Ethan walked briskly towards his apartment building, carrying the bags that contained their breakfast. The cold air whipped through his body but he barely noticed, his thoughts on the woman waiting for him in his bed. It had taken every inch of self-control he possessed to leave after kissing Erin senseless, only the promise of what was to come later had kept him going.

He smiled at that thought, imagining how he'd take his time rediscovering every delicious inch of Erin's body once he'd made sure he'd fed her....it wouldn't do to have her pass out from hunger during lovemaking...and he clearly intended to keep her in his bed all day.

He'd already placed a call to Peter and Laura, while Erin had been asleep, asking them to reschedule his calendar for the day as he had every intention of taking the day off. Ethan chuckled as he recalled how shocked Laura had been at the news...going so far as to ask if she needed to send a doctor over to his apartment. Not that he blamed her, as he'd never taken a day off before.

Now all that was left was getting Erin to spend the day with him...well that shouldn't be too hard.

"Mr. Lachlan." Jacob, the concierge looked up in surprise as Ethan entered the reception again. "Is everything all right? Did you forget something?"

His gaze moved to the bags and his confusion deepened further. The poor man was not used to seeing his employer at this hour of the day, usually, Ethan would have already left for the office, only to be seen again late in the evenings.

"I'm quite alright." Ethan replied, flashing the man a reassuring grin. He held up the bags as he continued towards the elevator. "Just went to get breakfast."

The poor man could only nod, still confused. He wondered if this had anything to do with the lady he'd seen hurrying out the building ten minutes ago...

Ethan pushed open the door of his apartment, noting how quiet the place was. No doubt, Erin must have fallen asleep again and he smiled as he crossed to the kitchen to deposit his goods on the counter. The aroma of freshly baked pastry filled the kitchen as he unpacked the bags, setting the two steaming plastic cups on a tray and arranged the pastries on a plate. A couple of paper napkins finished the setup and Ethan carried the tray into the room.

He stopped in the doorway, his eyes taking in the empty bed with a frown. Setting the tray down, Ethan moved to check the adjoining bathroom but there was no sign of Erin either and her clothes were gone as well.

"Bloody hell!" He swore as the realization that she'd left while he was out sank in. He raked a hand through his hair in confusion and wondered what the hell had happened. Was she ok? What the hell had he done to scare her off?

She'd certainly seemed very comfortable and even happy when he'd seen her this morning, giving him no inkling that she was about to pull a Houdini the second he stepped out...or had she just been faking?

More importantly, why hadn't she called or at least left him a text?

Letting out a long stream of curses, Ethan pulled out his mobile phone and checked to see if he'd missed any calls or text messages from her explaining her sudden disappearance.

Nothing.

A quick check around the bedroom and living room failed to turn up any note.

The anger cleared for a moment and he was worried. Had something happened to make her leave so abruptly? He hoped it wasn't some family emergency but what could have happened in the space of a few minutes for fuck's sake?

Finally, still holding onto some vague hope that she'd left a message with Jacob, he picked up the intercom and dialed the number for the reception.

"How may I help Mr. Lachlan?" Jacob replied promptly.

Damn it, Ethan thought, feeling a slight embarrassment at having to admit to his employee that he was searching for his girlfriend.

"Err..., did you notice a woman leave this morning?" He winced, the question sounding lame even to his ears. "You may have noticed me come in with her last night...."

"Oh yes sir, she er...left a few minutes after you did this morning...is there a problem?"

Yes you idiot, or I wouldn't be calling to ask you. Ethan thought viciously, then felt contrite. The poor man didn't deserve the insult, silent or no.

"No, there's no problem. Thank you....and by any chance, did she leave a message?"

"Sorry sir, she didn't." Jacob replied.

Ethan hung up, and took a deep breath, mainly to calm his temper and to also stop himself from punching out a wall in frustration as a new thought occurred to him.

Was this some twisted way of getting back at him for all he'd done to her?

With a growl, he snatched up his phone again and dialed Erin's number. It rang twice before he cut the call, suddenly reluctant to talk to her. He sank down on the couch, raking a hand through his hair. Maybe she'd been too distracted then and would call him later to explain.

