Page 45 of Seasons of Sin

To be purged from his mind as she’d purged him from her life.

CHAPTER 10

For the second time in a matter of weeks, Saphire could only stare as another woman moved her hands over a man that she considered herself to be in love with.

This time, the couple weren’t in bed.

They were standing on the sidewalk.

They weren’t making love. Yet it was so much worse. They were laughing, his arm draped casually around her shoulders, his fingers moving with casual familiarity over her bare shoulder.

The woman was stunning.

Supermodel stunning.

Her hair was jet black, her eyes enormous, her skin tanned brown. She was tall and slim with breasts that were almost completely revealed by the scandalously low-cut dress she wore.

All that waiting, waiting and hoping, for this?

Saphire’s cheeks flamed with mortification. Her stomach churned. Her heart broke.

God, he looked good. Her body was thrumming in silent admission of his mastery over her. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch him.

He was too far away.

Saphire swallowed and blinked down at her iPhone. It was almost midnight. And they were returning to his Athens penthouse.

It didn’t take a genius to guess what was next on the agenda.

Saphire groaned silently and stood up straighter. Worse than knowing how easily he’d put her from his mind was the embarrassment of letting him know that she’d witnessed it for herself.

Tears stung her eyes and she didn’t bother wiping them away. It was dark; no one was looking at her.

She spun around and checked in both directions for traffic before stepping onto the road. At that moment, a bus jerked out from a stop and had to slam on its brakes to avoid hitting her. The impatient driver leaned into his horn, his brows beetling at the sight of the slim woman right in the middle of the road.

Thaddeus’s attention was caught by the noise and Saphire turned around at the exact same moment he looked up. Their eyes connected and barbed shock crashed from one to the other. She swore softly and moved quickly off the road, then further down the footpath, away from him. She walked fast; running was beneath her.

“Saphire.” His voice wasn’t raised, but it was commanding enough.

Tears were sliding down her cheeks. She let them fall. One foot in front of the other.

A sob tore through her chest. She swallowed it.

“Saphire.” His hand curled around her arm and he pulled her to face him.

She couldn’t look at him. Her breathing was wretched.

“What are you doing here?” He demanded, refusing to feel pity for her. He hated seeing her cry though. He longed to comfort her. But he wouldn’t, ever again.

“I … what do you think?” She responded, her words watery.

“I have no clue.” He pursed his lips. “I presume my receptionist told you I was not available to see you.”

“Yeah, no, I know.” She swallowed. “I got it. I just thought …”

“What?” His eyes narrowed. “How do you even know where my apartment is?”

Her cheeks flamed. This was going from bad to worse. She no longer felt that she was simply a lover he’d cast aside, but also like a stalker now too.