Sighing softly, he reached over and kissed her cheeks. "I will be heading back to my lonely, if luxurious, hotel room and drowning myself in some very excellent champagne." Lifting her free hand, he kissed the back of it lavishly. "And if he doesn't step up after what I did to make him jealous tonight, then I'm going to insist on you coming home with me."
"It's a deal."
His eloquent dark eyes sparkled. "With a promise like that, I'm half hoping he ignores you." Kissing her again, he rose. "Please stay. I'll let myself out. Get some rest, Cherie," he urged.
She sat there and finished the tea and crackers, before deciding that a warm bath before bed would do the trick.
She had just finished her bath and was on her way to the kitchen to put away the tray when she heard pounding on the front door.
She stood still in the middle of the hallway, her heart racing, because she knew exactly who it was before he announced his presence.
"Open this goddamn door, Thea, or I'm going to break it down."
Taking her time, she went to put away the tray before making her way towards the door.
"Thea! Open the door."
Disengaging the alarm, she unlocked the door and stood in the middle of the doorway. He stood there as if braced to actually kick the door in. His hair was disheveled as if he had dragged his fingers through the thick dark strands numerous times. His jacket was open and his bow tie loose around the white collar of his shirt.
"Is he inside? If he is, I swear to God, I'm going to kill him."
"You're making enough noise to wake the dead." She calmly stepped aside for him to barge in and locked the door behind him.
"Where is that French bastard?" He spun around to stare at her with blazing eyes.
"He left."
"He was here?" He gripped her arms. "Did he touch you?"
"You're hurting me-"
"I'm going to kill him. That bastard-"
"Stop it! You're drunk. Did you actually sit behind a wheel and drive yourself here?"
"I'm not drunk. I'm perfectly sober, sober enough to take him out. How could you let him touch you?" His grimace of pain had her heart turning over. "You said you loved me-"
"And you left! What do you want, Vincent?" She slapped her hands on his chest, shoving him back. "You left when I declared my love for you. And you never called. What the hell do you want from me?"
"Absolution!" he shouted. "I want you to tell me why you never said anything." He shook her. "Why you let me go to another woman and never said anything."
"Because you told me you loved her!" she shouted back. "You said that to me. You told me that you'd met the woman you're going to marry. Oh God! Do you know what that did to me? I wanted to die."
"And I wanted you to say something, to tell me that you wanted me to stay." He shook her again, expression anguished. "I waited for you to say something to me, and you didn't. You let me go."
"I'm sorry." She collapsed against him, the tears spilling from her eyes. "I'm so sorry."
He held himself rigid for a few pulsing seconds, but her nearness, the scent of her, the feel of her body against his, broke him. With a muffled oath, he scooped her into his arms and headed upstairs.
Chapter 14
Setting her down in the middle of the bedroom, he cradled her face between his palms, thumbs wiping at the moisture. Without a word, he bent his head to touch his lips to hers. Althea felt the hot surge of heat building as he brushed his lips backwards and forwards, taking his time, building the desire until she was standing on her toes and wrapping her hand around his neck. He deepened the kiss, his hands like steel bands around her waist, pulling her closer so that she could feel the rigidness of his arousal. His hands wandered restlessly up and down her back, feeling the warmth of her skin seeping through her robe.
He had been so angry when he realized they had left together. But more than that, there had been the stark sense of despair that had him storming from the function, determined to confront her once and for all.
The hollow place inside his chest was not going away. He needed to be with her.
Lifting his mouth from hers, he searched her face, relieved to see that he was not the only one affected by the devouring kiss. Her eyes were bright with passion, and her breath was coming rapidly between her parted lips.
