Immortal Darkness (Phantom Diaries #3) Read Free Page B

me goodnight, his lips soft with promise.
    He ignited a whole other side of me; the side that wanted to forget about opera, about phone messages or emails, about everything; the side that wanted to remain in his arms and lock onto his kisses.
    When he pulled away, I silently thanked his strength as mine weakened. “I’ll leave you to your duties.  Truth be told, I have a number of things to tend to myself.”
    “Good. That’ll make getting out of your arms and out of this car a little easier.”  I laughed softly, brushed his cheeks with my fingers and opened the car door.
    Calling goodnight over my shoulder I hurried into my building with an unexpected resurgence of life.  I’d loved Paris for all it had to offer, but it was great to be back in New York.  I entered the elevator, punched in my floor then tapped my toes to the beatless music that filled the small cubicle as I rode up.
    Once in my home, my apartment, I dropped my suitcase at the door and hurried to my phone for my messages.
    “Hi, Sweetie.” My mother’s perky voice squeaked out of the phone speaker.  “Just wanted to hear about your trip.  Call me when you get home.”
    I checked my watch.  It was still early enough to call, but before I could pick up the receiver, a loud and assertive knock at the door changed my plans.
    Grinning from ear to ear I reached for the doorknob, curious as to what Eric had forgotten to say. Perhaps he’d decided to set aside his own responsibilities with the hopes I’d do the same.
    I pulled open the door and my grin instantly turned into a quizzical line of disbelief.
    “Aaron?”

 
    Chap t er 2
     
     
    S haking my head, I wanted to control the drop of my jaw that left me gaping like an idiot, but there was no way to hide just how stunned I was to see him.
    “I’m so happy to have found you at home.”
    Found me home? Minutes earlier and we would have ridden up in the same elevator.
    “Aaron,” I muttered again as words escaped me.  “How…?”
    Dressed in a freshly pressed suit, his tie straight and perfect, his hair immaculate and his eyes wide and alert, he showed no sign of having rushed to get back to New York to find me, yet there he was, almost as if he’d never left New York at all.
    “Aaron, how did you get here?”  I wanted to be warm and welcoming, but sensed my gaze still held its expression of shock and disbelief.  “I mean… How did you make it back to New York so quickly?”
    A thin veil of sadness covered his eyes a moment, but he was quick to flash a smile as he stepped in.  “I got here the same way you did… a private jet.”
    He turned to me, his eyes reverting to the sadness he fought to mask. With a forced grin he pulled the ring out of his pant pocket and held it up to me. “I think you forgot something.”
    Biting the corner of my lower lip, I searched for words that would soothe his ego, diminish what I’d done; words that would explain what I’d done and why.  All that came to me was a weak, “Aaron, I’m so sorry.”
    Taking a step towards me he reached for my hand, but I backed away before he could touch me.
    “Aaron,” I said, disgusted by my behavior and frustrated by my inability to change it. Unable to look him in the eye, I turned to the window.  “I gave the ring to your mother. I just thought… I’m just not ready, Aaron.  I’m sorry.”
    “Yes, Mother gave me your apologies as she gave me the ring.”
    I heard the biting edge in his voice.
    “I’m sorry for being so cowardly.” When he said nothing, I turned to face him.  I owed him at least that. “I know I should have spoken directly to you. I should have faced you, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of hurting you.”
    “And you thought I’d wake up to find you gone and it wouldn’t hurt a bit?”
    Again I heard the bite in his words and wanted to wince.  “No,” I muttered as I glanced away for a guilty second.  “I’m so sorry, Aaron.”
    “So you say.”
    “I was