Page 34 of Cutter’s Lady

“Blake found out that I hadn’t actually ended up with Michael and he came to my condo to try to win me back: said he was still in love with me and wanted us to remarry. But I told him that it didn’t matter whether Michael and I were lovers or friends or nothing at all. When I realized I could feel that way about someone else, it also made me realize I’d never felt that way about Blake.”

“You really take brutal honesty seriously, don’t you?” Cutter laughed.

“Hey! I’d really tried my best not to hurt Blake more than I had to during the whole divorce—but at that point, I felt like it was more cruel to let him think there was a possibility that he could change how I felt, or didn’t feel, about him.”

“I know. I’m just kidding you. It sounds like you just did what you had to do. And your guilt still sounds misplaced.”

“Well, then he made these crazy statements about leaving the company and going off somewhere in the wilderness if I turned him down. I didn’t take him seriously.”

“That’s when he came to San Cristóbal?”

“Right. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been kidnapped.”

“You mean, you think you should have remarried him to keep him in the United States?”

Leslie glanced at him, startled. She hadn’t even talked about it with another person and it sounded ridiculous when he said it aloud. “Well…no. Of course not. It’s no reason to marry someone.”

“Then why feel guilty about it? You were reasonable—you didn’t want to marry him again, so you said no. He was the one who acted like an idiot, jumping into a job in San Cristóbal because you turned him down.”

“You, of course, wouldn’t be upset if you were turned down. You’d simply turn to the next girl on your list.”

“No. But I sure as hell wouldn’t pack my bags and run away from home, either.”

Leslie had to smile at his description of Blake’s actions. “What would you do?”

“I’d stick around until she saw things my way.”

That brought a full-fledged laugh from her. “I imagine you would. Though I can’t quite see you wanting anyone that much.”

“You don’t know anything about my wants.” His voice was low, almost husky, and it sent a quiver up Leslie’s spine.

She decided that this was a subject they had better leave, and soon. She cleared her throat and cast about for a safe topic of conversation. Cutter’s steady gaze, shadowed by the brim of his hat, did nothing to help her.

“You never did answer my question, you know,” Cutter went on after a moment.

“What question?”

“The one I asked you originally—why are you so upset about last night?”

Leslie drew herself up as straight and tall as she could. “Making a fool of myself is not something I care to remember, nor to have someone else remember.”

“Making a fool of yourself? By kissing me? Why?”

Leslie shrugged and looked away.

“You can’t really believe I kissed you only to stage a scene for the guys tailing us.”

“Why not? That’s what you told me last night.”

“It wasn’t only for that reason. Sure, I took the opportunity to throw them off our trail. Anyone with any sense would have. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy doing it. It doesn’t mean that I didn’t want you. I did. I still do.”

Leslie shot him a quelling look. “I’d prefer not to talk about this.”

“I know. You’d prefer not to even think about it. It bothers the hell out of you, doesn’t it? Knowing that you enjoyed kissing me…knowing that you loved my hands on you.”

Leslie’s cheeks flamed. “I’d had too much to drink. I was feeling… wild.”

“Wild? Like hell.” Cutter rose on his knees and leaned across the short space that separated them, his movements quick and agile as a cat’s. He planted his hands on the deck on either side of her, and thought he did not touch her, his face was only inches from hers and his eyes bored into her. “You were hot and hungry. You’ll be that way again. I plan to make sure of it.”