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Heat crept up his neck. “Shove it, Katrin.”
“I’m telling the truth! You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
Wishing he could gun the car, but forced to crawl at five miles an hour because of the traffic, Luke muttered, “You’re exaggerating and you know it.”
“I am not. Anyway, to get back to this charity ball—I can’t afford an evening gown. I’m saving to go to law school.”
“It’s a present. From me.” He took a deep breath, quelled the panic in his gut, and added, “To say I’m sorry I left in the middle of the night.”
To his dismay the light at the next intersection turned orange. He pulled up behind an SUV. Katrin said quietly, “For the third time, Luke, why did you leave?”
“Because I was afraid to stay.”
“Afraid?”
“That’s what I said.” For Pete’s sake, he thought, fuming, why couldn’t the light change?
“Afraid of me?”
“Afraid of what you do to me,” he said shortly.
In a small voice she said, “I thought you didn’t like making love to me, and that’s why you left.”
His jaw dropped. “Didn’t like it? Are you serious?”
The driver behind him blasted on the horn. The light was green; Luke pressed hard on the accelerator. Katrin said crossly, “What else was I supposed to think? I figured I was—despite my marriage, or perhaps because of it—too inexperienced for you. Too gauche. Too unsophisticated.”
She couldn’t have been further from the truth. “I ran away because I hate losing control,” he said harshly.
Her fingers slowly relaxed in her lap. “So I’ve noticed.”
“You notice too much,” Luke announced. “I don’t know what it is about you, but I’ve told you more in the last month than I’ve ever told Ramon, whom I’ve known for years.”
“It’s my big blue eyes,” she said pertly.
He pulled into a parking garage north of the square, his mouth set. “You’re going to buy a gorgeous dress and anything else you need to go with it. Money is no object and don’t argue.”
“No, sir,” she said in a perfect imitation of her waitressing voice.
Luke started to laugh, his ill humor dissolving. “I’m beginning to think I led a very boring life until you came along.”
They left the car and walked south, the clang of cable car bells accompanying them. At the edge of the square with its palm trees, clipped hedges and massed flowerbeds, Luke asked, “Want to start at Saks?”
Her cheeks pink, Katrin said, “I don’t want you to see the dress until this evening.”
He grinned at her. “In that case I’ll find a bar, and you can come and get me when you’re ready.”
He had time to slowly drink a glass of Chablis and read the entire newspaper before Katrin reappeared. She said breathlessly, “I’ve run up rather large bills at three different stores.”
“Good,” said Luke; and half an hour later, several boxes in the trunk of the car, was driving toward Pacific Heights. They had a snack in the kitchen to tide them over until the dinner at the hotel, then Katrin disappeared to get dressed. Luke went upstairs, showered and shaved, and got into his tuxedo. He didn’t have a clue what was going on, although he was quite sure if he had any sense he wouldn’t be taking Katrin to a charity ball where he’d meet just about everyone he knew; and discovered that he didn’t care.
He felt alive. Disturbingly and wholeheartedly alive.
Which implied, of course, that he’d been going through the motions for a very long time.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LUKE was waiting in the living room when he heard Katrin on the stairs of the guest wing. He walked through to the hallway; and when he saw her, stopped dead. Her dress, sleeveless and form-fitting, was made of black fishnet adorned with intricate patterns of multicolored feathers: it was an outrageous dress, that she wore with panache. Her sandals were stiletto-heeled, her makeup dramatic, her hair a smooth sweep of gold. He said in a cracked voice, “Katrin…”
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