“Jesus. You don’t need to ask me that, Kara. It’s a given.” He stopped once more and frowned. “Though I don’t understand why you didn’t go to David.”
Austin’s jaw was clenched tight as he held her gaze. Did he know that his relationship with Annabelle that motivated her to date the man?
“It’s over between us. It’s been over for a while, actually.”
Her relationship with David was just another poor choice in a long line right now – using one man to dull the pain another caused. David Young had been a controlling, jealous, manipulative ill-suited boyfriend. Her best friend had seen David for who he really was and had warned her, but Kara had refused to listen because she’d been too proud. And she’d wanted to show Austin she was fine with him dating someone else.
She’d been such a stupid, stupid fool.
“For how long?”
“A couple of months.”
His jaw was clenched tight. “So, around the time you started getting the letters?”
“Yes, and I know what you’re thinking, but I don’t think it’s him.”
Doubt niggled at her. Their relationship had ended badly, and she’d had the distinct impression there were times he followed her places, but there were other people it could be.
“You don’t think it is, but it might be?”
“Yes. I mean no, I mean he has a temper, but…”
She trailed off when his expression darkened.
“Tell me he never used that temper on you.”
“He never hit me, and I think it’s more likely to be someone from Bismop Inc. Two months ago I did a safety audit of their warehouse and factory. It resulted in the manager and several other people losing their jobs. To say they were angry…it would be an understatement.”
“I need names, Kara.”
“I gave their names to the police.”
“Which is fine, but they don’t have my resources. Give me their names and I’ll take care of it.”
He would take care of it, she knew that. No matter what had happened between them – or what hadn’t happened – there was no one she trusted more with this. No one who could make her feel safer. But she hadn’t come here to involve him, despite the way it might look to him. She wasn’t asking him to solve this for her. She just needed a place to stay where she could feel safe for the evening.
“Austin-”
“You still don’t get it, do you? Your tough-as-nails approach is going to wind up with you hurt. I can’t have that on my head.”
Austin Chase had a reputation for being the best in personal security and she knew there was nothing he wanted more than to hunt down the person responsible for scaring her – because it was part of his identity, keeping people safe. And the way he looked at her, as though his life depended on the information…the names spilled from her lips before she could stop them.
“Thank you.” His relief was as tangible as the frustration and anger that had been pouring off of him moments ago. “We can talk about what we do next tomorrow. Right now I have some work I need to do. You take the bed in my room tonight and I’ll crash on the couch.”
“No, I’ll sleep on the couch. This is your house. I didn’t come here to kick you out of bed. I just wanted to stay with someone.”
“I’m expecting a call from LA in a bit, and I have some things to do in the meantime. I’m going to be walking around, in and out of the study and it’ll disturb you if you’re trying to sleep. I’ll feel better if you take the bed.”
One guess who he would be on the phone to. The Australian born actress, Annabelle Rogers, might have gone back to the States, where she lived, but she was still in a relationship with Austin. Word on the grapevine was that the man who had once considered himself the eternal bachelor was happier than he’d ever been.
And in love.
If that thought was a never-ending source of pain, well, she had no one to blame but herself.
“I guess I’ll take the bed then. I didn’t mean to inconvenience you.”
“You haven’t.” He looked at the skirt, tank-top and cardigan she was wearing underneath the blanket and frowned. “Did you bring something to sleep in?”
“I didn’t pack a thing before coming here.”
She’d known where she was going when she left her place, but she’d been in such a hurry – so panicked and disturbed by the violence left on her doorstep that she’d bolted without packing any of her belongings in a bag.
“You can borrow something to wear if you want.”
“Thank you.”
He disappeared into a room she assumed was his bedroom. When he returned he had a pair of boxer shorts and a grey cotton t-shirt. He handed them to her lap and she could smell him on the clothes. Could she really sleep wrapped up in his scent?
“I guess I’ll turn in for the night then.”
She wasn’t ready to sleep, but it was late and he clearly had things he wanted to get down to. And while he said she wasn’t inconveniencing him, she had interrupted his evening and his work. The days when she might have been more than just Claire’s best friend were over now, and she didn’t want to ask him for something he clearly didn’t want to give her – like his company.
A few months back, he’d suggested they be friends and the thought had made her near-hysterical. Now, she wished for nothing more than just an hour of his time. Such as his laughter and some conversation.
“Feel free to watch some TV for a bit. If you need anything, come and get me.”
“Thank you, Austin. For everything.”
