The Seduction Game (15 page)

Kate stiffened. “I don’t believe you,” she said. “He told me it was over between you two.”

Noelle shrugged. “For a while it was, but the other night we realized we couldn’t stay apart.” She gave Kate a derisive look. “I guess he wanted one more fling before he settled down.”

Kate couldn’t help remembering how he never told her he loved her last night. There were never any words of commitment. Noelle gave her a satisfied look.

“Don’t worry. This has happened to us before. He’s had his little flings during our break-ups, but he’s always come back to me.” Noelle smiled. “Did you know he loves morning sex? That’s why I came here. To surprise him.”

Kate’s heart dropped to the floor and she reached for her purse on the coffee table. “Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Yes. I think that would be best.” Kate was at the door when Noelle spoke again. “Oh, and I hope I don’t see you again. Adam mentioned to me the other night he was going to end his fling with you. I suppose last night was a sympathy fu—”

Kate slammed the door behind her and ran towards the elevators, her eyes burning. Her elevator opened and she jumped inside, jabbing the ground floor button. Her doors slid shut at the same time the elevator next to hers opened and Adam strode out, holding a white bag and two coffees on a tray. He was smiling.

* * * *

The next four days went by in a blur for Kate. A blur of anger and tears and shame. Adam had called her ten times and she kept hanging up on him. He tried telling her Noelle had been lying, but Kate hadn’t wanted to hear it.

The quicker she forgot Adam, the faster she could heal.

But she knew that would be hard.

She still loved him. Beneath all the hurt and pain, she still cared for him and her heart splintered all over again the last time she heard his strained, anguished voice.

“Kate, you jumped to the wrong conclusion. You have to listen to me. I lo—” And she’d hung up.

There were no wrong conclusions here. This was the past coming back to haunt her. Miranda had cornered her one night, just a week before Kate caught her and Simon together, and told her Simon loved her. Kate hadn’t listened and a week later she’d seen for her own eyes what a fool she’d been.

The last time she’d heard from Adam was last night. He’d called her in the evening and told her he would come to her work the next morning. Kate told him she wouldn’t be at work because she was going out of town for a few days and hung up on him. She’d lied of course.

The morning stretched into the afternoon and she decided to leave the office early. She had no more appointments and didn’t feel like taking care of the paperwork on her desk.

It had been four days and Kate’s heart still ached. She sighed shakily as she parked in her driveway. She collected her mail as she stepped inside her home. She slipped off her high heels and sifted through the envelopes. Bills, junk mail, a belated postcard from Barbara from her trip to Greece.

Kate frowned when she saw a card from the post office that said she had a registered package waiting for her. Glancing at her watch, she noticed she still had time to get it before they closed. She slipped back into her heels and left.

* * * *

“I need to see some identification,” said the young man chewing gum behind the counter.

Kate handed him her driver’s license. After giving her picture a quick look, he handed it back to her and went into a back room. He returned holding a huge parcel wrapped in brown paper. The parcel was flat, about two feet long and three feet wide. Kate frowned. She wasn’t expecting anything. She viewed the package curiously, trying to figure out what it contained.

She thanked the young man and carried the big parcel out to her car. She couldn’t wait to get home, so she placed it flat on her hood. As she ripped the brown paper and began to see what it concealed, a prickly sensation at the back of her neck tickled her. Was this what she thought it was? Her spirits soared. It was! Her father’s painting!

She gasped and her eyes filled with tears. She stared at the vivid blue strokes of the ocean, the delicate brush of green on the mountaintop and wiped an errant tear. She sighed, running her hand lovingly over the soft canvas. Her eyes filled with more tears as she turned the painting over.

“Daddy,” she whispered, as she read the words she hadn’t seen in twenty years.

Katie, your hopes should be as high as the mountains, your dreams as big as the sea.
Love, your father.

There was a tiny white envelope taped in the back and she pulled it off and opened it.

I wanted to touch your soul. Love always, Adam
.

