Whether she liked it or not, on some deep level she trusted Cain. Otherwise, she never would have allowed him to either bind her or blindfold her, and neither would she have given him complete access to her body. She had surrendered to him totally, emotionally and physically. Katie knew that she would only commit such a daring act for a man she loved.
Cain, on the other hand, seemed determined to keep her at a distance. The way he hid half his face from her in the light told her he didn’t quite trust her. Tears came to her eyes when she recalled the way he had kept her from touching his bare skin. At this point she didn’t know if it was because of some deformity or if he just didn’t like to be touched. Either way, it hurt her. And the way he’d had his driver take her home, rather than taking her himself, had left her feeling unsure about the whole basis of their relationship. So far, she had done all the giving.
It wasn’t that she’d hadn’t talked to Cain since. No, quite the opposite in fact. That very evening when she’d stumbled home from work, he’d called her from wherever he was and he’d phoned her every evening since. He was interested in everything she did and asked her about her painting and about work at the coffee shop. It had taken her several nights to catch on to the fact that he never talked about himself.
All he would say was that he was away on business, but never once did he tell her exactly what he did. “I buy and sell things. Stocks, bonds, property, companies, and anything else I choose,” he’d told her when she pressed. Then he’d changed the subject, making it clear that he had said all he was going to.
She asked him if he’d ever bought a building, hoping he could give her some advice to pass on to Lucas. So Katie had explained all about the building being sold and about Lucas having to find a new location. She poured out all her fears about what could happen to Lucas and to her job.
He listened quietly until she had finished and then answered her in the coldest voice she’d ever heard from him. “It’s just the way business is done. The buyer is actually being very generous by letting the lease run until the end instead of just buying it out and evicting him from the premises.” She still got shivers thinking about how remote and unreachable he’d seemed at that moment.
“That’s exactly what Lucas said,” she muttered into the receiver.
“Lucas understands that this is just business. It’s not personal.” Cain quickly ended the conversation and hung up, leaving Katie feeling even more disheartened.
Cain always seemed distracted and remote when he called. Lying in bed, thinking about their evening chats, it occurred to Katie that Cain had never told her if he was away on personal business or just regular business. She had just assumed it had something to do with his work because he never talked about his personal life. It disturbed her to know that she didn’t even know if he had brothers or sisters or if his parents were still alive. He, on the other hand, knew about Lucas and about the death of her grandmother.
Cain had sent her four dozen roses and a note promising her a real dinner when he returned, but that was cold comfort for Katie. What she really wanted was for him to talk to her and to share some of the details of his life with her.
As much as she cared for him, Katie knew she needed more or her love would quickly shrivel and become resentment and hurt feelings. They would have to talk when he came back. She shivered in dread at the thought of Cain turning remote and cold as he dismissed her questions. If he decided not to talk, no force on earth would make him.
To take her mind off her troubles, she did what she’d always done. Katie painted. This latest picture of Cain showed him standing among the lush green of the rooftop garden. The table was set the same romantic way it had been the night she’d gone to his apartment. Lights twinkled merrily and the fountain trickled in the garden, Cain was half in and half out of the light. Part of him was buried in the shadows of the dense foliage while the patio lights illuminated the other half.
He looked strong and handsome in the painting and she had captured the intensity of his stare as he extended a large, sturdy hand to an unseen guest. Katie wasn’t sure if he was entreating her to join him in the darkness or asking her help in pulling him from the darkness. She feared it was the former, but hoped it was the latter.
The completed painting joined the other two in the series and now the three of them were propped side by side against the wall. One scene flowed effortlessly into the next telling a story.
Now a blank canvas sat on her easel awaiting the final painting in the tale. Katie didn’t know if the painting would be one of light or dark. Would Cain pull her completely into his dark world? Would she be able to coax him into the light? Or would they be destined to exist in that nether world half in and half out of the light? That was up to Cain. She felt that he had strong feelings towards her, and she desperately hoped her instincts were correct.
Thank heavens it was Thursday. Cain had been gone for just over a week and was due back tomorrow. He hadn’t been sure what time he’d be home, but when they’d talked last night, he’d promised to call her. Whatever business was occupying him was not good. He’d been distracted every night he’d called and had been more terse than not. There had been no more playful bouts of phone sex, but she had done her best to lighten their phone calls by sharing bits and pieces of her day with him. In truth, he genuinely seemed to enjoy that part of their conversations.
Katie walked to work, enjoying the brisk morning air. The streets were coming alive as she left the apartment. Other people, like herself, who had to work early, had already started their day. The newsstand was opening as she passed by and she greeted Mr. Jenkins, the owner, as she strolled by. She smiled at woman who was rushing to catch a bus, and waved at an elderly gentleman who was out for his daily walk. Some of the people she knew by name, but many she knew only by sight as they all appeared on the street at the same time every morning. Such was life in the city. She treasured her early morning amble to work, using the time to sort out her thoughts. The sights and sounds energized her and the crisp morning air invigorated her.
By the time she let herself in the coffee shop she was in a better frame of mind and ready for work. She’d been very careful this week, not wanting Lucas to find out about Cain yet. He would only worry about her and ask questions she just wasn’t ready to answer. She knew he suspected she was seeing someone, but so far he had kept his own counsel.
“Good morning, Lucas.” Keeping her voice upbeat, she breezed past him to the office to hang up her coat and put away her purse. The smell of cinnamon filled the air and her stomach growled as it anticipated a morning snack of fresh cinnamon buns drizzled with icing. Tying on a clean apron, she returned to the kitchen and started in on her morning routine by putting on a pot of coffee in the kitchen. When she glanced up, Lucas was staring at her.
“When are you going to tell me what’s wrong, Katie?” Lucas’s voice was not accusing, but she sensed the underlying hurt. Obviously, she hadn’t concealed her emotional turmoil as well as she’d thought she had.
Going to him immediately, she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into his strength. “I thought I hid it so well.”
She felt his kiss on the top of her head even as his arms came around her shoulders to comfort her. “Only to someone who doesn’t know you. In truth, you’ve been distracted all week long, but things haven’t been right since the day I told you I sold that damned painting.” He sighed and released her. “I’m beginning to wish that I’d never put it in the window.”