were boring into her ass as she strutted her way to her seat. Smirking inwardly, Kate slid into her chair satisfied with her performance. She glanced to Rome's table and noticed that he hadn't noticed or hadn't paid attention to her dramatic display and that angered her. He faced the opposite direction now and there was no way he could have seen her presentation.
She'd purposely strutted her firm ass in front of a roomful of men for his viewing and he hadn't even seen it. The skirt hugged her ass like a glove and she knew anyone looking could see there were no panty lines. Perfect for enticing Rome. That is, if he'd even noticed. Which he hadn't.
“God,” she muttered between clenched teeth.
“What?” Her friend Hannah yelled over the jukebox blaring a hideous country song about lost love.
“Huh? Nothing.” Kate scowled.
“Oh, okay,” Hannah returned her attention to the conversation.
Kate squinted her eyes, zeroing in on Rome. How dare he ignore me!
She wasn't hurt anymore; now she was pissed. How could he blatantly dismiss her actions? How could he not see her strutting across the room? The audacity!
“Damn!” She glowered, drinking her beverage in one gulp.
Hiking her left leg over her right one, she crossed her legs and pouted, folded her arms tight over her large breasts and huffed with irritation.
The ticking of the clock on the wall filtered into her awareness as Kate slowly returned to the present. Her coffee had grown cold so she washed it down the basin. Instead of pouring herself a fresh cup she decided to take her shower and wake up. She washed away the images of last night and all the other moments of humiliation inflicted by Rome.
Kate entered the bathroom, adjusted the shower water and slipped off her lavender silk robe. She flung back the shower curtain and slipped up the steamy water spray. The water sluiced over her body, warming her but not banishing her thoughts. The scalding water burned her skin but nothing would singe her heart the way Rome had all these years. His harsh words, rude manners and accusative glares implied less than friendly feelings, definitely not love.
Tears escaped and spilled down her cheeks. The water washed them away but the hurt remained. It always would. Almost two decades of the pain she'd been eluding rolled down her cheeks. Her heavy heart threatened to burst with emotional anguish. Her chest heaved, while her stomach wretched in distress. Breathing became burdensome and all the sorrow she'd been holding in raced out of her with the velocity of a rocket on a destructive course. Tears fell and her body revolted. Slumping to the shower stall floor, Kate let her emotions take control, crying like she'd never cried before.
****
Rome became frustrated, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and staring at the front door of her townhouse. He'd been sitting outside in his truck for ten minutes waiting for her to either text him back or answer her damn phone. When she did neither, he slammed out of his pickup truck and stomped to her front door. Then he pounded. After waiting ten seconds, he pounded again, vowing to ram his body through the wooden barrier if she didn't open it in...
Three...two...one
He turned the doorknob at the last minute, thinking this would help his entry. As his bulk smashed into the solid door, his body was flung forward with a force greater than any he'd ever experienced before. Grunting, he landed on the ceramic tile of the small foyer, his shoulder taking the brunt of his weight. He shook his head in either embarrassment or stupidity, he wasn't sure, but he had a hard time fathoming his actions.
Why was he plowing into Kate's haven? Disrupting her life? To scold her for having dozens of men drooling over her last night? To tell her how he really felt and why it had taken him so long to confess his feelings.
“Yes, dammit, all of the above plus some.” Rome pushed up from the floor, stood and ready to concede and tell Kate he
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Undenied (Samhain).txt
B. Kristin McMichael