My Addiction (Club Desire #2)(62)

Her heartbeat kicked up a notch as she reached for it, hoping the text would be from Dex. As the hours had slipped by, she reasoned that after last night he was taking the day to rest and recover, and could even still be asleep. Something she would most likely be doing if she didn’t have these projects to get done for Merestone.

He said he would contact her later, and there was no reason to think he wouldn’t.

When she saw Dex’s name on the notifications screen, waves of elation filled her chest, and a wide smile stretched her tender lips. She hugged the phone to her chest until impatience to see the message cut through her excitement.

Kate, I’ve been recalled by my boss on urgent business. I’m leaving right away. Not sure when I’ll be back. I’m sorry I can’t say goodbye in person.

Dex

Disappointment followed by hot pain lanced through her chest as the meaning of the words on the screen sank in.

He’d left.

She closed her eyes tight as the tears welled and then rolled down her cheeks.

A rush of anger followed the pain like a burning wave, and she bolted to her feet.

She had allowed herself to care for him.

More than care for him, if she was honest.

She had read more into last night and into his protective treatment of her than was there.

Stupid girl!

She had repeatedly warned herself about falling into this trap, but Dex had somehow gotten past her defenses and made her believe he felt the same.

But, her inner voice accused, he never said anything to that effect, and he never made any promises he didn’t keep. Any pain now is your own fault for building this into something more than it is.

A sigh broke from her.

She brushed at the tears impatiently and pressed a hand to her chest where the pain still throbbed.

Knowing all of that was true didn’t stop the pain.

Rusty head-butted her ankle.

She scooped him up and cuddled him to her chest. After a few moments, he turned to face her and licked her salty cheek. The rough tongue reminded her of all the times the tabby had done the same after she’d had a good cry.

“Rusty, it’s time we move on. L.A. isn’t the place for us, and your owner needs to start being the independent woman she likes to think she is.” She hugged him tighter, and he tucked his head under her chin.

“I only have one more project to do, and I can do that anytime over the next three days. Let’s get packed up and head to the house Grandma Hatcher left me in Phoenix. I said I was going to go check out Club Desire. Let’s do it.”

She stopped as Dex’s words came back to her about there being a waiting list for new members, and his offer to get her a meeting with the owner.

She shook her head. She didn’t need Dex for that. If she had never met him, and she chose to visit another dungeon, she would have tackled it head on.

The fact that she had met him…and he’d broken her heart…shouldn’t change that one bit.

Anger sliced through her again, and she blew out a harsh breath that ruffled Rusty’s fur.

All right, so she had to be honest with herself. She had fallen in love with Dex. Or at least who she thought he was. And his abrupt parting and bare-bones message had hurt her.

He hadn’t lied to her. She always knew he could be recalled suddenly, but a call, or even some expression of regret or a sentence that he would miss her or wanted to see her when things calmed down, would have shown her he returned at least some of her feelings.

Stupid girl! Get moving.

It took only two hours to pack up what she and Rusty would need and load it into the car for the five-to six-hour drive to Phoenix.

She placed a quick call to the company that maintained the Phoenix property while no one was in residence, to open up the house and have it ready for her. Then she dropped by her building manager’s place on the way out, to let the woman know she would be gone for an indefinite amount of time and that she had set the alarm.

As soon as she pulled the cat carrier out of the storage area, Rusty bolted, and she spent the next twenty minutes coaxing him out with treats and promises of tuna and a new house to play in.

Finally, what seemed like hours later, she pulled away from her penthouse and drove toward Phoenix and a new chapter of her life.

—

Even after a shower and four hours of sleep, Dex’s muscles still burned from the hard workout in the dojo he’d done following the meeting with his boss earlier. He had hoped the exertion would ease some of the frustration filling his chest, but it had only increased it. Now his mind was clear, which only made it harder not to see the glaring truth.

He’d tried to reason with himself, but all the logic in the world didn’t change the outcome. He’d known Kate only a short time, and she was a suspect in a case involving international terrorist activities.

It was time to admit the truth. He was in love with her.

Once he had allowed himself to admit that, he had kicked his workout into overdrive.

In fact, he was surprised he hadn’t broken the Wing Chun dummy that he and Brent both used for their martial arts training here at Club Desire.

Kate was unlike anyone he had ever met. He could see why she had slipped past his defenses so easily.

He shook his head. Before he met her, Dex would have struggled to understand how any agent could let himself fall in love with a suspect.

Now he knew. And it didn’t change anything about what he had to do.