Deception of the Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

be able to reread it so that he would never repeat his mistakes.
    He pulled on his pants and buttoned his black shirt . His eyes went to the bed when he heard fabric rustling, the softest glide of the silky sheets enough to make him alert. Damn, she was waking up. He’d have to talk to her and make it fast. He had just about twenty minutes before he had to grab his bags and head for the airport.
    ‘Jon? You’re up? Come back to bed.’ Even now, heavy with drowsiness, her voice sounded sexy. He watched her sit up, completely oblivious of her nakedness. Alabaster white and perfectly shaped, her body could have moved a stone. His eyes went over her delicate shoulders and full, round breasts, warmed by the sunlight pouring through the large window. He waited for his blood to heat up in response, but the only thing he felt was the stubborn headache that killed anything else. As it was, all he craved was a glass of water, preferably with two aspirins.
    ‘Daphne, we need to talk .’ He looked down at her, ignoring the pouty look stretching her full red lips into a downturned crescent. ‘I need to run now, though. My plane is leaving in an hour or so, and I should be at the airport already. Sorry for almost sneaking out like that, but I didn’t want to wake you. I was planning on calling you later.’
    ‘ Do it.’ She got up, grabbing a long, Japanese style robe in dark blue. It did wonders for her pale skin and brought out the dazzling red in her long, curly hair. She tied the belt, her lovely face serious. ‘We never got to talk properly yesterday. I mean, I wanted to share things with you and maybe talk them out…’ She paused, her face helpless and soft. He felt sorry for her for a moment before he remembered what a wonderful actress she could be, if needed. That quivering mouth, large-eyed woeful appearance was meant to soften him up, of course.
    How could he make it clear it wouldn’t work without coming across as a total jerk? He could hardly sound convincing after the night of lovemaking they had just shared, could he? On the other hand, leaving their conversation for later could prove lethal. Knowing Daphne, she would have picked whatever she wanted to believe about their night together, making it hard to rewind after his return.
    ‘Look, Daph,’ he started, putting on his shoes and raking his hair with an impatient hand. ‘There is no easy way to say it, but I’ll try nevertheless. Last night was wonderful, and we both enjoyed it, I think it’s safe to say. But it won’t lead anywhere, ok? I think we have both moved on with our lives, you with your marriage and me with my work. I don’t think we have much to say to each other, Daphne. I am truly sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but what we had right now was sex and nothing but sex.’
    Her soft, helpless lo ok was gone, wiped off her face and replaced with anger. Green eyes sparkling like green ice shards, she looked into his face and riposted, her voice shaking with fury.
    ‘Well, calling it an impression is the understatement of the century, don’t you think? You couldn’t get into my panties fast enough, if my memory serves me right. Too bad you didn’t really think about the moving on part then! Oh, I guess, you were too busy enjoying my unworthy body to even bother, Jon.’
    ‘And for that I am sorry .’ He wouldn’t let her bait him and make him respond in kind. He found his wallet and walked to the door. His head still throbbed, and he had to make a conscious effort to remain civil. Dishing it all out would have been so much easier, the years of repressed anger ready to burst through the dams of his self-control. But he didn’t do it back then, when she broke off their engagement, even though his world had shattered into a thousand little pieces. He never let her see how he really felt, too proud to admit how deeply she’d hurt him. Sometimes he wondered if laying his heart bare, letting her see she had truly destroyed him with