both about to explode,’ he cried.
You don’t say, she thought, the heat still pumpingthrough her and making her knees wobbly. ‘I don’t care. I want to know why you spoke to my boss.’
‘Oh, for…’ He swore viciously and let her go. ‘Your timing stinks, you know that?’ he said, glaring at her with enough aroused fury to melt steel. ‘All right—fine.’ He dragged his fingers through his hair, making the carefully styled waves furrow into uneven rows. ‘Let’s get this out of the way.’
‘Yes, let’s,’ she said, crossing her arms over her now heaving chest.
‘We’re not going to get anything sorted in a single day,’ he shot at her, not sounding remotely conciliatory, ‘so I phoned Parker at home last night to arrange more time. What the hell is wrong with that?’
‘What’s wrong with that?’ She gawped at him. Was he serious? ‘Maybe you should take a wild guess.’
‘I can’t guess. I have no idea what the problem is.’
The red haze cleared slightly. He was looking at her as if she’d gone completely mad.
‘You really don’t get it, do you?’ she asked.
‘Get what?’ He bit the words off, clearly as annoyed and frustrated as she was.
The last of the anger, the outrage, drained out of her, to be replaced by a numb feeling of unreality. How could anyone be so totally clueless about personal boundaries?
‘You don’t get to arrange my leave for me. I do that,’ she said, not quite able to believe she was having to explain this to him. ‘Just like you don’t get to decide whether or not I come to Havensmere. That’s my decision, not yours. You’re worse than my father.’
‘But it was the right decision,’ he said, as if that fact were remotely relevant. ‘A week at Havensmere will do you good. You need to get your strength back.’ He steppedcloser—close enough for her to see the determination in his eyes. ‘And then there’s the sex—after what’s just happened I’m thinking one day isn’t going to be long enough to work that out of our systems either.’
‘We’re not having sex.’
‘Why the hell not?’
‘Because I say so,’ she hurled back. He was getting pushy again, and she wasn’t going to stand for it. ‘I told you, sex will only get in the way.’
He cursed. ‘All the more reason to get it out of the way, then. We’ve been apart for three months and the attraction is still there, as strong as ever. If you think we’re going to be able to ignore it, you’re nuts.’
He might have a point about that, she thought, her sex still throbbing, clamouring for the release she knew only he could give her. But she wasn’t about to admit it. He wasn’t going to use sex as yet another weapon in the power struggle between them.
If they made love again it was going to be on her terms, not his.
‘We’re not getting anything out of the way until you stop treating me like you own me. I want you to apologise for your high-handed behaviour, and I want you to promise not to make any more choices for me again, or I’m walking out right now.’
‘For heaven’s sake, I was looking after you—and I’m not apologising for it.’
Louisa forced down the traitorous spurt of warmth. So what if he’d been trying to help her? It didn’t give him the right to ride roughshod over her wishes whenever it suited him.
‘I mean it, Luke. I’m not eating lunch with you until youpromise me you won’t do this again. I’m not a child and I won’t be treated like one.’
‘You’re mad!’ he shouted.
He looked bigger than ever. She didn’t care.
‘You haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon and you’re prepared to starve yourself to make a stupid point?’ he said, frustration pulsing off him.
‘Missing a meal won’t kill me,’ she said. ‘If the Suffragettes could do it, so can I.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘The Suffragettes,’ she said calmly, even though her insides were churning at the thought of what was really at stake
You don’t say, she thought, the heat still pumpingthrough her and making her knees wobbly. ‘I don’t care. I want to know why you spoke to my boss.’
‘Oh, for…’ He swore viciously and let her go. ‘Your timing stinks, you know that?’ he said, glaring at her with enough aroused fury to melt steel. ‘All right—fine.’ He dragged his fingers through his hair, making the carefully styled waves furrow into uneven rows. ‘Let’s get this out of the way.’
‘Yes, let’s,’ she said, crossing her arms over her now heaving chest.
‘We’re not going to get anything sorted in a single day,’ he shot at her, not sounding remotely conciliatory, ‘so I phoned Parker at home last night to arrange more time. What the hell is wrong with that?’
‘What’s wrong with that?’ She gawped at him. Was he serious? ‘Maybe you should take a wild guess.’
‘I can’t guess. I have no idea what the problem is.’
The red haze cleared slightly. He was looking at her as if she’d gone completely mad.
‘You really don’t get it, do you?’ she asked.
‘Get what?’ He bit the words off, clearly as annoyed and frustrated as she was.
The last of the anger, the outrage, drained out of her, to be replaced by a numb feeling of unreality. How could anyone be so totally clueless about personal boundaries?
‘You don’t get to arrange my leave for me. I do that,’ she said, not quite able to believe she was having to explain this to him. ‘Just like you don’t get to decide whether or not I come to Havensmere. That’s my decision, not yours. You’re worse than my father.’
‘But it was the right decision,’ he said, as if that fact were remotely relevant. ‘A week at Havensmere will do you good. You need to get your strength back.’ He steppedcloser—close enough for her to see the determination in his eyes. ‘And then there’s the sex—after what’s just happened I’m thinking one day isn’t going to be long enough to work that out of our systems either.’
‘We’re not having sex.’
‘Why the hell not?’
‘Because I say so,’ she hurled back. He was getting pushy again, and she wasn’t going to stand for it. ‘I told you, sex will only get in the way.’
He cursed. ‘All the more reason to get it out of the way, then. We’ve been apart for three months and the attraction is still there, as strong as ever. If you think we’re going to be able to ignore it, you’re nuts.’
He might have a point about that, she thought, her sex still throbbing, clamouring for the release she knew only he could give her. But she wasn’t about to admit it. He wasn’t going to use sex as yet another weapon in the power struggle between them.
If they made love again it was going to be on her terms, not his.
‘We’re not getting anything out of the way until you stop treating me like you own me. I want you to apologise for your high-handed behaviour, and I want you to promise not to make any more choices for me again, or I’m walking out right now.’
‘For heaven’s sake, I was looking after you—and I’m not apologising for it.’
Louisa forced down the traitorous spurt of warmth. So what if he’d been trying to help her? It didn’t give him the right to ride roughshod over her wishes whenever it suited him.
‘I mean it, Luke. I’m not eating lunch with you until youpromise me you won’t do this again. I’m not a child and I won’t be treated like one.’
‘You’re mad!’ he shouted.
He looked bigger than ever. She didn’t care.
‘You haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon and you’re prepared to starve yourself to make a stupid point?’ he said, frustration pulsing off him.
‘Missing a meal won’t kill me,’ she said. ‘If the Suffragettes could do it, so can I.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘The Suffragettes,’ she said calmly, even though her insides were churning at the thought of what was really at stake
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