I turned and went back into the house, feeling exhausted and nostalgic and a little weepy. As soon as I stepped inside, I felt a change in the air. There was an electricity to it. I glanced around and then started. Standing in the open French door was Nick with his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the doorjamb. Sir was twining himself about his ankles and purring. Traitor.

Startled, I put my hand to my chest. Before I could offer a word of greeting, his hazel eyes snapped to mine and he asked, “Who the hell was that?”

25

“Well, hello to you, too. Damn it, Nick, you scared me,” I said. I felt a flash of guilt for the time spent with Greg but then shook it off. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and I was not going to feel as if I had.

“Who was he, Annabelle?”

“What do you care?” I asked. Yes, I was clearly spoiling for a fight. “I haven’t heard from you in days. As far as I know, whatever was happening between us is deader than dead, meaning I do not have to answer to you . . .”

He crossed the floor toward me with a predatory grace that made it hard for me to concentrate. Those hazel eyes of his were positively wicked. He was wearing an unbuttoned dress shirt over a tank top that looked as if he’d just thrown it on. Jeans and sneakers completed the look. I glanced down and noted that the sneakers were untied, so it was clear he’d been in a hurry to get over here.

“Who was he, Annabelle?” he asked.

He was standing right in front of me. I refused to give up any ground, so I crossed my arms over my chest and stared up at him. “Why do you care?”

His eyes flashed. He started moving forward. This time I did back up. Damn it. Until I felt the wall at my back. He immediately braced a hand on each side of me.

“I am not a very good sharer,” he said. His voice was low and deep and scraped across my senses, making them raw with want. “And until this thing between us is dusted and done, you’re mine.”

Okay, so we weren’t done? That sent a thrill through me that my independent, liberated self was totally appalled by. I decided the only way to enjoy it fully was to own it and make it mine.

I pushed off the wall, pressing myself against him while I twined my arms around his neck and said, “Which means you’re mine.”

“Duh,” he replied. I would have laughed, but then he kissed me and it was everything.