The Edge of Eternity

by Amanda Stevens

  “I can’t. I’m not dressed. I just got out of the shower.” She hesitated. “It would be much better if you came up here. You don’t have to be afraid,” she added playfully. “I won’t bite. Unless you want me to, of course.”

  He gritted his teeth at her suggestive innuendo. “Just throw on some clothes and get down here. This can’t wait.”

  “Oh, all right,” she said impatiently. “I’ll be down in five minutes.”

  She took closer to twenty, and when Paul finally spotted her getting off the elevator, he almost didn’t recognize her. She looked nothing like the young, professional woman who’d been showing up at his office for the past six months. She’d shed the slender skirts and silk blouses for a pair of tight low-rider jeans and a snug belly-baring sweater.

  Walking away from the elevator, she turned to scour the lobby, and for a moment she had her back to Paul. His gaze lit on a tattoo that peeked over the low waist of her jeans, and for some reason that, even more than her suggestive attire, seemed to crystallize for him just how little he knew about the woman.

  She’d been a competent, intelligent assistant, but now he had to wonder what had brought her to the attention of his firm’s human-resources department in the first place. Fate? Coincidence?

  Or something more sinister?

  He was probably making too much of this, Paul told himself as he approached her. Since when did he see a conspiracy in everyone’s motives?

  He called out her name and she turned with a seductive smile. “Paul! I’m so glad you called—”

  Taking her arm, he guided her away from the crowd milling about in the lobby to a quiet alcove where he could speak his mind freely without worrying about creating a scene. Not that he much cared at the moment who heard him.

  “What the hell are you still doing here?” he asked when they were both seated at a discreet table. “I told you last night to pack up your things and drive back to Seattle.”

  She tossed her red hair over one shoulder and gave him another smile. “Don’t I even get a drink first?”

  “This isn’t a social visit, Nina. What are you up to?”

  Her brows lifted. “I don’t know what you mean. I thought you’d be happy that I took the initiative of showing up here last night with those papers you needed. I thought I was being a good assistant.”

  “And the conversation you had with my wife this afternoon? What was that all about?” Paul demanded.

  She frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You saw Elizabeth at the waterfall this afternoon. You told her that you’re in love with me and you implied…that I have feelings for you. Why would you tell her something like that when I’ve never given you any reason to believe it?”

  She looked as if she might try to bluff her way out of the situation, but then she shrugged. “Okay, I did see Elizabeth this afternoon. I did tell her all those things. But it was for her own good. You must see that.” She reached over and tried to put her hand on Paul’s. When he jerked away, her gaze darkened. “Why are you acting this way? Why are you still trying to deny what we feel for each other?”

  “What we feel for each other?” His tone implied that she’d gone stark raving mad. Paul wasn’t so sure that he was that far off the mark. “You’re my assistant. There’s never been anything more between us than that.”

  She gave him a reproachful look. “We both know that’s not true. You’re lying to Elizabeth and you’re lying to yourself. I’ve seen the way you look at me.” She leaned forward, something dark glittering in her eyes. “I know you want me. As much as I want you.”

  Paul stared at her in cold shock. He couldn’t believe this was the same woman with whom he’d worked day in and day out for months. Why had he never picked up on her infatuation before? “You need to listen to me, Nina. Listen to me very carefully. There’s nothing between us. There never has been and there never will be. I want you to go back to Seattle and clean out your desk. I don’t want to see you when I get back.”

  Her eyes flooded with sudden tears. She put trembling fingers to her lips. “You don’t mean that. You’re only saying it because of the divorce.”

  “How do you even know about the divorce? Someone else must have told you, because I sure as hell didn’t.”

  She sniffed. “It wasn’t so difficult to figure out. Your relationship with Elizabeth is hardly a secret. Everyone in the firm knows that you’ve been estranged ever since Damon—”

  Paul reached out and grabbed her arm. “Don’t you dare bring my son into this.”

  She pulled away from him and massaged her arm where he’d clutched her. “I’m sorry. I’ve handled this whole thing badly, haven’t I?” Her eyes were dry now and gleaming with something Paul couldn’t define. She seemed capable of turning her emotions on and off at the blink of an eye. “I understand where you’re coming from. A man in your position can’t be too careful. If Elizabeth were to try to use our relationship as leverage in the settlement—”

  “There is no relationship,” Paul said hotly. “Get that through your head. I don’t know whether you’re delusional or some kind of operator, but whatever your motive, it won’t work on me. I’m in love with my wife.”

  When Nina lifted her gaze, he saw that her eyes had gone cold. Cold…and dangerous. “I’m not the one who’s trying to fool you, Paul. Elizabeth isn’t the person you think she is. She’s not just troubled. She’s seriously demented. She even tried to kill me this afternoon. Did she tell you that?” Nina searched his face for a moment, then smiled grimly. “No, I thought not.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked incredulously.

  “It happened when we were up at the waterfall this afternoon.” Nina bit her lip. “Elizabeth tried to push me off the cliff.”

  “You’re lying.”

  Her eyes widened in distress. “I’m not! She pushed me. I felt her hand on my back. We were the only two there, so it had to be her. I don’t want to go to the police, for your sake, but if you refuse to believe me, what choice do I have?”

