Authors: Deborah Hughes
“Except aversion to each other,” he agreed.
His words hurt and she looked away, not wanting him to see it in her eyes. He was right, of course. So why did it bother her to hear him say as much? Maybe it was his choice of words.
Aversion
seemed a little strong. Well … perhaps not.
The waitress reappeared with two glasses of iced tea. She gave Cole a warm smile as she set his drink in front of him. “If I can get you anything else, just wave.”
“Thank you. We’re fine.” Cole watched her walk away, his glance indifferent. When his eyes returned to Alyssa's he looked resigned. “Trisha is sending furtive looks our way. Should we smile or something?”
Though she couldn't say why, Alyssa found herself wanting to do just that. Instead she frowned. “I agreed not to fight with you, Cole. And I won’t. But I’m not going to sit here and pretend to enjoy your company either.”
Cole’s face tightened. “I wouldn’t expect you to.” He rested his arms on the table and leaned forward. “But suppose you tell me … what are we going to talk about?”
Alyssa pushed her hair behind her and lifted her glass for a drink. “Why don’t we begin with you telling me why you are so driven to interfere with my life?”
“I would be more interested to know why you choose to meddle so irritatingly with mine.”
Alyssa fell back against her chair in disbelief. Was he being serious right now? Her jaw dropped then snapped shut. “You have got to be kidding.”
His eyes narrowed in response to her reaction and when he spoke, his voice was clipped with exasperation. “No, I’m not. You seem hell bent on creating havoc in my life whenever you find even a remote chance to do it.” His eyes looked like two brilliant chips of ice, their light blue color making the effect even more startling. “I’ve come to the only conclusion I can think of … you are a spoilt little brat and your father sure as hell didn’t spank you enough as a child.”
Alyssa drew in a sharp breath and managed, just barely, to keep her voice low enough that only he heard it. “You are despicable. You always treat me like … like I am some sort of deranged creature.”
Cole’s brows shot up in exaggerated acquiescence. “If the shoe fits …”
Alyssa wanted to slap his face. So compelling was the urge that she had to clench her hands into fists to keep them from doing just that. It took every ounce of control she could muster to maintain some semblance of calm. Despite her determination to not let Cole get under her skin, her resolve deteriorated the moment he started talking.
He treated Trisha with loving gentleness, he treated her parents with respect, he treated everyone with charming deference. But not her. Never her. “Damn you, Cole. I don’t deserve this.” She kept her voice soft and low in the hopes that Trisha and Jack did not hear this awful conversation. Inside, however, she was screaming.
“Oh no? Who is the one that continually pays for your spiteful actions?” He spread his hands in exasperation. “I don’t think I deserve that.”
“Here you are.” The waitress appeared and set their plates before them. “Enjoy.” She gave them both a curious look, the tense atmosphere noticeably apparent. “Er … can I get you anything else?”
Cole and Alyssa shook their heads in unison, neither of them bothering to glance in her direction. She hesitated a moment before walking away.
Their gazes remained locked in silent battle for several tense seconds and then Cole broke the contact by looking away. It was a hollow victory for Alyssa, though, because nothing was getting resolved. The status of things between them was as much a tangled up mess as ever.
Giving a cursory nod towards their plates, Cole motioned that they should eat. “Perhaps it's best if we just enjoy our meal.”
Alyssa’s appetite was now gone and she looked at her favorite dish with a knot churning in her stomach. She was sure it would choke her if she took so much as one bite. But she'd be damned if she'd let Cole know how disturbed she was, so she lifted her fork and stabbed it into a fried shrimp.
“Careful, Al, you are beginning to show your claws.” Cole’s silken voice mocked her as his blue eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement.
Alyssa didn't doubt that nothing gave him more pleasure than her discomfiture. “Do you have any idea how much I hate you?” Tears stung her eyes and she rapidly blinked them away. Damn but she was not going to give him the satisfaction of making her cry. She put the shrimp in her mouth, chewing automatically, not tasting anything.
“I think probably I do.”
Cole’s muttered reply was so soft she couldn't get a read on his tone but she could see well enough that he was no more enjoying his meal than she was her own. It was stupid for them to continue with this farce. “I’m leaving.” Her decision made, Alyssa dropped her fork and made to rise. That damned truce did not require them to enjoy meals together so she was getting the hell out of there.