Too restless to sit still and let his mind conjure all sorts of reasons, Ethan decided he'd go into work after all. He needed to take his mind off a certain minx that right now... he'd very much like to strangle.

Erin strode into the Silversmith building, her quick strides carrying her past the busy lobby and straight towards the bank of elevators, mind working furiously. Her phone rang again and she sighed, reaching into her handbag for it. Sure enough, it was Nicky calling again.

Debating whether to answer or just ignore her cousin, she decided on the former. After all she hadn't even bothered to look the last time her phone had rung just twice before it cut off, figuring her cousin had lost her nerve.

"Nicky, I told you I would call as soon as I've talked to Ryan." She struggled to keep the impatience from her tone, though it was getting harder with each hysterical call.

Nicky sniffed. "I know... and I'm sorry...it's just hard to..." Her voice broke off in a sob, the sound softening Erin's mood. "Are you sure I shouldn't be there? I should be there so he knows how sorry..."

"We talked about this." Erin cut in smoothly. Earlier, she had suggested she go alone to Ryan's office so as to avoid the scene which would inevitably break out should Nicky and Ryan be in the same room.

"It'll be ok, just let me talk to him first." She assured her cousin and ended the call. All through the elevator ride, her thoughts kept straying back to Ethan, wondering what he was doing right this minute. She felt niggling guilt at the way she'd left but hopefully, her note would explain things...still, a small part of her argued that maybe she should have just called him rather than the cryptic note but at that moment she'd rushed out, her mind had been a jumble of thoughts and it hadn't occurred to her.

She would definitely make sure to call Ethan once her meeting with Ryan was over.

She felt tired...a combination of too little sleep and nerves.

She sighed, her breath ruffling the hair of the blonde standing in front of her and shut her eyes, remembering the kiss they'd shared, wishing she were still curled up in Ethan's bed preferably with him beside her...inside her...turning her brain to mush.

The elevator arrived at the top floor that housed the offices of the top executives of the construction giant. The doors swished open unto a plush reception area, manned by two chic looking females talking into matching headsets, the Silversmith logo emblazoned in huge silver letters on the royal blue walls behind them.

"Good morning Ms. Gosling." One of the perky receptionists smiled at Erin warmly as she approached the desk. Erin recognized the red-head from her previous visits with Nicky and Ryan and returned the smile.

"Hi Julia, good to see you again." She replied. "Is Ryan here?"

Julia nodded and pressed a button on the desk. "He's been in there all morning. I'll let Lola know to expect you."

Erin murmured her gratitude and headed past the desk towards Ryan's offices. By the time she got to the door, Lola, his personal assistant was already waiting. Erin was ushered into the office where Ryan stood facing the huge glass walls that offered a stunning view of the city.

The dejected slump of his shoulders was the first indication of his misery and then he turned and Erin's heart went out to him. He looked devastated...his normally startling grey eyes were dull and red-rimmed, and his hair looked like he'd been running his fingers through it all morning. Seeing him this way, Erin felt a tug of anger at Nicky's irresponsible behavior which had ended up hurting so many people including the man she claimed to love.

"Ryan..." she started, then stopped, suddenly unsure of what to say. She longed to give him a comforting hug but wasn't sure of his reaction. "I'm really sorry about..."

"...Why are you here Erin?" Ryan cut in quietly, hands thrust into the pockets of his trousers. "And don't tell me you're here to defend Nicky because that's just...wrong. I'm not in the mood for that right now."

"I'm not defending her, OK?" Erin shook her head. "What she did was awful and..."

Ryan's sarcastic laugh cut her off. "Awful? That's a mild description...in fact, it doesn't even begin to describe what she did." His expression turned furious. "Try fucking ass dumb!"

"Ok, it was dumb but..."

"But?" Ryan scoffed in disbelief. "There's no but, Erin. How can you even stand there and try to explain anything? I mean, what else is there to explain? It's pretty clear Nicky has no regard for our relationship or she wouldn't haven't invited a strange guy home and had sex with him on the same bed that I....."

He broke off and slumped in his chair, all the anger dissipating in one breath.

