Authors: Candace Schuler

Seduced and Betrayed (26 page)

Ariel clenched her hands at her sides, fighting the urge to do just that. "It's not a facade," she insisted. "It's who am."

"No." He reached out and, very gently, touched the soft, velvety skin of her flushed cheek.
"This
is who you are. This vibrant, passionate woman who—"

"No." Ariel shook her head, clenching her hands tighter, leaving imprints of her nails in her soft palms. "No, it's not," she said vehemently.

Too vehemently.

Zeke frowned and took a half step back to look at her.
Really
look at her. She was rigid, her hands clenched at her sides, her face pale, her eyes wide. Puzzled realization dawned. "What are you so afraid of?" he murmured.

She dropped her gaze, quickly, protectively, and tried to back away but the bed blocked her movement. "I'm not afraid of anything," she insisted, but the tone was weak and unconvincing.

"Yes, you are. You're terrified." He put his hand under her chin, gently forcing it up. "Of what?"

Ariel kept her gaze lowered, refusing to look at him, refusing to answer.

"What are you afraid of, Ariel?" he persisted. "Me?"

She lifted her gaze, then, her eyes cool and disdainful, haughty as an outraged queen. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Of what, then?" he prodded relentlessly. "Yourself?"

She exploded into action, slapping his hand away as if it burned her skin. "All right, yes!" she spat, suddenly all fire and fury. The outraged ice queen was gone; a flaming virago had taken her place. "Yes, I'm afraid of myself. Does that satisfy you? Does that make you happy? I'm afraid of myself and what happens when I let my emotions take over and I lose control. I'm afraid of—No—" She twisted away from him when he would have reached for her again. "Don't touch me." She came up against her dressing table. "I don't want you to touch me."

"I have to."

"I said
no,"
she shouted and reached behind her, fumbling for something to throw. She came up with a silver-lidded crystal powder box. "Stay away from me."

Zeke shook his head and kept coming.

Ariel cocked her arm and let fly, fully intending to brain him. The heavy crystal box missed his head but hit his shoulder, sending a shower of expensive face powder down the front of his custom-tailored tuxedo.

"Oh, now see what you made me do!" she wailed, horrified by her behavior.

He caught her wrist and there was a brief, unequal struggle before Ariel collapsed, sobbing, into his arms. He gathered her close, trying to soothe and comfort her—and valiantly ignored the fact that he was more turned on than he had ever been in his life. Who'd have thought his Ariel, his sweet, cool perfect Ariel, would have the temper of a shrew?

"Sweetheart, don't," he murmured. "Don't cry. It's all right."

"It's not all right!" she said and tried to push herself back out of his arms.

He simply gathered her closer and held on tight.

"This doesn't happen with anyone else," she sniffed, resigning herself to being held captive in his arms. "I don't shout at people. I don't throw things. I don't get mad or cry or—" she flashed a vengeful look at him from under her damp lashes "—or go around wanting to tear another woman's hair out by the roots. I'm a nice, normal sane woman."

"America's sweetheart," Zeke agreed, laughter lurking in his voice.

"Yes! No! Oh, I don't know anymore." She bounced her curled fist off his shoulder. "It's not funny, Zeke. I'm dead serious about this. Ever since you came back into my life, I just don't know who I am anymore."

"And it scares you, not knowing."

"Yes. It terrifies me. I'm afraid that... that I'll..."

"You're afraid you'll what?"

"I'm afraid I'll lose myself again, like the last time. I fell completely apart when you—Oh, I know you didn't betray me. I believe that. I do. But I thought you had and it... it broke something inside me. I didn't know who I was and I didn't care. Not about myself. Not about anything. I hate to admit this now, but I wanted to die, back then."

"Ariel, sweetheart. I—"

"I know it's horrible. But it's the truth. It wasn't until the first time Cameron moved inside me that I started to care again. Don't you see, Zeke? Back then, I had Cameron to give me strength and keep me going. But she has her own life now. I won't have her this time, not like I did before."

"You won't need Cameron this time," Zeke said. "You have me." He touched her cheek gently, reverently, willing her to believe. And to trust. "You have us."

Her gaze locked with his, full of hope and yearning and the desire to believe it would all work out all right this time. "Truly?"

"Truly," he vowed. "We're not those two kids who were too insecure and stupid and afraid to fight for each other and what they had. Those two kids didn't even know that what they had together was
worth
fighting for. We do." He cupped her face in his hands and stared deeply into her eyes. "Don't we, Ariel?" he pleaded.

She stared up into his eyes for a long moment, her gaze searching, hopeful, serious. "Yes," she said, knowing, finally, that it was true. What they had was worth anything. "Yes, we do."

He kissed her then—they kissed each other—a soft, sweet, solemn, thankful kiss that left both of them smiling.

"And we'll love each other forever," he murmured against her lips, needing to hear her say it.

"Forever," she agreed fervently.

"And we'll be there for each other."

"Always."

"And we'll trust each other."

"Implicitly," she said, without a flicker of doubt or hesitation.

"And we'll... What?" he asked, feeling her smile against his mouth.

"I'll trust you," she said teasingly, feeling secure enough to joke about it. "But I can't promise I won't snatch some poor woman bald-headed for looking at you crosswise."

With a joyous shout of laughter, Zeke scooped her up in his arms and laid her on the bed. "Your image will never be the same."

The End