Uriel gave him a hard glare. “I hope you don’t have any sort of revenge on your mind, V.”
Virgil didn’t say anything as he took a sip of his coffee. He would be lying if he said the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. As far as he was concerned if Kara hadn’t believed her sister’s lie they would still be together now. Possibly even married with a kid or two. Her lack of trust in him had ruined everything, including his belief in love.
“V?”
He met Uriel’s gaze. “No, but I don’t intend to make things easy for her.”
“So in other words, you intend to be difficult.”
A wry smile touched Virgil’s lips. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Well, I hope you don’t plan to be difficult today.”
Virgil raised a brow. “Why?”
“Because Kara just walked in and Marti is with her.”
Virgil held Uriel’s gaze in a hard stare. Then he slid his chair back, stood and said in a deadly calm voice, “Then by all means, U, let’s go say hello to the Goshay sisters.”
* * *
When the waitress placed the menu in front of them, Kara knew before they shared a meal, there was something she needed to ask her sister. For some reason she thought there was more to it than what Marti had told her.
“Marti, I need to know the truth as to why you lied about Virgil.”
“Why are you bringing that up again, Kara? I told you I was sorry and why I did it. Why can’t we move on? It’s not like you and Virgil haven’t worked things out and aren’t back together.”
Kara didn’t say anything, knowing her sister would be the last person she told the true nature of her and Virgil’s relationship. “Regardless of whether Virgil and I are back together, Marti, I feel there is more to it. Something you aren’t telling me.”
“You’re wrong. I told you my reason so can we just drop it?”
She heard the annoyance in Marti’s voice and wished she could drop it, but for some reason she couldn’t. And another thing... She needed her sister to understand that rebuilding their relationship would take time. The only reason she was even here now was because of what Marti had shared about their parents.
Kara suddenly felt a rush of heat travel up her spine. When she glanced around she saw him. Virgil. And he, along with his godbrother Uriel, was headed straight toward their table. Virgil’s features were unreadable so she had no idea of his mood. The one thing she did know was that Marti definitely wasn’t one of his favorite people.
She inhaled sharply. Would Virgil confront Marti? The café was crowded and the last thing Virgil needed was make a scene. She could just imagine the article that would appear in Flo on the Ro. Virgil’s image would go from bad to worse.
Knowing she had to take quick action, she stood, pasted a huge smile on her face and reached out to embrace Virgil when he reached her table. “Virgil, I didn’t know you were having breakfast with Uriel here this morning,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and looking up at him with a pleading look in her smile.
And then she leaned up on tiptoe and brushed her mouth against his in what was intended to be a quick kiss. When she was about to pull back, Virgil wrapped his arms around her and despite where they were, slanted his mouth across hers.
Virgil figured two could play whatever game Kara was playing for Marti’s benefit. Although it irked him that they had her in their audience, at the moment he didn’t give a damn since an opportunity was an opportunity, especially if it was for the media’s sake. There was no reason he shouldn’t take advantage, so he gave her a short, hot, tongue-stroking kiss.
It hadn’t been the kiss he’d he wanted to plow her mouth with, but for now it had been effective. When he released her, he said softly, “Good morning to you, sweetheart. Uriel called this morning and we decided to get together for breakfast.”
With every degree of control Virgil had, he turned and looked at Marti, fighting hard to keep the glare out of his eyes and the sting from his voice. “Marti.”
“Virgil.”
And then Kara gave Uriel a hug. “Hi, Uriel.”
Uriel smiled. “How are you, Kara?” He then looked over at Marti. “And you?”
“I’m fine, Uriel. Thanks for asking” was Marti’s response.
With pleasantries, even fake ones, out of the way, Virgil took Kara’s hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed it. “Made plans for our weekend yet?”
Kara nodded. Her body reeled when she felt his tongue swipe across her fingers. “I’m working on them,” she said, trying to keep her voice normal as sensations swept through her mind. What he’d done had been deliberate. Just like when his tongue had swept across her neck last night. When they’d been a couple, he’d had a penchant for using his tongue to lick her all over.
He smiled at her. “Good. I’ll call you later.”
“You guys leaving already? You’re free to join us,” Marti invited.
Kara frowned. Did her sister really think Virgil would? Marti had to know the high degree of disdain he held her in.
Virgil looked down at Marti and said politely, “No thank you.” He then turned his attention back to her. “Have a good day.”
“You, too,” she said, knowing his patience with Marti had probably worn thin by now. As a way to thank him for not losing his cool with her sister, she leaned up and brushed her lips against his cheek.
When Kara stepped back, she knew they’d given a good show to anyone watching...and it seemed a number of people were. “We’ll definitely talk later,” he said softly.
She deciphered the underlying message in his words. They would talk and she had a feeling it was a conversation she’d prefer not having with him.
* * *
Later that day Kara had finished a survey on a potential client when her cell phone rang. When she picked it up off her desk and saw it was Virgil, her breath caught in her throat. She had deliberately put off calling him, and Virgil, probably sensing as much, had decided to contact her instead.
