The Apartment by Debbie Macomber Page B

asked evenly, refusing to allow any of her pain to bleed into her voice.
    â€œHow’d you know I was with her?”
    â€œI can smell her perfume.”
    Sean frowned and gently cupped her face between his hands. “I didn’t touch her, Hilary. I swear to you I didn’t go from your arms to hers.”
    â€œYou don’t have to tell me that. I already know.”
    Deep, disbelieving grooves bracketed his mouth. “How?”
    â€œBecause,” she said softly, confidently, “you couldn’t. You wanted to, though, didn’t you? You wanted to prove something to yourself and failed.” She waited for him to confirm or deny her words, but he did neither.
    â€œYou shouldn’t have waited up,” he said, easing away from her, his voice stiffening. “You’ve got a long day ahead of you.”
    â€œPlease,” she said softly, “answer me.”
    He didn’t. Instead he turned and walked away from her, just as he intended to do the minute the Greers returned.

CHAPTER NINE
    â€œY ou’re sure you’ll be able to pull this off?” Sean felt obliged to ask Hilary the following Friday afternoon. Her mother was scheduled to land early Saturday morning. He’d packed up his belongings and made the necessary arrangements to vacate the apartment for the weekend.
    â€œOf course I’m sure,” Hilary said with a warm smile. He dragged his gaze away, amazed at how easily she could sucker him in with a mere smile.
    â€œI have the sinking suspicion that you’re going to tell her about me, and that would be foolish in the extreme.” He knew he was frowning as he spoke, but he couldn’t help himself. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. He loved Hilary so damn much it frightened him, and therein was the problem. If she were a passing amusement, he would have had her in his bed the first week. Make that the second week. Those first seven days he’d been more inclined to strangle her scrawny neck. But once they were past that initial hurdle, he’d found himself fighting an upstream battle. Because he loved her, he refused to rush her into anything that had the potential of hurting Hilary.
    For that matter, Sean wasn’t convinced he could trust her feelings for him. Hilary was too inexperienced to recognize love. He didn’t doubt she was fascinated with him; they were as different as any two people could be. He feared that her interest in him would fade once he was out of her life. Then, and only then, would she adequately be able to judge her feelings.
    Hilary had nearly made it impossible for him not to touch her. She was never blatant about what she wanted, never overt, but she didn’t have to be in order for him to read her mind.
    She wanted him. What made it so damn difficult was that he loved and wanted her, too. He would have given in to what they both desired if he didn’t believe her feelings would ultimately change. Within a few weeks she’d completely forget about him.
    â€œMom’ll never guess you’re living here.”
    Sean studied her once more. “You aren’t going to say anything?”
    â€œNo.”
    He eyed her carefully. “Give me your word, Hilary.”
    She laughed softly. “I hereby solemnly vow I won’t tell my mother the two of us are living together.”
    Still Sean hesitated. Hilary and her mother were an unknown element. There was friction and there was a deep abiding love, too.
    â€œDon’t look so worried,” she chided gently. “I can’t say anything to Mom. It’ll prove everything she’s been afraid would happen the moment I moved away from home. In her eyes, the world is unsafe for her precious daughter.”
    â€œShe’s right,” Sean flared.
    â€œOh, Sean, not you, too.” Hilary released a deep sigh. “If anything, I’ve been safer because you’ve been here with me. Now stop worrying. Mom and I