A Modern Love Story (30 page)

He watched her disappear through the doorway, and it took him all of two seconds to decide what the fuck to do. Forgetting the reason for the ache in his chest, he strode across the apartment to chase the cure for his pain.

Chapter 12

Colin walked Robbie as far as he could at the airport, and much like Luc had in Vermont, stopped to talk to her for a while before she went through security.

Robbie studied his reserved expression with a measure of remorse. “You understand why I’m leaving, right?”

“Certainly, I do. You must go where your heart is. The estate is settled, the inheritance transferred to your accounts. There is nothing to hold you back now.”

“I didn’t mean…”

“No, no, child. It is perfectly fine. You go—be with your Luc. I know he must be so happy to have you returning to him.”

“Actually, he doesn’t know. No one does. I called to tell him but… I don’t know. He sounded so
sad
.” She smiled in anticipation. “I decided to surprise him instead.”

His face lifted with his smile. “Oh, how delightful! You must write and tell me how it goes. But however will you get home from the airport if no one knows you’re to arrive?”

“There is a bus that goes right by Luc’s apartment. I’ll just take that.”

“Is it trustworthy?”

She smiled, feeling loved by the concern he showed. She sure was going to miss him. “It’s perfectly safe. Don’t worry.”

*****

Luc heard Payten snap her cell phone shut with a heavy sigh. “Problem, blondie?”

When she noticed his stare, she flashed a smile and smoothed back her hair. “Not at all, sweetness. Our weekend just got freed up.”

He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. How the fuck did he suddenly get maneuvered into a relationship where a word like
our
gets tossed around? Shit. This fling was getting all tangled up. “
Our
weekend?”

She pointedly ignored the infliction of his voice. “You know that dinner you promised to escort me to? Lucky us—it just got cancelled.”

“How the hell is that lucky for
us?
For
me
—I can see that. But you…”

“Smart ass,” she murmured, sliding onto his lap.

“There’s plenty of room on the couch for you to have your very own spot.” He put his hands on her hips to shove her off, but she anchored herself by curling her fingers around the back of his neck.

“It’s lucky for
us
because we now have the weekend to ourselves.” She traced a perfect fingernail down his neck. “And I plan on having my way with you. We can fuck like rabbits for two days straight.”

His pants suddenly feeling tight, he squirmed to the side and tried to change the subject. “For a lawyer type, you sure have a mouth on you.”

“And just think…you haven’t even seen what this mouth is capable of.”

So much for redirection. “Jesus, lady. Do you ever quit?”

“No.” She smiled, locking eyes with him. “I’m going to do things to this body that your imagination can’t even handle.”

He stared for a minute before finally pushing her off to the side. “Whatever.”

She laughed and draped her legs over his thighs and laid back, unbuttoning her shirt and eyeing him up like she wanted to eat him alive. This chick wouldn’t take
no
for an answer, and a part of him simply didn’t give a shit anymore. But then there was the other part that wondered how far he could push her before she finally had had enough of his bullshit.

This weekend just got a whole helluva lot more interesting.

*****

It was late afternoon by the time Luc and Payten fell back into a tangled heap on the bed. Sweat slicked the skin of their heaving chests as they struggled for air.

“My God, Luc. You’ve got some sturdiness in that frame of yours. You’re built like a fucking rock.”

He didn’t answer as his whole body relaxed back into the mattress. He would have gladly fallen asleep if it wasn’t for the doorbell ringing. “Sonofabitch,” he growled, rolling to the side.

Payten put a hand on his arm. “Don’t get up, lover. I’ll get rid of them.” She leaned down and bit his nipple, causing him to jolt. “Don’t go anywhere.”

He closed his eyes and he sank back down. “Get me a water while you’re up, and put something on. I don’t want you answering my door naked.”

Rolling over, he half-listened through the closed door and heard the murmur of female voices. He figured it was Lizbeth at the door, looking for a fight. Fuck that. He was staying right where he was. It wasn’t like she didn’t already know about Payten. He’d smooth that shit out later.

A few minutes later, he heard the door open.

“Hey, you have a visitor,” Payten said, closing the door behind her.

He peeled back a lid and was almost startled to see her somber expression. Lizbeth must have torn into her. He held the laugh back as he grabbed the water bottle from her outstretched hand. “Get rid of her. I don’t want to deal with her now.”

The corner of her mouth twitched as she drummed her fingers on the wall. “How did you know who it is?”

“What other chick would be here? Lizbeth’s been looking to bust my chops about you. Guess she got a bite out of you too.” He snickered as he took a pull off the bottle.

“It’s not Lizbeth. It’s Robbie.”

He choked, spraying water all over his bed. “What the fuck?!” He glared at her, barely-contained panic curling in his belly. “That’s not even funny, you bitch.”

