"He might." She shrugged carelessly.
"To pick up where he left off?"
"Possibly. Would you like some more-" She gasped when he reached over to grip her hand.
"Were there others?" he asked harshly, fingers digging into her skin. "The Thea I knew was determined to save herself for the man she loved. That has changed significantly."
Yes! She wanted to shout at him. I was saving myself for you and you rejected me.
"I decided that was just some fantasy I made up in my mind." Tugging her hand free, she started slicing more cake. "I want you to take some home for David."
"I apologize," he told her stiffly, rising. "I had no right-"
"No, you did not."
He nodded curtly. "It won't happen again."
"Vincent-"
"I have to go."
"Please take this." She shoved the bakery bag at him and he took it reluctantly.
"See you around."
"Vincent-" She followed him to the door. "Will you please stop!"
"What?" he asked stiffly, turning to face her.
"We were friends," she began.
"Which certainly does not give me the right to delve into your personal life. That was unforgivable."
She laid a hand on his arm as he turned to leave again. "Is this what you want for us? To be strangers?"
"We cannot go back."
"No. We can only go forward, and I certainly do not want us to be enemies." Without thinking, she went on her toes to cup hisface. His skin was roughened by the hairs he had not bothered to shave. They stood there as if frozen in space, just staring at each other. Her nearness was making him dizzy and unhinging him.
"Thea." His voice was husky with emotions churning inside him. Ones he did not dare put a name to. "Thea." His hand lifted slowly to touch her cheek and found the softness of her skin very appealing. Her lips were bare and incredibly inviting. And the urge to kiss them was so fierce that he felt it to his very bones.
"No." He dropped his hand, his eyes shadowed. "Oh, dear Christ, no!" Before she could make a move, he went tearing out of the hallway, practically wrenching the door from the hinges.
Althea knew better than to run after him. She had made headway and was going to leave it at that for now.
