Chapter 11

They sat in the car for a few minutes outside in the parking lot of her apartment, neither saying anything. He had made love to her just before they left, and both had taken a shower together, which had led to something more.

He had to admit to himself that he could not keep his hands off her. He had asked her for a week and was wondering how he would endure the seven days.

"You are going to be late." She finally murmured. It was early, not yet eight, and they had parked in the underground area for privacy.

"I am," he agreed. Unhooking his seatbelt, he turned towards her, eyes skimming her face. He was just a little amused as he stared at the dark blue silk shirt she was wearing. "You just might start a new fashion fad," he said.

"With a shirt that probably costs more than a thousand dollars." She plucked at it, feeling wonderful that she had something of his to hold onto. "I am not returning it."

His smile widened. "I have your shorts if it can be called that."

Unhooking her seatbelt, she took his hand in hers. "Are you sure?"

"I am. I have the pair of shorts-"

"No." She said laughingly. "Are you sure about the week?"

His expression sobered as he looked at her. She was not wearing makeup and was fresh from the shower, where he had washed her back and other parts of her; she looked like an adorable teenager.

Her heavy curls were piled on top of her head in an untidy bundle, and he wished he could skip the damn meetings and spend the day with her.

"We'll see."

"Am I allowed to call?"

"Absolutely." Lifting a hand, he cupped her cheek. "I just think we need the week to sort things out."

Her tapered eyebrows lifted. "Surely you are not thinking that I will have a change of heart?"

"No." He shook his head. "I owe Madeline the respect to do this right."

"I assume you will meet her in a public place?"

His brows lifted as he stared at her. "Afraid I am going to succumb to her charms?" he asked silkily. It was no longer a surprise to him that they were falling into the pattern of easy camaraderie they had shared as teens.

"Something like that." Lifting a hand, she wrapped it around his wrist and held on.

"I have not been able to touch her since we were at the club."

Her eyes flared as she stared at him in shock.

"And what did she make of that?"

Removing his hand from her face, he forced her to let go of him.

"I made excuses. We are in the middle of a delicate negotiation with a cruise ship we recently acquired, and I am in charge of almost everything. I used that to avoid seeing her."

"I don't know what to say."

His brows quirked. "That's a first."

"Oh, Rylan, I have wasted so many years-"

"We are not going to dwell on that," he said, taking a deep breath. In order for us to stand a chance, we are going to have to try to move forward."

She nodded. Reaching for his hand, she linked her fingers through his. "I want to do that."

"Good." Turning his wrist, he glanced at his watch and groaned softly. "Now I am officially late." Leaning forward, he tilted her chin with his free hand and kissed her softly, shaking his head when she would have deepened the kiss. "No. I have an important meeting that I am already late for. I will call you sometime today."

"Promise?"

"Yes. Now go before I change my mind."

Kissing him again, she hopped out of the vehicle, her shoes dangling from her fingers.

"You look like a barefoot Madonna," he observed, leaning out the window to stare at her. "I am going to catch a freaking cold because of it."

"Next time, pack a bag so you will have something to wear." He told her casually.

"Why, Mr. Braithwaite, are you inviting me to move in with you?" She asked impishly.

"We are not there yet. Talk later." With a wave, he backed out and was gone.'

Heaving a breath, Celeste stood there wondering how she had gotten so lucky. She had taken a chance, and now they were tentatively back together.

She knew he still had misgivings, but she clung to hope. He no longer hated her, that much she knew, but there was still something deep inside him that did not dare trust her. Shrugging it away, she headed for the elevator with a song in her heart.

*****

"Darling." Michelle rose and eyed him curiously as he entered her office. "It's good to see you."

Closing the doors carefully behind him, he turned to face her.

"Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Juice?"

He stopped her before she could move towards the cabinet. "I ate in the meeting."

"I was dealing with the PR department, so I could not. The refurbishing of the ship is going as planned-"

"I am not here to talk about that." he gestured for her to sit back down while he sat across from her. "I have been seeing Celeste."

Michelle kept her face carefully bland. "I see."

Rylan sent her a faint smile. "Do you?" Stretching his legs, he brushed off an invisible lint from his immaculate ash-gray pants.

"I love her, but I think you already knew that. The problem is that after what she did, I have trust issues. I was incinerated completely by the breakup, and part of me is still limping. What you both did to me almost destroyed me-"

"Darling-"

"No." He shook his head. "I don't need an explanation as to the why of it. As a mother, I realize that you did what you thought was best." He lapsed into silence for a few seconds before continuing.

"I have been trying to put myself in your shoes. I was eighteen and was so obsessed with a sixteen-year-old that I was prepared and determined to run off with her and get married. If that had happened, we would probably have ended up resenting each other."

He took a breath. "But the situation was not handled properly. What you and Celeste did took a chunk out of me." He looked at her. "I wanted to die."

"I know." She whispered achingly.

"And still, you let me go on thinking she did it deliberately."

"I thought I was doing the right thing."

He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I believe you did."

"And Madeline?"

"I am now faced with the unwelcome task of telling her it's over. Though I have a feeling she already sensed it. I asked Celeste to give me a week to sort things out."