She cocked her head to the side. “I guess I didn’t realize you hadn’t told her about us. I would’ve thought you to be the loyal type. I figured you broke up before she left.”

As he stared, it suddenly clicked she’d answered his door in a blouse with one button fastened. Oh, shit! “She’s really fucking here?”

Payten nodded and sat on the bed next to him. “She wants to talk to you.”

His self-preservation kicked into high gear as he sought to defend himself. “We did break up. Sort of. We agreed, if either one of us found someone else, all bets are off.” He failed to mention his little fling with Payten wasn’t supposed to amount to anything other than a damn convenient distraction.

“Then you have nothing to worry about, do you?” She patted his cheek. “This is a bit awkward for me. How about I get out of here and let you two get caught up?” She grabbed her clothes and quickly got dressed. “I’ll call you later, sweetness. I’ll let Robbie know you’ll be right out.”

He scrambled off the bed after Payten closed the door behind her. Pulling a shirt over his head, he silently cursed, wishing he could at least take a shower before he did this. That was all he needed—to smell like sweat and sex as he fought with his girlfriend about banging another woman. Jesus fucking Christ, how did all this shit go to fucking hell?!

He managed to pull himself together before heading to the living room.

“Rob. You’re here.”

Robbie’s cold eyes angled toward him. “I’m here.” The flat tone of her voice made him more nervous than the anger he was expecting. Even still, he couldn’t help but notice how damn beautiful she looked.

“You’re back.”

“I’m back.”

“I wasn’t expecting you.”

“No shit.” She arched a brow. “I
kinda
got that much for myself.”

It occurred to him that he should’ve asked Payten what had been said between the two of them. He stood there, at a loss for words. He wanted to go to her, hold her, touch her, but he knew he had no right.

“So…you and Payten, huh? I honestly didn’t see that one coming.” She shrugged. “Maybe I should have.”

Her accusatory tone got his back up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I know you and women, Luc. I’m not fucking blind. But I can’t believe I meant so little to you…” Her voice cracked. She pulled her shoulders back as she composed herself. “I never abandoned you. I was always coming back.”

“I know that,” he snapped.

“Did you?” She gestured towards Payten’s white, lacey bra, hanging over the back of the couch. “If you knew that, why did you start screwing the first available woman you came across?”

“It wasn’t like that.” His jaw tightened.

“That’s fucking bullshit, Lucian! Look at you two! People’s lives don’t mesh like this overnight.” She picked up a pair of Payten’s stockings and flung them at him. And then a Woman’s magazine, a nail file, a bottle of nail polish. Jesus, where had all that shit come from?! “You two have been together awhile!”

“You can’t tell—”

“If I ask Conrad or Lizbeth, how long would they say it’s been going on?”

He looked away, knowing exactly what answer she’d get,
and
how it would look.

She stalked up to him, hands on her slim hips, as she stared him down. “What would they say?”

“Awhile.”

“How long after I left?”

He didn’t answer. Didn’t want to.

“How long?!”

“The week after.”

Tears sprung to her eyes as she shoved at his chest. “You fucking cold-hearted sonofabitch!”

He grabbed her arms and tried to pull her close. “Rob—”

“No!” She struggled fiercely in his grasp.

He let her go. “Let me explain.”

“You think you’re this big fucking mystery to me that I couldn’t possibly figure it out for myself?! Bullshit!” She backed away. “But just because I understand what it stems from”—she shook her head—“doesn’t make it forgivable.”

He didn’t know what she
thought
she knew, but he was positive she couldn’t know the hurt she caused when she left, that it was so intense it actually caused him physical pain. “You don’t know—”

“Because I left you—despite the fact you encouraged it, even insisted on it. And this is my punishment. I lose you because I abandoned you, right? Leave them before they leave you. Hurt them before they hurt you. You know what?” She threw her hands into the air. “You win. If that’s the way you want this to play out, then so be it.”

He took a step toward her as she snatched her purse off the couch.

“Stay the fuck away from me, Luc. I mean it.”

He watched, dumbfounded, as she stormed out of his apartment. And out of his life.

*****

Robbie jabbed at the lock on her apartment door without a single ounce of patience. All she wanted to do was hide and cry, let the fury and frustration blaze through her and burn itself out. Dammit, she needed a release. She didn’t even think about the fact that she wouldn’t be alone, that Lizbeth still had use of her place. The lock clicked and the door jerked open before she slid the key home.
 

“Robbie!” Lizbeth grabbed her limp body into a bear hug. “Why didn’t you call? I would’ve picked you up.”
 

“Did you know?” Robbie whispered.

“I just got off the phone with Scott. He told me you were heading back. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”