The lump in her throat was so painful she could barely swallow. Turning, she walked out of the living room.
Gage didn’t follow.
Abby hadn’t thought he would.
She cried all the way back to her apartment. By the time she got there, her eyes were gritty but dry. She had given Gage everything she had to give. She would always love him, but in some strange way, she finally felt free of him.
Tomorrow night, she would talk to Clay Reynolds. With his help, maybe she could set a new course, find something in life to interest her besides the adventures she wanted to share with Gage.
Abby told herself that as she lay in bed that night.
But deep in her heart, she wished she had stayed, wished she’d had one more night with Gage.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
ABBY PUT ON A PAIR OF BEIGE SLACKS AND A LOOSE-FITTING GATHERED print top in pale shades of blue. She didn’t want to wear anything sexy. She wanted this to be a professional business meeting.
The supper she was making—baked chicken, baby yellow potatoes, and carrots, along with a crisp green salad—was healthy and not particularly impressive.
She wasn’t trying to impress Clay as a woman. She wanted their conversation to revolve around the opportunities his influence with the museum might provide.
The doorbell rang. Abby wiped her hands on a dish towel, straightened the apron tied around her waist, went to the door and pulled it open.
Clay smiled as he walked in, leaned over, and kissed her cheek. He presented her with a bouquet of pretty pink roses. Not the best start to a business meeting, but the flowers were lovely.
“Thank you, Clay, that’s very thoughtful. I’ll put them in water.” She walked back into the kitchen, and Clay followed. He looked handsome tonight, in a navy blue sport coat and a pair of gray slacks, his shiny blond hair freshly trimmed.
Abby walked behind the kitchen counter. It was a simple galley-style design, with a sink on one side, a breakfast bar on the other. The dining table in the living room had been set with blue place mats and her everyday white dishes.
Abby found a vase beneath the sink and bent down to pick it up. When she rose, she felt Clay right behind her. She turned and managed to smile. “I need a little room if I’m going to arrange these flowers.”
Clay took the bouquet from her hand and set it in the sink. “You can do that later.” He lowered his head and began kissing the side of her neck. Abby squeezed out from beneath his arm and walked a few feet away.
“Clay, I invited you here to talk about doing something with the museum, finding some kind of work that might interest me.” He caught up with her, turned her back into his arms.
“We’ll get around to that. First things first.” Clay caught her jaw and tried to kiss her, but Abby pulled away. She set her palms on his chest to keep him at arm’s length.
“I really appreciate your friendship, Clay, but that’s all I feel for you. Friendship. I’m not interested in anything more than that.”
Clay’s warm smile faded. “You want that job, don’t you? There’s always a price to pay for favors, Abby.”
Surprise jolted through her. She started shaking her head. “I don’t want the job that badly.”
His expression changed from pleasant to grim. “I can’t believe after all this time you’ve just been leading me on.”
“I wasn’t leading you on. I didn’t realize you believed there was something going on between us. Friendship’s all I’ve ever felt for you, Clay. That’s all I want.”
Clay moved closer. “I don’t care what you want anymore. It’s time to face reality.” He smiled thinly. “I had high hopes for us, Abby. After you came back from Mexico, I thought we could finally make things work.”
Abby kept moving backward. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’ve hardly even dated.”
Clay stalked after her. “Your grandfather hoped for more. We talked about you whenever he was in the city.” Clay’s smile returned, but it looked forced. “He hoped we’d get together.”
“I don’t . . . don’t have those kinds of feelings for you, Clay. I think I’ve made that clear.”
Her back came up against the wall and Clay pressed himself against her. She could feel his arousal, and her stomach churned.
“I want you, Abby,” he said. “I want your mind as well as your body. Let me give you pleasure. You’ll see how good we can be.”
Clay caught her wrists, dragged her over to the sofa, and pushed her down, used his body to pin her beneath him. Abby struggled, but Clay was sixty pounds heavier, and he was in prime physical condition. His grip on her wrists was like steel as he dragged her hands over her head. Trapping her with his weight, he cupped her breast and squeezed, bent his head, and tried to kiss her.
“Let me go!” When she turned her head away, he pressed his mouth against the side of her neck.
“Give us a chance, Abby. Let me show you how good it could be.”
Abby struggled to get up. “Clay, if you don’t stop right now, I’m going to scream.”
One hand covered her mouth while the other slid down her body, into the front of her slacks. Abby sank her teeth into Clay’s palm and bit down hard. Clay was the one who screamed.
“You bitch!” Blood trailed across his palm and dripped through his fingers. “I’ve had enough of your games!” Clay backhanded her so hard her ears rang. He ripped open the front of her blouse and Abby cried out. Her head was spinning, Clay’s heavy weight pressing the air out of her lungs, making her even more light-headed.
A pounding started on the door. “Abby! Are you all right?”
“Gage . . . !” She tried to throw Clay off, but he slapped her again, knocking her head into the arm of the sofa.
“You said the two of you were over!” Clay shouted. “I should have had them finish you off in Mexico City!”
“What?”
The door crashed open, and Gage roared into the room. He took one look at her blouse and the red mark on her cheek and went after Clay like the lion he was.
Gage jerked Clay off Abby and sent him crashing into the wall. He grabbed the front of Clay’s shirt, hauled him up, and punched him in the face, sending him flying backward again.
“Get away from me!” Clay shouted as Gage strode over, hauled him to his feet, and hit him again.
Abby shot up from the sofa. “Gage, stop! You’ll kill him!”
Gage ignored her. “You hit her, you son of a bitch.” A fierce blow knocked Clay against the end table, sending the lamp crashing to the floor. When Gage drew back for another blow, Abby grabbed his bicep and held on as hard as she could.
“That’s enough, honey. Please stop, please!”
He looked at her over his shoulder, took a deep breath, and slowly released it. When he finally let go, Clay slid down the wall and didn’t get up.
Gage turned to Abby, his blue eyes scorching. “What the hell is he doing here? You said last night that you—”
“I do love you. It’s not what you think.” Abby took a shaky breath. “We were supposed to talk about a job offer at the museum. I thought I’d be able to keep things more professional if I cooked dinner for him here instead of going over to his place.”