It was a relief to both of them when the party began to wind down and guests started heading for the door. Glad this interminable night was about to end, Alyssa turned to Paul. "Are you about ready to call it a night?"
"I am as ready as you are."
Alyssa stood up and handed him her empty coffee cup. "Would you mind disposing of this? I need to visit the ladies room before we head out."
“I’ll let Trisha and Jack know we are leaving and will meet you in the foyer."
Nodding her thanks, Alyssa rushed off, her need for the bathroom becoming crucial, and when she saw there was a line, she headed up the stairs.
The second floor was in near darkness but Alyssa knew the way and had just reached her destination when she heard a noise and paused. Serena was coming out of one of the bedrooms a few doors down and Cole was close behind her. When he reached to close the door, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against him.
“Cole, I don’t want the evening to end. Come home with me.” Before he could answer, she pressed a hard kiss to his mouth then murmured against it. “The night is still young and I’m not in the least tired.”
Cole wrapped his hands around her arms and straightened away from her. “Serena, we just finished …” Whatever he was about to say trailed off to nothing when he saw Alyssa. “Al? What are you doing up here?” He made to move toward her but was hindered by Serena’s clinging arms.
Alyssa reached blindly for the bathroom door. “I’m sorry. I came to use the bathroom.” She slipped hastily from their sight and closed the door with exaggerated care. She wanted to slam it, splinter it and then kick it to smithereens but come hell or high water she was not going to let Cole know she was upset about him and Serena coming out of the bedroom. Her body was trembling with anger, disappointment and perhaps even some hurt and it was the latter that pissed her off. Surely she wasn't hurt by his actions.
Fearing he might try to come after her, she locked the door then leaned against it with a sick feeling in her stomach. The man was the lowest of scum. Did he take great pleasure in running from one woman to another? Well that certainly explained his absence. He must have taken Serena up to his old bedroom as soon as she left the terrace. Thank God Paul had interrupted them when he did.
With hands splayed across her face, she groaned quietly. God, she’d almost made a complete fool of herself with that insufferable man. Her hands dropped to her sides and curled into tight fists. He was despicable. A thoughtless bastard. Why would he play with her emotions like that? Well it sure as hell wouldn’t happen again. Ever.
That decided, she finished her business, splashed some cool water on her face then drew in a deep breath to calm the emotions rioting through her. She wanted to scream, rail, cry, pound something. A few more deep breaths and she was as ready as she was going to get to face whatever was out there to deal with. Hopefully she wouldn’t run into him again before she left. She had half a mind to plant her fist in his hateful face. With that tantalizing picture filling her head, she opened the door and went absolutely still.
Cole was leaning again the doorjamb, his arms folded casually as if he was prepared to wait there all night if necessary. He straightened when she opened the door. “Al, listen …”
“There is nothing you have to say that I care to hear, Cole. So get out of my way.” She waited for him to move but the icy tones of her furious voice had no effect on him whatsoever. He didn’t budge.
“What are you so uptight about anyway?” Casually poised he may be but the edge in his voice gave it away that he wasn't quite so calm and collected as he'd have her believe.
“I think you are despicable, and I think you had also better move.”
“Oh? And if I don’t?” His dark brow lifted with feigned interest, but his body was taut and belied his relaxed stance.
“If you care about Trish at all, you’ll get the hell out of my way.” Her voice lowered in response to the cold venom flowing through her. She wanted to scratch at him, kick him, pound him. The rage in her was making her sick and yet she could not calm down. Her hands tightened into fists. “I hate you, Cole. I don’t like being played with.” If her eyes were bright with tears it was because of anger. Certainly there was no hurt floating around in them as well. Her throat ached because she was holding back a slew of words better left unsaid. If her chest hurt it was because she was trying to control her breathing and not because her heart felt as if it was bursting apart. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing how worked up she was over what she saw.
“I was not playing with you, Al.” His arms dropped to his sides then gestured with helpless frustration. “I knew you would jump to the wrong conclusions." After running his hands up through his hair and letting out a sigh, he took a small step toward her. "I think we better straighten this out if our truce is going to hold.”
Alyssa brushed stiffly passed him. “Oh it will hold all right but not thanks to you. I, for one, intend to keep my word to Trisha. You, on the other hand, can go straight to hell.”
Cole let out an exasperated breath and when he spoke, he sounded nearly as angry as she was. “If that’s where I’m headed, Al, I’ll see you there.”
She swung around with her hand raised, her fury moving quickly out of control. Cole grasped it before she got it anywhere near his cheek. “If this is your idea of a truce, Al, I shudder to think what you would be like if we were still at war.” Though his tone was light, his face was hard, his eyes cold. “You have to be the most unreasonable person I’ve ever met. Can’t you, just for once, listen? Is that so hard for you to do?”
“I listen to people who have something worthwhile to say, Cole. That kinda leaves you out.” She pulled free from his grasp. “Why don’t you run along after your Barbie doll and play with her for some more.” This time he didn’t say a word when she walked away.
Paul looked at her closely when she joined him at the bottom of the stairs where Trisha and Jack were saying their goodbyes to parting guests. He held out her shawl. “What is it, Alyssa?”
