Page 58 of Eclipse Bay

“No, but that’s not the problem. Nobody ever said you had to be cool.” He did not move, just stood there in the hall, watching her. “But for the record, I’d really like to know what went wrong.”

“I’m not sure.” She released her death grip on the doorknob and shoved her fingers through her hair. She met his eyes. “No, that’s not right. Rafe, I need to ask you a question, and you have to tell me the truth.”

“What’s the question?”

“This.” She swept out a hand to indicate the searing passion that had begun in the solarium and ended in his bedroom. “What just happened between us. It didn’t have anything to do with Dreamscape, did it?”

His eyes narrowed. “You tell me.”

She flinched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve had your wicked way with me, and now you’re trying to leave as quickly as you can. Some dumb excuse about a dog, I think. I’ll bet you’re not even going to call me in the morning, are you?”

“Damn it, Rafe—”

“What the hell am I supposed to think?”

She stared at him, stunned. “Do you really believe that I just…I just—” She broke off because her voice was threatening to get lost in a squeaky soprano. She swallowed and tried again. “You think that I justseducedyou in order to manipulate you into selling your half of this place to me?”

He let her wait a beat. She felt perspiration between her shoulder blades.

Then he smiled slightly. “No.”

She sagged back against the doorjamb. “I should hope not. Good Lord, I don’t do things like that.”

“Neither do I,” he said simply.

She looked at him for a long time. Gradually the tension inside her began to seep away. She had gone mad, she thought.

“No. No, of course not.” She rubbed her brow. “I don’t know why I freaked. I guess I’m just a little stressed.”

“You’ve had a busy night.”

“You can say that again.” She straightened away from the door, composed herself. “Speaking of which, I think it’s time you took me home.”

“All right.” He fished keys out of a pocket. “On one condition.”

She jerked back around. “What condition?”

He walked past her and opened the door. “You gotta promise to call me in the morning.”

He was gone, out into the night, before she could think of an appropriate response. She heard the less than civilized growl of the Porsche engine. The lights came on, blinding her.

A vivid mental image of a hapless deer paralyzed by the beams of an oncoming car galvanized her into action.

She slammed the front door shut behind herself. Hand held high to shield her eyes from the merciless glare of the lights, she rushed toward the passenger side door.

Winston greeted her with a yawn and his customary good cheer. He bestowed an equally enthusiastic welcome on Rafe. Then he trotted across the porch, went down the front steps, and disappeared into the privacy of the bushes. It was obvious that he was in no great rush to use the facilities.

Rafe looked at her, eyes gleaming. “You’re in luck. He doesn’t look like he’s been worrying too much.”

She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “You’ve made your point.”

“You think so?”

“I’ve already admitted that my little panic attack back there was an overreaction to stress.”

“Stress, huh? Sounds like another excuse.”

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