no longer in evidence, she noticed. Everywhere looked polished and neat. Sliding her bag off her shoulder and depositing it on one of the sofas, she followed Roque as he made directly for his study. The way he threw the door open wide made herblink in anticipation of it hitting the cabinet she knew stood just behind it.
It didn’t hit the cabinet, but she was still left with a wincing sensation as if it had. This was crazy, she thought. She didn’t even know what he was angry about! And what had he been discussing with Carla? Why had her boss let her go with him without putting up an objection?
Tugging in a deep breath, she followed him, determined to get some answers even if it felt as if she was about to enter the lion’s den. And her heart was hammering at the prospect of taking him on yet again, she noticed.
He was standing behind the desk with his dark head lowered as he flipped through the small stack of mail Molly must have placed there. Angie could not see his face, but she could feel the circle of grim reserve he had drawn around himself like an invisible line he was silently warning her not to cross.
Pressing her teeth down into her bottom lip, she made herself walk forward. ‘Roque—’
‘Smile for me, Angie,’ he said.
‘Wh-what?’ She pulled to a nerve-crunching standstill.
‘Smile for me.’ He lifted his head up and speared her with a grim, cynical look. ‘I smiled for you when I came to collect you this lunchtime. So—smile for me. You owe me one. Smile for me and say something pleasant.’
This was a joke. It had to be a joke. ‘You’re angry with me because I didn’t return your smile? ‘
‘It is called interacting,’ Roque provided. ‘You know—man to woman—woman to man. I smile;you smile back. I say
bom dia,
Angie, you say hello, Roque.’
‘This is mad.’ She threw her hands up. ‘All I’m trying to do is—’
‘If you ask about your brother just one more time …’ he exploded, with quite spectacular force.
‘I wasn’t going to!’ she lied, only to blush and spoil it. ‘What’s got into you, for goodness’ sake? ‘
He responded with an action that stalled Angie’s ability to draw air into her lungs. He opened the drawer and withdrew her chequebook, then tossed it down on the desk. As she watched in blank silence her mobile phone arrived next, which he dropped onto the chequebook, followed by her keys, which he withdrew from his trouser pocket.
‘Take them,’ he invited, then slammed the drawer shut.
Angie couldn’t move. A deep chill of foreboding was settling over her. He was going to give up on her. He’d changed his mind because he was already fed up with her shrewish attitude. She could feel the change of heart bouncing off the grim hardness of his long, elegant stance.
‘Roque … please …’ She didn’t even care that she sounded pleading.
‘Please, Angie?’ he quizzed cynically. ‘Now, there is a word I don’t often hear you speak. Tell me, are you begging for your brother’s sake or for your own sake?’
‘I just don’t understand what’s the matter with you! ‘ she cried. ‘I thought we had an—an agreement, but the way you’re giving off so many confusing signals I no longer know what I’m supposed to think!’
His dark eyes flared on a snap of anger. ‘You remind me that we have an agreement, yet you’ve already defaulted on your side of it by taking yourself off to a different bedroom to sleep, then sticking a pillow down the middle of the bed when I carried you back to ours!’
Angie stared at him in gaping disbelief. ‘You’re in this mood because I refused to give you sex?’
‘I could have had the sex if I’d been inclined to take it, Angie,’ he drawled in grim derision, reminding her that
she
had not been the one who’d wanted to stop last night. ‘I am not that big a slave to my libido,’ he denied, implying that maybe she was. ‘I accept that we both need time to—adjust to being together
It didn’t hit the cabinet, but she was still left with a wincing sensation as if it had. This was crazy, she thought. She didn’t even know what he was angry about! And what had he been discussing with Carla? Why had her boss let her go with him without putting up an objection?
Tugging in a deep breath, she followed him, determined to get some answers even if it felt as if she was about to enter the lion’s den. And her heart was hammering at the prospect of taking him on yet again, she noticed.
He was standing behind the desk with his dark head lowered as he flipped through the small stack of mail Molly must have placed there. Angie could not see his face, but she could feel the circle of grim reserve he had drawn around himself like an invisible line he was silently warning her not to cross.
Pressing her teeth down into her bottom lip, she made herself walk forward. ‘Roque—’
‘Smile for me, Angie,’ he said.
‘Wh-what?’ She pulled to a nerve-crunching standstill.
‘Smile for me.’ He lifted his head up and speared her with a grim, cynical look. ‘I smiled for you when I came to collect you this lunchtime. So—smile for me. You owe me one. Smile for me and say something pleasant.’
This was a joke. It had to be a joke. ‘You’re angry with me because I didn’t return your smile? ‘
‘It is called interacting,’ Roque provided. ‘You know—man to woman—woman to man. I smile;you smile back. I say
bom dia,
Angie, you say hello, Roque.’
‘This is mad.’ She threw her hands up. ‘All I’m trying to do is—’
‘If you ask about your brother just one more time …’ he exploded, with quite spectacular force.
‘I wasn’t going to!’ she lied, only to blush and spoil it. ‘What’s got into you, for goodness’ sake? ‘
He responded with an action that stalled Angie’s ability to draw air into her lungs. He opened the drawer and withdrew her chequebook, then tossed it down on the desk. As she watched in blank silence her mobile phone arrived next, which he dropped onto the chequebook, followed by her keys, which he withdrew from his trouser pocket.
‘Take them,’ he invited, then slammed the drawer shut.
Angie couldn’t move. A deep chill of foreboding was settling over her. He was going to give up on her. He’d changed his mind because he was already fed up with her shrewish attitude. She could feel the change of heart bouncing off the grim hardness of his long, elegant stance.
‘Roque … please …’ She didn’t even care that she sounded pleading.
‘Please, Angie?’ he quizzed cynically. ‘Now, there is a word I don’t often hear you speak. Tell me, are you begging for your brother’s sake or for your own sake?’
‘I just don’t understand what’s the matter with you! ‘ she cried. ‘I thought we had an—an agreement, but the way you’re giving off so many confusing signals I no longer know what I’m supposed to think!’
His dark eyes flared on a snap of anger. ‘You remind me that we have an agreement, yet you’ve already defaulted on your side of it by taking yourself off to a different bedroom to sleep, then sticking a pillow down the middle of the bed when I carried you back to ours!’
Angie stared at him in gaping disbelief. ‘You’re in this mood because I refused to give you sex?’
‘I could have had the sex if I’d been inclined to take it, Angie,’ he drawled in grim derision, reminding her that
she
had not been the one who’d wanted to stop last night. ‘I am not that big a slave to my libido,’ he denied, implying that maybe she was. ‘I accept that we both need time to—adjust to being together
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