His smirk made my stomach flutter. “It was about reminding you of how good we are together,” he said.

Yes, sex with Kade was very, very good. And yet . . . “Is that all?”

His brows furrowed slightly. “What do you mean?”

I didn’t want to say it, didn’t want to push. I knew only too well how quickly Kade could run hot and cold. The last time I’d asked him to offer me something, he’d walked away. My heart sank.

I shook my head. “Forget it. Never mind.” I scooted out of his hold. “Listen, I’d better go. Let you get some sleep—”

Kade latched onto my arm, pulling me back. “What’s wrong?” he demanded. His eyes narrowed as he studied me.

“Nothing,” I insisted, avoiding his gaze as I tugged on my arm but was unable to break his grip. “It’s just late, that’s all.” Exhaustion was creeping over me. I’d made out with Blane just hours ago, then I’d just done . . . that . . . with Kade. I was turning into someone I despised.

“Bullshit.”

Tears stung my eyes. I had to get out of there. “Let me go?” I pleaded. Reluctantly, Kade released me. His expression was pained and I had to look away. “Get some rest, okay?” I babbled. “I’ll . . . uh . . . I’ll see you later.”

“Kathleen, wait—” Kade called, but I was out the door and hurrying down the empty hallway, my flip-flops echoing in the silence.

Tears were tracking down my cheeks as I hurried to my car. This was getting out of hand and I had no idea what to do. When I thought about losing Blane and Kade, the pain was nearly overwhelming. But when I considered the events of the past couple of days, how I was leading on both of the men I loved, I died a little inside.

Something had to break, before I did.

Bad dreams plagued me that night, with images of Kade lying on the ground and blood everywhere. It coated my hands and my clothes as I tried over and over to wake him. His sightless blue eyes stared at nothing as I screamed and screamed . . .

I came awake with a start, the tang of blood still in my nostrils, and launched myself to the bathroom. The seafood from the night before combined with a gut-wrenching nightmare apparently didn’t agree with me. So much for having a nice dinner, I thought, wiping my mouth before stepping into the shower.

When I got out and went into the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee, still wrapped in a towel, I saw I had a missed phone call on my cell.

Blane.

I dropped the phone back onto the counter as though it burned, turning away to pour my coffee. I couldn’t see Blane, not after last night. I had hardly been able to look myself in the mirror this morning, much less face him knowing I’d gone straight from his arms to Kade’s.

I pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top and decided I’d tackle cleaning my apartment. I didn’t have to go to work until four, so I had some time. It kept my mind off things, cleaning and scrubbing. The last thing I wanted to do was think. If I started thinking, then I’d have to come to terms with not only what I’d done last night—with Blane and Kade—but I’d have to face making the decision I didn’t want to make.

It was when I was scrubbing out the kitchen sink that I felt water touch my bare toes. Jumping back, I saw the reason for it all too clearly.

“Oh no,” I moaned, hurriedly shedding my rubber gloves and turning off the water. But it didn’t matter. The water kept oozing from the cupboard under the sink. I hurriedly pulled it open, watching in dismay as water sprayed from the pipes, coating everything. Another gush of water came out and soaked the floor. Now I was standing in water.

“Shit-shit-shit!” I ran to get towels from the bathroom, layering them on the floor and crouching on my hands and knees to get under the sink to turn off the water valve. The damn pipe sprayed water all over my face, hair, and chest until I was soaked. The stupid valve was stuck and refused to turn. I hauled everything out from under the sink and climbed in farther, using both hands now to try and turn the valve.

“Goddammit!” I yelled in frustration, backing out from under the sink. I raised my head too soon, though, and smacked it on the counter. I yelped in pain, tears springing to my eyes.

It was the last straw and I fell back on my butt in the middle of the watery floor and started bawling, my face buried on my wet knees. Not the most logical response, but the most I was emotionally capable of at the moment.

The noise of my front door opening had me lifting my head.

Blane had let himself in, his eyes wide with surprise as he took in the water spewing from under the sink and me, sitting in the middle of the floor, crying and looking like a drowned rat.

He seemed to collect himself pretty quickly, though, and grasped what was happening. Hurrying in, he said with a soft smile, “Plumbing problems?”

I sniffed and nodded, a hiccup escaping.

Discarding his jacket and tossing it onto a chair, he walked over to the sink.

“No! Wait! Blane, you’ll ruin your suit!” But it was too late or he didn’t care. Leaning under the sink, he turned the valve, shutting the water off in seconds.

“There,” he said, standing back up. “That’s better.”

I swiped a hand across my cheeks, but it was pointless trying to wipe away tears. I was soaked. My hair hung in a wet ponytail and my clothes were so sodden, they were dripping.

Blane looked down at me, the corners of his lips tipped up slightly. He held out a hand, which I took.

“You all right?” he asked as he helped me to my feet.

“It’s okay to laugh,” I grumbled. “I know I look ridiculous.”

Blane chuckled. “I didn’t say that. Why don’t you get cleaned up and I’ll see what I can do about your problem?”

That sounded like a good idea and I hurried into the bedroom, anxious to get dry. I toweled my hair before changing my clothes, then headed back to the kitchen. Blane was finishing mopping the floor.

“Well, this is a sight I never thought I’d see.” I couldn’t help but tease him.

He looked up and grimaced. “I can think of only one person I’d mop a floor for, and I’m doing it now.”

He said it jokingly, but my smile grew strained.

“I’ll just call the super and tell him to come by and fix it, now that you’ve got the water turned off,” I said, heading for the phone. A few minutes later, I’d reported the leak and the super said someone from maintenance would be over later.

Blane helped me take the waterlogged towels down to the washing machine, then followed me back upstairs.

“So, um, what did you need?” I asked, taking a seat on the couch. Realizing that didn’t sound very gracious after he’d just stopped my leak, I added, “Not that I’m not grateful you’re here.”

“You didn’t answer your phone this morning,” Blane said, sitting down next to me and resting an arm on the back of the couch. “I thought I’d come by, see if you wanted to go to lunch.” His hand dropped, the backs of his knuckles brushing the bare skin of my arm.

“I’m not dressed very nice,” I said, wondering if lunch was a good idea. My skin tingled where he’d touched me and I thought I should move away, but I didn’t.

Blane shrugged. “It’s just lunch.”

My conscience was screaming at me to tell him no, that I had to end things with both him and Kade, but I couldn’t obey.

“Um, okay. Just give me a minute.” I got up and headed back to my bedroom to brush out my hair. I avoided my eyes in the mirror. I could have lunch with Blane. There was nothing wrong with that.

A flash of Kade in my mind, his fingers inside me, his mouth on mine.

The brush clattered as it hit the dresser, dropping from my hands as I clutched the sides of my head, squeezing my eyes shut.

I was lying to myself, and I knew it.

“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered. “Your time is ticking away. Enjoy it while you can.” I just wanted to spend a little time with Blane, enjoy being with him, his company. It seemed like the time we’d had together had been fraught with danger and drama. Now that it seemed things had finally settled down, I was loath to put an end to our relationship. No matter the many reasons why I should.