  Paul leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “If you want to call the police, go ahead. I have a few things I’d like to say to them, as well. You do whatever you have to do, but you stay the hell away from my wife. If you go near her again—”

  “You’ll what?” Nina’s green eyes flamed with sudden anger. “Are you threatening me?”

  “I’m warning you,” Paul said. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with. I’ll do whatever is necessary to protect my family.”

  She gave him a pitying look then. “What family? Your son is dead and your wife is just an empty shell. They’re gone, Paul. There’s no one left to protect.”

  ELIZABETH WAS SEATED on the sofa in the living room when he returned. She jumped to her feet the moment he walked through the door, and Paul noticed immediately how pale and edgy she seemed.

  This thing with Nina Wilson was really getting to her. He wanted to take her reaction as a sign that she still cared, but somehow he didn’t think any good could come from the situation. He had no idea what Nina was up to, but he had a feeling she was going to cause a great deal of trouble before she went away.

  “What happened?” Elizabeth asked anxiously. “Did you talk to her?”

  “Yeah, we talked.” Paul walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink.

  “What did she say?”

  Was it his imagination, or did Elizabeth seem overly agitated? She followed him to the bar and stood tugging at the tiny diamond moon she wore around her neck. She only grew fidgety like that when she was over-wrought about something.

  Was she worried about what he’d found out?

  The moment the notion occurred to Paul, Nina’s accusation came rushing back.

  She’s not just troubled. She’s seriously demented. She even tried to kill me this afternoon. Did she tell you that?

  Paul swallowed the whiskey and poured himself another.

  Elizabeth touched his
arm. “What did she say?”

  He couldn’t quite look at her for some reason. “She admitted what she said to you at the waterfall.”

  “That she’s in love with you? And that you feel the same way about her?”

  Paul turned. “Yes. She admitted everything.” He paused. “She also said that you tried to kill her.”

  Elizabeth gasped. “You didn’t believe her.”

  “Of course not.”

  “It was an accident,” she whispered.

  A fist of fear closed around Paul’s heart. “Then something did happen.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “She slipped on the wet moss, just the way I did earlier. I grabbed her and pulled her back from the edge, but she claimed I pushed her. I swear I never touched her until I grabbed her arm to keep her from falling.” She stared at him beseechingly. “You believe me, don’t you?”

  “Yes, of course I do.” He knocked back his second drink and poured a third.

  “What is she going to do?” Elizabeth asked worriedly. “You don’t think she’d actually go to the police, do you—”

  “She won’t go to the police. I’ll make sure of that.”

  Their gazes collided in the mirror over the bar. Elizabeth moistened her lips. “What do you mean?”

  Paul set aside his drink and turned to place his hands on her arms. “Let me handle this, okay? I don’t want you worrying about Nina Wilson. I’ll take care of her.”

  “But Paul—”

  “Let’s just forget about her for tonight.” He dropped his hands from her arms. “Are you sure you want to go to this thing later?”

  The abrupt subject change seemed to catch Elizabeth by surprise. Then she glanced across the room at her closed bedroom door and shuddered. “I think it would be good for both of us to get out of here for a while, don’t you?”

  “If that’s what you want.” She obviously didn’t relish spending the evening alone with him, but at least they were communicating. Her eyes, though, were still cool and remote, her tone that of a polite stranger. They had history, yes, and there had once been so much love between them. But that had been a long time ago.

  Paul was suddenly filled with despair. No matter what happened in the next few days, he knew he had to somehow accept the fact that the woman he’d fallen in love with thirteen years ago was never coming back to him.

  WHEN HE CAME OUT OF his bedroom a little while later, Elizabeth was already dressed and waiting for him in the living room. She stood at the fireplace, seemingly absorbed by the blaze, and didn’t look up as he stepped into the room.

  Paul remained motionless, watching her. He couldn’t help himself. He’d always thought her a beautiful woman, but since they’d arrived at Fernhaven he’d noticed a change in her. She seemed to glow with an ethereal quality he didn’t understand. It was almost as if she no longer belonged to this world—to his world—and the notion left him cold and scared.

  Tonight she wore a gown of gleaming black satin that clung subtly to her soft curves. The neckline—what he could see of it—was demure enough, but when she turned slightly away from him, he saw that the back plunged below her waistline. Her only jewelry was the crescent moon, which she’d suspended from a long chain and turned so that it cascaded down her back, allowing the diamonds to glitter against her bare skin. Paul had never seen anything so provocative in his life.

  His heart pounded in awareness as he cleared his throat to draw her attention. She whirled, and for a moment she, too, appeared breathless. Then she smiled almost shyly. “You always could wear a tux.”

  She walked toward him, and with every step Paul’s heart beat harder. When she reached up to straighten his bow tie, it was all he could do not to catch her hand and lift it to his lips.

  Their eyes met and she smiled again. “You look nice tonight.”

  “So do you.” He paused. “More than nice.” He couldn’t help himself. He caught her hand. “Elizabeth—”

  She waited expectantly.

