But Dios, how could you help it when the man who’d suddenly been placed in your care was the same man who’d set your heart to racing from the first day you’d laid eyes on him. She would never admit that to him, of course, but ever since Ransom Kent moved in next door she’d been teetering on a titillating tightrope.
And that was why she’d been so prickly with him all this time. It was because she was doing everything in her power to fight the wicked attraction that made her want to grab hold of him and kiss him till he gave in and made hot love to her.
Solie almost chuckled as the sexy picture filled her mind. These were not the kind of thoughts to have when you were trying to fall asleep. Now she was wide awake, her mind filled with the image of raven-black hair falling onto a wide brow, a dark-eyed gaze that made your bones melt and lips that were definitely made for kissing. And not to mention his rock-hard body. She’d touched him, felt the solid muscles of his biceps, and she could only imagine how heavenly it would be to have those arms wrapped around her.
He would pull her close, crush her br**sts against his muscled chest, and she would tilt her face up to his. Then, taking full control, he would capture her lips with his firm ones and kiss her till she clung to him, breathless.
Then, of their own volition her hands would slide down to his waist and then to his hips, on their way to…
The cell phone exploded into a Celia Cruz ring tone and Solie jerked up. Dios. It was after two in the morning. Who the heck could be calling at this hour?
She grabbed the offending device and peered at the screen. An unknown number. It could be anybody – a misdialed number, a telesales rep gone beserk…or it could be family. Without hesitation she clicked on the answer button and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
Solie waited but all she could hear on the other end of the line was silence. “Hello,” she said again and now she was frowning.
She sat up in the bed, her frown deepening. “Hello,” she said, her voice firm. Whoever was on the other end of the line had better answer, and fast. She was in no mood for games. Not at two in the morning.
“Hola, Soledad. How are you?”
At the sound of the deep, accented voice Solie's breath caught in her throat. Her heart picking up pace, she clutched the phone tighter as shock coursed through her. She hadn’t heard this voice in over a year. It was the last voice she’d expected to hear at two in the morning.
She swallowed. “R…Raul. Wh…why are you calling me?” She bit her lip. Solie knew she should have sounded much firmer than that. She should have made a biting remark, made him know he was still worse than a dog as far as she was concerned. But she hadn’t. She’d been too startled for any of that.
“Why do you think, mi amor? I miss you.”
Low and sensuous, his voice alone was enough to make a girl grow moist. But not Solie. Not anymore. She gritted her teeth and if he could have seen her face right then he’d have thought she was a volcano about to erupt.
“Raul. Are you insane? What right do you have to call me in the middle of the night to tell me…crap like this?” She was almost spluttering in her rage. “You treated me like dirt and you dare call me with this? Hurting me was not enough, you have to mock me, too?” By this time Solie was up and out of the bed, standing in the middle of the room with the phone clutched to her ear. Heart pounding, palms moist, she felt just about ready to strangle the man on the other end of the line.
“I’m not mocking you, my sweet. I love you. You know that.” The deep bass was confident, smug even. It made Solie’s blood boil.
“You. Did. Not. Love. Me.” Fist clenched, she bit the words out. How dare he speak to her in that tone? After what he’d done to her he had the gall? Maldicion! “Don’t’ you ever use that word to me. I was the one who loved you and you took my love and stomped all over it. We were engaged, Raul, but that didn’t stop you from cheating on me. All that time I thought you loved me you were having an affair.”
“Soledad, mi amor, all of that is over. It was a big mistake, darling. I was going through a phase-”
“A phase? Is that what you call it?” Solie almost laughed out loud. This would have been funny if it weren’t so sick. “What do you take me for? Una idiota?”
“Soledad, listen to me. It is done. I told you, all of that is over. I’ve come to my senses and I realize I still love you, mi amor.” He paused as if for effect. “Very much.”
Solie paused, too. She could be dramatic, too, and she definitely could create effect. Her next words came out dry and matter-of-fact. “She left you, didn’t she? That’s why you’re calling me, right?”
There was silence on his end but this time she knew it was not for effect. She’d hit the nail on the head and he didn’t know what to say.
When he finally spoke his tone was harsh. “I already told you, I came to my senses. Let’s leave it at that.”
“No, let’s not leave it at that,” she said, her tone frigid. “Let me remind you of some relevant details. You might recall that we were six weeks away from our wedding day when I paid you a surprise visit in Hawaii where you were supposed to have been on a business trip.” She made sure to place emphasis on the word ‘business’. “Well, that trip turned out to be a lot more pleasure than business, didn't it?”
“Let’s not go there-”
“No, let’s.” She cut him off again. She’d been too shocked and hurt to blast him when he’d destroyed her hopes and shattered her dreams. She wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass. “You just listen to what I have to say. You bullied me back then but it’s my turn, now.” Solie’s chest was heaving as the rage rushed in full force. “I loved you, Raul. Loved you. But not anymore. Seeing you in bed with that woman wiped that slate clean. All I feel for you now is disgust.”