“Nothing. Let’s get out of here.”
Paul was not convinced all was well but he made no comment as he followed her to the door.
“Al, Paul, thank you for coming.” Trisha gave them both a hug. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Paul. I hope we will be seeing more of you?”
Paul gave her a warm smile and nodded that he felt the same. “I hope so as well.”
“That was a beautiful dance you did, Al.” Jack gave Alyssa a quick bear hug then let her go to pull Trisha against him. “Trisha didn’t tell me about your hidden talent.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and gave Trisha’s shoulders a couple quick squeezes. “Maybe you can show her a few moves.”
Trisha gave him a playful punch. “I’ll show you some moves buster, but it won’t be on the dance floor.”
Paul grinned. “Well on that note, I think we better get going, don’t you, Alyssa?” He shook Jack’s hand. “I wish you both every happiness.”
“Thank you, Paul.”
Trisha touched his arm to regain his attention. “Why don’t you come to the wedding? We’d love to have you there.”
Paul looked towards Alyssa to see what she thought of the suggestion. At her enthusiastic nod, he gave a shrug of acceptance. “That would be very nice, thank you.”
Alyssa was about to thank Trisha for her thoughtful invitation when she caught sight of Cole descending the stairs. It was time to go. She grabbed Paul's hand and waved to Trisha. “See you tomorrow.”
Although Alyssa knew she owed Paul an explanation for her behavior at the party, she just wasn't ready to talk and so the ride home was a silent one. Besides, she was far too busy berating herself for getting into such an intimate situation with Cole. Honestly, what was wrong with her? Did she have no sense in her head? She was being as brainless as Serena for God's sake. It was that thought that made her give a silent vow to never let it happen again. Ever.
Her heart h
ardened along with her determination. His days of playing with her were through. Cole was very good with women and why he was suddenly turning his attentions to her was beyond her understanding. It had to be some sort of scheme to get back at her for what happened in the restaurant. Maybe he thought he could get her to fall for him and then trample on her heart, though to be honest she didn’t really believe that. He might have pulled some nasty tricks on her over the years but nothing really hurtful. Just annoying things.
Maybe he wanted to prove he could charm her. Well his charms were not going to work on her any more. She’d make sure of it. Seeing him with Serena had worked wonders in destroying any attraction she may have had. Not that she’d been attracted really. It must have been that damn punch. One thing was for sure, if Cole thought he could manipulate her again she was going to take great pleasure in showing him how wrong he was.
CHAPTER FOUR
Her cell phone's ringtone of "You Got a Friend in Me" woke Alyssa out of a deep sleep and she rolled over to fumble for it, her eyes blinking drowsily at the sun pouring through her window. She put the phone next to her on the pillow and managed to mumble some sort of response.
Trisha’s cheerful voice sounded overly loud to her sleepy ears. “Al? Did I wake you?”
Alyssa opened one bleary eye and glanced at the clock on her nightstand. Making a small snort of disgust, she pushed her face into the pillow and wished fervently that she could just go back to sleep. “It’s six o’clock in the morning, Trish, and it’s Saturday. What do you think?”
“Why is your voice muffled?” Trisha lowered her voice. “Are you alone?”
Alyssa rolled onto her back and put the phone to her ear. “Of course I’m alone. It’s six o’clock in the dang morning!”
Trisha tisked tisked, making sympathetic sounds as she did so. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry to have interrupted Sleeping Beauty, but time is wasting.”
Alyssa yawned loudly. “Is that so? Well, let it waste away. I’m tired.”
“The party didn’t last that late, Al. What did you do after you left last night? Did you and Paul make a late night of it?” The curiosity in Trisha’s voice was a preliminary warning of what Alyssa was in for later. But it was six in the morning and she was not going to discuss Paul at this ungodly hour of the day.
“No.” Alyssa struggled to sit up and pushed her long hair back from her face. “Listen here, chatting with you has always been a favorite pastime of mine, but not at six in the morning.” She arched her back in a long stretch and yawned again. “Any particular reason for the early morning wake up?”
“Oh, Al, have you forgotten? We are going to drive to Boston today to find a dress.”
Alyssa groaned. “You did not say we were leaving at six.”
“No.” Trisha’s voice assumed the air of one exercising extreme patience. “We were going to leave at seven. It’s going to take about an hour or so to get there. I thought we’d stop along the way and get some breakfast.”
“Let’s make it seven thirty. I need a shower and a strong pot of coffee.”
“Great. Seven thirty then. Bye.”
Alyssa disconnected from the call and flopped back on her pillow. Mornings were not her favorite time of day, especially when she'd gotten precious little sleep. So she lay there for a few quiet moments, waiting for her brain to kick into gear, and that's when the engagement party fiasco flooded her thoughts. Suddenly she wasn't so sleepy anymore and she shot up out of bed.
Why, why why did she allow herself to dance as she had with Cole? Those moments out on the terrace were a huge mistake and she regretted it perhaps more than she did their kisses in the attic. At least that momentous mistake could get chocked up to getting carried away by the circumstance of their predicament. What happened out on the terrace was deliberate, perhaps even planned on his part.
