Free Mist Revealed by Nancy Corrigan

the females of his era who’d overlook the slight, Cat, he suspected, would not. The modern woman was complicated. And far more fascinating.
    Unfortunately, he didn’t know the best way to deal with her anger. He knew little about his chosen consort. With a lifetime ahead of them, he had plenty of time to uncover her personality. Until then, he only had his instincts to guide him.
    He gripped the handle and hoped he could find a way to repair the damage he had caused.

Chapter Eight
     
    Cat drummed her fingertips against the piece of plywood and waited for Sam, her lab partner, to finish scribbling in his notebook. He was hunched over his workspace, and a thick lock of his light brown hair covered his eyes. His image froze every few seconds. The spotty internet connection on the island wasn’t meant for video messaging.
    She took a moment to study her on-and-off lover, though they were more off than on. Friends with benefits might describe their unusual relationship better, but she honestly couldn’t call Sam a friend. He was a coworker she sometimes screwed without any emotional involvement.
    Damn. That sounds cold. She wrinkled her nose at her own description. After the disaster a few minutes ago with Rune, she couldn’t help but wonder if the “scratch an itch” sessions she and Sam engaged in were the only ones she was capable of having. She didn’t have time to devote to a relationship or apparently the skills it took to keep a man satisfied.
    And why do I suddenly care? Guys are too much effort for the few minutes of ecstasy they offer.
    She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her computer, annoyed by the direction of her thoughts. “Aren’t you done yet?”
    Sam leveled glinting green eyes at her. The chiding look cut through the screen. “No.”
    She huffed and turned her back on him. Her gaze strayed to the window. After Rune had stormed out, she’d run to it to see which direction he’d gone. The angle hadn’t been great, but she’d found him standing with his head pillowed against his bent arm on the opposite side of the door. The tortured expression displayed on his face had eased the worst of her embarrassment, but not all.
    Is he still there?
    The question took hold. So did the demand for an answer. After a lifetime of dealing with her obsessiveness, she knew better than to fight the simple stuff. If she did, she’d hyper-focus on it until she gave in. A sigh of acceptance fell from her lips. She wandered toward the parted curtains.
    Through the opening between the heavy drapes, she found him crouched with his arms wrapped around a gorgeous husky. The sight made the butterflies in her belly take flight. There was just something about a guy and his dog that tugged at her heart.
    “Catherine?”
    She cringed. Named after her grandmother, Cat had always walked in the woman’s shadow. She’d never lived up to her standards and had stopped trying to compete. She went by Cat, the nickname Janice had given her. Tears threatened. Cat pushed the memories aside. She’d cried enough, and her sorrow wouldn’t bring Janice back.
    “I could be doing other stuff, Catherine. I’m a busy man.”
    So was Rune. He’d said so himself. Maybe that was why he’d walked out. Then why hadn’t he actually left? She ground her teeth. Doesn’t matter. He’s nothing to me.
    “Fine, if you want to play games, do it on your own time.”
    “No, I’m here!” She rushed back to the small screen. “I was looking for the data I’d written.” Or ogling a near-stranger I almost screwed and wondering what I did to send him running. She’d thought she’d played their liaison so well.
    Sam leaned back in his desk chair, arms crossed. He looked her up and down. “Why did you demand a video chat? You could’ve emailed or texted me.”
    Both of which he would’ve ignored. She didn’t waste her breath mentioning that. In the end, he wasn’t much different from her.
    “Did you tell Roland I was going to