women, but,” he paused, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it, “you and I together are like fire and gasoline and probably just as dangerous for both of us.”
Something stirred beneath his fingers. Petra was waking up. Sam stood up, and leaning over the bed, kissed her on the lips. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” he whispered over her mouth. She fluttered her eyes slowly open and stared at him with amazing chestnut eyes framed by thick dark lashes. “And here you are, princess,” he exclaimed with a smile.
“You are not Prince Charming,” she protested in a hoarse voice that belied the twinkle in her eye. “I am so disappointed.”
Sam laughed. He loved her sense of humor and quick sarcastic snappiness. She could dish it out as well as take it and that made her even more attractive. “Sorry to disappoint you,” he said with a chuckle, sitting back down on the chair. “They were looking for your husband, but all they could find was me.”
“They thought you were Jonas?” she exclaimed in surprise, wincing as the movement sent a sharp pain through her forehead. “Ouch! What the hell happened to me?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” he confessed, his eyebrows arching up in a question. “They found you at the bottom of a staircase in the Linden Galleria.” His sharp eyes looked for a sign that would maybe clear some foggy details, but she was not biting. “What were you doing there?”
“Enjoying a little art,” she replied, not an inkling of deceit in her voice as she smiled sweetly at him.
“Right. And I’m Doctor Who,” he exclaimed, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Come on, Petra, stop messing around. This could be dangerous.” An unsettling thought came to his mind. “Did you get pushed down those stairs?”
Her laugh echoed in the small hospital room like crystal being stroked gently. “Yes, I was pushed by my twin sister, the klutz,” she said. Then she slapped him in the arm. “I am telling you, Jonas is no criminal. I don’t know what you think you have on him, but he’s clean.”
Sam rubbed the spot with a mournful expression, pretending to be hurt. “How can you be so sure? You didn’t even know that yacht was his.”
“It’s true,” she said, “I never got to know my ex-husband very well. The man I thought I knew was a complete fictional character I created with my own overactive imagination. But he is no criminal, I’m sure.”
“We know for sure that stolen art is being spirited out of the country in his yacht,” Sam added.
Petra gasped. “No way, there is absolutely no way Jonas would stoop that low even for the love of art. I don’t believe it,” she protested vehemently. “No way in hell.”
It annoyed him to no end that Petra was so enthusiastically defending her ex. It was a feeling that started at the center of his chest and spread like wild fire throughout his whole body and mind in a very unpleasant wave. Sam could feel the anger rising in him and he realized with a jolt that he was jealous. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been jealous about anybody or anything. Yes, he had been in love in his youth and he had definitely had “feelings” for several women throughout the years, but he had never felt the flames of jealousy the way he felt them at that moment, gnawing at him around the edges like a wild creature with rabies. “Strange how you defend your lover so forcefully.” His voice had taken on a dangerously low tone as he tried to control the wrath he felt. “Are you sure you’re not still in love with this crook?”
Petra tried to sit up, but the cut on her scalp prevented her. Instead, she waved her hands wildly in the air with a grimace. “Are you freaking out of your mind?” she yelled. “I was in love with who I thought he was, never with the real man, never. And I am definitely not in love with him now.” Breathing hard, she let out a loud growl.
“Are you growling at me?” Sam yelled back, anger erasing
Something stirred beneath his fingers. Petra was waking up. Sam stood up, and leaning over the bed, kissed her on the lips. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” he whispered over her mouth. She fluttered her eyes slowly open and stared at him with amazing chestnut eyes framed by thick dark lashes. “And here you are, princess,” he exclaimed with a smile.
“You are not Prince Charming,” she protested in a hoarse voice that belied the twinkle in her eye. “I am so disappointed.”
Sam laughed. He loved her sense of humor and quick sarcastic snappiness. She could dish it out as well as take it and that made her even more attractive. “Sorry to disappoint you,” he said with a chuckle, sitting back down on the chair. “They were looking for your husband, but all they could find was me.”
“They thought you were Jonas?” she exclaimed in surprise, wincing as the movement sent a sharp pain through her forehead. “Ouch! What the hell happened to me?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” he confessed, his eyebrows arching up in a question. “They found you at the bottom of a staircase in the Linden Galleria.” His sharp eyes looked for a sign that would maybe clear some foggy details, but she was not biting. “What were you doing there?”
“Enjoying a little art,” she replied, not an inkling of deceit in her voice as she smiled sweetly at him.
“Right. And I’m Doctor Who,” he exclaimed, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Come on, Petra, stop messing around. This could be dangerous.” An unsettling thought came to his mind. “Did you get pushed down those stairs?”
Her laugh echoed in the small hospital room like crystal being stroked gently. “Yes, I was pushed by my twin sister, the klutz,” she said. Then she slapped him in the arm. “I am telling you, Jonas is no criminal. I don’t know what you think you have on him, but he’s clean.”
Sam rubbed the spot with a mournful expression, pretending to be hurt. “How can you be so sure? You didn’t even know that yacht was his.”
“It’s true,” she said, “I never got to know my ex-husband very well. The man I thought I knew was a complete fictional character I created with my own overactive imagination. But he is no criminal, I’m sure.”
“We know for sure that stolen art is being spirited out of the country in his yacht,” Sam added.
Petra gasped. “No way, there is absolutely no way Jonas would stoop that low even for the love of art. I don’t believe it,” she protested vehemently. “No way in hell.”
It annoyed him to no end that Petra was so enthusiastically defending her ex. It was a feeling that started at the center of his chest and spread like wild fire throughout his whole body and mind in a very unpleasant wave. Sam could feel the anger rising in him and he realized with a jolt that he was jealous. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been jealous about anybody or anything. Yes, he had been in love in his youth and he had definitely had “feelings” for several women throughout the years, but he had never felt the flames of jealousy the way he felt them at that moment, gnawing at him around the edges like a wild creature with rabies. “Strange how you defend your lover so forcefully.” His voice had taken on a dangerously low tone as he tried to control the wrath he felt. “Are you sure you’re not still in love with this crook?”
Petra tried to sit up, but the cut on her scalp prevented her. Instead, she waved her hands wildly in the air with a grimace. “Are you freaking out of your mind?” she yelled. “I was in love with who I thought he was, never with the real man, never. And I am definitely not in love with him now.” Breathing hard, she let out a loud growl.
“Are you growling at me?” Sam yelled back, anger erasing
Similar Books