  “You look—” He was suddenly at a loss. To tell her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him would have seemed too much of a cliché. But she was and always had been. She grew lovelier with each passing year, and he couldn’t imagine what his life would be like without her.

  “Is something wrong?” she finally asked.

  “No. I’m just happy that you came up here with me,” he said gruffly. He squeezed her hand. “In spite of everything, I’m glad we’ve had this time together.”

  The wistfulness in her eyes tore at Paul’s heart. “I’m glad I came, too. But please don’t expect it to change anything. Not overnight. So much has happened between us. I don’t think we can ever get back what we lost. Maybe it’s too late to even try.”

  “Don’t say that. It’s not too late.” It couldn’t be too late. He wouldn’t let it be. He lifted her hand to his lips. “Maybe what we should do is concentrate on the moment and stop worrying so much about the future.”

  Elizabeth closed her eyes on a shudder and pulled her hand away. “I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t want to fool you into thinking things are going to be different when we leave here. I’m not the same person I was eighteen months ago. I’m not the woman you fell in love with.”

  Paul swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I’m beginning to realize that.”

  “Then maybe it would be best to let me go.”

  “Not without a fight.” He tugged her to him.

  “Paul—” She placed her hands flat against his chest, a token resistance which he ignored.

  “Stop fighting it,” he said fiercely. “Just close your eyes and let it happen.”

  Something sparked in her eyes—passion or anger, he wasn’t sure which. Then her lids fluttered closed as she lifted her lips to his.

  Her body trembled against his as he slid his arms around her waist and held her close. She moaned into his mouth, then drew back abruptly, as if the sound startled her. Their gazes met briefly and then, placing her hands on either side of his face, she pulled him to her for another kiss, this one even more passionate and desperate than the first.

  Time stood still for Paul. Nothing in the world mattered but the feel of Elizabeth in his arms, the sweep of her tongue against his, the pounding of her heartbeat against his. He wished the moment could last forever…or lead to the inevitable.

  But all too soon Elizabeth was pulling away from him, her expression resigned as she stared up at him.

  She touched a fingertip to her lips. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

  “Why not? We’re still married. And whether you’re ready to admit it or not, we still love each other. Why shouldn’t we express it?”

  “Because it only confuses the issue,” she said.

  “Don’t you mean it confuses you? I’m not the least bit confused,” Paul said. “I know exactly what I want.”

  “But you’re putting too much pressure on us! We can’t fix our marriage in one short weekend. It’s too much to ask.”

  “We can start,” he insisted. “Just give it a chance. Give us a chance.”

  She glanced down. “I don’t know if I can. I’m scared.”

  “I’m scared, too,” he said softly. “I’m scared of losing someone else I love.” He tilted her head so that he could look into her eyes. “I know exactly how you feel, Elizabeth. I’m right there with you, remember? I know that every time you look at me, you see Damon. I see him in you, too. The way you smile. The way you say certain words.” He drew a ragged breath. “There were times when I could hardly stand to look at you because you were so much like him. And, yes, there were times when I thought it would be easier if we just went our separate ways. At least then we wouldn’t be constantly reminded of what we’d lost. But it wouldn’t help. It wouldn’t make losing our son any easier, and I don’t think I could bear losing you, too.”

  A tear spilled over and ran down her cheek. She didn’t say a word, but when she took a tentative step toward him, Paul wrapped his arms a
round her and held her for a very long time.

  Chapter Nine

  The festivities were well under way by the time Elizabeth and Paul arrived at the Glacier Ballroom later that night. As they entered through the double doors, Elizabeth had the strangest sensation of having stepped back in time. The room was magnificent with its hand-painted frescoes and elaborate domed ceiling, which was an exact replica of the original. High arched windows looked out on a manicured garden draped with tiny fairy lights that twinkled like stars against a backdrop of night and shadow.

  From a dais at one end of the ballroom the orchestra played something old-fashioned and romantic as couples glided across the polished marble floor, the women’s swirling gowns a kaleidoscope of silks and satins that shimmered sumptuously beneath the imported chandeliers. A champagne fountain flowed freely near buffet tables laden with delicacies and adorned with ice sculptures and crystal bowls of floating orchids. In every corner banks of flowers—cyclamens, camellias and stargazer lilies—were showcased brilliantly against a background of feathery ferns and stately palm trees.

  No expense had been spared even for a trial run, and Elizabeth could only imagine what the owners of the hotel had planned for the actual grand opening.

  Her arm was looped through Paul’s as they stood just inside the doorway. She wasn’t quite certain how that had happened. Earlier he’d had someone from the hotel pick them up at the cottage so that she wouldn’t have to walk even so short a distance in her high heels. He’d taken her hand to help her out of the golf cart, but afterward Elizabeth couldn’t quite remember when or why she’d slipped her arm through his. But here they stood, joined together as if the last eighteen months hadn’t ripped them asunder.

  As if sensing that she might pull away from him at any moment, Paul placed his hand over hers and squeezed. Elizabeth tilted her head to look at him. Neither of them said anything, but for the longest time their gazes clung.

  Elizabeth shivered, not from the cold draft that had followed them inside but from the sudden heat in her husband’s eyes. He wanted her. More than ever, he seemed to be telling her.