Chapter 17
The tall, iron fence was as daunting as ever, but the gate was open. Cast in the shadows of thick overhanging branches, I stood on the darkened sidewalk, gripping a cold fence spire in each hand.
My stomach churning, I stared at the massive brick and stone mansion that I'd come to know all too well. The house was utterly dark, except for the barest glimmer of light coming from a single room on the lower level.
I knew that room. Lawton's study.
I glanced at the circular drive. No cars. Not even the one he'd practically destroyed. But that didn't mean he wasn't home. He did have a huge garage after all.
He was definitely inside. He had to be. It was nearly dawn, and the grounds were wide open. Was he asleep? My gaze narrowed. Did I care?
No. In fact, if I dragged him out of a sound sleep, all the better. This meeting was his idea. Besides, I didn't walk here in the darkest part of the night just to turn around and scuttle back to safety without finishing this once and for all.
I pushed away from the fence and made my way along the sidewalk and through the open gate. Too soon, I stood at his front door. But before I could even ring the doorbell, the massive front door swung wide open, revealing Lawton in all his tattooed glory.
He was a dark silhouette against the dim interior. He wore black jeans, a dark gray T-shirt, and an expression filled with such longing that I felt myself swallow.
I took an involuntary step back and looked up at him. He stood absolutely still, framed in the doorway, with his hands loose at his sides and his eyes on me. Slowly, his lips parted. "Chloe."
There was a reason I'd come here, and it wasn't only because he'd cornered me into it. If I played my cards right, I'd be putting all this behind me. No more drama. No more temptation. No more Lawton.
I summoned up the meanest smile I could muster. "Lawton."
When he spoke, his voice was so low, it was barely audible. "You came."
I made a sound of disgust. Like I'd had a choice. "You wanted to talk? " I said. "Well, here I am."
Something in his face eased. His muscles uncoiled, and he took a step toward me.
I held up a hand, palm out. "Not that kind of talk."
He stopped. Behind him, the door remained open, apparently forgotten as he stood between me and the breathtaking place he called home.
His voice was thick when he asked, "Wanna come inside?"
"Uh, no." I gave him a look. "That didn't work out so well for me last time, now did it?"
Funny how getting handcuffed in a guy's basement made you rethink his notion of hospitality.
If I were smart, I probably wouldn’t be here in the first place, especially at this hour. But foolish or not, I still believed he'd never hurt me, at least not physically. Mentally, well, that was another story.
If I gave him half the chance, the damage could be infinite. It was my job to make sure that didn't happen, not tonight, and not ever.
He glanced down at the thin hoodie I'd thrown on over an even thinner long-sleeved T-shirt. "But it's freezing out." He flicked his head toward the inside of his house. "C'mon. Please?"
I raised my eyebrows. "Afraid of a little cold, are you?"
Slowly, he shook his head. "It wasn't me I'm thinking about. Cold, hot –" He shrugged. "I don't care." His voice softened. "I'm just glad you're here."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh please. Save it for someone who believes that sort of thing, okay?"
"Baby –"
"Stop." I gave him a hard look. "Listen, whatever reason you seem to think I'm here, that's not it." I steeled my resolve. "I'm here because you didn't give me any other choice, remember?"
He glanced toward the driveway. His eyebrows furrowed. "Where's your car?"
"At work."
"Why?"
"Because," I said, "the stupid thing wouldn't start. And I had to beg the busboy for a ride home." Technically, it wasn't my home, but that was beside the point.
The whole thing had totally sucked. Josie had been long-gone, and no else lived remotely near this neighborhood. I knew exactly why. They couldn’t afford it.
Then again, neither could I.
I wasn't a surgeon, a CEO, or even a billionaire bad-ass like the guy standing in front of me. I was just the house-sitter. Not that Lawton knew that.
Maybe he'd never know that. And that was fine with me. Because if I were truly honest with myself, I didn't want him to be missing some temporary house-sitter with barely a penny to her name. I wanted him to miss the girl he thought I was.
I didn't want his pity, and I sure as hell didn't want his charity. I wanted him to eat his heart out.
It was totally messed up. I knew that. With our relationship ending, it shouldn't matter, but somehow, it did. It mattered a lot.