Chapter Fourty Three

"But you are right Chloe. I shouldn't have done that. It was stupid," he acknowledged harshly. "I didn't mean to be that.... Look, let's just forg—"

He broke off as his mobile began to vibrate against his hip. "Excuse me." He took the phone from his pocket to take the call and turned away from her. Chloe didn't know which of them she was most angry with. Herself for having responded to Timothy in the way she had. Or Timothy for the way he had so readily agreed their behaviour had been stupid.

The latter, probably…

"Tell her I will call her when I have the time," Timothy said decisively into his mobile, even as he kept his coldly dark gaze fixed steadily on Chloe. "I don't give a damn what she wants, Grant; you can tell her I will call her when I'm good and ready! And tell my dad to stop worrying too. He's been calling so much that I don't even pick up any more. Tell him everything is going well.... "

Her? Don't give a damn what she wants? I will call her when I'm good and ready… Chloe's mind was wandering. Timothy couldn't have told her any more clearly that there was a woman in his life. No doubt a woman who also lived around... Not as far away as she was. A woman who probably believed that she could trust Timothy to be apart from her for the few days he had been away from home without the fear that he would end up with another woman in his arms. Another woman who had allowed Timothy to kiss and touch her in a way she had never been kissed and touched before!

"What did I do wrong now?"

Chloe had been so full of self-condemnation for her own gullibility that she hadn't even realized Timothy had ended his call and was now studying her from between narrowed lids.

"Who said you had done anything wrong?" She glared at him, trying to hide her discomfort.

He scowled at her. "Your disgusted expression said it for you," he replied.

Chloe scowled right back at him. "I can't imagine what makes you think that." she argued.

"Male intuition?" came his reply.

"Men don't have intuition!" she flashed back.

"Ah." He grimaced. "I didn't realize that you are now one of those."

Her eyes widened. "I beg your pardon?"

Timothy shrugged. "A man-hater." he said casually.

Chloe felt heat in her cheeks at the taunt. "That's ridiculous and you know it. I'm not like that. I don't hate men. Why should I?"

"Oh... So it's Just me, hmm?" he said knowingly.

Chloe only wished that she did hate this man. She honestly wished that she could. But the truth was just being in the same room with Timothy disturbed her more than any other man ever had. As for being kissed by him, touched by him…!

"Not at all, Timothy" she denied coolly. "You and I both know that I could never hate you even if I wanted to. I'm just confused, you know.... You didn't want anything to do with me at first... Then you drive me home and... You know, touch me... Then you don't want anything to do with me after that... And now you suddenly want me again... And here you are.. Kissing me... Again... I'm sure you should understand why I'm having problems understanding your motive here. Which begs the question, what is going on and what exactly do you want from me?"

So much for Timothy thinking that kissing Chloe might divert her attention away from all that stuff she had just mentioned. Honestly, even he was confused.

"You really don't want to know," he said.

Her stance became one of stubborn determination. "Oh, I really think I do."

Timothy smiled nastily and Chloe frowned. Her brows rose challengingly.

"You better talk to me, Timothy"

"Tim..." he corrected.

"Fine... Tim. Tell me what is going on? What exactly do you want from me?"

His expression suddenly became serious. "Can we sit?" he asked.

Chloe folded her arms in front of her chest, but she did as he requested and sat down.

"I guess I have no other option but to be honest with you" Timothy began, "The truth is that I decided to come see you today simply because I wanted to. I desperately needed to see you because the thought of going back home without talking to you and telling you the truth about how I feel didn't sit right with me. I know that I told you that I wanted you to move on. You don't have to remind me about what I said. I know what I said and I regret saying all that. I was overwhelmed, you know... Seeing you again after all those years... And you were... So fucking beautiful and irresistible and I was drawn to you that it scared me a bit" Timothy acknowledged ruefully.

"Scared you?" Chloe repeated.

He gave an unapologetic smile. "Yeah. I mean... I thought that I was completely over you. I didn't want to care, but I couldn't help myself. At first when I saw you, I felt angry... And then this mind blowing attraction. And I just tried so hard to fight it and to push you away. After that night, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I tried to keep things professional between us.. But.. "

His smile widened into a hard grin before he continued. " Look, Chloe. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I told you to let things remain in the past. It took me a while to realize that that is not what I want. I want you. I don't think I ever stopped wanting you... Hence the denial of my feelings, but I'm here now.... And I'm willing to try to make things work between us. All I want to know right now is if I'm too late... Am I?

Chloe didn't reply, but her mouth thinned.

"Am I?"

Chloe shook her head at the tone in his voice. "Tim... I don't know what to say... Or how to say it..."

Timothy made an impatient movement, but he did not interrupt her.

She became very still. "It seems like you are asking for some kind of relationship between us, but I honestly don't see how it could work. I came onto you, and for that I'm sorry. You were right the first time. I should have just left things in the past where they belonged.. And I should never have said the things I said that led us to almost having.... Sex that night. Maybe it's a good thing that it never happened, because I wasn't thinking and there are some things that I didn't consider..”