Kate brought her hand up to her quivering mouth. How did he find it? She had spent nearly twenty years looking for it and he found it in one week? How could he…how did…She stopped her errant, confused thoughts as she recalled what she’d told him that night. The man who truly loved her would know how to touch her soul.

A tiny smile formed and spread on her face until she was beaming.

He loved her.

Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, she placed the painting and wrapping paper in her trunk and slipped into her driver’s seat.

He loved her, she thought again, with a silly grin on her face. She had to see him. Now. She pulled her cell and his business card from her purse and dialed his office number. His secretary answered on the second ring.

“Hi. It’s Kate Moore. Is Adam in?”

“I’m afraid not, Ms. Moore. He’s at an outside meeting.”

Disappointment washed over her. “Oh. Can…can you tell me where he is? It’s very important.”

“He’s at Ricardo’s. He told me he should be back in the office by four-thirty.”

Kate glanced at her watch. It was almost four. He was still at the restaurant. “Thanks.”

She put the car in gear and headed downtown. Her thoughts went to the painting in her trunk and she pressed on the gas. What a dear, sweet, kind, beautiful man, she thought. She recalled the numerous times he’d called her, his voice thick with worry and fear, and how she hadn’t even allowed him the chance to explain. Her heart constricted with remorse. She should have given him the chance to speak.

She screeched to a halt at a red light and grimaced. She had to tell him she loved him, but not at the expense of getting killed. By ten after four she parked near Ricardo’s and sped down the sidewalk.

The restaurant was crowded and she didn’t even acknowledge the host who tried to stop her as she made her way to the dining room. It was the same host from that night when she first met Adam and she didn’t let the irony go unnoticed, how back then she had run from Adam, and how today she was running to him.

She must have looked a sight as she sped into the dining area, breathing hard, her eyes wide and bright with emotion, because more than a few diners looked up with curious interest at her.

She saw him. He was seated in the corner with Edward. She walked further into the room, ignoring the annoyed host who was right behind her, telling her she had to have a reservation.

Kate stood a few feet away from Adam, watching him. Her heart swelled with emotion. As if sensing her, his head jerked up and he stared at her, first in shock, and then with hope. Her heart melted at the sight of him. He looked haggard and worn, as though he hadn’t slept in days, and her heart swelled with compassion. Slowly, without taking his gaze off her, he rose.

Now that she was here, it wasn’t so simple. She was at a loss for words. All she wanted to do was leap into his arms and kiss him. She said the first thing that leapt to her mind.

“This is where we met.”

“I know,” he replied, his voice thick.

Why wasn’t he coming to her? A twinge of fear made her falter. “I…I should have given you the chance to explain. I should have known Noelle was lying.” She braced herself. “I’m sorry.”

“I know,” he repeated, this time his mouth softening.

That was all Kate needed. The slight, imperceptible smile around his beautiful mouth, the tender look that crept into his dark eyes, the small sigh of relief on his lips. She walked toward him, unashamed of the tears streaming down her face. The diners made appreciative noises and she heard Edward chuckle.

“I think you should know I’m petrified of planes, so we may never be able to take a vacation,” she said.

There was a glimmer of a smile on his mouth. “We’ll take a train.”

“And…and when I’m nervous, I eat ice cream, so I’ll never be model thin.”

“You’ll always be beautiful to me.”

Her face fell a little. “I’m not perfect, Adam.”

“Neither am I.”

Her lips trembled. “Thank you so much for the painting. I…I can’t believe you found it.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” And he took two strides toward her and crushed her in his arms.

Kate closed her eyes, oblivious to the sporadic clapping around them, as his mouth met hers. And she returned his kiss with the same warmth, the same hope, the same joy. With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and vowed she’d never let go.

Two months later, Kate and Adam’s wedding guests were spending a perfectly lovely afternoon in Nora Moore’s huge backyard, which was decorated with white and gold balloons. A sparkly banner said
Congratulations Newlyweds
, there was a catered hot and cold buffet, and the lush, green lawn was dotted with tables draped in white linen and decorated with crystal vases brimming with fresh, long stemmed roses.

