Read Online A Little Crushed by Viviane Brentanos - Free Book Online

through to passport control had not been the best way to drop his little bombshell. Always controlled, she’d nodded and agreed to his year’s separation plan, but he’d caught the tears welling in her eyes. She’d left him without as much as a peck on the cheek.
    Stacking the exercise books, he wondered if they’d ever get back on track. Did he want them to? Fingers tapping against his mug, he stared at the phone. Of course he did. He missed her. Breath on hold, he picked up and dialled.
    “Hey you.”
    “Hey you back.”
    Her sultry tone caressed his ear, evoking memories of balmy beach nights, easy conversation, and amazing sex.
    “So, how’s it going?”
    “It’s going well, Max. We’re nearly through to the burial chamber. I wish you could see some of this stuff. It’s amazing. Oh, listen to me going on. What about you? Coping with the brats?”
    Kate can’t help herself . As always, the ever-present cynicism laced her tone.
    “Actually, they’re not brats. Well, not all of them.” He toyed with the idea of telling her about Rebecca, but for some strange reason, it didn’t seem fair to Rebecca to do so; as if it would betray her trust. “It’s a nice school, Kate. I’m enjoying it.”
    “And Tom and Fiona? How are they?”
    Max wasn’t deaf to the edge in her tone. “They’ve been kind. They send their love.” A white lie but the best he could manage.
    “I doubt that—at least not Princess Fiona.”
    “Come on, Kate, sheath the claws.”
    “Protective as ever, I see. She doesn’t need your protection, Max. She has Saint Tom.”
    “Kate—”
    “I know, I know. I’m sorry. It’s just I know she doesn’t like me. Still, I shouldn’t blame her.”
    “No, you shouldn’t.” He grimaced. “We...I hurt her.”
    “Oh, not that again. Don’t tell me you still feel guilty? She has moved on. She has Tom—Mr. Perfectly Normal—and one half of the requisite two to one child equation. She should be happy.”
    “And she is.” Max rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “Look, I didn’t call to talk about Tom and Fiona. It’s you…us I’m interested in.”
    “We still have an ‘us’?”
    Her soft whisper picked up his heart strings and wound them in a knot. “I think we do. At least…I hope we do.”
    “Max, we agreed not to do this. A year, you said. You . You suggested the trial separation.”
    “I didn’t use the word ‘separation.’” He strained to keep his tone on an even keel, but Kate was a master at twisting his words. “You were the one, if I recall correctly, who complained I didn’t give you enough space. You accused me of not understanding how important your career is. I only gave you what you wanted.”
    “I’m sorry again. I was out of line. I’m tired, okay, and…”
    “And?”
    “I miss you. I didn’t think it would be so hard. I realize, now, how much...how much I love you.”
    Max gripped his mug so tightly he was surprised it didn’t break. He should be dancing with joy, so why the panic jolt? “Kate…” He struggled to find the words he knew she wanted to hear. “Love has never been our problem. It’s always about commitment.”
    “Mine, you mean.” Her sardonic laugh made him wince. “I’m a fool, I guess—or so my friends tell me. Here I am, engaged to the charismatic Max Jackson, and I am dithering. There are a million women running around the Southern Hemisphere just waiting for me to bail out, so they can jump into my shoes.”
    Max smiled; his playboy image had always been a bone of contention between them, even though he assured her it was vastly exaggerated. “Come on, Kate. You know me better than that. It’s the fact you didn’t chase after me that impressed me. Please don’t go all meek and grovelling now. We’ve both made mistakes.”
    “Very magnanimous of you. So, Max, darling. Where do we go from here?”
    “Where do you want us to go?” He drained his tea, heartbeat revving once more. Why did this conversation make