Sea Swept
Page 85
It couldn't matter, Cam realized. Not anymore. "Do you want him to be?"
"He was decent," the boy said so simply that Cam draped an arm around his shoulders. And Seth leaned against him.
"Yeah, he was."
Everything had changed.Everything was different. And he was desperate to tell her. Cam knew his life had turned on its axis yet again. And somehow he'd ended up exactly where he needed to be. The only thing missing was Anna.
He took a chance and drove to her apartment. It was Saturday night, he thought. She was due back at work on Monday. She was a practical woman and would want to take Sunday to catch up, sort her laundry, answer her mail. Whatever.
If she wasn't home, he was going to by God sit on her doorstep until she got there. But when she answered his knock and stood there looking so fresh, so gorgeous, he was caught off balance.
Anna, on the other hand, had prepared for this meeting all week. She knew exactly how she would handle it. "Cam, this is a surprise. You just caught me."
"Caught you?" he said stupidly.
"Yes, but I've got a few minutes. Would you like to come in?"
"Yeah, I—where the hell have you been?"
She lifted her brows. "Excuse me?"
"You took off, out of the blue."
"I wouldn't say that. I arranged leave from work, checked in with my neighbors, had my plants watered while I was gone. I was hardly abducted by aliens, I simply took a few days of personal time. Do you want some coffee?"
"No." Okay, he thought, she was going to keep playing it cool. He could do that. "I want to talk to you."
"That's good, because I want to talk to you, too. How's Seth?"
"He's fine. Really. We got a lot of things ironed out Just today—"
"What have you done to your arm?"
Impatient, he glanced down at the raw nicks and scrapes. "Nothing. It's nothing. Listen, Anna—"
"Why don't you sit down? I'd really like to apologize if I was hard on you last weekend."
"Apologize?" Well, that was more like it. Willing to be forgiving, he sat on the sofa. "Why don't we just forget it? I've got a lot to tell you."
"I'd really like to clear this up." Smiling pleasantly, she sat across from him. "I suppose we were both in a difficult position. A great deal of that was my fault. Becoming involved with you was a calculated risk. But I was attracted and didn't weigh the potential problems as carefully as I should have. Obviously something like last weekend's disagreement was bound to happen. And as we both have Seth's interests at heart, and will continue to, I would hate for us to be at odds."
"Good, then we won't." He reached for her hand, but she evaded his gesture and merely patted his.
"Now that that's settled, you really have to excuse me. I hate to rush you along, Cam, but I have a date."
"A what?"
"A date." She glanced at the watch on her wrist. "Shortly, as it happens, and I have to change." Very slowly he got to his feet. "You have a date? Tonight? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"What it generally does." She blinked twice, as if confused, then let her eyes fill with apology. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought we both understood that we'd ended the… well, the more personal aspect of our relationship. I assumed it was clear that it wasn't working out for either of us." It felt as though someone had blown past his guard and rammed an iron fist into his solar plexus. "Look, if you're still pissed off—"
"Do I look pissed off?" she asked coolly.
"No." He stared at her, shaking his head while his stomach did a quick pitch and roll. "No, you don't. You're dumping me."
"Don't be melodramatic. We're simply ending an affair that both of us entered freely and without promises or expectations. It was good while it lasted, really good. I'd hate to spoil that. Now as far as our professional relationship goes, I've told you that I'll do all I can to support your permanent guardianship of Seth. However, I do expect you to be more forthcoming with information from now on. I'll also be happy to consult with you or advise you on any area of that guardianship. You and your brothers are doing a marvelous job with him."
He waited, certain there would be more. "That's it?"
"I can't think of anything else—and I am a little pressed for time."
"You're pressed for time." She'd just stabbed him dead center of the heart, and she was pressed for time. "That's too damn bad, because I'm not finished."
"I'm sorry if your ego's bruised."
"Yeah, my ego's bruised. I got a lot of bruises right now. How the hell can you stand there and brush me off after what we had together?"
"We had great sex. I'm not denying it. We're just not going to have it any longer."
"Sex?" He grabbed her arms and shook her, and had the small satisfaction of seeing a flash of anger heat through the chill in her eyes. "That's all it was for you?"
"That's what it was for both of us." It wasn't going the way she'd planned. She'd expected him to be angry and storm out. Or to be relieved that she'd backed away first and walk away whistling. But he wasn't supposed to confront her like this. "Let go of me."
"The hell I will. I've been half crazy for you to get back. You turned my life upside down, and I'll be damned if you'll just stroll away because you're through with me."
"We're through with each other. I don't want you anymore, and it's your bad luck I said it first. Now take your hands off me."
He released her as if her skin had burned his palms. There'd been a hitch in her voice, a suspicious one.
"What makes you think I'd have said it at all?"
"We don't want the same things. We were going nowhere, and I'm not going to keep heading there, no matter how I feel about you."
"How do you feel about me?"
"Tired of you!" she shouted. "Tired of me, tired of us. Sick and tired of telling myself fun and games could be enough. Well, it's not. Not nearly, and I want you out"
He felt the temper and panic that had gripped him ease back into delight. "You're in love with me, aren't you?"
