A Woman's Touch

not going to work with me. Get out of my way.“
    He closed his eyes briefly, obviously struggling for self-control. „I don’t want to let you leave, Becky. I’m afraid you’ll do something crazy.“
    „Like what? Sell the land to Glen Ballard? I promise to let you know the minute I do. Now get out of my way.“
    „You said you loved me, Becky,“ he reminded her very softly.
    „Talk about doing something crazy,“ she muttered. „Stand aside, Kyle.“
    „This morning you lectured me on giving Harrison a chance to explain himself. I followed your advice. I listened to him.“
    „Don’t draw any parallels. You’ve already had your chance to explain yourself and I didn’t like the explanation.“
    „Damn it, Becky, you owe me a little trust.“
    „Why? Because I’ve been sleeping with you for ten days?“ she shot back, enraged. „I don’t owe you a thing for that privilege. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the one who owes me. You owe me for all the love I’ve wasted on you.
    For all the love I was going to squander on you in the future. But it doesn’t look like I’m ever going to get paid back, so I’ll just have to write the whole mess off as a bad debt.“
    „Becky, I’m warning you. If you leave now, you’ll regret it.“
    Her brows rose. „Is that right? What will you do? Fire me? Go right ahead. If Carstairs recommended me so enthusiastically to you, I’m sure I can get him to recommend me to someone else. Maybe Glen Ballard could use a good executive assistant who’s been inside the enemy camp for over two months.“
    She’d gone too far with that last, empty threat. Rebecca understood that at once. Kyle’s hand closed around her arm, his fingers locked in a punishing grip. But that grip wasn’t nearly as unnerving as the bleak anger in his eyes.
    „Don’t even think about going to Glen Ballard,“ Kyle said far too softly.
    Rebecca drew a steadying breath and decided that, as angry as she was, she couldn’t bring herself to let this particular threat stand. She simply couldn’t hurt the man she loved that much. „Relax, Kyle. I won’t offer my services to your competitor. I have no interest in staying in the middle of this feud. I just want out. From the sounds of it, the quicker I get rid of that land, the better.“

    Kyle searched her face before reluctantly releasing her arm. „Sell the land to me and it will no longer be an issue between us, Becky,“ he urged with rough gentleness. „When the deal is concluded, you’ll see that our relationship is independent of it. I’ll still want you as badly as I do now. Nothing will change between us.“
    She couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer scope of his nerve. „You don’t ask much, do you?“
    „Just your trust.“
    „And what do I get out of it?“
    He frowned. „Everything you’ve had until now. Our relationship will return to the way it was until this morning.“
    „I hate to tell you this, Kyle, but I’m afraid things can never go back to the way they were between us. Too much has happened. I want more than you can give. I know that now.“
    „Damn it, lady. What do you want from me?“ His voice was raw.
    „Love, commitment, open communication, the works.“
    „I’ve told you, Becky, I’ve already given you more than I’ve ever given any other woman.“
    „More than you gave your ex-wife or this Darla person you were engaged to once?“
    „Leave my ex-wife and my ex-fiancée out of this.“
    „Why should I? You claim you’ve given me more that you’ve given any other woman, but you gave them rings.
    That’s more than I’ve got. Goodbye, Kyle.“
    She glanced only once at his stricken expression as she pushed past him. It was too painful to dwell for long on his ravaged face. She was already hurting so much that she wanted to cry.
    With a fierce effort of will Rebecca managed to lug the heavy suitcase down the hall, into the elevator and into the garage where her car was parked.
    She was aware of Kyle following her silently every step of the way. He didn’t offer to help with the heavy suitcase, but he made no effort to stop her as she got behind the wheel of the compact, either. He just stood in the entrance of the elevator lobby, his hands jammed into his pockets and watched as she turned the key in the ignition.
    Rebecca’s last glimpse of him in her rearview mirror revealed the implacable, unreadable face of a man who was accustomed to being alone – a man who hadn’t really,