Both of his hands were clenched on the wheel, his knuckles white. “That’s okay, baby. I’ll open late today.”
“But we never open late.” She knew something was wrong, but she felt so tired and emotionally drained that, without realizing it, she drifted off to sleep. Katie woke briefly when the car stopped and Lucas lifted her out of the vehicle. But by the time he’d reached her apartment she was fast asleep in the safety of his arms.
Lucas took his time and tucked her into bed. He removed her shoes and tugged off her jeans before covering her with the comforter. He hadn’t felt this kind of anger since he’d almost beaten his old man to death. Taking a deep cleansing breath, he looked at the angel sleeping on the bed. Anger wouldn’t help her now, and he was too old to do something stupid and risk ending up back in prison. Sleep was the best thing for her now. The look on her face was not one he’d easily forget. She felt betrayed right to her very core and one man was to blame.
He crept out of the room to make a call. Judy would go in early and cover the shop until he could get back there. Picking up the receiver, he started to dial, only to come to a complete stop. Three paintings were propped up against the wall. Stark and beautiful, they told the story of her and Cain’s relationship.
In the first one, he was an indistinct shadow lurking in the shadows. In the next one, she had painted him only half in the dark. His features were strong and harsh, yet he enticed her to come to him. And the final one was the most telling. The romantic setting was evident and Katie had painted him like some tragic figure, beckoning her to save him. Her feelings for him were evident in the final painting. It was in every brush stroke. Katie loved the bastard, even though it was evident to him that Cain had seduced her. And that made Lucas hate him even more.
Chapter Ten
Katie woke with a pounding in her head. Groaning, she rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head. Her mouth was dry and her eyes were gritty. It felt like she had a hangover but that was impossible since she never had more than one or two drinks at a time, and she certainly didn’t remember drinking anything anyway. Peeking out from under the pillow, she glanced at the bedside clock. It was just after six.
Panic hit her and she rolled up in bed and planted her feet on the floor. She would be late for work if she didn’t hurry. It was then she remembered everything from the day before. Burying her head in her hands, memories flooded her brain. The tense conversation between her and Lucas that ended with her discovery that Cain was the one forcing Lucas’s coffee shop to relocate. Cain was the big, anonymous business buying the building.
Scrubbing her eyes with her fingers to clear out some of the sleep, Katie sat on the side of her bed and wondered what to do. It had been a shock to her system yesterday to realize just how much Cain was holding back from her. She had shared herself totally with him, while he kept most of himself hidden from her.
It was hard, facing the fact that she loved a man she didn’t really know. All her instincts screamed that a good man lurked just under the façade. Katie just didn’t know if she was the right woman to unearth him. Sighing, she knew it didn’t really matter. She loved him so much that she had to try.
Yesterday, she had fallen to pieces. She wasn’t proud of that fact, but it had happened and there was nothing to do now but move forward. After finally trusting enough to attempt a relationship with a man after so long, Cain’s deception had hit her hard. And it was indeed a betrayal of sorts. She had poured out all her fears about what was happening with her job, and all the while he’d been the one controlling the outcome. It made her sad that he felt it necessary to hide it from her. Yes, she might be mad at him, but she would have tried to see his point of view.
With that in mind, Katie made a decision. Cain was expected back this evening and she would go to his place and talk to him. Maybe if she gave him an opening, he would tell her himself. Maybe he was just waiting for the right moment.
Shaking her head at her own foolishness, she raised her aching head and studied the forlorn-looking woman in the dresser mirror. “Maybe I’m just grasping at straws,” she muttered.
Regardless, if they were to have any kind of relationship, there had to be no more lies or omissions. If she couldn’t trust him then they truly had nothing and she would have to face the fact that she’d been mistaken about the kind of man Cain was.
The image in the mirror was pitiful, so she dragged herself out of bed. What she needed right now was a nice hot shower. She was still half-dressed, for heaven’s sake. Stripping off her clothes, she dropped them on the floor. She rummaged around in her closet, pulled out her robe, and dragged it on. It was when she was heading for the bathroom that she saw the note taped to her bedroom door.
She recognized Lucas’s handwriting as she pulled the sheet of paper off the door. The note was short and to the point. “I’ll be by later to check on you.” She read it aloud and thanked her lucky stars that she had such a loyal friend in Lucas.
Now, she really needed a shower. Lucas would not be happy with her decision to talk to Cain, but it was something she had to do. This relationship was worth fighting for and she would not give up yet. Katie needed to reassure Lucas that yesterday’s meltdown was only due to the shock of the moment and fatigue, and that she was strong enough to survive if things didn’t work out with Cain. It would be painful, but if life had taught her only one thing, it was that life went on regardless of heartbreak.
Padding to the shower, she began to practice what she would say to both Cain and Lucas. Both men were difficult and needed to be approached carefully. It was going to be a long day.
Katie was nervous as she stood in front of the large steel door. The wind whistled through the air and penetrated her coat as she contemplated the private entrance to Cain’s building. There was a buzzer to one side that she had yet to push. She’d just finished dealing with one difficult man and now here she was planning to deal with another one. She wasn’t sure if she was incredibly brave or just a glutton for punishment. At the moment, it was a toss-up.
Lunch with Lucas had been challenging, to say the least. It had been incredibly sweet of him to show up at her apartment with a selection of sandwiches and treats. His only concern, at first, had been getting her to eat something. Yesterday’s episode had left him feeling very protective of her. So she’d allowed him to sit her at the table and ply her with good food. When they had both eaten, she’d told him that she planned to confront Cain.
Lucas had not taken her decision well. He’d been visibly upset by her decision, and it had taken her the better part of an hour to calm him down enough to understand that she was going to do this whether he wanted her to or not. Lucas wanted to confront Cain, but Katie was having none of that. She was an adult and had to handle this on her own.
It hadn’t been easy, but eventually he had succumbed to her powers of persuasion, and reluctantly accepted her decision. He had stubbornly extracted her promise that she would call him the moment she got home. No matter what time it was.
Wiping her damp palms against her jeans, she plucked up her courage and pushed the buzzer. She waited. And waited. And waited. No one answered. She leaned her finger on the buzzer again and kept it pressed there a full twenty seconds. Faint barking could be heard in the background.
“Who is it?” Cain’s voice boomed loudly from the speaker. He sounded extremely annoyed.
Katie swallowed hard and then cleared her throat. “It’s me.” When he was silent, she glared at the speaker. “Katie.”