Three Weeks Last Spring (34 page)

"I've already told you—any business you had with Skye is finished.
Now unless you want me to call security, I suggest you leave."

"What is it with you, Ridge?
You always want to call for help.
What were you, the playground wimp?"

Ridge's mouth tightened.

Skye stepped between them.
"That's enough!
People are beginning to stare.
You will not ruin this evening, is that
clear?
I said is that clear?"

Walker thrust his hands into his pockets.
He woul
d have liked nothing better than to punch Ridge on the nose, but Skye was right.
There was too much at stake, and stooping to Ridge's level wouldn't earn him any brownie points.

"John?"

"
Perfectly
."

Skye let out a long sigh of relief.
"Good
.
I see that people are starting to leave.
I think you should go back inside, I'll
follow you
in a moment."

"Only if you'll let me show him the door first."
And this time, I'll make sure he gets the message that he's not welcome around here,
John
added silently.

"I can handle this.
Now please, go bac
k inside and see to my guests."

Ridge glared at Walker and then pointedly raised Skye's left hand to his lips and kissed it.
He turned on his heels and wa
lked back towards the ballroom.

Walker raised his eyebrow questioningly, catching her hand before she had c
hance to lower it to her side.

"Very touching.
That's quite a rock you're wearing.
I assume there's something significant behind it?"

Skye
colored
, all the hurt and anger she
ha
d suffered at Walker's hands came flooding back.
She held her head up high, her
blue eyes boldly meeting his.

"John's asked me to marry him, and I've agreed.
Aren't
you going to congratulate me?"

"I'll be damned if I will.
You know you don't love him, not in that way."
Walker bent
his head, his mouth
seeking
hers.

No longer worried what people might think, Skye twisted in his arms, and tried to push him away.
The more she struggled, the more demanding his lips became.
His arms held hers tight by her side as his tongue traced the soft fullness of her lips, sending shivers of desire racing through her.
Suddenly,
she
stopped struggling, her lips parted of their own volition and she return
ed
his kiss.

Abruptly Walker let her go.
"Don't forget Skye.
Lunch.
Tomorrow.
Twelve-thirty at the Savoy.
Don't be late, I don't want to have to come looking for you again."

Shaking and with her mouth burning with fire, Skye watched as he turned and walked away from her.

She hardly paid attention to
John
on the drive
home
, until he asked the one question that had been on her lips ever since Walker had tapped her on the shoulder.

"—how he got by security is a mystery.
Without an invitation, he should have been stopped at the door.
In fact
,
when I get into the office on Monday I shall make a formal complaint to the security company.
The man's a menace!
And I can't imagine why he's come here, can you?
I hope you didn't give him any encouragement to stay."

"Oh, Walker.
I have no idea why he's over here either."
She'd done nothing but consider the reasons and implications of Walker's unexpected return.
She rested her head on the cold glass of the window and tried to concentrate on what John was saying, but the combination of a little too much champagne and Walker's demanding kiss had left her mind and emotions reeling.

"Skye?
Are you even listening to me?
I asked if you'd given him any encouragement."

"What do you mean encouragement?
If you think I rang him up and said ‘Hi!
I'm throwing a part
y, come on over’, think again."

"Then I don't understand why he's chosen now and tonight of all nights to
turn up, do you?"

"Do we have to talk about this right now?
It's been a long evening and I'm tried, my feet hur
t and
I just want to go home."

"S
kye
, I'm sorry I've been a fool.
I should have
realize
d
that he was the last person you wanted to discuss.
So how did you get rid of him in the end?"

With a long and exhausted sigh, that she hoped would be
recognized
for what it was Skye turned, and faced John in the
semi-darkness of the limousine.

"You know, you're right.
I don't want to talk about Walker.
In fact I don't want to discuss this evening at all.
So quit with the questions."
Whateve
r her feelings for Walker were
, she
wanted to keep them to herself.

John rambled on incessantly
until
the limousine came to
a halt in her driveway.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather you didn't come in.
It's late
and we're both tired."

"
Are you
sure?
"

Skye merely nodded.

"At least give me a goodnight kiss."

Skye hesitated, and then leaned across with the intention of kissing him on the cheek, but at the last moment John turned his head, so that her lips brushed his.
She quickly moved out of his grasp before he could deepen the kiss.
Suddenly the thought of John touching her was repugnant.
She stepped out of the car and
hurried towards her front door.

L
eaned against
the door for a moment, she
tr
ied
to gather her strength.
It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
It was only when her limbs stopped trembling and she felt sufficiently calm that she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.
She undressed in the moonlight, climbed into bed and pull
ed the blankets up to her chin.

Sleep was slow in coming and try as she might,
sh
e couldn't banish Walker from her thoughts.
His face haunted her.
Smiling, serious or thoughtful, it filled her dreams.
Her last coherent thought as she drifted off was that in the space of a few hours, her life had gone from order to chaos and the man who responsible for that change,
was once more back in her life.