From the time she left the party, her thoughts had been going over the evening in endless circles and sleep was a long time coming. Over and over she berated herself for succumbing to feelings that weren’t even real. After all, they still didn't like each other and that private dance of theirs did nothing to improve the situation. Worse yet, Cole ran from her straight to that floozy he was dating.
Scrubbing an agitated hand over her face, Alyssa's self-recriminations were in full force. Seriously, what was she thinking to have danced with him in such an intimate way? And then to nearly kiss him? Something was wrong with her stupid head because Cole was the absolute last man she should feel any desire for. Besides, seeing him coming out of the bedroom with Serena told her he was capable of running from one woman to another without any consideration of anyone's feelings but his own. Eventually she'd managed to convince herself she was no longer under the spell of his sensual allure. That happened around three in the morning. The turmoil finally over, sleep followed soon after.
Now that she was wide awake and under no residual effects of the strange chemistry between them, she was determined to keep it all in perspective. The peace agreement put them in an odd situation with each other. Neither of them knew how to behave without engaging in their open hostility. Now that she'd had some time to get used to the new rules, however, she was pretty confident she could work him out of her system. That being so, it wasn’t going to be a problem anymore. Or so she hoped.
Feeling better about the whole thing, Alyssa fished around for something to wear and headed for the bathroom. She'd call Paul later and try to explain why she was so quiet during the drive home. He was very patient and he was going to make a wonderful priest. Even so, that gave her no right to treat him unfairly. What must he be thinking? For two years he has listened to her rage about Cole and then he catches her in his arms. Would he understand her reasoning? Would he see it as she did, that it was just the novelty of being at peace with Cole instead of at war? It made things weird for a bit but she was over it. In any case, Paul was such an understanding man that she knew he'd help her keep things in perspective. He had a wonderful ability to understand the human psyche and how emotions tend to get messy when the dramas of human life were involved.
Last night she was too confused and angry with herself to try and talk about it with him but now she was feeling better. So, when she got back from Boston, she'd give him a call and apologize for her behavior.
For now, however, she would concentrate on finding Trisha a wedding dress.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Will you stop doing that?” Alyssa tossed a frowning glance towards her friend before returning her attention back to the road. “I can’t concentrate on driving.”
Trisha’s voice rose in feigned innocence. “Stop what? I haven’t said a word?”
Alyssa wagged an accusing finger at her. “You are sending those silent commanding signals that are impossible to ignore.”
“What silent signals?”
“Those, ‘talk to me, Al’, ‘tell me everything, Al’ commands.”
Trisha laughed. “What else would you expect from me? You show up with a gorgeous man last night and don’t explain anything.” Her voice took on a hurtful tone. “Cole told me that you and Paul have known each other for two years. You never once mentioned him to me.”
“No.” Alyssa was not repentant. “Cole has an odd way of finding out about every man I have in my life.” She sent Trisha an accusing glance. “I wonder how it is that whenever I tell you something, it eventually gets to Cole?”
Trisha straightened in her seat and turned to her. “Just what are you saying, Al?”
“Look, I understand how close you are to Cole. I know he has ways of worming things out of you concerning me.” Her features hardened against the surge of memories rushing through her. “As soon as you so innocently arm him with ammo, he uses it to mess up my life.”
Trisha worried her bottom lip between her teeth and frowned in consternation. “I think you are exaggerating a bit, Al.”
“Oh, you think so?” Alyssa shot her a questioning look. “Let’s examine this a little,” she wen
t on conversationally. “Let’s begin with my sixteenth year. My first boyfriend. Remember Michael Robertson?” She glanced at Trisha and saw her nod slowly.
“Yes, of course.”
“Played varsity football. The best-looking guy in high school. Cole told him I said he played ball as if he was afraid his helmet would explode at the slightest impact."
"That is exactly how he played," Trisha muttered.
Ignoring her, Alyssa went on. "As if that wasn't bad enough, Cole told his sister...whom by some strange coincidence he was dating at the time...that I thought Mike was more interested in how he looked in uniform than how he performed out on the field. I was so embarrassed when that got around school that I wanted to die.”
“But, Al,” Trisha protested, “you did say those things.”
“To you, in confidence.” Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I may have believed those things about Mike but I still liked him. Cole had no business telling Mike and his sister what he did.”
Trisha was silent as she stared down at her clasped hands. “Well,” she began finally, “that did not ruin your life. You never cared about Mike after that anyway.”
Al sighed. “Okay. Let’s move on to Tim Matthews.”
Trisha’s head shot up and she nodded, remembering. “Senior class president. Yes, I remember him well.” Her tone was dry.
Alyssa threw her a warning glance, huffing in exasperation at the attitude she was sensing from her. “Don’t be so judgmental. Tim was a decent guy.”
“Oh yes. Mr. Popularity.” Trisha waved her hands about in dismissal. “He was overrated.”
“Trisha!” Her agitation growing, Alyssa's hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I really liked him. Cole gave him a black eye and told him to stay away from me.”
“He took you to a party where alcohol was flowing like Kool-Aid,” Trisha said, her voice taking on the tone of one dealing with a difficult child.
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