Why am I so upset that Robert got his just desserts?
She turned her back to the door and waited for the crowd to parade past her office on their way to the conference room. Gripping the arms of her chair, she knew there was no way she could attend that meeting. No one would believe her tears were that of joy, and she'd be utterly humiliated. Maybe no one would notice her absence in all the excitement. No wonder she hadn't spotted her boss this morning. He'd been sacked.
Thinking fast, she composed an email to Harriet Reynolds, explaining she'd become ill and had to leave the office. She copied Mr. Dodd, adding a congratulatory note regarding his return. She'd sit tight, then slip from the office after the meeting began. No one would be the wiser. She moved to the window and stared absentmindedly at the hazy Los Angeles skyline. The smog always intensified during the hot months of summer. She lost track of time, growing more depressed by the minute. She'd never get to see Robert LaSalla again.
"Why aren't you at the meeting? It's not optional," a low voice growled from behind.
Startled, Katrina gasped and spun on her heels. Robert moved towards her. She hadn't heard him enter or close the door.
Unshaven, dark stubble shaded his jaw and chin. He looked as though he'd been out all night and lost his glasses in the process. Something about he way he looked at her set off bells in her head and tingling in her toes.
"Stop right there," she commanded.
"Why?" he said in a softer tone, ceasing his advance.
The corner of his mouth twitched upward. She didn't really have an answer for him. What was he doing here? Without realizing it, she bit her lip and shook her head. Kate stepped back to put more distance between them, but the credenza stopped her progress. She panicked.
"You've insulted me, shown up where you didn't belong, asked me inappropriate questions, and generally caused me no end of stress. I want you to leave." Her words tumbled from her lips, which his eyes watched with interest as she spoke, making her even more uncomfortable.
"I apologize, Miss Crimshaw. But you create conflicting emotions in me." He paused and arched an eyebrow at her before continuing, "You always have. I vacillate between wishing to scoop you in my arms and protect you from the world, and wanting to catch you behind closed doors and have my way with you."
"Stop that! You can't talk to me that way. It's . . . it's . . . it's harassment. Don't you know that?" she stammered. Incoherent thoughts bounced around in her brain. What was he saying?
Flustered, Katrina trembled all over and glanced right and left as if searching for an escape route. The man moved another step closer, his steady gaze smoldering with desire.
"It's not harassment," he whispered, the corners of his lips twisting into a grin.
"Yes, it is!"
Robert shook his head, drawing closer still. Kate saw her chance and took it. She bolted to his left, hoping to catch him off guard, squeeze between him and the wall, and reach the door before he could stop her.
His immediate response trapped her. He tugged Katrina to his chest and wrapped his arms around her like steel bands.
"I quit this morning, so I can say whatever I like, Katrina," he said, his voice rumbling, heavy with need. "What I've longed to tell you for months," he added.
He cupped her chin in one large hand and drew her lips to his. At first gentle, but quickly intensifying, he deepened their kiss. As fireworks exploded in Katrina's brain, his other hand pressed into her back, molding her body to his. When he at last released her mouth, oxygen rushed from her lungs. Her mind raced, not comprehending what was happening but too weak to care. The electricity that ran through her made her knees give, but Robert held her so tight it wasn't noticeable.
The man's lips were at her ear, whispering and caressing that sensitive spot.
Through breaths ragged with longing, he said, "I love you, Kate, my beautiful girl. I've always loved you. Why could you not see it?"
He took her face in his hands again and pressed his hungry lips against hers, demanding more of the girl. Robert slid his hands to her hips, pulling her against his muscular thighs. She could hardly breathe.
She leaned away from him before she lost control of her wits and everything else.
"What about Barry?" she blurted. "I'm . . . I'm involved."
Robert played with the mother of pearl buttons on her dress. Taking one between his thumb and forefinger, he caressed each tiny orb thoroughly before moving on to the next. Kate thought she'd die, her heart pounded so fiercely.
"He doesn't matter. No one else matters, Katrina. I think you know that," he said, dipping his chin to capture her lips again.
The man abandoned the buttons, which were only for show, and ran his fingers through her hair. Kate thought she'd go wild. Robert lifted her onto the credenza, ignoring her gasp. All the passion he'd pushed down detonated inside her when he took her mouth in another explosive kiss.
"Please, Robert. You have to stop. I can't take this," she confessed when he finally released her lips.
He smiled down at her, and she wanted to melt into his arms again.
"I've never been kissed like that. I—I—"
"Shhh," he interrupted, placing his forefinger across her lips
She longed to kiss that finger, to suck it inside her mouth and caress it with her tongue, but she held back. Instead, she ran a hand over his stubbled jaw, caressing the pulse which throbbed below his ear.
"I need time to think," she said breathlessly.
"I don’t believe that's the case, Violet." He took her hand from his face, flipped it over in his palm, and pressed his lips to her wrist. Then he lifted his head. "I am the man of your dreams, after all," he said, a sly grin playing across his face.
