His hand pressed flat against the small of her back for a moment and then he released her. 'I've been worried about you. It's been three weeks.'
Had it been so long? September had slid into October and she had barely noticed. 'You came this far just because you were worried?'
To her surprise, the corners of his mouth tightened in the subtle sign that indicated he was upset. 'You could have telephoned, Susannah. You must have known-' He broke off as something just behind her caught his attention.
Susannah turned her head to investigate, and to her dismay saw Paige standing on the edge of the patio, the beach towel wrapped low on her hips, her breasts as brown and bare as one of Gauguin's Tahitian women.
'Well, well, well,' Paige said. 'If it isn't Mister-Black, is it?'
'Blaine,' he said. He gazed at her for a moment, and then dropped his head so that it was obvious he was deliberately staring at her breasts through his sunglasses. 'You're looking well, Paige.'
Susannah was embarrassed. And then she wondered why she should be uncomfortable. These two were both pros. Mitch certainly knew what he was doing, and Paige had to work out her devils in her own way.
Paige looked over at Susannah, obviously expecting her to intercede in some way. Susannah lifted an eyebrow.
She could see Paige begin to grow flustered. Mitch stubbornly refused to redirect his gaze. Paige made an elaborate show of yawning as if all this were too, too boring for words. 'I'm thirsty,' she said. 'I guess I'll go get us something to drink.'
Susannah had to suppress the urge to applaud her sister's feistiness. Paige knew she had lost the battle, but she was going down fighting.
Paige, however, had one final salvo to deliver. 'You really should have come swimming with us, Mr. Blaine, instead of standing up here spying. It would have been so much cooler.' With a smug glance at her sister, she disappeared inside the cottage.
Susannah rounded on Mitch. 'You were spying on us?'
He slowly pulled off his sunglasses and folded in the stems. 'Not spying exactly.'
'Then what, exactly?'
'Just sort of watching.'
'I don't believe this! Mitch, how could you do something so slimy?'
'Aw, come on, Susannah. Ease up, will you?' He stuffed his glasses in his shirt pocket. 'What would you have done if you were a healthy heterosexual male who just happened to stumble on the sight of two beautiful naked women cavorting in the water?'
She saw his point, but she didn't have too much fondness for any member of the male sex at the moment, and she refused to give in. 'I'm not beautiful, and I'm not a woman. I'm your business partner.'
'Ri-i-ght. And for a business partner, you've got a terrific-'
He broke off as he found himself on the receiving end of one of the more chilling of her glares-the glare that, five years ago, she had reserved for anyone who had the audacity to ask SysVal to pay its bills on time.
He studied her for a few moments and the teasing light faded from his eyes. Once again, she observed an almost imperceptible tightening at the corner of his mouth. 'Are you okay?' he asked.
She shrugged, then sat down on one of the rush-seated chairs, keeping her towel tucked securely beneath her arms. With the tip of her finger, she traced a bright terry-cloth stripe that ran across the tops of her thighs. 'Did you know, Mitch?'
He wandered over to the stucco wall and looked down at the sea. 'Know what?'
'About Sam and Mindy? About the others?'
The breeze lifted his hair as he turned back to her. He nodded.
She felt as if she had been hit with a new betrayal. 'Sam's infidelity was common knowledge, wasn't it? Everyone knew but me.'
'I wouldn't say it was common knowledge, but…'
Slowly she rose from the chair and gazed at him. 'We're friends. Why didn't you tell me?'
He studied her and said quietly, 'I thought you knew.'
She felt sick at her stomach. Was this the opinion Mitch had of her? Did everyone see her as some spineless creature who turned a blind eye to Sam's wanderings? 'Don't you know me better than that?'
'Where Sam is concerned, I don't know you at all.'
He seemed to be condemning her, and she resented it. 'You're blaming me, aren't you?'
'Sam is one of the greatest visionaries in our business, but when it comes to personal relationships, everyone knows he's pretty much a loser. I guess what I don't understand is why you're the only one who was really surprised. Why is that, Susannah?'
Hurt welled inside her. She couldn't believe that Mitch was attacking her. 'I didn't ask you to come here, and I don't want you prying into my life.'
He glared at her, the corners of his mouth growing tighter by the second. And then something seemed to give way inside him. 'Aw shit.' He closed the distance between them in two long strides and wrapped her in his big, bear arms.
She needed his comfort, and she was more than willing to forgive him. Wrapping her own arms around his waist, she laid her cheek against the solid wall of his chest where she could hear his heart pumping beneath her ear. 'I loved him, Mitch,' she whispered. 'I loved him and I didn't want to know.'
He drew her closer, rubbing his hands up and down her back through the towel. 'I know, honey,' he murmured, his voice sounding slightly hoarse. 'It'll be all right.'
As he spoke, the motion of his chin scraped her temple. His fingers rose above the top edge of the beach towel and touched her skin. She closed her eyes, drawing comfort from his presence in a way she had never been comforted by Sam.
And then something changed. His body began to grow tense. The muscles in his arms hardened until she felt as if she were being imprisoned instead of sheltered. A warning bell went off inside her. His leg pressed against the center line of her thighs as if he were trying to push them apart. She had never been so aware of his greater strength, never before felt threatened by it. This was Mitch, she told herself. It was only Mitch. And then he crushed the beach towel in his fists.
'Mitch!' She rescued the towel and pushed herself away at the same time.
He let her go so abruptly that she stumbled. She trapped the towel before it could fall and righted herself. 'Mitch, what-' But as she raised her eyes to his face, she couldn't remember what she had been about to say.
'Yes, Susannah?' he asked calmly.
He looked as solid and unflappable as ever. She began to feel stupid. What was wrong with her? Mitch didn't present any threat. Was this going to be another legacy that Sam had left her-the sense that all men were dangerous?
'Hors d'oeuvres, anyone?' Paige appeared with a tray of cheese, black olives, and crackers.
Her head had begun to ache, and she was grateful for her sister's interruption. Excusing herself, she went into the cottage to shower.
Paige-out of pure mischievousness, Susannah was certain-insisted Mitch stay with them in the cottage. That evening she outdid herself with a meal of plump prawns saut‚ed in butter and herbs, rice pilaf, Greek salad, and a chewy loaf of fresh, warm bread. Mitch was effusive with his compliments, and Paige's cheeks took on a rosy flush. Neither of them paid much attention to Susannah.
Over bowls of apple cobbler drizzled with cream, Mitch entertained them with a story about Yank losing his new Porsche at a shopping mall. He was so amusing that before long Susannah relaxed and joined in. The tension between Susannah and Mitch dissipated, and they were soon trying to top each other, telling Paige stories about Yank.
When they began describing Yank's habit of misplacing his girlfriends, Paige accused them of exaggerating. 'Nobody's that much of a nerd.'
Susannah and Mitch looked at each other and laughed.
But Susannah's lighter mood vanished after dinner when Mitch broached the subject of her return to California. She knew she couldn't stay here forever-she had already been away much too long-but the thought of returning made her insides twist. 'I'm not ready. I can't go back yet.'
