It probably didn’t help that she was experiencing a serious
lack of appetite. She knew she should have eaten something to-
day, but hospital vending machine food turned her stomach. So
at the moment her body was fueled on wretched day-old coffee,
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RAGE
two crackers, and the mint she’d just had. A shower to wash
hospital germs off of her had been much higher on her list of
priorities. She suspected she looked hideous, based on Phillip’s responses to her. Lately he seemed a bit put off by her appearance, even though she’d been on a diet for the last two months.
She’d just wanted to drop ten pounds, but somehow she’d over-
shot her goal and lost 20. She figured she should just be happy
about it. Even if it was a losing battle, with a boyfriend like Phillip, she’d have to try keep up with those models who were al-
ways hanging around backstage.
Phillip had been acting distant and distracted last month
when he met her in New York and the month before that when
she’d come to his flat in London. On both occasions he seemed
totally preoccupied. If he hadn’t just bought “their cottage,” she would have thought he was prepping to break things off with her.
As she pulled a “barely there” blue nightie over her head,
she glanced around the lovely yellow bathroom and smiled. He’d
fixed up the cottage just the way she would have. Her mind was
officially blown. She never imagined she’d see this place again, let alone looking so beautiful. Thinking back on their first sexual encounter on the living room floor of this very cabin, she could feel her heart swell in her throat like it was yesterday. She still couldn’t believe that he’d actually bought it.
Phillip’s mushy side really got to her sometimes. He
seemed to have a knack for sweet gestures. If anyone would have
asked if he were capable of anything remotely sweet when
they’d first met, she would have rolled her eyes so hard that she would have given herself a concussion. Once when they’d
hooked up after a concert in San Francisco, she mentioned lov-
ing the Riesling they ordered from room service. She’d arrive
home to find a case of it on her doorstep. And when she called to thank him, his husky response had left her breathless.
“I love to make you smile, Stephanie.”
She felt her eyes growing a little misty. What the hell?
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TAMMY COONS & MICHELLE PACE
Teary eyes twice in one day? Now she knew she was exhausted
and needed a travel break. Since her mother died, she only cried when she had a migraine and when she was furious. She hadn’t
had a migraine in months and she was ecstatic. All she really
wanted was to make Phillip smile. She snatched the keys out of
her purse, and as she opened the bathroom door, it creaked
slightly.
“That hinge could definitely use some oil.” He mumbled
tiredly as he rolled to his side and rubbed his eyes with one hand.
When he opened them, he wore that damn somber expression
again. The one that made her wonder if he wished she’d get a
boob job or something.
“You don’t like it.” She glanced down at her silk nightgown
and felt like she was under a microscope. She noticed him blush
and look down at the bed.
Fuck! He’s not attracted to me anymore!
His blue eyes met hers again, and she saw raw emotion in
them.
“You look amazing.” He sounded sincere, and relief en-
gulfed her like the warm waters of a steam bath. She crept to-
ward the bed with her hands behind her back.
“I have a surprise for you.” Her coy words made his eye-
brow twitch in a naughty way that had her wondering how she
ever could have doubted him. For a moment he looked thought-
ful and then he sat up.
“I have one for you, too.” He seemed somber, but his eyes
were still warm.
“Me first.” She smiled and sprang onto the bed. He reached
out and grabbed her, swiftly pinning her to the bed.
“Right, then. Do tell.” His words were slightly muffled as
his lips traveled from her jaw to her chest. The sensations his lips created were more than a little distracting. Exhaling a ragged
breath, she pulled the keys out from behind her back and dangled them in his face.
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RAGE
“I’m moving to Europe!” She beamed.
He blinked at the keys, his face frozen. “Wh…what?”
Once again, his expression could not have been interpreted
as positive. He seemed distressed and annoyed by her an-
nouncement, and she paused to search his features. “I bought a
couple of apartments.”
“A couple? When? Where?” He pulled away from her and
sat up fixing her with a challenging gaze. Steph didn’t move an
inch, effectively frozen by the shift in his mood. She’d been so sure he’d be thrilled to have her closer. She felt her frustration rising, but she took another deep breath.
“One in Paris and one in Milan. Christopher and my ac-
countant advised me to invest in real estate since I spend so
much time in both cities.”
“Christopher?” He spat the name, his face turning red.
“Who the hell is Christopher?”
“My agent.” Steph explained quickly. The last thing she
wanted was to fight with him. His intense reaction had her
floored. “Most of my jobs are in the big four: New York, Lon-
don, Paris and Milan. Of course I already have an apartment in
Manhattan. So investing in real estate in Paris and Milan just
makes good financial sense.”
“Why didn’t you buy an apartment in London?” He
snapped. Steph could feel his anger continuing to build, and it
was the opposite of the reaction she had expected. Her temper
flashed white hot. She sat up to face him head on.
“What the hell, Phillip? Why the hell would I need an
apartment in London?”
He raked a hand aggressively through his gorgeous hair.
“Oh, I don’t know, perhaps because I live in London!”
Steph felt her whole body relax as his words made her melt.
A smile bloomed on her face. She leaned closer to him and
rocked his shoulder with hers. “That’s why I figured I wouldn’t
need one. I was hoping to crash with you…have some little
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TAMMY COONS & MICHELLE PACE
sleepovers.”
He blinked at her a few times. and she could