“My room in the first room on the right hand side. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Kara stood up, reaching for him before he could turn away from her. Her hand lingered on his arm, but when she felt his muscles jump underneath her palm and he stared down at her hand, she let him go.
“Please don’t tell Claire about this. I don’t want her to worry about me while she should be having fun with Dylan.”
Of course she’d tell Claire about what had happened when it was all over and they’d caught whoever was responsible. But there was no point worrying her best friend when she was on her first vacation in…well, forever.
His eyes locked with hers. “I won’t say a word. Goodnight, Kara.”
She watched him walk down the hallway on the other side of the house, presumably to his office.
Feeling lonelier than she had in long time, she walked into the bedroom she’d seen him come out of with his clothes a minute ago. Like the rest of the apartment, it was sparsely furnished, with only a large bed, a bedside table and a dresser taking up space in the room. And like in the living area, a photo was the only personal effect. The picture on his bedside table, however, was not of his sister and mother. No, the photo was of Annabelle.
Drawn to it, despite the fact her heart already ached from the sight of it, Kara walked over to take a better look at it. The actress’s gorgeous blonde locks fell down over one shoulder. A sultry smile tugged at her lips. There didn’t appear to be a skerrick of makeup on her face, yet the A-list celebrity was still stunning. Beyond stunning, really.
It was the intimacy of the picture, however, that hit Kara the hardest. Annabelle was naked, except for the sheet covering her. The private moment that had been captured took prime position in his room, next to his bed, making it clear who he thought about before he went to sleep when he woke up.
There was no way to shut out the pain of that thought. The moment she’d met Austin Chase, she’d realised how dangerous he was to her. The first time they’d spoken – the first time they’d touched – it had been as if nothing else had existed. It was almost exactly as her mother had described meeting Kara’s father.
So, despite the fact she craved to give in to the sinful promises in Austin’s eyes, she’d held strong and kept him at a distance. It had become a game of sorts – her retreat and his pursuit. He’d made promises of nights filled with pleasure, but never uttered a word about commitment. Each time he’d tempted her, she’d wondered if she could give in without falling to pieces when it ended. Each time, she’d decided it was just too risky to take a chance.
The last time he’d asked her out had been right before he’d gone to Queensland to work with Annabelle. When he’d returned, not only had he been seeing someone else, but the eternal bachelor was in a committed relationship. He’d moved on from their game – given up on the chase – and the despair and the pain of that had overwhelmed her.
Dragging her gaze away from the picture of his girlfriend, Kara dressed in the change of clothes Austin had given her. The cotton boxers and shirt were worn, soft and smelt of fabric softener and Austin. The scent comforted, aroused and saddened her all at once. She stared at the bed and the picture beside it. Of all the ways she’d imagined ending up in Austin’s bed, it wasn’t like this. He might not want her sleeping on the couch, but she didn’t belong in his bed.
Not now, not ever.
Walking back into the large open living area, she paused realising Austin was there, pacing back and forth outside the kitchen. He was talking, his voice low.
She was about to ask if everything was okay when he laughed at something and then turned, revealing the phone in his hand.
“Hang on, babe.”
Obviously, it was Annabelle he was talking to. He covered the phone with his hand as his gaze dropped to her bare feet before lifting to the boxers and shirt she was wearing of his. She covered her breasts by crossing her arms, aware that her body was responding to his attention, despite the way every muscle in his face tightened before he looked at her face again.
“Is everything okay? Do you need something?”
“Fine.” She forced a smile. “I was just going to watch some TV.”
“I’ll take this elsewhere, then.”
“No, it’s-”
“Remote is on top of the kitchen bench.”
Before she could tell him he didn’t need to walk away, he had the phone to his mouth again. “Just one of my sister’s friends.”
The words were like a papercut across her already raw heart.
Well, she’d always known he’d hurt her, break her. She just hadn’t realised it would be because she refused to take a chance on him, not because she had. Now their game of advance and retreat was over. Game, set and match to Austin. While he’d moved on and was happy – in love with someone else, Kara was stuck with regrets and what ifs that would never be answered.
It was too late to turn back the clock and go to a hotel tonight, instead of turning up here and involving him in her problems. And it would be crazy to knock back his help when she was in danger. She knew that, even if her pride begged otherwise. But she needed to let him and her grief over their never-to-be relationship go. He’d moved on, and now she needed to do the same. She’d lost her chance with him and now she had to live with it – needed to learn to be happy for him. So what if he was the only man she’d ever carried a torch for? She couldn’t compete with Annabelle Rogers.
No one could.