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the living room. She could see his eyes as they scanned the
room, noting the years of service the furniture had seen, the
worn flowered carpet on the floor and the old radiator
under the faded curtains at the window.
Damned if she would apologize for her home.  I can t
imagine what could be so important that it couldn t wait
until morning. To my knowledge we have nothing to say
to each other. If you re here about a divorce, you have my
word I ll do nothing to stand in your way. If you have the
papers with you, I ll gladly sign them now.
Her lack of emotion made him frown; his eyes looked
questioningly into hers. He knew he d hurt her, had acted
like a bastard. But now, seeing her lack of concern was
like a knife to the heart. Not that he didn t deserve it he
was quick to concede to himself. But he would move
heaven and earth to mend the breach he d made in their
relationship. God, but she was so thin. And she was so
pale. She needed him as much as he needed her. It was
going to be an up hill battle all the way from here.
 There will be no divorce, Dani. The marriage will
remain in tact and any attempt on your part to alter this
arrangement will be fought. And make no mistake, I can
fight harder and with more force than you could ever
imagine. Damn, this wasn't how he wanted their meeting
to go. Rafe longed to take her in his arms, not scare her
away. But her talk of divorce threw him off balance.
 I am not the least concerned about you divorcing me
now, or ever. I just thought it was what you would want.
If all you came here to do is to throw more insults at me,
you can take your opinions and leave. Now. Dani seldom
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lost her temper, but life had not been easy since she d left
Rafe, and the last thing she needed was his presence
stirring up memories. She picked up his coat, pointedly
handing it to him as she spoke. She started to walk past
him to show him the door when he threw the coat back
down, reaching out to take hold of her arm, preventing her
from moving out of his reach. Dani jerked away from his
touch as if scalded. Before either could say another word, a
loud shrill whistle sounded from the kitchen.
Dani sighed.  I was just about to fix a hot cup of cocoa.
If you re set on staying to say your piece, perhaps you d
like to join me. She knew she didn t sound very inviting,
but Rafe quickly accepted and followed her into the
kitchen.
The room was small, just room for one person to move
from cupboards to stove to refrigerator to sink. Rafe s
large powerful body seemed to fill the small space. He
seemed out of place as he sat down at the wooden table just
inside the doorway. As Dani busied herself at the
apartment size range, she eyed Dom s highchair on the far
side, between the cupboard and the range. In this position,
it was out of sight to anyone sitting at the table.
She d become lost in thought and Rafe had to repeat his
question.  I asked you where you were working, Dani?
Surely a secretary could manage a larger apartment than
this.
Stiffening her back, she carried the steaming mugs to
the table, sitting in the only other chair, opposite Rafe.  I
am not working as a secretary. Not that it s really any of
your concern. I work in a pawnshop, keeping books and
helping at the counter. And I see nothing wrong with this
place, she lied.  It may be small and not filled with
expensive furniture, but it s clean. And it s my home!
Her eyes were shining, partly from temper and partly from
fever. She really didn t feel well. And this confrontation
was not helping.
Looking at him, she recognized the signs of disapproval,
the thin line of his mouth and the small furrows that
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appeared on either side of his eyes. She suffered the
strangest urge to reach up with her fingers to smooth them
away. She was sicker than she thought. She did not want
to touch him or have anything to do with this man.
 I was not aware of degrading your living quarters. It is
just that as my wife you are entitled to a substantial income
which would allow you be to more comfortable. He took
a deep breath. This was more difficult than conducting
board meetings or elaborate business deals.
 Maybe what you really mean is that it would not be
acceptable to your associates or friends to know that the
wife of the great de Corba was living in a shabby little hole
in the wall? Money was the last thing I ever wanted from
you. So you keep your money, Rafe. This might not be
much to you, but I d starve before I d touch a cent of your
money.
Dani tried to stand up but he covered her wrist in a vice
like grip, stopping circulation in her hand as he stared into
her lovely blue eyes; eyes that once held love and laughter,
but now seemed so tired and dull. Rafe s chest ached with
regret. This was all due to his temper and jealousy. His
temper subsided just as quickly as it rose as he released the
bone crushing hold on her wrist. But he didn t relinquish
his hold completely.
Sighing, he spoke sounding as tired as she did.  I did
not come here to argue with you, little one. I came here to
apologize for my harsh behavior, and to assure myself that
you are all right.
Dani was outraged.  Apologize? Do you really expect
me to believe that? After all those horrible things you said
to me, you expect me to just forget and go on from there?
I ve spent the last eighteen months making a new life for
myself, Rafe. While I appreciate your coming all this way
just to say you re sorry, I ll never be able to forget the
hateful things you said to me. How you used me. She felt
tears forming, but if it took every ounce of her self-control,
she would not let Rafe see her cry. Not again! She d cried
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before she left him, and her tears had left him unmoved.
Why should she expect anything different now?
Rafe paled at the anger and the agony in her voice.  I
don t expect this to be easy for either of us Dani. If it will
make you feel better, I haven t been able to erase the
memory of that last evening from my mind. The memory
of the pain I saw in your face. That I was the cause of that
pain has been a heavy burden to bear since you left. So
help me, I never want to see you suffering like that again.
He shook his head as if ridding himself of the picture of her
pain.
Dani stared at him in silence. This couldn t be the same
Rafe, the arrogant, menacing man from her past. He hadn t
shown any remorse that evening. He hadn t blinked an eye [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]