***

Walker stood by the window
of his hotel room
and looked out at the lights of the City
,
nurs
ing
a glass of bandy in his right hand.
Memories of another night in another city came flooding back—the night
Skye and Ridge had
located the hacker.
Walker knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that what he and Skye had shared back at the cabin was real.
It was something that only came around once in a lifetime.
Only he'd been too stupid to see it at the time.

Seeing Ridge at the dinner hadn't surprised him at all.
It was obvious that Ridge hadn't told Skye about their encounter the previous afternoon.
Was
Ridge that unsure of himself
?
And if he was, why had he boasted about their engagement?
And who the hell was Laur
a and why was she so important?

At least he'd managed to feign surprise when Skye revealed that she
ha
d accepted Ridge's proposal.
But something in
her eyes when she told him,
had convinced him she was saying it for effect.
Yet she wore Ridge's ring.
It was almost as if she wanted to hit out by telling him,
and
was
challeng
ing him
to contradict her.

Ridge might be in love with Skye, but Walker wasn't in the least bit persuaded it was reciprocated.
That's why they hadn't gone public on their engagement.
Could she have been hoping that even, after all this time, he would come looking for her?
Was she sleeping with Ridge?
H
er engagement sug
gested she was doing just that.

When
Skye
looked at Ridge, she looked at him as if he were a friend not a lover.
She wasn't the type of woman to play with a doubled sided coin.
She was strictly a one-man woman and whether she
realize
d
it or not, she was his.

He tossed back the last of his Scot
ch, undressed and got into bed.

The following morning Skye drove into town.
She was unwilling to face Walker, yet was unable to stop herself from doing so.
Deep down their relationship had to be resolved one way or another.
But what exactly was their relationship?
She
ha
d
agonized
over that question for the last nine hours and was still no nearer to finding an answer
or at least one that she liked.

Walker had been out of her life for seven months and yet, try as she might, a day never passed without him entering her thoughts or dreams.
Why couldn't he have just said what he had to last night and got it over with?
And why was she driving into town to meet him, when she could have called and told him to go to
h
ell?
If he had any feelings for her, he wouldn't have waited this long to get in touch
.

Skye
left her car
on the forecourt of the Savoy Hotel and handed the keys to the parking attendant,
then
entered the hotel.
She spotted Walker lounging in one of chairs in the lobby.
She studied his lean face.
He looked relaxed despite his closed expression, and yet his presence was
as
compelling as it had been the first day
they had met
.
Even now, she could feel the tangible bond between them, and couldn
't tear her gaze away from him.

Walker saw Skye hovering on the edge of the lobby, obviously uncertain whether
to
approach him or not.
He stood, and strode across the
room
to her.
He caught her hand in his, leane
d forward and kissed her cheek.

"I'm glad
you came
."

Shocked by the impact of his gentle grip and the brush of his lips on her cheek, Skye smiled.
"If I recall, you didn't leave me much choice."

"I didn't, did I?
But I am glad you
’re here
all the same.
I hope you've no objection, but I've taken the liberty of ordering lunch in my suite."
He guided her towards the bank of elevators.

Skye hung
back;
the thought of being alon
e with him was
both disturbing and exciting.
"Is that a good idea?
Wouldn't it be more appropriate for us to eat in the main
dining
room?"

"Relax.
All I want to do is talk to you without the risk of interruption.
You have my word that I won't try anything inappropriate."

Skye hesitated, her head swirling with doubts.
She’d come this far, she couldn't back out now, not without making an utter fool of herself.
She stepped into the crowded elevator.
Although the ride took only minutes, she was overtly conscious of the heat of Walker's body as he stood behind her in the confined space.
When he casually rested his hand on her shoulder, her flesh tingle
d
in response to his touch.
It took all her will power to resist the temptation to
lay her cheek against his hand.

His suite was on the top floor
with fine views of
the river.
Two sumptuous leather sofas stood either side of the fireplace with a coffee table in between.
A small dining table had been placed in front of the large
windows and was laid for lunch.

Walker took a seat on the sofa facing the window, and watched as Skye wander
ed
around the room.
Gone were her fancy evening clothes of the night before.
Today she'd dressed in dark trousers, a roll neck sweater and tweed jacket.
Her rich auburn hair hung loose in waves framing her face.
She looked pale and tired, but then he guessed
that she hadn't had much sleep.

Skye took her time admiring the view.
"Was it purely
coincidental
that you turned up last night?
Or are yo
u here for a specific reason?"

"It was no coincidence, Skye.
You know full well why I'm here.
The way we left things back in Seattle...
you didn't give me a chance to explain.
There are things that need to be said."

"I said a
ll I had to back at the cabin."

"You don't really believe that.
If you did, you wouldn't be here today.
But you are, and that tells me a great deal.
Don't you want to know why it's taken
me so long to come after you?"