It took a moment for his words to sink in. He had taken note of her pen name, and he had read her blog! A hideous thought crept across her brain and she searched his face, looking for the truth. Is he trying to take advantage of me because of what I wrote? Does he think I'm easy pickings? Pain and anguish displayed themselves clearly on her face.
"What's wrong, Katrina? Don't let what that idiot did to you years ago make you doubt what we have," he said, his voice harsh.
She continued to scrutinize his face. Kate wanted to believe him more than anything, but how could she be sure?
"Oh, my beautiful girl, I want to marry you, don't you understand? I've waited all these years for you, and now we have a chance, our chance. Trust me, Precious One."
He drew her into another embrace, lifting her from the credenza, and allowed his hands to roam up and down her back.
Kate's tears began to flow. Robert felt her body tremble in his arms and heard her small sobs.
"Katrina, listen to me," he whispered. "When we met, you were the opposite of all I'd experienced overseas. I couldn't believe I got to sit with you every day. Soft, feminine, sweet, lovely, wounded. Your perfume alone drove me wild. I could barely keep my hands off you. I could tell you'd been hurt, and I was so in tune to your every movement, every word, every sound, every breath. It didn’t take me long to pick up on what Rod did to you."
She pulled back and searched his eyes.
"You knew about my fiancée?"
"Of course. I eavesdropped on your conversations. I learned about all kinds of things, like your high moral code, love of jewelry, etcetera."
He chuckled softly and smiled down at her. He continued, "It was the only way I could be close to you. Katrina, you were awfully gun shy and you wanted nothing to do with me. The way you avoided me, I thought I frightened you."
"I wouldn't have been able to get through your crowd of admirers had I wanted to, Robert," she said, her voice flat.
"You were the only one who mattered to me. Encouraging those girls was my indirect approach, my way of getting to know you. I guess I thought you'd become interested if you saw that others wanted me. But, I learned that didn’t impress you. I tried everything to get your attention, Katrina. The more you ignored me, the more I wanted you."
She gave him a sheepish smile.
"You did scare me, Robert. You were so handsome, but I'd been burned, badly, not long before. I probably sensed that inner hardness brought on by your military experiences, and it frightened me. Oh, and you never asked me out. I would have remembered that."
"I did, or at least I tried. I attempted to slip it into the conversation casually, so saying yes would be easy for you. I bet you were probably daydreaming, because you ignored me and never gave me an answer."
She wondered how she could have missed that invitation.
He continued, "When the Capital Bank job finished, I felt terrible. I moped for weeks because I didn't see you anymore. Your beautiful face and sweet voice, your softness, had all been my reason for getting out of bed each morning. Imagine how happy I was to see you at the library that night. I felt that God had answered my prayers."
"Prayers?" she asked, nuzzling her head against his chest.
"I prayed for you every day, Katrina. That God would bring us together, that He'd protect you and keep you safe. After a few years, I began to doubt we'd ever meet again. I sent you an invitation to a party once, but it came back Address Unknown. You never attended any professional society meetings either. I searched the internet, but I didn't know to look for Violet."
Kate gave his chest a playful swat, and Robert laughed, a deep, long laugh. As she rested in his arms, she felt his taut chest muscles ripple then relax. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Over time, my prayers changed, focusing on your happiness and safety. I never knew if God heard me or not."
"Then we ran into each other at the library," she stated.
"Yes. That was one of the happiest moments of my life, Kate. There you sat, unchanged, as if I'd just seen you the day before. But you ran off the first chance you got."
"I did," she said, nodding.
Robert shifted one hand to Katrina's back and with the other ran his fingers through her hair, twisting the odd tendril around his finger before releasing the strand to find another. He tugged on one of her long locks, tilting her face upward. His dark eyes smoldered with a fire that consumed the girl, and she willingly parted her lips to receive his kiss.
After several minutes, he released her mouth and continued, "When I found out you worked at Dodd, I figured my prayers had been answered. But then, every time we grew closer, I'd see you with another man or returning from lunch with your hair all mussed."
"The way you're mussing my hair now?" she teased.
He went on, "I grew insanely jealous and bitter. What a rotten trick for God to play. And the way you let your boyfriend drape himself all over another woman at the dinner dance! I couldn't fathom why you'd allow such a thing. All the while, I stood by, waiting for you to come to your senses."
"Boyfriend?"
"Yes. How was I to know James was your brother?"
Kate drew away from the man and allowed her mouth to drop open. The pieces began to fit together now. That's why he'd been so rotten, both to her and to Kiki.
"He's lucky I didn’t kill him when he spoke of spending the night with you," Robert added.
Katrina began to giggle. She reached for the man, lacing her fingers behind his neck.
"Easy there, Lovely One, or I won't be held accountable for what happens," he said, his voice husky.
"What did you think when Doris called me Violet last night?" she asked, allowing her hands to slide over his chest.
