Page 25 of A Bed of Broken Promises

What had started as purely a physical connection had quickly evolved into something completely new to Marcus. He had thought he loved Veronica, but now, he realized that he had just wanted her, on a physical level. He had thought her beautiful, intelligent, and she had great connections, but really, she’d been a supermodel and he’d like the cachet being married to her brought. He was ashamed of himself now for such a superficial motivation.

What he felt for Katie Collins was so much more complex. He frowned as he tried to define just precisely what he felt for Katie. There was no way could he love her. True, he had no point of reference, but he believed true love took time to form, and was based on friendship and trust, two things totally lacking here. They had a lot in common, and they seemed to be able to talk non-stop. Their sexual appetite for each other was insatiable. And he trusted her completely, even if everything she knew about him was based on a lie.

So if he didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him, why could he think of nothing else except her? And it hit him then, like a ton of bricks. The solution. This wasn’t

going to get any easier. Spending another week with Katie wasn’t the option. He had to go, and soon.

* * *

Angela squinted her green eyes thoughtfully, blowing a wisp of bright red hair away from her face. “I don’t care what you say, Kitty, something’s going on with you.”

Katie felt herself blush all over, and she dipped her head, feigning far greater interest in her coffee than it warranted. “Oh, Angela, stop it!” She couldn’t help the smile that danced around her lips, though.

“Ah! I knew it! Tell me all, darling. Who is it?”

“What makes you think it’s a who?” Katie fixed her friend with an interested gaze. Angela Morris’s nose for news was renowned. If there was a story to be shared, or a scandal to keep hidden, she could smell it a mile off.

“Oh, heavens, you know me better than that. Come on, tell me everything.”

Katie bit down on her lip, stirring her coffee, and let her mind wander to David Trent. What harm could it do, telling her closest friend that, yes, there was indeed a special someone in her life? She took a sip on her cappuccino, knowing the silence was killing Angela. She chuckled at her friend’s impatient expression.

“Okay, yes, there is a man in my life at long last.”

“Hallelujah! Who is this paragon of manliness, so fortunate as to have tempted you away from the nunnery?”

Katie couldn’t help her smile. “I wasn’t that tragic, was I?”

“Oh, you were one more month of celibacy away from sainthood.”

“Fair enough.” Katie pushed her coffee aside and leaned in conspiratorially. The old pub they were in was warm and toasty, but she felt suddenly boiling hot, thanks to the way her body was conjuring up memories of this morning’s love making. “His name is David, and he’s a guest at the B&B.”

“Oh, how fabulous. So you’re being very hands on, then, I imagine.” Angela said, tongue in cheek.

“I’m not going to kiss and tell.” Her smile lit up her whole face. “But he’s amazing.”

“In bed?”

Katie laughed. “Stop! I mean in general.”

“Tell me all about him.”

“He’s incredible. He’s a school teacher, so very good with Maxie, and kind, and interesting. He’s well spoken – American. So good looking it almost hurts to look at, like a solar eclipse.”

“Sounds too good to be true,” Angela teased, thrilled to see her friend looking so contented.

“I know! That’s what I thought, at first. I kept waiting for something to happen, to show that he’s not as perfect as I think he is. But so far, nothing.”

“Kitty, it sounds serious?” Angela’s voice held a warning.

“Oh, you know I’m not after something serious. Maxie’s my focus.”

“Be careful, darlin’. Quick thrills don’t really seem like your style.”

Katie bit down on her lip. “I admit it, I don’t know how I’m going to cope when he leaves town. But knowing that he has to leave at the end of next week means I’ve been prepared from the beginning. I know where this relationship is going. Nowhere.”

“And you don’t want to see if it has more potential?”

“I don’t see how,” Katie answered prosaically.

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