There was no time for a plan of attack, no time to even figure out what was going on.
Katherine screamed again, and Hunterâs heart stopped dead in his chest. Swearing, he took the stairs two at a time to get to her.
Feeling like he was running in quicksand, it seemed to take him an eternity to reach the top of the stairs. Katherine didnât scream again, but that did little to reassure him. She couldnât scream if someone had knocked her outâ¦or killed her.
Something squeezed his heart at the thought. No, dammit! She wasnât dead, and anyone who even thought about hurting her was going to have to deal with him.
Lying in her boyfriendâs arms, her heart still pounding from their loving, Katherine Wyatt felt like crying. How many evenings had they spent like this? After two years she couldnât remember. She just knew that, even though she loved Nigel with all her heart, she needed more from him than sex. âWe need to talk,â she said huskily.
âIf this is about me breaking our date last weekend, Iâm sorry, love, but I had to go to Paris again. There was a last-minute glitch in an acquisition, and the entire deal would have fallen through if I hadnât taken a personal hand in things. Donât be mad. I was just doing my job.â
He was always âjust doing his job.â She tried to understand, but ever since sheâd known him, Paris had been a problem. It seemed like every time they made plans to do something special, he had to travel to Paris to take care of some kind of glitch with the import/export business heâd inherited from his father.
She tried, however, not to complain. Sheâd had boyfriends who couldnât keep a job, who didnât work, who expected her to loan them money. She never had to worry about that with Nigel. He not only worked hard, he always paid for everything when they were together and spoiled her with wonderful gifts. How could she find fault with that?
Considering all that, she knew she should have been happy. He was a wonderful manâgenerous and loving, affectionate, honest and kind. He was, in fact, everything she could wantâ¦except her husband.
âI want to get married.â
The second she said the words, he stiffened. She wasnât surprised. Sheâd tried discussing marriage with him before, but every time the word came up, he found a way to change the subject. Not this time. She wanted a husband, children, a home with toys and dogs and a swing in the yard. If he wasnât interested in having the same thing, then she had some hard decisions to make about continuing their relationship.
âI know you swore youâd never get married again after your divorce, but Iâm not Cynthia. Iâm nothing like her. Iâm not going to hurt you or take you to the cleanersââ
Setting her away from him, he reached for his pants. âItâs not that.â
âThen what is it?â she asked, hurt. âWeâve been dating for two years! I love you. I want to have your children while Iâm still young enough to enjoy them.â
âSweetheart, youâre only twenty-eight!â
âIâll be twenty-nine next month,â she said. âIâm ready to settle down. If youâre not, then at least give me some idea of when you will be. Give me some kind of hope.â
For a moment she didnât think he was going to answer her. Pulling on his shirt, his face set in grim lines, he didnât look at her as he tucked in his shirt, then sat down to tug on his shoes and tie them. Sheâd never seen him so somber.
Suddenly chilled, without quite knowing why, she pulled on a robe and quickly belted it around her waist. Even then, she wasnât ready for what he had to say when she turned to face him.
âCynthiaâs not my ex-wife,â he said bluntly. âSheâs my wife. I lied when I told you we were divorced. Weâve been married for three years.â