Yesterday's Sins Read Online Free

power, she was frightened by its force.
She went to stand up, but to her chagrin she swayed and would have fallen had he not caught her by the shoulders.
"Stay put, Catriona," he said quietly, as he eased her back into the chair.
She eyed him warily. "It's Kate. Catriona no longer exists."
"Doesn't she?" He sat in the chair opposite and leaned forward, his intensity forcing her to meet his eyes. "It's Catriona hiding behind ugly, black hair; it's Catriona who's condemned herself to this barren existence. Tell me, little Cat, what is it you can't forgive, me for arousing your sexuality, or yourself for responding?"
The soft words burned through her, exposing her secret shame, a shame time had done nothing to alleviate. Stunned and speechless, rigid with hurt, her fingers curled into claws and she wanted to do nothing more than tear the eyes from his head.
How could he?
"Give me one single reason why I should forgive you?" Hurt wiped every vestige of emotion from her voice. "For Anything?"
For long, endless moments they looked at each other, and then, without warning, the control of years snapped. She buried her face in her hands and burst into tears.
Kate hated Alex.
And yet when he lifted her out of her chair and cradled her in his lap, holding her against him, it was the only place on earth she wanted to be, held safe against an agony too great to bear alone.
"Cry, yataki ," he murmured huskily, his hand gentle as he smoothed it over her short, black hair. "Cry it all out."
Nothing else was possible.
A dam inside her burst releasing an unstoppable torrent of grief.
Kate clung to him until the last wrenching sob faded, and then he handed her a white handkerchief.
"Thank you," she muttered on a hiccup, drying her cheeks and blowing her nose.
He set her back in the chair, and silently gathered broken china, cutlery before cleaning up the spilt food, leaving her without a backward glance.
Exhausted, she dropped into a troubled sleep, haunted by nightmarish memories. When a hand touched her shoulder, she shrank away, screaming.  
A sharp slap on her cheek stifled the sound in her throat.
Sitting bolt upright, she lifted a hand to her cheek, staring at Alex in utter shock. "You hit me."
"You were hysterical. I've brought you food. Don't waste it. You need to eat, you're a total wreck."
"And who's to blame for that?" she muttered not looking at him.
The savoury aroma made her stomach growl, reminding her of how long it was since she'd eaten. She picked up a fork and speared a small piece of meat. It melted in her mouth. Had Alex cooked this himself? She glanced at him, stretched out in the opposite armchair watching her.
"You always did like moussaka ."
"Where did you get this?"
"Not from your pantry, the pickings there would starve a mouse. Why are you starving yourself?"
The quiet question rattled her. No way would she confess she associated food with him. That was all she needed to only eat the bare minimum to survive.
"My diet's no concern of yours." She glanced at him. "Nor is my life."
She ate three quarters of the meal before laying down her fork.
Alex took the tray from her lap and placed it on the floor. He sat back down, holding his hands, fingertip to fingertip forming a steeple.
The silence twanged at taut nerves. "Why are you here?"
"You know why I'm here." He gave a harsh bark of un-amused laughter. "The same reason our paths first crossed."
How well she remembered. "I gave you what you demanded eight years ago. I owe you nothing."
He nodded his face as grim as hewn granite. "Retribution works two ways, Catriona. Why are you alone?"
"I prefer it."
"Why?"
Eyes narrowed, she stared at him. Why did he assume the right to question how she lived her life? "You of all people should know the answer. I'm my own person. Never again will I give a man any power over my life, ever."
Alex flinched, eyes narrowed to glittering slits.
"So that's why you have the ugly black hair." He slashed a hand through the air. "What do you