“You are a very passionate woman, Lindsay. And sometimes that passion shows itself in ways that are less comfortable than your stunning lovemaking,” Cordelia teased.

“Yes, well, that’s something you won’t have to deal with any longer,” Lindsay replied, feeling herself start to sweat.

“I never imagined I would, but I miss your temper, your passion, your arrogance. It’s not too late, Lindsay. We could make up for lost time,” Cordelia murmured persuasively, letting the towel fail away from her slim body and moving into Lindsay’s arms.

As she felt Cordelia’s lips on hers, Lindsay suddenly came to her senses. She turned her face away, saying, “Wait a minute.”

With a puzzled look on her face, Cordelia stopped. “It’s all right,” she soothed.

“No it isn’t,” Lindsay protested, feeling confused. “It’s all wrong. What about Claire? You made your choice, Cordelia, and it wasn’t me.”

“It wasn’t so much a choice as a default. I was lonely, Lindsay. And I was confused. I still am, come to that. As soon as I saw you the other night in Soutar Johnnie’s, I couldn’t help thinking I’d made a stupid mistake. Maybe if I hadn’t kept on running into you, maybe if we weren’t living in the same city, I’d have been able to carry on with Claire without these doubts surfacing all the time. But every time I see you, I get all churned up again. I can’t forget the way I feel about you. Oh Lindsay, let’s give it another try.”

Cordelia’s voice held a note of pleading Lindsay had never heard before. But something was wrong. Lindsay couldn’t put her finger on it, but something didn’t ring true in Cordelia’s words. She’d only started seriously seducing rather than teasing after Lindsay had voiced her suspicion of Claire. Did Cordelia genuinely want her, or was she simply trying to protect Claire from Lindsay’s inquiries? In bed, with her defenses down, Lindsay knew she’d believe anything Cordelia wanted her to. She felt torn. In spite of the peace she’d found the night before with Sophie, her body told her to ignore her doubts and follow her instincts into bed with Cordelia, but inside her head, a voice screamed “No!”

Lindsay pushed Cordelia away and moved back toward the door. “No,” she said. “No.”

“But why not?” Cordelia asked, her voice trembling. “We still care about each other. I can see you still love me, for God’s sake!”

“But it’s not just between you and me any more, is it? This is so dishonest, Cordelia. If you’d really wanted me back, why didn’t you just leave Claire and come back to me? I might have believed you then. But this? Trying to seduce me in Claire’s kitchen? Were you planning on bonking me in Claire’s bed?”