"And after?"

"We are going public. And by the public, we both know it will explode as soon as the press sees us together.

She is doing the campaign for Romano's, and within the next few weeks, there will be billboards, ads in the major magazines, and social media outlets. Not to mention that the cruise ship will take its first maiden voyage in the summer."

"And we will be doing our advertising."

"Precisely," he closed his eyes briefly. I cannot stay away from her," he sent her a grim smile. "I tried by telling myself that the last thing I would ever do is get involved with her again. She has this hold over me, making it impossible for me to stay away from her."

"And you are certain she is in love with you?"

"I want to believe she is," he said, mockingly staring at her. If you are hinting that she is after my money, I have to remind you that she is not exactly impoverished. She made a fortune modeling, and the contract she signed with Romano's is a very lucrative one."

Michell nodded. "I am just afraid that you will lose yourself again."

"I think that is already happening. I spent the entire day with her yesterday and did not have the urge to go anywhere. We are not where we were before, but we will get there," he rose. "I just came to give you the heads-up."

"And I am grateful we are talking again."

"I am still angry, mother. Please don't think I have forgotten about it. Everything is right between us. But I am getting there."

"Thanks, darling."

He nodded, turned to leave, and stopped. "I know you are fond of Madeline, but I will ask you to let me tell her."

"I have no intention of interfering. I have learned my lesson."

"Good." With that, he turned and walked out, closing the doors behind him.

Pressing the intercom, she spoke to her assistant. "Hold my calls for a few minutes, please."

Sitting back in the chair, she picked up the paperweight and rolled it around in her palm. She had told him she would not interfere, but she still had to try. What she had seen after Celeste had left had broken her heart and frightened her more than anything.

She had almost lost her son because of that one teenage girl. And it was happening again. Celeste had come back into her son's life and was taking over. She was a mother, and she would never forgive herself if she did not try one last time. Reaching for her contacts in Italy, she made some calls.

*****

"You are glowing. Got laid last night?" Bob grinned at her with the familiarity of one who had worked with her for years.

"Bite me," she told him mildly, stretching her legs out. Even though it seemed as if she had not slept for days instead of hours, she felt wonderful. "How much longer?"

"Why? Have a big date?"

"I feel a migraine coming on, and your constant chatter is making it much worse." Lifting a hand, she rubbed it against her temple.

"We could end the session for the day." There was a look of concern on his plain face. "I recalled in the past that when that happens, it's brutal."

"Hopefully, it is a mild case." Shaking her head, she positioned the thin chemise over her thighs. "Let's get on with it. I have a lunch date with my brother."

Lifting his camera, Bob peered through the lens and nodded in satisfaction. "Tomorrow will be jam-packed. You and Jeremy will be doing the intimate scenes."

She grimaced. "Yea. I hope you told him to keep his hands to himself."

"The guy is just expressing his interest." Bob grinned at her.

"I mean it. If he lays one inappropriate hand on me, I am going to make his balls blue." She warned.

"Ouch. I will warn him."

*****

"Hey. You okay?"

"I think I"m about to have an episode," Celeste smiled as her brother settled into the seat across from her.

"We could have rescheduled lunch."

"I haven't seen you in a week." She reminded him, reaching for her glass of water and siping. She had chosen one of the restaurants in Romano's building so she did not have to walk far. Not trusting herself to drive, she had taken a cab to the photo shoot.

"This damn messy trial is taking up all of my time." His eyes wandered over her face.

"Darling, you look peaked."

"I just had Bob tell me that I was glowing."

"That might have been the case a few minutes ago, and you were wearing makeup. Now, you are not."

She swallowed the sudden nausea and felt herself going dizzy. "I will be fine when I have something to eat and return to my place. I have news."

"I assumed that much-" Colin signaled for the waiter and glanced at his sister. "What are you having?"

"Just the plain soup."

"I will have the ham and cheese sandwich." Colin waited for the man to take his leave. "I assume things are going great with you and Braithwaite."

"We spend Saturday night and Sunday together. He dropped me off at my apartment this morning."

Colin eyed her as he sipped his juice. "What does that mean?"

"He requested a week to sort through things with Madeline."

"So, you two are a thing again?"

"A thing?" She wrinkled her brow at him. "I would like to say we are much more than that." her expression sobered. "He kept the letter."

"What—Oh!" He waited until their meals were placed in front of them. "All these years?"

Celeste nodded and dipped her spoon into the soup. She was hoping this would do the trick, as her stomach was heaving. "I found it in his t-shirt drawer," she said.

"And?"

Taking a careful sip of the turtle soup, she took another. "It was awful. I had forgotten all of what I had written. When I read it, I almost left." Putting the spoon away, she folded her hands on the table. "I wrote some pretty nasty things in that letter."

"Give me a gist of it."

Celeste told him and watched as a frown touched his brow.

"What?"

"Are you sure he is willing to give you another chance?"

"Yes. Why?"

Picking up his sandwich, Colin took a bite and chewed before responding. "You emasculated him, Celeste. From what I gathered, you were unnecessarily cruel. You wrote that very cutting letter to him and told me he came around on his knees begging you to reconsider. You also said he was crying."

