She was now afraid that he had been right about a lot of things. Why not? she thought bitterly. He was the one who was so good at pulling the strings, who studied people and situations and developed them to suit himself. Who had studied Kendra’s thought processes and could guess what the aftereffects would be if she allowed herself to let their situation change.
She wasn’t a puppet. She would make her own decisions. She wouldn’t let herself be controlled by anyone. She would do what she wished.
And she would sit up here on this damn roof and not get near Lynch again until she made up her mind exactly what that was.
*
THE LIVING ROOM WAS in a shambles when Kendra came back down to the condo two hours later.
Boxes everywhere. Lamps and folded clothes on the floor and stacked against the far wall.
And Lynch moving back and forth, carrying more boxes from the spare bedroom.
Kendra frowned. “What are you doing?”
“Clearing out my bedroom. I decided the couch isn’t going to do the job.” He set the box down with the others. “You’ll have to find another place for all this stuff.”
“That’s my bedroom.”
“Not right now. It’s either giving me this spare bedroom or sharing yours. Since I decided that’s not going to happen at the moment, you’ll have to cooperate.”
“Will I? You’ve decided that the couch won’t do?”
“Yes, I’d be uncomfortable, and you’d be much closer to me. I’m not fond of self-sacrifice. I’d give it two nights.”
“Was that what you’d have given it when you first came?”
“No, but then I hadn’t realized how hot you are.” He met her eyes. “I’d lie there and think about it, then I’d go in and screw your brains out.”
She felt a wave of heat ripple through her as she looked at him. She’d thought when she’d come down from the roof that she had that erotic craving firmly under control. Evidently it was still vibrantly alive and ready to break free.
He shook his head as if he’d read her thoughts. “Uh-uh. Too soon, Kendra. It’s going to take awhile.”
“I think the sensible thing would be for you to go home,” she said steadily. “I’ve been thinking about what you said … what we did, and it’s probably best that we don’t see too much of each other for a few weeks or months. I’m really not the kind of woman that appeals to you and, you’re right, the way you live your life is very … foreign to me. It was just a random sexual moment that was—”
“Shut up, Kendra,” he said roughly. “I’m still aching, and I’m within a heartbeat of coming over there and starting it all again. I know that for the last two hours you were up there analyzing the situation, trying to put the pieces together in your usual brilliant fashion. Now you’re thinking that caution is best, and caution tells you to run away from me. It isn’t going to happen.”
“That’s really up to me, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s up to both of us. But I’m the one who is going to make the decision because I messed up, and I have to straighten it out.”
“By having me stumble over you every time I turn around? Go home, Lynch.”
“No, I’m staying here and keeping you safe. That goes without argument.”
“The hell it does.”
“No argument,” he repeated. “There’s no way that I’m going to let anything happen to you because I lost control tonight.” He added through set teeth, “I don’t lose control. That’s not how I run my life.”
“Or run everybody else’s life?”
“Maybe. Right now, I’m sure you choose to interpret it that way. At any rate, it’s true, and you should feel comforted that I’ve no intention of having it happen again.”
“I don’t need comfort. I need my house and my life back.”
“And you’ll get it. When it’s safe for you.”
Her hands clenched. “Lynch.”
“Ready to slug me? I wouldn’t advise it. Any close contact could lead to even closer contact.” He suddenly smiled. “And I’m sure that you’re worried where that would take us. You like to be in control, too. Those hours on the roof probably made you think twice about losing it in even the most pleasant manner. I could see how stiff and wary you were when you came into the condo tonight. Admit it. I was right.”
“I told you that you were.”
“But you didn’t come up with the right solution. You wanted to run. That wouldn’t solve anything.” He leaned back against the couch. “Here’s how it’s going to play out. You’re uneasy with anything but the status quo, so that’s what we’re going to step back to. There’s no way we’re going to be able to go all the way back, but we’ll do our damnedest. If we’re careful, we’ll only have a few episodes that could turn marginal.”