Cathy thought about protesting. After all, Ula had already baked her a special “low-cal” birthday cake that they’d shared at lunch that day. The housekeeper had also given her a hardcover book she’d wanted. But she couldn’t speak just now. Not because she didn’t know what to say but because her throat was tight with unshed tears.
“You have been so kind to me,” she managed to say at last.
Ula tsked. “There will be none of that,” she said. “No crying. You’ll ruin your makeup. Then you’ll get me going, and I hate to show emotion. So take it. On me, the cape drags to the floor, but I suspect it will hang just past your dress on you, so it will be perfect.”
Cathy took the offered heavy garment and swirled it over her shoulders. The silk lining was heavenly soft and cool against her neck and shoulders.
“I feel like a princess,” she said, and bent down to hug the smaller woman. Hard to believe that when she’d first arrived, she had thought of Ula as cold and stern. Now she knew a warm heart beat behind the stoic facade.
Ula hugged her back. “Have a good time, Cathy. Enjoy your birthday.”
“Thank you.” She straightened her shoulders and walked toward the front door. The beautiful cape gave her that added bit of confidence she needed to actually step outside. With a little luck, Stone would never know she was nervous.
She walked out into the night. It was just after nine. When Stone had invited her out to dinner to celebrate her birthday, his only two requests were that he choose the restaurant and that it be later in the evening. She understood that he was nervous about being seen. Given his reluctance, she had been even more touched by his invitation. She wished there was a way to convince him how very little his scars meant to her. Perhaps if she—
She stared at the vehicle waiting in the circular driveway and felt her mouth part. She’d expected to see the BMW with Stone behind the wheel. Instead, a dark limousine waited at the foot of the stairs. Stone lounged next to it. She caught the flash of white as he smiled.
“You look surprised,” he said.
“I am. I’ve never been in a limo before.”
He opened the door and gestured for her to enter. “Then come have a look. They’re fun.”
As she walked down the stairs, she reminded herself this wasn’t a date. It was dinner out with her boss. Nothing more. But as she approached and saw he was dressed in a perfectly fitted suit and tie, then bent to step into the limo and saw the champagne on ice waiting, she couldn’t stop a flicker of anticipation from moving through her. It was her birthday, after all. And she knew exactly what she was going to wish for when she blew out her candles.
* * *
Stone settled next to Cathy in the back of the limo, then reached for the champagne. Perhaps it was overdoing things a little, but he hadn’t been able to resist. He’d suspected that her previous life hadn’t had much in the way of special surprises, and she deserved this and more.
He filled the two flutes, then handed her one. “Happy birthday,” he said.
She smiled. “Thank you, Stone. You’ve made this evening very special.”
“It hasn’t even started yet.”
“It’s already wonderful.”
In the dim light of the rear seating area, her eyes looked black. Shadows flirted with the lines of her pretty face, emphasizing her high cheekbones and full mouth. The long cape surrounded her, concealing her shape from him, but he knew what she looked like. He’d seen her in workout clothes and tailored dresses enough to know that her commitment to fitness had paid off. He’d always liked her and enjoyed her company. He’d found her physically appealing even before she’d started her quest for personal improvement. But now there was an extra spark. He’d admired her because he’d known who she was on the inside. Now any man would want her, simply based on her appearance.
Stone felt a hint of something primal stir, and it took him a moment to figure out it was the beginnings of jealousy. Ridiculous, he told himself. There was no one to be jealous of. Besides, he wasn’t interested in Cathy that way.
But the lie was getting harder and harder to believe. Just being next to her was enough to turn him on. It had been that way for weeks. Still, he never hinted. She must never know. It was wrong of him to want her. First because of Evelyn, and second because of Cathy.
To the former, he owed a debt he could never repay. To the latter, he owed respect. While he didn’t agree with Ula’s assessment that Cathy could fall in love with him, he knew she was innocent enough that a physical relationship would give her the wrong impression of his feelings. She would want and expect more from him than he was capable of giving. He didn’t want to set her up. So instead, he suffered, needing her in ways he’d never needed a woman before.
Cathy leaned back in the seat and sipped her drink. “It’s a perfect night,” she said. “When I was getting dressed, I noticed I could see stars from my bedroom window.”
That was the difference between them, he thought. She would look at the night and see stars, while he was only interested in the safety and cover provided by the darkness.
“We’ll have to admire them when we get to the restaurant,” he said.
She looked at him. “You don’t go out much, do you? I don’t think you’ve left the house since I moved in.”
“That’s true.” He’d been out to see her in the hospital, but not since.
She placed her hand on top of his. “You didn’t have to do this for me.”
Her touch was trusting, as was her expression. If she knew what the cool pressure of her fingers was doing to him, she would be afraid. In the past month or so, the wanting had become unbearable. He needed her all the time. Just being in the same room with her was enough to make him hard. He didn’t know what had changed in his life and he knew he didn’t like it. He wanted to go back to the way things were. He wanted to be dead again. Feeling nothing was better than constant agony.