Cole’s hand snaked out and grasped hold of her wrist. His steely grip was gentle enough not to hurt her but firm enough to resist her efforts to pull free.
Shocked that he dared to stop her, Alyssa worked to pry herself loose and whispered to him in a low, furious tone. “You let me go right now.”
Not the least bit put off by her anger, Cole maintained his grip, his gaze holding hers, his expression telling her that he would not back down this time.
Tears blurred her vision. “Damn you, Cole, I said let go.”
“Listen to me, you little fool. Trisha has suffered enough because of you. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you cause any more trouble.”
His quiet, controlled fury made Alyssa flinch and she wanted desperately to respond with righteous indignation. His accusations were not fair. How could he possibly suggest that she was making Trisha suffer or was out to cause any sort of trouble? Knowing she couldn't screech at him as she wanted to do, she just stared at him, their eyes locked in a stand-off until she noticed a muscle twitching in his rigid jaw. It was a telling tick. The stupid oaf wasn't as unaffected by their argument as he'd like her to believe.
This needed to stop. Alyssa glanced towards Trisha’s table and was happy to see that her friends were not aware of the terrible undercurrents happening at their own. The fight went out of her and she deflated into her seat. Patiently she waited for Cole to release her, saying nothing to encourage it since she wasn't sure she could speak without breaking down into tears.
Cole studied her for a few quiet seconds then let her go.
The moment her wrist was free, she drew her hand back and rubbed where he'd held her. “You hurt me.” Of course he hadn’t but she wasn’t really talking about her wrist. Cole had hurt her in many ways. The kind of hurts that went deep inside.
“I meant what I said, Al. Trisha is going to have a happy wedding and a healthy baby. I am not going to let you do anything to ruin that for her.”
As if she would. God, did he honestly think she would ever do anything to hurt Trisha? She loved her just as much as he did. “You are vile. I can’t believe Trisha is related to someone like you.”
“Cut the crap, Al. It’s getting boring.” He resumed eating.
Alyssa watched him with seething resentment. One of these days she was going to make him very sorry for the way he treated her. “May I go to the ladies room?”
Cole gave her a piercing look, his eyes as hard as Sapphire stones and issuing a silent warning. “Certainly.”
She rose on shaky legs and made it to the bathroom before collapsing against the wall. With her arms wrapped tightly around her midsection, she drew in deep, calming breaths. Why did it have to be this way with him? Why couldn’t they find it within themselves to be civil with each other? Why, why, why, did it all go so wrong?
It took a little time but eventually her nerves calmed. She splashed some cold water over her face then patted it dry. Feeling a little better, she looked into the mirror above the sink and gave a small grimace. The discoloration around her eye was showing and since she'd forgotten to bring her purse, there was nothing she could do to repair her make-up. Then again, what did it matter? She certainly wasn't out to impress Cole.
A light tap sounded on the door. Alyssa drew a steadying breath and opened it. Trisha stood in the doorway, looking worried. “Are you okay, Al?”
Alyssa managed to rustle up a smile. “Yes, of course. Why?”
Trisha worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “You don’t look too happy and neither does Cole.”
Hoping to sooth away her friend's anxiety, Alyssa gave her a reassuring hug. “Listen, you can’t expect us to become adoring fans overnight.” They began walking back to her table, their arms entwined. “Don’t you worry about us. Cole and I are managing quite well.” They stopped at the table and Alyssa threw Cole a warning look. “Aren’t we, Cole?”
“Certainly. We’re just peachy.” He winked at Trisha. “You just get on over there and enjoy your lunch with Jack.”
“Actually, we were getting ready to leave. I was wondering, Cole, if you’d drive Al home?”
Alyssa’s eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn’t possibly be serious.
Cole gave an easy smile, one that didn't reflect in his eyes. If Trisha noticed as much, she chose to ignore it. “Of course.” Really, what else could he say?
Trisha avoided Alyssa’s eyes. A telling evasion. She knew darn well they weren't happy about the request. “Great. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then at the rehearsal.” She kissed her brother and gave Alyssa a quick hug, whispering in her ear as she did so. “We took care of the bill by the way. See ya.”
