over the sill, she exhaled slowly and lowered her hand. “What do you want?”
He swung his legs over the ledge and slid down to the floor. “Would you mind?” he asked, holding his hand out for the letter opener.
She tossed it on the table and turned her back to him. He stood directly behind her and cupped his hands over her rigid shoulders. He felt her hesitate, even move back towards him before she could channel her anger and direct it at him.
“Don’t touch me.” She twisted free and stepped beyond his reach.
That his touch still had some effect on her meant she didn’t hate him all together. “Okay. But I have to talk to you. Would you look at me?”
“No. Just say what you want to say and leave me alone.”
“Where did you get the money to pay for the things today?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, Lilly, it does. I promise, I’m not going to lose my temper, but I have to know where it came from. If you used a credit card it will only take a day to trace it.”
She slipped her hands in her pockets and whirled around. “You really do think I’m an idiot, don’t you?”
“I don’t think anything of the kind. What I think is that honest people don’t think in dishonest ways.”
“You do.”
“Because it’s part of my job to deceive people. It’s become second nature to me. And it’s not something I’m particularly proud of.”
She stared at the floor. “Chantal gave it to me. She said you’d never take it from her, so she asked me to hold onto it.”
“Is that the truth?” She bristled, and he quickly added, “Sorry. Force of habit. You wouldn’t lie about it. I need the rest of it. We have to make a move by tomorrow or we’ll never make it back in time. How much is there?”
“Almost a thousand dollars, minus what I spent today.”
A thousand dollars! He never could have laid his hands on that kind of money without drawing attention to them. When they arrived safely back in the States, he would return the money to Chantal.
“I’m sorry about before. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” As she tried to walk away, he blocked her path.
“The conversation’s over.” She stepped around him and headed for the door.
“I’m trying to apologize.”
She removed the chair from under the handle and put it back at the table. Her bottom lip quivered as she started to say something, and she bit into it, leaving a mark.
When she had herself under control again, she met his gaze. “You can’t just walk all over people and think that an apology will make it all right. It doesn’t work that way. And if you think I’m upset because you yelled, then an apology is worthless. You have no idea what you did.”
“I said I’m sorry.”
“So am I. I expected too much because I’d been harboring the ridiculous notion that you actually cared about me.”
He stared at the door that had just slammed shut in his face. That went well . He got more encouragement that first morning when she tossed the scalding coffee at him. Damn! The woman had gotten under his skin, and he didn’t know how to handle it.
It wasn’t possible to go through the motions of chivalry to win a lady’s hand while slaying the dragons at the same time. Something they forgot to tell women when they filled their heads full of princely fairy tales.
Chapter Nine
With Lilly avoiding him at every turn, Jack gave up the idea of trying to speak to her again. Mustafa had returned, and although she played the part of the new wife in Mustafa’s presence, Jack knew she would explode if he pushed her too far.
Instead, he turned his energies to finding a safe way out of the country. He had some limited connections, but none that could supply a plane on such short notice. He’d about given up hope when he received a surprise message from Yousef through another contact. Apparently, there had been a mix-up in the time the other day.
He waited in the coffee shop, ordering a cup of coffee as a sign
He swung his legs over the ledge and slid down to the floor. “Would you mind?” he asked, holding his hand out for the letter opener.
She tossed it on the table and turned her back to him. He stood directly behind her and cupped his hands over her rigid shoulders. He felt her hesitate, even move back towards him before she could channel her anger and direct it at him.
“Don’t touch me.” She twisted free and stepped beyond his reach.
That his touch still had some effect on her meant she didn’t hate him all together. “Okay. But I have to talk to you. Would you look at me?”
“No. Just say what you want to say and leave me alone.”
“Where did you get the money to pay for the things today?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, Lilly, it does. I promise, I’m not going to lose my temper, but I have to know where it came from. If you used a credit card it will only take a day to trace it.”
She slipped her hands in her pockets and whirled around. “You really do think I’m an idiot, don’t you?”
“I don’t think anything of the kind. What I think is that honest people don’t think in dishonest ways.”
“You do.”
“Because it’s part of my job to deceive people. It’s become second nature to me. And it’s not something I’m particularly proud of.”
She stared at the floor. “Chantal gave it to me. She said you’d never take it from her, so she asked me to hold onto it.”
“Is that the truth?” She bristled, and he quickly added, “Sorry. Force of habit. You wouldn’t lie about it. I need the rest of it. We have to make a move by tomorrow or we’ll never make it back in time. How much is there?”
“Almost a thousand dollars, minus what I spent today.”
A thousand dollars! He never could have laid his hands on that kind of money without drawing attention to them. When they arrived safely back in the States, he would return the money to Chantal.
“I’m sorry about before. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” As she tried to walk away, he blocked her path.
“The conversation’s over.” She stepped around him and headed for the door.
“I’m trying to apologize.”
She removed the chair from under the handle and put it back at the table. Her bottom lip quivered as she started to say something, and she bit into it, leaving a mark.
When she had herself under control again, she met his gaze. “You can’t just walk all over people and think that an apology will make it all right. It doesn’t work that way. And if you think I’m upset because you yelled, then an apology is worthless. You have no idea what you did.”
“I said I’m sorry.”
“So am I. I expected too much because I’d been harboring the ridiculous notion that you actually cared about me.”
He stared at the door that had just slammed shut in his face. That went well . He got more encouragement that first morning when she tossed the scalding coffee at him. Damn! The woman had gotten under his skin, and he didn’t know how to handle it.
It wasn’t possible to go through the motions of chivalry to win a lady’s hand while slaying the dragons at the same time. Something they forgot to tell women when they filled their heads full of princely fairy tales.
Chapter Nine
With Lilly avoiding him at every turn, Jack gave up the idea of trying to speak to her again. Mustafa had returned, and although she played the part of the new wife in Mustafa’s presence, Jack knew she would explode if he pushed her too far.
Instead, he turned his energies to finding a safe way out of the country. He had some limited connections, but none that could supply a plane on such short notice. He’d about given up hope when he received a surprise message from Yousef through another contact. Apparently, there had been a mix-up in the time the other day.
He waited in the coffee shop, ordering a cup of coffee as a sign
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