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down and talk this through?"
She went with her instincts and shoved the chair at him. "Go ahead. Have a seat. But
there's no need to talk anything through. You've started your book, but didn't think it
was necessary to mention it. You've been offered a promotion, but didn't consider it
worth bringing up. Not to me. You've got your life, Professor, and I've got mine.
That's what we said right from the beginning. It's just my bad luck that I fell in love
with you."
"If you'd just " Her last words sank in, dazzling him, dazing him, delighting him.
"Oh, God, Lilah." He started to rush forward, but she threw up both hands.
"Don't touch me," she said so fiercely, he stopped, baffled.
"What do you expect me to do?"
"I don't expect anything. If I had stuck to that from the beginning, you wouldn't have
been able to hurt me like this. As it is, it's my problem. Now, if you'll excuse me."
He grabbed her arm before she reached the door. "You can't say things like this, you
can't tell me you're in love with me then just walk away."
"I'll do exactly as I please." Eyes cold, she jerked her arm free. "I don't have
anything more to say to you, and there's nothing you can say I want to hear right
now."
She walked out of his room into her own and locked the door behind her.
Hours later, she sat in her room, cursing herself for losing her pride and her temper
so completely. All she had succeeded in accomplishing was embarrassing herself
and Max, and giving herself a vicious headache.
She'd slashed at him, and that had been wrong. She'd pushed him, and that had been
stupid. Any hope she'd had of steering him gently into love had been smashed
because she'd demanded things he hadn't wanted to give. Now, more than likely, she
had ruined a friendship that had been vitally important to her.
There could be no apologizing. No matter how miserable she felt, she couldn't
apologize for speaking the truth. And she could never claim to be sorry to have
fallen in love.
Restless, she walked out on the terrace. There were clouds over the moon. The wind
shoved them across the sky so that the light glimmered for a moment then was
smothered. The heat of the day was trapped; the night almost sultry. Fireflies danced
over the black carpet of lawn like sparks from a dying fire.
In the distance thunder rumbled, but there was no freshening scent of rain. The
storm was out at sea, and even if the capricious wind blew it to land, it might be
hours before it hit and relieved the hazy heat. She could smell the flowers, hot and
heady, and glanced toward the garden. Her thoughts were so involved that she stared
at the glimmer of light for a full minute before it registered.
Not again, she thought, and was almost depressed enough to let the amateur treasure
hunters have their thrill. But Suzanna worked too hard on the gardens to have some
idiot with a map dig up her perennials. In any case, at least chasing off a trespasser
was constructive.
She moved quietly down the steps and into the deeper gloom of the garden. It was
simple enough to follow the beam of light. As she walked toward it, Lilah debated
whether to use the Calhoun curse or the old The Police Are On Their Way. Both
were reliable ways of sending trespassers scurrying. Any other time the prospect
might have amused her.
When the light blinked out, she stopped, frowning, to listen. There was only the
sound of her own breathing. Not a leaf stirred, and no bird sang in the brush. With a
shrug, she moved on. Perhaps they had heard her and had already retreated, but she
wanted to be certain.
In the dark, she nearly fell over the pile of dirt. AH amusement vanished when her
eyes adjusted and she saw the destruction of Suzanna's lovely bed of dahlias.
"Jerks," she muttered, and kicked at the dirt with a sandaled foot. "What the hell is
wrong with them?" On a little moan, she bent down to pick up a trampled bloom.
Her fingers clenched over it when a hand slapped against her mouth.
"Not a sound." The voice hissed at her ear. Reacting to it, she started to struggle,
then froze when she felt the point of the knife at her throat. "Do exactly what I say,
and I won't cut you. Try to yell, and I'll slice this across your throat. Understand?"
She nodded and let out a long careful breath when his hand slid away from her
mouth. It would have been foolish to ask what he wanted. She knew the answer. But
this wasn't some adventure-seeking tourist out for a late-night lark.
"You're wasting your time. The emeralds aren't here."
"Don't play games with me. I've got a map."
Lilah closed her eyes and bit back a hysterical and dangerous laugh.
Max paced his room, scowled at the floor and wished he had something handy to
kick. He'd messed things up beautifully. He wasn't exactly sure how he'd managed it,
but he'd hurt Lilah, infuriated her and alienated her all in one swoop. He'd never seen
a woman go through so many emotions in such a short time. From unhappiness to
fury, from fury to frost hardly letting him get in a single word.
He could have defended himself if he'd been totally certain of the offense. How
could he have known that she'd be offended he hadn't mentioned the book? He
hadn't wanted to bore her. No, that was a lie, he admitted. He hadn't told her
because he'd been afraid. Plain and simple.
As far as the promotion went, he'd meant to tell her, but it had slipped his mind.
How could she believe that he'd have accepted the position and left without telling
her?
"What the hell was she supposed to think, you jerk?" he muttered, and plopped
down into a chair.
So much for all his careful plans, his step-by-step courtship. His tidy little itinerary
for making her fall in love with him had blown up in his face. She'd been in love with
him all along.
She loved him. He dragged a hand through his hair. Lilah Calhoun was in love with
him, and he hadn't had to wave a magic wand or implement any complicated plan.
All he'd had to do was be himself.
She'd been in love with him all along, but he'd been too stupid to believe it even
when she'd tried to tell him. Now she'd locked herself in her room and wouldn't
listen to him.
As far as he could see, he had two choices. He could sit here and wait until she [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]