She braced herself for the conversation they were about to have. “Yes, Virgil?”
“What are our plans for this weekend?”
Kara drew in a deep breath. She wondered if he remembered that was the question he would call and ask her every Friday when they were dating. During those days it was a foregone conclusion that their Saturdays and Sundays would be spent together. She wished she could go back in time and relive those days when the two of them had been so much in love and enjoyed being together.
“How does spending the day at Carowinds sound?” she asked him.
Of all things, she hadn’t expected the sound of his rich chuckle. She was so surprised by it that she held her phone away from her a minute just to stare at it, to make sure the sound had actually come from her phone. She fought off getting all emotional because she hadn’t thought she would ever hear the sound of laughter in his voice again.
“Why aren’t I surprised?” he asked with deep amusement in his voice.
“I don’t know. Why aren’t you?” Even if he wasn’t surprised by what she’d planned, she definitely was surprised by how well he was taking it.
“Well, for one thing, I know how much you enjoy amusement parks, particularly those scary rides.”
His words made her smile. “You enjoy them as much as I do.”
He chuckled again. “That is true.”
She leaned back in her chair and recalled how they both had a thrill for the wild side, especially those crazy roller coasters that could send your heart racing and your mind spinning. For them, the scarier the better. Carowinds, a four-hundred-acre amusement park that boasted over fifteen such rides, had been one of their favorite places to visit on the weekends. They’d found those heart-stopping rides the perfect way to relieve stress.
Thinking she owed hi
m a reason for her choice, she said, “I figured since it’s local, we’ll be seen and that would be good.”
Virgil didn’t say anything for a minute. Kara’s words had reeled him back in and made him remember that the trip to Carowinds, like everything else they would be doing together, was to serve a purpose.
“You figured right. So what time do you want me to pick you up in the morning?”
“Um, what about ten?”
“That will work.” There was no reason not to end their conversation so he said, “I’ll see you then. Goodbye.”
“Virgil, wait!”
“Yes?”
“About Marti...”
His jaw tightened. “What about her?”
He noticed the slight pause before she replied. “Thank you for handling things the way you did this morning, considering everything.”
Tossing the pen on his desk, while trying not to recall the pen had been part of a set she’d given him for his birthday, he said, “Your sister is your problem, Kara, not mine. This morning wasn’t the first time I’ve seen Marti since finding out about her part in our breakup.”
“So you knew? Even before I told you six months ago?”
“Yes.”
“But how? I never told you how I’d come across the information.”
No, she hadn’t told him, he thought, standing to stretch his tall frame. “You didn’t have to tell me. I figured it out. I was never one of your sister’s favorite people, although around you she pretended otherwise.”
“I never knew.”
He paused a minute before he continued. “Like I said, Kara, Marti is your problem. How you deal with your sister is your business. But just so you know, I can barely tolerate being around her. You might have apologized but she never has, which makes me believe she doesn’t regret what she did.”
“She says the reason she did it was because she thought you would eventually hurt me.”
“I never gave her reason to think that, Kara. You and I had been happy together. For her to tell such a lie is unacceptable. Who would do what she did to their sister, no matter what they thought?”
Kara didn’t answer his question and Virgil knew there was no logical way for her to do so anyway. “Look, I have a lot of work to do before I can leave here. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Kara.”
“All right.”
When he disconnected their call, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and walked over to the window. Bringing up the past with Kara would serve no purpose. She had always looked up to her sister and thought she could do no wrong. It must have been hard on her to find out that had been a lie, as well. But then why should he care?
Glancing at his watch, he got back to work. He still had a lot to do before he could go home, and he wanted to get to bed early. He’d need a good night’s sleep to be ready for Carowinds in the morning. And for a day with Kara.
Chapter 11
Virgil arrived at Kara’s home at precisely ten o’clock on Saturday morning, punctual as usual. Glancing at herself in the mirror one final time, she was satisfied with the shorts set she’d purchased a few weeks ago and never worn. As she moved toward the door, she told herself it was just a coincidence it was purple, Virgil’s favorite color on her.
The weather forecast indicated it would be a beautiful day with no chance of rain, perfect for the amusement park. But the closer she got to the door, the more nervous she felt. Truthfully it had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the man. She tried reminding herself this date was for business purposes only. Still, he was the man she had once loved, still loved, so being around him and keeping her emotions at bay wouldn’t be easy. She had no other choice but to try.
When she opened the door, a bright ray of sunlight came through almost blinding her, but not before she got an eyeful of the man standing on her doorstep. He was wearing a pair of jeans that tapered down muscular thighs, and a Carolina Panthers T-shirt that covered broad shoulders and a masculine chest. She of all people knew how he liked spending time at the gym and she could definitely see it was time well spent. Every bit of Virgil Bougard looked sexy and could make any woman drool. Like she would be doing if she didn’t get a grip.
