Page 67 of The Playboy and the Widow
The girls went swimming that afternoon, and while they were at the pool, Diana paced the kitchen floor, gathering up the courage to contact Cliff. With a stiff finger, she punched out the number to his office as she rehearsed again and again what she planned to say.
“Hello,” she said in a light, cheerful voice. “This is Diana Collins for Cliff Howard.”
“I’ll connect you with one of his staff,” the tinny receptionist’s voice returned.
Diana was forced to ask for him a second time.
“Mr. Howard’s in a meeting,” his secretary explained in a crisp professional tone. “Would you like to leave a message?”
“Please have him return my call,” Diana murmured, defeated. She was convinced Cliff had given his secretary specific instructions to inform her that he was out of the office. The suspicion was confirmed when, hours later, she still hadn’t heard from him. He’d said a week, and he seemed determined to make her wait that long, Diana mused darkly after Joan and Katie were in bed asleep. He wanted her to sweat it out. Either that, or he’d decided to cut his losses and completely wash his hands of her.
Depressed and discouraged, Diana sat in front of the television, flipping channels, until she stumbled upon an old World War II movie. For an hour she immersed her woes in the classic battle scenes and felt tears course down her cheeks when the hero died a valiant death. The tears were a welcome release. Once she started, she couldn’t seem to stop. Soon there was a growing pile of damp tissue on the end table beside her chair.
The doorbell caught her by surprise. There was only one person it could be. Cliff. Loudly she blew her nose, then quickly rubbed her open hands down her cheeks to wipe away the extra moisture. With her head tilted at a regal angle, she moved into the entryway, her heart pounding at a staccato beat.
“Hello.”
Cliff took one look at her and blinked. “Are you okay?”
She nodded and pointed to the television behind her. “John Wayne just bit the dust, but he took the entire German army with him.”
Cliff stepped inside the house. “I see.”
He looked good, Diana thought unkindly. The very least he could do was show a little regret—a few worry lines around the mouth. Even a couple of newly formed crow’s-feet at his eyes would have satisfied her. At the very least, he could say something to let her know he’d been just as miserable as she. Instead he was the picture of a man who had recently returned from a two-week vacation in the Caribbean. He was tan, relaxed, lean and so handsome he stole her breath.
“I understand you called the office,” he said stiffly.
Diana nodded, but couldn’t manage to get the practiced apology past the clog in her throat.
“You wanted something?”
Again she nodded. His expression was tightening—she was losing him fast. Either she had to blurt out how sorry she was, or she was going to let the most fantastic man she’d ever met silently slip out of her life.
“Is it so difficult to tell me?”
Confused, she nodded, then abruptly shook her head.
Cliff released a giant sigh of frustration and impatience, then reached for her, gripping her shoulders. His fingers dug deep into the soft flesh of her upper arms. “I’m not letting you go this easily.”
“What?” She blinked at the shock of his harsh treatment.
“I know what you’re going to say and I refuse to accept it.”
She slapped her hand over her heart, her eyes as round and as wide as full moons. “You know what I’m going to say?”
In response, he nodded, released her shoulders and instead captured her face. If she’d wished to witness his pain and regret, she saw it now. It filled his face, twisting his mouth and hardening his jaw. “I love you, Diana.” With that, he lowered his mouth to hers in a punishing kiss that robbed her of her breath and her wits.
Cliff groaned, and Diana slipped her arms around his neck, melting her body intimately against his. “Cliff.” Reluctantly she broke away, lifting her soft brown eyes to capture his. Her hands bracketed his face as a slow, sweet smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “I love you so much. I’m so sorry for what happened—I was unreasonable. Forgive me. Please.”
Shock and disbelief flickered briefly across his taut features.
“You can’t honestly believe I’m going to cancel the wedding,” she whispered, humbled by this man and his love for her. “The reason I called you today was to tell you how much I love you.” The moisture that brightened her eyes now had nothing to do with the emotion brought on by the sentimental movie. These tears came all the way from her heart.
Cliff looked for a moment as though he didn’t believe her. He kissed her again because he couldn’t remain with his arms wrapped around her and not sample her familiar sweet taste. He felt weak with relief and, at the same moment, filled with an incredible, invincible strength.
Cliff’s kiss filled Diana with desire, left every muscle in her body quivering. Her passion matched his. Cliff pressed his lips over hers in mounting fervor, and Diana rose onto her toes to align herself more intimately with his body.
“Diana.” He groaned and tore his mouth from hers. “We... we have things to settle here.”