"He was decent," the boy said so simply that Cam draped an arm around his shoulders. And Seth leaned against him.
"Yeah, he was."
Everything had changed.Everything was different. And he was desperate to tell her. Cam knew his life had turned on its axis yet again. And somehow he'd ended up exactly where he needed to be. The only thing missing was Anna.
He took a chance and drove to her apartment. It was Saturday night, he thought. She was due back at work on Monday. She was a practical woman and would want to take Sunday to catch up, sort her laundry, answer her mail. Whatever.
If she wasn't home, he was going to by God sit on her doorstep until she got there. But when she answered his knock and stood there looking so fresh, so gorgeous, he was caught off balance.
Anna, on the other hand, had prepared for this meeting all week. She knew exactly how she would handle it. "Cam, this is a surprise. You just caught me."
"Caught you?" he said stupidly.
"Yes, but I've got a few minutes. Would you like to come in?"
"Yeah, I—where the hell have you been?"
She lifted her brows. "Excuse me?"
"You took off, out of the blue."
"I wouldn't say that. I arranged leave from work, checked in with my neighbors, had my plants watered while I was gone. I was hardly abducted by aliens, I simply took a few days of personal time. Do you want some coffee?"
"No." Okay, he thought, she was going to keep playing it cool. He could do that. "I want to talk to you."
"That's good, because I want to talk to you, too. How's Seth?"
"He's fine. Really. We got a lot of things ironed out Just today—"
"What have you done to your arm?"
Impatient, he glanced down at the raw nicks and scrapes. "Nothing. It's nothing. Listen, Anna—"
"Why don't you sit down? I'd really like to apologize if I was hard on you last weekend."
"Apologize?" Well, that was more like it. Willing to be forgiving, he sat on the sofa. "Why don't we just forget it? I've got a lot to tell you."
"I'd really like to clear this up." Smiling pleasantly, she sat across from him. "I suppose we were both in a difficult position. A great deal of that was my fault. Becoming involved with you was a calculated risk. But I was attracted and didn't weigh the potential problems as carefully as I should have. Obviously something like last weekend's disagreement was bound to happen. And as we both have Seth's interests at heart, and will continue to, I would hate for us to be at odds."
"Good, then we won't." He reached for her hand, but she evaded his gesture and merely patted his.
"Now that that's settled, you really have to excuse me. I hate to rush you along, Cam, but I have a date."
"A what?"
"A date." She glanced at the watch on her wrist. "Shortly, as it happens, and I have to change." Very slowly he got to his feet. "You have a date? Tonight? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"What it generally does." She blinked twice, as if confused, then let her eyes fill with apology. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought we both understood that we'd ended the… well, the more personal aspect of our relationship. I assumed it was clear that it wasn't working out for either of us." It felt as though someone had blown past his guard and rammed an iron fist into his solar plexus. "Look, if you're still pissed off—"
"Do I look pissed off?" she asked coolly.
"No." He stared at her, shaking his head while his stomach did a quick pitch and roll. "No, you don't. You're dumping me."
"Don't be melodramatic. We're simply ending an affair that both of us entered freely and without promises or expectations. It was good while it lasted, really good. I'd hate to spoil that. Now as far as our professional relationship goes, I've told you that I'll do all I can to support your permanent guardianship of Seth. However, I do expect you to be more forthcoming with information from now on. I'll also be happy to consult with you or advise you on any area of that guardianship. You and your brothers are doing a marvelous job with him."
He waited, certain there would be more. "That's it?"
"I can't think of anything else—and I am a little pressed for time."
"You're pressed for time." She'd just stabbed him dead center of the heart, and she was pressed for time. "That's too damn bad, because I'm not finished."
"I'm sorry if your ego's bruised."
"Yeah, my ego's bruised. I got a lot of bruises right now. How the hell can you stand there and brush me off after what we had together?"
"We had great sex. I'm not denying it. We're just not going to have it any longer."
"Sex?" He grabbed her arms and shook her, and had the small satisfaction of seeing a flash of anger heat through the chill in her eyes. "That's all it was for you?"
"That's what it was for both of us." It wasn't going the way she'd planned. She'd expected him to be angry and storm out. Or to be relieved that she'd backed away first and walk away whistling. But he wasn't supposed to confront her like this. "Let go of me."
"The hell I will. I've been half crazy for you to get back. You turned my life upside down, and I'll be damned if you'll just stroll away because you're through with me."
"We're through with each other. I don't want you anymore, and it's your bad luck I said it first. Now take your hands off me."
He released her as if her skin had burned his palms. There'd been a hitch in her voice, a suspicious one.
"What makes you think I'd have said it at all?"
"We don't want the same things. We were going nowhere, and I'm not going to keep heading there, no matter how I feel about you."
"How do you feel about me?"
"Tired of you!" she shouted. "Tired of me, tired of us. Sick and tired of telling myself fun and games could be enough. Well, it's not. Not nearly, and I want you out"
He felt the temper and panic that had gripped him ease back into delight. "You're in love with me, aren't you?"