Champagne flowed, laughter and gaiety ensued, and everyone was having a grand time. The wedding had been small but lovely with fifty guests from both Kate and Adam’s side. Relatives and friends met and mingled and even little Joey Billings was there with his parents, his latest castle for Kate as a wedding gift already on display in her home next to the other three.

Kate rested her head on Adam’s shoulder and sighed. They were alone, sitting in the gazebo away from everyone, and she closed her eyes. She felt Adam tighten his arm around her, and she smiled up at him.

They had changed from their wedding clothes and were comfortable in casual attire.

“I love you, Kate,” Adam said and his gaze slipped to the wedding ring on her finger. The ring had been a perfect fit, like them. Kate couldn’t contain the impish grin from her face.

“And what does my wife find so amusing?”

She couldn’t get enough of hearing him calling her his wife. “I was wondering who do you love? Do you love Kate, the schoolteacher, or Katrina, the vixen.”

* * * *

Adam stared at her lovely face. He couldn’t believe how happy he was. God, he loved her. “I love all the women you are. I love the generous, compassionate woman who gives people hope. I love the sharp tongued vixen who gave me hell that first night I almost ran her down. I love the sensitive, vulnerable woman who doesn’t know how beautiful she really is. And I love the passionate and optimistic woman who never gave up on finding a painting.”

Her smile softened. “I still can’t believe Kyle. He did the impossible. Imagine advertising in all the papers and on the internet.”

“I’m sure the hundred thousand dollar reward didn’t hurt,” he replied with dry humor, but inwardly he felt another rush of pride for his friend. Kyle had pulled through for him.

“I can’t believe you paid that much, more, really, thinking about all the advertising.”

He squeezed her. “It was worth it. Besides, the elderly couple who sold me the painting aren’t complaining. Kyle told me they were facing foreclosure and now they have enough money to pay off their mortgage.”

“Things worked out well, didn’t they? And there’s Edward who’s so ecstatic we’re going to his cabin for our honeymoon.”

Adam sighed. “The only setback was you having to rewrite your book. Did you finally get to speak to your agent and publisher?”

“Not yet, but don’t worry. After I explain to them the results of my research, I think they’ll love my new book proposal. Oh, and I finally came up with the title this morning.
How to Be Naughty and Nice For Your Man
.”

He heard the light tinkle of Dana’s laugh and looked over to where she and Kyle were standing. “I’m glad we asked Dana and Kyle to be the maid of honor and best man,” Adam remarked.

“It was fitting. Your sister brought us together and Kyle helped you find the painting.” She took his face in her hands and brought his head down. There was nothing left between them. No walls. No barriers. Only two people in love who wanted to share their lives together.

* * * *

Dana watched her brother from where she stood with Kyle and her heart swelled. It did her good to see her big brother this happy. He’d always thought she was too young to remember the past when she was just a kid, but she did. She remembered everything. The times he’d slept on the floor in her bedroom until her nightmares disappeared. Those times he had taken her out for midnight snacks when their parents had been fighting. She remembered it all, even the debts bequeathed to him following their parents’ deaths.

He had always been someone she admired and respected, and she’d never felt anything but safe with him when they’d been poor and struggling.

“What are you thinking about?’’ Kyle asked.

And she told him. Dana never kept anything from Kyle. “I was just thinking about how I gave Adam a little of what he’s given me.”

“Hey, what about my hand in it?” he joked.

She smiled at him and bowed her head graciously. Her cat eyes twinkled with merriment when she looked up into his handsome face. He was all towering muscle and strength with dark blonde hair that fell to his shoulders. More than once she joked with him it was time for a hair cut because he was starting to resemble Thor. She looked back at Kate and Adam.

“I knew there was something about her I liked,” she said softly. “Almost from the moment I met her. You know, I’ve read all her books and never put it together.”

Kyle raised a brow. “You read her books? Don’t tell me you’re finally thinking about settling down and finding the right man?”