Page 74 of Planned Seduction
Chapter Fourteen
The thing about knowing someone loved you, Amy realized, was it was impossible to let go of the idea once it had taken root. Daniel loved her.
He hadn’t planned on leaving her. He’d planned on marrying her. She’d put two and two together and gotten it wrong—horribly wrong. Before another minute of this god-awful misunderstanding passed, she had to make it right. She had to stand up to her fears and vanquish them.
For so long, she’d been afraid of being deserted or rejected, so she’d done everything in her power to avoid another relationship—including hurting herself and the man she loved.
Well, no more. It was time to change. Amy had to set the record straight. She needed to go to Daniel and apologize for being a complete idiot. And then she needed to do anything and everything to earn his trust and his love again. Whatever it took, she’d do it. Because the only thing more terrifying than fearing Daniel might leave her was the prospect of never having him in her life again.
Regardless of the fact it was well into the wee hours of the morning, she doused herself in Daniel’s favorite perfume. The one that made him crazy. It made him stand close and bury his nose in her neck. She searched for the black cocktail dress she’d worn the night of the exhibition, when their relationship had taken such a steamy turn. Impatience took hold of her when she couldn’t find it, and she threw on jeans and a tight T-shirt, too hurried to bother with a bra.
She grabbed her keys and ran. Their relationship couldn’t remain messed up like this for one more second.
The ten minutes it took to drive to his unit and race to the front door seemed more like five hours. Amy pressed the buzzer, her heart pounding.
Blood roared in her ears as she buzzed again. Where the hell was he?
She pressed a third time. Her hand shook. Her whole body shook.
Didn’t he know they had to start the rest of their lives together? What was taking so long?
She tapped her finger nervously against the doorpost. He was here. He had to be. According to Sarah, he’d returned home. According to Ben, he wanted to marry her. Why wasn’t he opening the door?
Finally, finally, came the sound of footsteps. She heard the metal creak of a lock turning, and she wiped damp palms against her pants. Her breath came in short spurts, and her cheeks burned.
The moment of reckoning had arrived.
The door opened, and there he was. His face all warm and sleepy, his glorious curls longer now and tousled. He wore boxers she guessed he must have pulled on in a hurry. They were inside out. She’d woken him. She didn’t care. All she wanted was to throw herself in his arms and drown in his love. Or punch him in the stomach for his ridiculous antics.
Either one would do.
“Morgan? What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“No. Nothing’s okay. I need to talk to you.”
“At three in the morning?” He rubbed his eyes, as though forcing the sleep away.
“It can’t wait.”
He yawned and stretched, the movement pulling Amy’s gaze down to the beautiful symmetry of his chest.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s late. Or early. Whatever. I didn’t want to waste another minute.” Adrenaline coursed through her veins. “Danny, I was wrong.”
“You were?” He looked confused. Who could blame him at this ridiculous hour?
“I was a fool. A blind, pigheaded fool. I can’t believe it took me so—” Movement caught her eye.
A woman stood in his lounge. She wore a white nightgown and looked remarkably like Janine Stillman.
“Daniel?” Janine asked. “What’s going on?”
If Daniel responded, Amy wasn’t aware of it.
A bucket of cold, wet cement had been thrown at her, cutting off her air, blocking her senses, squelching her dreams. She couldn’t breathe. Everything went dark.
Daniel was with another woman.
Pain cut through her. Sensation drained from her body. She was rooted to the floor, paralyzed with shock.