"Not really.
My lif
e doesn't revolve around you."

"No it doesn't, at least not at the moment.
But it does
concern me."

The implication of his words sent her pulses racing, but she couldn't a
llow him into her heart again.

"It shouldn't."

"There's the matter of an impending court case, for one thing.
You are an expert
witness, or had you forgotten?"

Skye raised her chin stubbornly.
"I'
ve already given my statement."

"I know.
But, that's not sufficient."

"Says who?"

"I do.
I want to ensure those responsible are put behind bars for years and the only way I can do that is if you give evidence in person."

"No way!"

"That's one of the reasons I'm here.
To take you back to the States with me.
I knew if the DA wrote to you, you'd find some excuse not to come or just plain ignore the letter."

"Go to
h
ell.
I
am not going anywhere with you.
"
She picked up her bag and walked towards the door.
In two strides Walker had
caught her and spun her round.

"Wrong again, Sweetheart.
You have no choice in the matter.
You either come willingly or the DA issues a subpoena.
Either way you
will
attend or go to jail—it's your choice
.
"

"Bullying tactics again?
I
t's becoming a habit with you."

"Yeah, but they work, don't they?"
He led her to the sofa.
"The court case isn't the only reason I came.
Let's stop fencing.
We said some pretty harsh things to each other back in the cabin.
I'm here because I wanted to see you and
apologize
.
If you want the truth, the
court case was just an excuse."

"I've told you—"

"For once, Skye, will you just
listen to what I have to say?"

Skye clamped her mouth shut and waited.
The tense silence between them lengthened.

Walker cleared his throat and began to tell her what happened after they
ha
d located the hacker.
Skye listened first in astonishment, and then horror to his words.
The
colo
u
r
drained from her face and she began to shake as the f
earful images built in her mind

"I woke up in a hospital bed three weeks later, bandages everywhere, drips in both arms—I won't bore you with all the details.
I didn't know that I'd been out of things for so long.
Of course, by then you'd already left and I was in no fit state to contact you, let alone follow you.
When the doctors finally gave me
the all clear
to travel, I booked myself on the first available flight to London.
I went to your office, but your fiancé refused to let me see you.
I'd
read
an article about the Foundation
, and well, you know the rest."

"No one told me.
I never knew."
Tears blinded
her eyes and choked her voice.

"How could you?
McCabe contacted the hotel, but was told you
ha
d
checked out
.
He had his suspicions about us, but he didn't know for sure and figured that as you were already on your way home, you wouldn't be interested in knowing."

Skye felt utterly miserable.
Just thinking of Walker lying in the hospital bed for weeks on end tore at her heart.
A sob rose in her throat, and she swallowed hard.
She looked into his eyes, b
ut her gaze clouded with tears.

"It was touch and go for a time, or so I'm told.
But every day I lay in that hospital bed I made myself a promise.
That if I ever got out of t
here, I
would
come after you."

"You're okay now, though?
I mean—"

"Physically, yes."

"I'm glad."

"Are you?"

"What sort of a question is that?
Of course I am."
The thought of him lying alone in some hospital at deaths door, tore her in two.
If only she known.
She have…what would she have done?
Rushed to his side?
Stayed with him until he was well?
"John n
ever told me you came
to the office looking for me."

"Yeah, well that doesn't surprise me.
The guy's a regular Rottweiler where you're concerned.
But if he had told you, would you have agreed to see me?"

"Yes.
I mean no…I'm not…Oh, I don't know."

"And your engagement?
It's a bit sudden, not to mention surprising.
I knew the guy had the hots for you.
But I got the impression that you viewed him as nothing more than a friend.
What made you change your mind?"

"I have my reasons."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes, I love him."
But not in the way I love you, she added silently
.

"I don't believe you, Skye.
I've held you in my arms.
I've felt you tremble when I kiss you.
I've seen the passion in your eyes when I caress you.
Tell me, do Ridge's kisses and caresses make you tremble?
When he makes love to you, do you ac
he for him as you ache for me?"

The touch of his hand on her arm was suddenly almost unbearable in its tenderness.
Her cheeks flushed scarlet as her em
barrassment turned to raw fury.

"Stop it!
My relationship with John has nothing to do with you."
But as she said the words a terrifying
realiz
ation
washed over her.
The harder she tried to ignore the truth, the more it persisted.
He knew.
He knew she loved him and always would
.

"You don't love Ridge and if you marry him, you'll be making the biggest mistake of your life!
I guarantee
y
ou'll be bored stup
id within a year
.
Do you want that?
After all, it's a high price to pay for security.
It won't be any easy life, marrying someone you don't love.
I daresay you'll convince yourself it's the right thing, but as the years pass, you'll regret it.
Then what will you do?"

Alarm and anger rippled along her spine.
She freed herself from his gasp, her blue eyes blazing.
"Stop it!
Stop it!
I don't want to hear
anymore
.
You have no right to talk to me like this."