s [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

sense him trying to move away, even in her half-conscious state, so she grabbed at him and tried to
hold him in place.
 Don t go, she mumbled.  I want you here. She burrowed against his strength and heat.
His arm the one that was still around her tightened palpably.  I m here, Claire. I m here.
She sighed in relief when she felt his body relax, and she drifted off to sleep again.
***
The next time Claire woke up, Michael was gone for good.
Six
It was after nine when Claire woke up.
She never slept so late, but she hadn t gone to sleep until almost four, so she was still groggy,
disoriented, and a little sore when she finally rolled out of bed.
Her first thought was to look for Michael, but he was obviously not in the bedroom. His
clothes, which had littered the floor last night, were gone as well.
He d probably gotten up and dressed early. She pulled on her gown and then found a robe to
put on over it, since Michael might not be the only one in the cabin this morning. She padded out
barefoot into the living area to see Pete in the easy chair, reading a newspaper.
 Good morning, he said with a smile, putting down the paper.
 Morning. She returned his smile, but her eyes scanned the kitchen and living area, hoping to
see Michael. He wasn t there.  How is everything?
 Just fine. Your father asked if you d call him when you woke up.
She nodded to acknowledge this piece of information and then went into the kitchen to pour
herself a cup of coffee. As she sipped it, she walked from window to window, checking to see if
Michael was outside somewhere but not wanting her search to be too obvious.
She didn t see him, but the property was big. Maybe he was taking care of something out of
sight.
She took her coffee into her bedroom to shower and dress. A half-hour later she reemerged
and came out to get a second cup of coffee. Pete was still there, and Michael was still nowhere in
sight.
Unable to hold back the question, she asked casually,  Is Michael lurking about somewhere?
Pete looked vaguely surprised, as if she should have known.  Oh, no. He went down to the
police station early.
 Oh. She let out a breath of relief. Maybe he thought he d be back before she woke up.  So
he ll be back soon then?
Pete shifted, slightly uncomfortable. He still looked a little surprised, like he d assumed she
would have known all this information.  I don t think so. He decided to take a couple of weeks off,
since we finally got this guy. He hasn t had a vacation in years. He offered that last comment almost
gently, like a peace offering.
 Oh. Claire s chest started to hurt.  Okay.
She went into the bedroom and checked the bed, nightstand, and dresser, looking for a note
she might have missed. She picked up her phone and checked for messages, but there was nothing
there.
The pain in her chest was dropping to her stomach, but she went to check the kitchen and
living room for a note although she couldn t imagine he would have left it there.
But she also couldn t imagine he would have left her without a word. After what they d
shared last night.
She even pulled up her email, in case he d wanted to compose a longer message. But there
was no word of any kind from Michael.
She sat on the bed, trying to think, trying not to overreact.
But there was no way this could be good.
Unable to process it yet, she called up her dad. He told her that he d arranged for his personal
lawyer to meet her at the police station that morning so she could explain the little she knew about the
incidents of last night. He said that Roger and Pete would take her, since Michael was on vacation.
He didn t sound surprised or seem to think that Michael s absence was strange.
He asked if she would mind coming to his place later and spending a couple of days with him.
He d been worried about her. He didn t say so, but she could tell.
She told her father she d be happy to stay at the house for a while, and then she hung up the
phone.
She checked her phone again, but still no message from Michael.
Maybe he was planning to meet her at the police station.
She didn t share herself lightly or jump into anything without feeling safe. She d been sure of
Michael. She d trusted him completely.
She just couldn t believe he would have left her like this.
Still hoping things weren t as they seemed, she went to the police station. Taking the report
moved slowly so she was there for a couple of hours.
Michael never made an appearance.
Finally, she was on her way back to L.A., Roger driving the car and Pete in the front seat.
Claire was alone in the back, and she hadn t heard a word from Michael.
He wasn t a thoughtless or an insensitive man. He wouldn t have done this to her without
realizing how she would feel. He would know she d expected to hear from him hear something
from him after last night. Which meant he was giving her a silent message.
He d taken a couple of weeks off so he wouldn t have to see her or talk to her. To give her
time to get over things.
He was trying to let her down easy to spare them both a painful conversation.
It hurt so much she couldn t breathe. She couldn t cry.
It felt wrong. It just felt wrong. She couldn t have been so mistaken. She didn t know exactly
what was between them, but their lovemaking last night had been real. Both of them had been real, not
hiding anymore.
She just couldn t believe it had meant so little to him.
On that thought, she dialed his number on her phone, which she d been holding in one hand.
She was shaking as she heard it ring, and she was also a little nauseated. She hated making calls,
especially if she wasn t sure whether the other person wanted to hear from her. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]