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occasions he seemed
    totally preoccupied. If he hadn’t just bought “their cottage,” she would have thought he was prepping to break things off with her.
    As she pulled a “barely there” blue nightie over her head,
    she glanced around the lovely yellow bathroom and smiled. He’d
    fixed up the cottage just the way she would have. Her mind was
    officially blown. She never imagined she’d see this place again, let alone looking so beautiful. Thinking back on their first sexual encounter on the living room floor of this very cabin, she could feel her heart swell in her throat like it was yesterday. She still couldn’t believe that he’d actually bought it.
    Phillip’s mushy side really got to her sometimes. He
    seemed to have a knack for sweet gestures. If anyone would have
    asked if he were capable of anything remotely sweet when
    they’d first met, she would have rolled her eyes so hard that she would have given herself a concussion. Once when they’d
    hooked up after a concert in San Francisco, she mentioned lov-
    ing the Riesling they ordered from room service. She’d arrive
    home to find a case of it on her doorstep. And when she called to thank him, his husky response had left her breathless.
    “I love to make you smile, Stephanie.”
    She felt her eyes growing a little misty. What the hell?
    15
    TAMMY COONS & MICHELLE PACE
    Teary eyes twice in one day? Now she knew she was exhausted
    and needed a travel break. Since her mother died, she only cried when she had a migraine and when she was furious. She hadn’t
    had a migraine in months and she was ecstatic. All she really
    wanted was to make Phillip smile. She snatched the keys out of
    her purse, and as she opened the bathroom door, it creaked
    slightly.
    “That hinge could definitely use some oil.” He mumbled
    tiredly as he rolled to his side and rubbed his eyes with one hand.
    When he opened them, he wore that damn somber expression
    again. The one that made her wonder if he wished she’d get a
    boob job or something.
    “You don’t like it.” She glanced down at her silk nightgown
    and felt like she was under a microscope. She noticed him blush
    and look down at the bed.
    Fuck! He’s not attracted to me anymore!
    His blue eyes met hers again, and she saw raw emotion in
    them.
    “You look amazing.” He sounded sincere, and relief en-
    gulfed her like the warm waters of a steam bath. She crept to-
    ward the bed with her hands behind her back.
    “I have a surprise for you.” Her coy words made his eye-
    brow twitch in a naughty way that had her wondering how she
    ever could have doubted him. For a moment he looked thought-
    ful and then he sat up.
    “I have one for you, too.” He seemed somber, but his eyes
    were still warm.
    “Me first.” She smiled and sprang onto the bed. He reached
    out and grabbed her, swiftly pinning her to the bed.
    “Right, then. Do tell.” His words were slightly muffled as
    his lips traveled from her jaw to her chest. The sensations his lips created were more than a little distracting. Exhaling a ragged
    breath, she pulled the keys out from behind her back and dangled them in his face.
    16
    RAGE
    “I’m moving to Europe!” She beamed.
    He blinked at the keys, his face frozen. “Wh…what?”
    Once again, his expression could not have been interpreted
    as positive. He seemed distressed and annoyed by her an-
    nouncement, and she paused to search his features. “I bought a
    couple of apartments.”
    “A couple ? When? Where?” He pulled away from her and
    sat up fixing her with a challenging gaze. Steph didn’t move an
    inch, effectively frozen by the shift in his mood. She’d been so sure he’d be thrilled to have her closer. She felt her frustration rising, but she took another deep breath.
    “One in Paris and one in Milan. Christopher and my ac-
    countant advised me to invest in real estate since I spend so
    much time in both cities.”
    “Christopher?” He spat the name, his face turning red.
    “Who