"How could she do this to us?" He whispered, eyes shut against the pain. "I thought we were good together but how could she...?"

Erin crossed to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulders.

"You two are good together Ryan. There's no excuse for what Nicky did, but it happened...and right now, it hurts as hell but please...please...I promise that with time you two will get past this and someday it will be just a bad memory...."

"The wedding's off." Ryan cut in, jaw tense with resolve. He shrugged off her hand and stood, his six foot frame easily towering over her.

Erin had expected he'd say that. If she were in his shoes, she would have done the exact same thing...maybe even worse things than merely calling off the wedding. "Ok, I understand. Maybe that's best for now and hopefully when things have settled down, new plans can be made."

He looked away and grimaced, but was silent, lost in thought for a few seconds. Then he turned back to her, determination written clearly in his expression.

"No." The single word had a note of finality that didn't bode well for her cousin.

Erin sighed and felt the stirrings of what promised to be major headache. How could this day which had started out so well turn into this...this nightmare?

Ryan's phone beeped and he reached for it, reading whatever message was displayed on the screen then back at her.

"I have to be in a meeting now...if there's nothing else?"

She cast one last look at him but he was making a call on his phone, his manner a clear dismissal. She turned to leave when his voice stopped her.

"Oh and Erin, tell Nicky not to bother coming for her things, I'll have them sent over soon as I get to it."

Well, what had she expected? Erin thought as she pulled away from the building, steering the car in the direction of Nicky's apartment. The traffic was slow at this time of day but Erin was grateful because it afforded her the luxury of being lost in her thoughts.

At least Ryan had been civil enough to her even though he'd had no reason to be. After all, she was the cousin to the very woman who'd crushed his heart...plenty of reason to have her thrown out of his office. Her heart went out to him, and she could only guess at how much emotional pain the poor man was in...

Nicky needed therapy. Erin decided, fingers tightening on the wheel in resolve. She couldn't let her cousin go on like this, not after this mistake, and Erin was not fooled by Nicky's promise for one second. It would happen again and again, hurting people and herself, unless she took responsibility and admitted to being an addict, then sought professional help.

God! How had it come to this? Erin gave a small scream and lowered her head to the steering wheel. She cringed at the thought of telling her uncle and aunt that the wedding had been called off, even more dreadful was having to tell them the reason for the break. She could only imagine the horrified and disappointed looks, the tears and hysterics...they would have to find a way to keep the news from leaking out until it was absolutely necessary and in the meantime, she had to try and persuade Ryan that Nicky was the best thing that had happened to him....

Several angry horns blared and Erin's head shot up to see that the traffic had moved and she was now holding up the line. Muttering a curse, she moved forward, resolutely pushing those depressing thoughts from her mind.

********

Ethan glanced up from the papers on his table as Marcus strolled into his office. He ignored the grin on the lawyer's face and returned to his papers with a scowl. He needed to speak to Laura about letting people into his office when he'd given specific instructions otherwise.

"Whatever it is, I'm not in the mood."

"What's eating you?" Marcus retorted, leaning on a corner of the desk. "Laura tells me you've been like a bear with a sore head for the past week and you've ripped into several employees which is quite unlike you. Spill man, let Uncle Marc make it better."

"I'm working, Marcus." His jaw clenched harder. "Go away."

"Yeah...so are you going to tell me or do I have to sit here till you get over yourself?"

Right. He was going to open his mouth and admit to his friend that he was pissed because Erin had done a runner after spending the night in his apartment and hadn't bothered to call after a whole bloody week. He'd rather spend a day in hell first.

Jesus! What got him more than her obvious revenge was that annoying pain whenever he thought about her. For fuck's sake, he'd practically invented the game, had always held the winning hand...

Why did he suddenly feel like the biggest loser?

Ethan raised his head to level a glare that had sent many a man fleeing for safety. But Marcus merely grinned wider, not in the least bit intimidated.

"Save that look for someone who gives a shit man." Marcus scoffed. "You forget that I've known you since senior year, I don't scare easy."