Alyssa watched her traitorous friend walk over to the elevator where Jack was waiting for her. When Trisha joined him there, he turned to wave good-bye, sending Alyssa an encouraging wink as he did so. Neither of them looked their way as they stepped into the elevator and made their escape.
Alyssa continued to stand there long after they’d gone. She couldn’t believe that they would do this to her. It was the equivalent to throwing her into a snake pit with nothing but a wink for good luck.
“Do sit down, Al, people are beginning to stare.”
Alyssa whirled around, her voice low with fury. “Do you honestly think I care?” She grabbed her purse and headed for the elevator. She’d had enough. She was leaving and this time Cole was not going to stop her.
Muttering a curse under his breath, Cole stood and rushed after her, just barely making it into the elevator before the doors closed. Staring at her averted profile, all he could think was that she was the most infuriating woman he’d ever come across.
Determined to ignore him, Alyssa folded her arms and turned away, her foot tapping with impatience for the short ride down to be over.
“Just what do you plan on doing? Are you going to walk all the way home?” The woman couldn’t have a lick of common sense in her beautiful head.
She refused to speak.
That was fine by him. She never had anything decent to say anyway.
As soon as the elevator door opened, Alyssa rushed out and Cole grabbed her arm, halting her in her tracks. “Alyssa, damn it, just hold on a minute.”
“If you do not let go of me this instant, Cole Delaney, I am going to scream my bloody head off.”
“A tantalizing idea, especially as your head was bloody enough a few days ago. In any case, I think it best if you keep it right where it is and calm the hell down.”
Alyssa kept her face averted for she was close to tears and his touch was sending shivers up and down her arm. She told herself it was shivers of aversion, but deep down she knew better. “If I were a man, Cole, I would punch your lights out.” Her voice sounded strange to her own ears. Getting the words out at all was something of a surprise. The lump in her throat felt so large it made breathing painful.
“If you was a man then we probably wouldn’t be in this mess of a …” he searched his mind for the right word and drew a blank. Just what was it the two of them had? Certainly not a relationship. No. “Look, you can’t walk home.” Despite her resistance, he led her gently along to his truck and opened the door.
Alyssa yanked her arm free and hoisted herself up onto the front seat.
“Put your seat belt on.” He slammed the door closed then hurried around to get in behind the wheel.
Alyssa gave a quiet snort of disgust. No doubt he thought she’d bolt again but his bullying ways would have him chasing her down in the parking lot and she was not going to give him any further reason to touch her.
Cole put the key in the ignition then turned to look at her, noticing as he did so that her black eye was more visible than it had been earlier. A stab of guilt speared through his conscience. She’d been through enough.
With his arms resting over the steering wheel, he stared blindly out at the parking lot. How to calm the irritated atmosphere that always sprung up between them? He didn’t want to fight with her, especially as he was still recovering from the scare of losing her only a few days ago. Wishing he knew what to do, he gave her a sidelong glance. She sat stiff as a board, her jaw tight and her slender, expressive hands twisting in her lap. A feeling suspiciously close to tenderness welled up from nowhere, filling his chest and giving him the oddest urge to pull her close and comfort her. But she'd only fight him if he did that so he stayed put.
They sat for a few quiet moments, each refusing to speak though on Cole’s part it was because he didn’t know what to say. He was pretty sure anything he might try would only incite her further so he let out a sigh and ran an agitated hand through his hair. How did they get to this point? It hadn’t always been this way.
Figuring there was no other course of action to take, Cole started the truck and pulled out onto the highway.
Not a word passed between them the whole way to her house.
Alyssa was out of the truck as soon as he brought it to a complete stop and slammed the door with as much force as she could muster. Eager to be away from him, she marched rapidly to her house, refuge within her grasp and not a moment too soon. She was a mass of nerves, on the verge of tears and she was spitting mad to boot.
It took only a moment to unlock her door and she went through it quickly, relief surging through her that soon she would be out of his stifling presence. But, of course, that was too much to expect for Cole reached from behind and prevented her from slamming the door in his face. Gasping with outrage, she whirled around and pressed her hand against his solid chest. “Hold it right there, buster. You are not welcome in my home.”