Chapter Thirteen #2
Lainie rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck, nearly groaning at how stiff she was. Making love all night with Christien then sitting behind her desk all day made her newly healed body unhappy.
Erica plopped down in the chair opposite the desk, pulled out a container of soup, a plastic-wrapped spoon and a sandwich. Lainie nearly tackled her for it. Neither spoke until Lainie sat back with a contented sigh, her stomach full.
“Thank you.”
Erica waved her hand in the air. “I’m just glad you’re okay. And you’re back.”
Lainie glared at the pile of paperwork. “I’m beginning to rethink that decision.”
“Of course Giselle wouldn’t help you with your work. That would require her to be nice and I don’t think nice is in her vocabulary.”
Lainie laughed. “Definitely not.” I’m doing this for Dad. I’m doing this for Dad. If it weren’t for him, she would have left this job long ago.
“I never thanked you for calling Christien after the accident,” she said.
Erica frowned. “I didn’t call Christien.”
“After the accident? He said he got a call and came right away. I thought…” She’d assumed Erica called him, but by Erica’s expression she guessed not.
“I didn’t call him. I didn’t even think about it. Should I have?”
Lainie shook her head. “No. I guess someone else did.” Who though?
Erica stood. “Well, now that you’re back, we need to do lunch again. Only this time don’t get hit by a car.”
Lainie smiled absently. “I’ll try not to.”
She sat at her desk a long while after Erica left.
She was positive Christien said he’d come straight to the hospital after getting the call.
No one else would have called him. No one but Erica knew they were seeing each other.
She picked up her phone and dialed Christien’s number.
He answered on the third ring, with a distracted, “Chevalier.”
“Who told you I was hit by the car?”
“Madelaine?”
“I thought Erica called you, but she said it wasn’t her.” Her lunch sat heavily in her stomach right next to the big ball of dread. “The blond guy,” she suddenly said. “He’s one of your men isn’t he?”
“Madelaine, maybe we shouldn’t talk about this over the phone.”
He didn’t deny it.
“I knew I’d seen him somewhere before. Why, Christien? Why did you have me followed?”
“This isn’t the time—”
“Never mind.” She hung up and stared blankly at the wall in front of her.
Giselle appeared in the doorway. “Since you’re staring at the wall, I assume you’ve finished your work.”
Lainie looked down at the stack of paperwork. Disappointment tugged at her—she’d trusted him and he hadn’t trusted her. The bubble of happiness she’d been living in since yesterday afternoon popped, leaving her feelings shredded.
“No, not finished yet,” she said. “I was just taking a small break.”
Giselle rolled her eyes. “Stop slacking. There’s more waiting when you’re finished with that.”
Lainie swallowed her retort and pulled the stack toward her. It was better this way.
She managed to get through most of the paperwork, firmly keeping her mind focused on the task at hand and ignoring the depressing thoughts circling. But by midnight her head was spinning and she was so tired she couldn’t see straight.
Exhausted, she stood and stretched. The other offices were dark, everyone having gone home at least six hours ago. She’d put in a sixteen-hour workday. If that wasn’t good enough for Giselle nothing would be. The woman would have to live with it.
On her way down to the lobby, Lainie gave a passing thought to Christien’s bodyguard who’d been waiting outside the building for the last sixteen hours. She probably should have told him she was working late.
She exited the building and looked for Ronald, but instead found Christien leaning against the outside wall.
She crossed her arms and glared at him. “Where’s Ronald?”
“I sent him home two hours ago.”
She shrugged and headed toward her apartment. Christien fell into step beside her.
“The blond man you saw was one of my men. Hired to protect you.”
When she didn’t say anything he sighed.
“I told you in the hospital I was afraid someone would try to use you to get to me.”
“You keep saying that but you won’t tell me who is trying to get to you.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it, his gaze sliding away. Lainie wanted to scream in frustration.
“Trust goes two ways, Chevalier.”
“I know that.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me I was being followed?”
“And what would you have said?”
“That I didn’t need a babysitter. But it doesn’t mean I didn’t deserve to know.”
“I apologize. You’re correct, of course. Sometimes I forget that you can take care of yourself.”
The chagrined, boyishly forlorn look on his face cooled her anger, leaving her more exhausted than before. “You make it hard to stay mad at you.”
“I try my best not to make you angry, but it’s a hard thing to do.
” He tried to smile but she could see in his eyes how hurt and frightened he’d been.
The loneliness had crept back in there too.
Something she hadn’t seen in days. Despite his heavy-handed ways, deep down he was a lonely man at heart and that saddened her.
Despite her exhaustion and residual anger, she smiled. “Tell Ronald I’m sorry I left him out here for so long.”
“I take it Giselle wasn’t kind when you returned.”
Lainie shrugged.
“Why do you continue to work for her if she’s so cruel to you?”
“Because I need the money.”
He took her hand and pulled her to a stop. “I don’t like that you’re being abused. Let me help. I can set up a trust for your father—”
“I pay my own way. But thank you,” she added, softening her tone. She wasn’t a charity case. Her father was her responsibility and she would take care of him like he took care of her for all those years. It was only right.
“I have plenty of money. You wouldn’t have to work so hard—”
“No, Christien. I appreciate the thought, really I do, but I won’t take your money.”
She pulled her hand from his and continued on.
“You’re going back to your apartment.”
It wasn’t a question but she nodded anyway.
Christien stopped walking and as much as she knew she should keep going, she stopped and turned back to him.
“I thought you were coming back to me.”
“Christien.” She understood his reasons for having her followed, but it still didn’t make his decision right.
If she were in danger she had a right to know and to accept or refuse his offer of help.
He didn’t give her the choice and that didn’t sit well with her.
How many other times would he take her choice away from her?
How many times would he autonomously decide what was best without consulting her?
“I made a mistake,” he said. “I should have told you.”
The warm breeze ruffled his dark hair. The red neon light from the business they stopped beside shined down on him, highlighting one side of his face, while plunging the other into shadows.
“I had a right to know.”
“You did.”
Damn him for agreeing with her. It made it difficult to argue. “How many other choices have you taken from me?”
He took both her hands and drew her closer. “None. And I will never make that mistake again. I promise, ma chérie. But you have to promise something as well.”
The heat from his hands warmed her. She hadn’t realized how cold she’d become since their phone conversation.
“Promise you won’t run away every time you are angry. If we are to make this relationship work, we need to communicate.”
Shame washed over her. He was right, of course. She couldn’t run away every time he angered her. “I’m sorry. The next time I’ll make sure to talk before I walk.”
One half of his face smiled, the other still lost in the shadows. “You’re so sure there will be a next time?”
“Oh, I think there will be many next times. We’re bound to argue here and there.”
He drew her closer until their bodies brushed and she pulled in a startled breath. “Think of all the making up we’ll do.” His sensuous lips curled into a knowing grin.
“Just think.”
“Do you forgive me, Madelaine?”
“For wanting to keep me safe? For thinking of my best interest even though you didn’t discuss it with me? Of course. Do you forgive me for wanting to run?”
He kissed her, a sweet, tender kiss that stole her breath. “As long as you never leave me again. You are my heart, ma chérie. And without my heart, I would die.”
Oh, my.
“Come home with me.”
She nodded, tears clogging her throat and together they walked back to his home.