“The Vatans are the ones who’ve made up a lie. Please take the earring and leave.”
Kash hesitated, wanting badly to say something to soften her despair, but knowing that his words—and actions—had done nothing but give her the wrong impression of him since they’d met. Or was it the right one? Unsentimental, suspicious, a loner—he was all of those. He was also much more vulnerable than she thought, but only the people who knew him best recognized it. Sometimes when she looked at him with glowing approval in her eyes, he hoped she sensed it.
“Kovit or one of the other men who work for me will be on guard outside, if you need anything or want to go anywhere,” he told her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Just phone me,” she replied calmly. “I really don’t care to see you again.”
He nodded, while disappointment warred with grim reality.
She’s trouble
, he reminded himself. “You’re right. That’s for the best.”
He left her standing in the middle of the room, looking as miserable as he felt.
“I thought you’d come here,” he said behind her.
She jumped at the grim, deep baritone with its aristocratic Dixie lilt. Rebecca pivoted swiftly and looked upinto Kash’s shadowed face. He stepped into the flickering gas light of a slender street lamp. It cast charcoal and silver streaks through his black hair.
Rebecca’s heart felt like a butterfly inside her chest. “You
let
me get away from Kovit. I should have known. You wanted to follow me and see where I’d go.”
“No. Kovit called me frantically and said you’d tricked him and left the hotel. I thought this was the most likely place you’d go.”
He cast a glance at the tall stone wall with its mysterious women/cat sentries and ornate iron gate. Inside was a courtyard, and beyond it, looking very traditional and exotic, was the thief’s home. “I know you wouldn’t be happy until you asked him yourself about his friendship with your father.”
“You’re a mind reader,” she said bitterly. Rebecca studied him in morose silence. Casual white trousers and a simple white pullover met at his belted waist. The buckle, she noticed with distraction, was of woven gold, similar to the slender watch on his left wrist. On his feet were smooth white shoes, almost like slippers. His appearance was graceful and streamlined, but very masculine. His broad shoulders and muscular arms were a striking contrast to his lean, lithe build. She’d never seen such a unique combination of vivid physical power and the trim refinement of a ballet dancer.
His dark gaze had returned to her too. He scanned the simple blue silk jumpsuit she wore with gold sandals. His anger was evident. “Did you think you could leave the hotel unnoticed? Good Lord, after what you’ve been through, weren’t you afraid someone other than me would follow you?”
“I had to take the chance.”
“If you’d been picked up by strangers again and hurt or killed, I’d have—”
“Been rid of me for good, and happy about it,” she finished sharply. “Don’t lecture me about my safety.”
The quick tightening of his face accented his unusualfeatures. Suddenly she’d never been more aware of the hawkish nose and deep-set, alert eyes, the savage thrust of his lips. “You’re the one who’d like to run from temptations,” he told her, speaking very softly, like satin pulling across steel. “I can control mine.”
“Bully them, you mean.”
“You need bullying. Otherwise your foolishness might ruin you. Come with me. There’s a car waiting for us just around the corner.”
He swept a hand toward the handsome road, with its sprawling, perfect homes and mantle of trees. Across it and beyond the thief’s villa, a dozen yards away, a side street peeked from behind someone’s courtyard wall.
“You sat there in a car and just waited for me to arrive,” she said angrily, tears of frustration burning her eyes.
“While my men were searching everywhere
Kash hesitated, wanting badly to say something to soften her despair, but knowing that his words—and actions—had done nothing but give her the wrong impression of him since they’d met. Or was it the right one? Unsentimental, suspicious, a loner—he was all of those. He was also much more vulnerable than she thought, but only the people who knew him best recognized it. Sometimes when she looked at him with glowing approval in her eyes, he hoped she sensed it.
“Kovit or one of the other men who work for me will be on guard outside, if you need anything or want to go anywhere,” he told her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Just phone me,” she replied calmly. “I really don’t care to see you again.”
He nodded, while disappointment warred with grim reality.
She’s trouble
, he reminded himself. “You’re right. That’s for the best.”
He left her standing in the middle of the room, looking as miserable as he felt.
“I thought you’d come here,” he said behind her.
She jumped at the grim, deep baritone with its aristocratic Dixie lilt. Rebecca pivoted swiftly and looked upinto Kash’s shadowed face. He stepped into the flickering gas light of a slender street lamp. It cast charcoal and silver streaks through his black hair.
Rebecca’s heart felt like a butterfly inside her chest. “You
let
me get away from Kovit. I should have known. You wanted to follow me and see where I’d go.”
“No. Kovit called me frantically and said you’d tricked him and left the hotel. I thought this was the most likely place you’d go.”
He cast a glance at the tall stone wall with its mysterious women/cat sentries and ornate iron gate. Inside was a courtyard, and beyond it, looking very traditional and exotic, was the thief’s home. “I know you wouldn’t be happy until you asked him yourself about his friendship with your father.”
“You’re a mind reader,” she said bitterly. Rebecca studied him in morose silence. Casual white trousers and a simple white pullover met at his belted waist. The buckle, she noticed with distraction, was of woven gold, similar to the slender watch on his left wrist. On his feet were smooth white shoes, almost like slippers. His appearance was graceful and streamlined, but very masculine. His broad shoulders and muscular arms were a striking contrast to his lean, lithe build. She’d never seen such a unique combination of vivid physical power and the trim refinement of a ballet dancer.
His dark gaze had returned to her too. He scanned the simple blue silk jumpsuit she wore with gold sandals. His anger was evident. “Did you think you could leave the hotel unnoticed? Good Lord, after what you’ve been through, weren’t you afraid someone other than me would follow you?”
“I had to take the chance.”
“If you’d been picked up by strangers again and hurt or killed, I’d have—”
“Been rid of me for good, and happy about it,” she finished sharply. “Don’t lecture me about my safety.”
The quick tightening of his face accented his unusualfeatures. Suddenly she’d never been more aware of the hawkish nose and deep-set, alert eyes, the savage thrust of his lips. “You’re the one who’d like to run from temptations,” he told her, speaking very softly, like satin pulling across steel. “I can control mine.”
“Bully them, you mean.”
“You need bullying. Otherwise your foolishness might ruin you. Come with me. There’s a car waiting for us just around the corner.”
He swept a hand toward the handsome road, with its sprawling, perfect homes and mantle of trees. Across it and beyond the thief’s villa, a dozen yards away, a side street peeked from behind someone’s courtyard wall.
“You sat there in a car and just waited for me to arrive,” she said angrily, tears of frustration burning her eyes.
“While my men were searching everywhere
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