Ethan sighed and leaned back in his chair looking exasperated. "Much as I'd like to crank up the estrogen and 'share my feelings' with you, I actually have a deadline to meet, so do me a favor and go do something productive."

Marcus chuckled at the description but stood up anyway, though his eyes held a hint of mischief. "Fine, fine, don't tell me about it, brood all you want. But I need a favor."

"No."

"Jesus man! You didn't even wait to hear it."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Your favors always manage to get us both in trouble, so I'll pass."

"Yeah, but we always have fun first." Marcus grinned, "And what you need my friend, is fun! You need to unwind, meet some girls...."

"I don't need to unwind." Ethan cut in, though his lips twitched in a barely suppressed smile. "What I need is for you to get lost so I can do some work."

Marcus held up both hands placating. "I'm taking this girl I met out for dinner tonight."

"Good for you."

Marcus shot him a look. "Yeah, but there's a problem. She insists on bringing her friend who's new in town and so I'd like you to come with me..."

"Not a chance in Hell." Ethan scoffed. And he meant it.

He winced at the memory of the last time he'd acted as a distraction while Marcus had flirted with her friend. He'd earned himself a crazy stalker for his trouble, and it had taken three miserable months and a restraining order to rid himself of her. He'd rather have a vasectomy without an aesthesia before he did that again.

"The friend is hot if you're scared you'll have to..."

"Forget it. I don't care if she's Cameron Diaz, I've got work to do tonight."

"You owe me, you know."

Ethan raised an incredulous eyebrow at his friend. "That so? Last time I checked, you owed me a favor."

"Wait a minute..." His expression turned suspicious and he leaned on the table and eyeballed his friend, who returned the look with exasperation. "Your foul mood wouldn't have anything to do with Erin now, would it?"

Ethan stared back, careful to keep his expression neutral, he couldn't afford to let Marcus know the truth. "I thought we were talking about favors?"

"Forget that, I'll take Pete instead." Marcus dismissed the question with a wave and smirked, "What'd she do this time? Steal another client?"

Ethan snorted, but kept silent.

"She refused to sleep with you? What?"

Suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion sweep through him, Ethan sighed and rubbed at his eyes, his stomach rumbled, reminding him that he'd not eaten a thing since last night.

He stood and reached for his jacket. "Tell you what? I refuse to sit through an evening playing your wingman, but let's do lunch instead. My treat."

*********

Erin tossed the charred remains of the eggs into the trash and sighed. So much for her culinary skills.

She crossed to the fridge but a quick glance at the contents and she shut it, leaning against the door in exhaustion. She needed sleep, food and fresh air but in the past week, had gotten very little since all her focus had been helping Nicky through the crisis. Though with each passing day, Nicky had retreated further and further into her shell, not talking, not eating and definitely not sleeping. She'd maintained a stony silence even when the apartment had been overrun with both their parents, all demanding to know the reason why Ryan had called off the wedding. Erin had been left with the responsibility of making the necessary arrangements for a cancelled wedding, fielding questions from Nicky and Ryan's parents...thankfully, Ryan had not told anyone the reasons for the breakup so that at least was a point in their favor.

The phone ringing drew Erin from her thoughts and she crossed to the living room to answer it. It turned out to be yet another call from Nicky's mum, wanting to know how she was. She replaced the receiver and plopped down on the couch to ease her aching legs.

"Was it Ryan?" Nicky appeared at the doorway to the bedroom, still clad in her pajamas, looking pale, bloodshot eyes fixed on Erin hopefully. "Did he finally call?"

"No Nicks, I'm sorry." Erin slowly turned her head to look at her cousin, feeling a wave of pity at the devastation on her face.

"Oh..." Nicky nodded, though her shoulders slumped. "I...I...just hoped he would..."

She broke off, swallowing convulsively and came to join Erin on the couch. She curled up her legs, bringing her chin to rest on her knees. "What am I going to do? He hates me."

"I'm sure he doesn't," Erin pulled Nicky into a hug. "He just needs some time, that's all."

Nicky sniffed back tears. "I miss him so much, just wish he'd give me another chance. I don't care about the wedding...I don't care if he never wants to marry me...I just want him back...I need