A knot settled inside her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe. "What are you saying?" She whispered.

"I am concerned that he is just out for revenge."

She shook her head even though the thought had been nagging since she went upstairs to her apartment. He had taken the letter from her and returned it where she had found it. She had wanted to ask him to destroy it but had not felt she had the right to do so.

"He is letting go."

"Is he?"

"What are you doing?" She demanded, feeling her appetite disappearing.

"Trying to prepare you. This man hated you for years. You humiliated him, cut him out of your life, and practically destroyed him. And all of a sudden, he has a change of heart?

Has he told you he still loves you?"

She shook her head, heart hammering inside her chest. "I don't expect him to, not yet. He needs time."

"I am just warning you to watch out for the signs."

"You think he wants revenge." Her throat was dry, her skin clammy.

"I would."

"He is not you."

Reaching across the table, he put his hand over hers reassuringly. "Just be careful. He is a man, and the fact that he held onto the letter all these years and is still doing so is sending all sorts of bells ringing. Be careful."

"I love him."

"And he is probably still wondering if you picked your career over him."

"I told him that was not the case."

"And he believes you."

"He sounded as if he did." Pushing away the soup, she reached for the water instead and gulped. "I am not feeling well."

"Let's get you a cab."

*****

She crawled into bed as soon as she made it up to her apartment after drawing the shades over the window. She had taken several of her migraine pills and was waiting for them to take effect. She could not stop thinking about the conversation with her brother.

When her phone rang, she considered leaving it to voicemail but decided against it.

"Hi."

"Hi. How was the shoot?"

"Hectic. How are you?"

"Exhausted." His deep voice in her ear had the power to ease her fear and doubts. Surely, Colin was wrong. Rylan had never been dishonest or duplicitous. But you no longer know him, do you? The taunting voice whispered inside her head. "You wore me out."

"I think it's the other way around."

"What's wrong?" He asked her sharply.

I am worried that you are out to get revenge for what I did. And that you just want to pay me back. I am concerned that you have not said you love me, and I have said it so many times.

"Headache," She said instead.

"Migraine?"

"Yes, I am afraid so."

"Have you taken anything for it? Are you lying down with the curtains drawn?" The volley of questions had her heart melting. He remembered! There was no way he was pretending. He cares.

"I have done all of that."

"Want me to come over?" His voice had dropped intimately.

"I want to say yes, but I know you have work. The pills are starting to take effect, and very soon, I will be able to sleep it off."

"I am going to allow you to do just that. Call me later?"

"I will. I love you, darling."

There was a pause that had her wildly hoping that he would say it back to her. "Get some rest," he told her gruffly.

Forcing the brightness in her voice, she told him goodbye and hung up. Closing her eyes, she felt the tears trickling down her cheeks and had never felt so tired. It was not just the migraine taking its toll or even the two nights she had been mostly up; it was the emotions twisting around inside her.

So, he had not said it back to her, but she could not blame him. She had practically destroyed him. He would need some time to trust her again and say it back to her. Surely, he could not be pretending. The lovemaking had been real and so intense that she felt like she was slowly melting.

There was no way he had been pretending.

But what if he is? The voice continued to torment her. What then?

"No!" she shouted, the sound echoing around the room and reverberating inside her head. "No, oh, please, God, no.

Please let him forgive me. I don't deserve it, but I need this. I love him." She hardly felt the tears coursing down her cheeks or the headache increasing in intensity. "I made a mistake, and I have paid for it so many times. I just need another chance. Please give me another chance. Please."

Dragging her hands over her face, she scrubbed the tears away and took a deep breath. She felt the nausea rising from her chest to her throat and made it to the bathroom just in time.

*****

Rylan studied the design critically, looking for flaws. He had specifically requested something spectacular, reviewed and studied the original Titanic, and chosen some of the designs that had made the doomed ship famous.

A lot of money was spent on this one cruise ship, but he expected massive returns quickly. The PR department was already coming up with various ideas to get the word out, and offers were already flooding in for the maiden voyage.

The staterooms were going to have a special navy blue decor, while the staterooms would be between ash gray and pearl pink.

"What do you think?" Jessica Avery prompted as the silence continued.

"I am not certain about the lighting." he frowned at the design. "A little too bright, is what I think."

"You requested chandeliers." She pointed out.

"What about sconces?"

Moving forward, Jessica stared at the design. "We must source them, which will set us back somewhat."

"That is something we cannot afford," he stared at the images again. I think we should change it to recessed lights."

"I was thinking the same thing. Here-" She pointed to a section of the walls and roof. "And here."

He nodded. "Is it going to be ready for the summer?"

"We are going to have to hire a few more people."

"Do whatever is necessary." Handing her the blueprint, he indicated that the meeting was over. As soon as she left the office, he reached for his phone and made a call. A frown touched his brow when he was directed to her voicemail. The sound of her sultry voice had him jolting. "This is Celeste. You know what to do."

"Hey, I guess you are still sleeping. Call me when you are up." Hanging up, he forced himself not to start worrying.