"I didn't know what to think. My frustration intensified, and I was determined to force some kind of resolution between us. I knew you felt something for me, but dealing with all your lovers was too much for me to accept."
She swatted his chest again.
"You know I've never had a lover."
"Well, I do now, but before you spilled the truth about James, I figured you had two or three. Let's see," Robert said, rubbing his chin as if in thought. "There was Jimmy, who flaunted his plans to spend the night with you—that's one. The man who sent a limo to collect you for lunchtime trysts—that's two. Oh, yeah, and Bernard—that makes three, Beautiful. I didn't know what to do with you!"
"What about the leggy Giselle?" she demanded.
"You mean Leiselle?" he chuckled. "She put on quite a show last night, didn’t she?"
"Yes, she did. I'm afraid you've cooked your goose with Doris, if you ever cared about impressing her," she said.
"You'll impress her for me, Katrina," he whispered, lowering his head to reach the sensitive spot below her ear.
He allowed his lips to linger on her neck, scorching her soft skin with his kisses. He took his time, enjoying the feel of her in his arms and the way she melted against him. A small moan escaped Kate's lips, and she felt every muscle in his body tense as he drew her even closer. Her breath became ragged, matching his. Robert forced himself to stop. Katrina glanced up at him and lost herself within the blaze burning in his dark eyes as the man struggled to control himself. His gaze trailed over her every feature, drinking her in. He took a deep breath and smiled.
"I only donated to the museum because I remembered your love of jewelry. I figured it would give me something to impress you with. Imagine my surprise when we ran into each other at the gala. Oh, and Leiselle is no more. I broke it off after you revealed you had a brother. It was quite a relief to be able to stop loathing another human being the way I hated him."
Robert ran his hands over her shoulders, stopping to press his thumbs below her clavicle bones. His touch made Katrina light headed.
He added, "By the way, that note I caught you reading, the one with the flowers? That was from my mother, not a girlfriend."
"You don't say!" She drew back to read his face, smiling. She continued, "You're the reason I've had trouble concentrating, and the reason I fainted, you know! I had to go through a battery of tests last week, all for the doctor to tell me there's nothing wrong," she exclaimed, exhaling.
He brushed the back of one hand over her cheek and searched her eyes with his deep gaze, which didn't help to control the fire he set off in her.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" His eyebrows knit together in worry before Kate nodded. "Thank God," he said, brushing a stray lock from her face.
That alone was enough to send electricity coursing through her.
He continued, "After you said James was your brother, I went home and Googled Violet Sparks. Hitting on your blog was the best thing that ever happened to me. I recognized myself in those posts right away."
"Egotist!" she exclaimed.
"I couldn't sleep all night, my love, thinking about what I would do to you when I got you alone," he breathed into her ear.
She blushed a deep crimson. But, his words reminded her of where they were, her office at Dodd and Company. She'd lost all track of time and place in his arms.
"Robert, did you really quit your job?" she asked out of the blue.
"Uh huh," he rumbled, stroking her hair.
"Why?" She worried that her friend, Kiki, had something to do with it.
The man sighed, his breath stirring the air about her with his scent. She drank in the outdoorsy aroma of pine that she so loved.
"I guess you'll find out soon enough anyway. William is back to stay. He and Samantha are a couple. I figured three's a crowd, even though he asked me to stay on."
"You're kidding!"
Kate remembered how William Dodd beamed with her old supervisor on his arm.
"Is that what he's been up to on the east coast all these months? Pursuing Samantha?"
"I think so, at least part of the time. Once his wife filed, it looked like a long battle would ensue. About two months ago, he told me he'd settled with Maureen, giving her everything she asked for. She's already moved on with her tennis pro, or pool boy, or some such younger man. William met up with Samantha in New York, and they decided to give a personal relationship a try."
"That's a shocker," she commented. "Were you so terrible to Kiki in her review?" she ventured to
ask.
"I'm afraid so. I didn't get as far as I did with yours though, because she stomped out. I thought she was cheating with your boyfriend. It infuriated me that someone you trusted would take advantage of you, Katrina."
"You gave me a terrible review as well."
Robert laughed and squeezed his arms around her, tight, his strong grasp making it difficult for her to breathe.
"I couldn't bring myself to post it. You looked so broken and lovely. I hate to confess it, but I'd seen you and Bernard kissing and it drove me out of my mind."
"When?" she asked, pulling away one more time and glancing up at him from behind long, wet lashes.
"I heard you were sick, and I raced over to your place to make sure you were all right. I arrived in time to see Bernard, or whatever you call him, kissing you out front. Jealousy can drive a man to do all sorts of things, Kate," he said before capturing her mouth in another deep kiss, his lips hard and demanding this time.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, risking the insanity that accompanied touching his body, and with one hand dragged her fingers through his thick hair, as she'd always longed to do. Heat ran through her from head to toe as the thrill of being with the man of her dreams raced through every fiber of her being.
Robert groaned.
A Solitary Romance: Book 1 in the Only Love Series Page 16