She angled her head to look up at him. He had an unreadable expression on his face so she had no idea what kind of mood he was in. “Good morning, Virgil.”
“Good morning. You ready?”
“Yes, I just have to lock up. You can come in.”
“I’d rather not. I can stay right here until you’re done,” he said.
“Yes, but if anyone is watching they might find your actions odd.”
Virgil knew what she’d said was true. If anyone was watching, he figured they would expect them to greet with a kiss. He had no problem carrying that out, so he leaned forward and brushed a kiss across her lips. At her surprised expression he said, “Just in case someone is looking.” Then he walked past her to enter her home.
He came to a stop in her foyer and, since her home was an open concept plan, from where he stood he could see her huge living room, dining area and large eat-in kitchen. All the rooms had high ceilings, and wall-to-wall windows provided a brightness he’d always loved.
He wished he didn’t remember all the times he’d spent here with her. How many times they’d shared wine and kisses while sitting at her breakfast bar or made love on her sofa or in front of her fireplace. Or how many times he’d stood here, in the same spot, just seconds before sweeping her up in his arms to carry her to the bedroom.
“I won’t be but a minute,” she said, moving past him.
When she walked by, he couldn’t help drawing her scent into his nostrils. She smelled good. She looked good, as well. He couldn’t stop his gaze from roaming across her backside as she headed for the kitchen. She still had the best-looking ass of any woman he knew. And her legs—long and gorgeous—looked good in shorts.
When she’d opened the door, one of the first things he’d noticed was that she was wearing purple. She had to remember how much he enjoyed seeing her in that color. To him, it did something to her silver-gray eyes. It also did something to his libido like it was doing now.
“I’m all set.”
While he’d been buried in his thoughts, she had returned and was standing in front of him. Too damn close as far as he was concerned. For the past few days, he’d played around with her mouth, brushing his lips across it, and even getting a lick or two on occasion. But what he really wanted to do was pull her into his arms and kiss her like they used to kiss. It would be the kind of kiss that would make her purr and make him moan deep in his throat.
The kind of kiss he needed right now but was fighting like hell to do without.
“Virgil?”
He’d gotten lost in his thoughts again. “Yes?”
“I said I’m ready to go.”
He drew in a deep breath. “Okay, let’s not keep all those rides waiting.”
* * *
Kara would be the first to admit it was a fun day. It was as if she and Virgil had put the reason they were spending time together to the back of their minds. Like kids, they were excited to try a new ride, one scarier than all the others. It didn’t matter that the lines had been long; they agreed the wait had been well worth it.
With the thrill of the rides also came complications. Packed tight into the compartment together, she tried not to notice how his thigh would rub against hers or how, on a few of the rides, she had to practically sit in his lap. And then there were the times he wrapped his arms around her, to make sure she was okay during the rides when she would scream her lungs out. At one point she recalled gripping his thigh when one of the rides seemed to nearly topple them over.
More than once she had glanced over at him to see him staring at her and wondered what he�
�d been thinking about. During one of those times their gazes had held and then he had leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. There hadn’t been a reason for him to do so, but she had let him, a part of her even wishing it could have lasted longer.
At the end of each ride it seemed the sexual chemistry between them skyrocketed. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the thrill left over from the rides or the sensuous energy they seemed to generate whenever they were together. And as if it was the most natural thing to do, they began walking around the amusement park holding hands.
They had just ridden their last ride of the day and were headed to the parking lot, and they were still holding hands. He only let go of her to help her into the car. A new car, she noted, since it still had that new car smell.
“Hungry?” he asked when he was seated beside her.
She couldn’t help but grin. “I shouldn’t be after all that junk food I ate. I hadn’t realized just how much I missed eating a Carowinds hot dog.” She paused a minute. “Thanks for bringing me here today, Virgil.”
He chuckled. “Need I remind you it was your choice?”
She smiled. “No, but you didn’t have to do it. In fact you really didn’t have to suggest that we do anything this weekend.”
Kara was right, Virgil thought, he didn’t have to. So why had he? He had convinced himself if they broke the ice with this weekend then spending time with her next weekend around his parents wouldn’t be so awkward. Because he didn’t want to explore any other reasons, he changed the subject. “How are things going at work?”
“Do you really want to know?”
When he stopped the car at a traffic light, he glanced over at her. “I always supported you and your work, Kara,” he said.
She nodded. “Yes, you did. And I appreciated it.”
When the traffic light changed, he resumed driving. It was on the tip of his tongue to say he didn’t want her appreciation. He wanted her. There, he’d admitted it to himself because deep down he knew that he did. At some point his anger toward her had transformed into lust for her. When it came to Kara, over the years he had learned how to deal with his anger, but he wasn’t sure how to handle this high degree of lust. Being around her today had reminded him of how things used to be. And in trying to put his animosity behind him and move on, he’d somehow rekindled his physical need for her. And it had gotten restored to a level he wasn’t sure he could handle.
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