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Fool He shouldn’t even think anything of the sort before he had her signature on all binding docuin of her cold-as-ice, hot-as-hell persona? Not that he’d seen any evidence of her cold side himself, but he could see how she could have been pursued for all the wrong reasons Sport, ambition, competition, all forms of exploitation Had the incident he’d ht back every unsavory situation she’d ever been exposed to, painting their situation, and him, with the brush of suspicion? Or had it only sharpened her hazy senses so that she felt he was pursuing her for reasons unconnected with her own desirability?
Suddenly he was sick of the whole thing If her reputation had been unearned, as everything he’d felt fro, if she’d been hurt by men’s perfidy before, he shouldn’t add to her injuries
But what could he possibly do now? Confess his plan? He’d stood a chance of a favorable response if he’d told her who he was at the beginning He would have at least gotten points for truthfulness But he’d been so ready for deception as a necessity for success, he’d lost that chance After all that had happened between theht reject him with no hope of reconciliation
What would he do if she did, when he couldn’t let her go? Kidnap her as she’d implied was one of the possibilities he’d seduced her for? Then what? Hold her hostage? Force her to o so far had bile rising in his throat He had to stop the situation fro out of control And he had only one way out
She’d accused hi her for herself That he could contest vehe I would laugh if this wasn’t so distressing I want you, Farah I’ve never wanted anything or anyone like I want you” He took a step toward her and she flinched He flinched, too, stopped “Ya Ullah, are you afraid of me?” Her eyes closed on a look of total confusion And he rasped, “A the price for all of the people who tried to take advantage of you? But as you said, it’s even worse I doubt you actually feared any of them”
Her face contorted on emotions so clear it felt as if she’d shouted them in his mind Mortification ruled the Then she hiccupped “It was just-just-finding the plane taking off, that look on your face-and I scared ave him a hesitant, vulnerable look “Do you really want me?”
He drove his hands in his hair in frustration he had no need to feign “Can’t you feel it, in your every cell, setting your senses on fire, how much I desire you?”
She nodded, shook her head, at a total loss “I do-but I felt…soenda besides…”
He wanted to swear to her that he didn’t He couldn’t The lie clogged in his throat But he had to defuse her doubts He must His only recourse was to reach for whatever truths existed between the lies, press those home to her
He came down beside her, reached for her restless hands, found theh pressure to beseech her not to pull the her feel she could if she wanted, his eyes soothing her with all his will
“Every word I told you about how much I desire you is the truth, Farah And I can’t bear to see you in this condition, to know that I’ain “You’re not, it was lossy lock of hair away from her cheek “I should have realized how this situation would be overwhel for you You were shaken fro, our surrender to what you so aptly called ‘ic’ followed by the paparazzi’s intrusion and our escape fro you time to catch your breath, I whisked you onboard my jet, where you found yourself surrounded by two dozen strange men, most of them ar you, I ordered takeoff You thought we’d have dinner onboard on the ground, didn’t you?”
Her eyes said she hadn’t thought at all He caressed her cheek, alht ould happen, and you found yourself receding from your world Then I added insult to injury when the takeoff hadto a precarious deal I’limpse of the ruthless businessman side of me It’s no wonder you leaped to conclusions”
She winced, bit her lip Then she finally quavered, “Can you order us to land, please?”
His every muscle clenched “You don’t believe me”
“I do,” she protested Then she pulled an adorably sheepish face “I just need to be on the ground so I can dig a hole deep enough never to be seen again”
He exhaled the breath that had been about to burst his lungs But he wouldn’t let his guard down again He’d averted a catastrophe this time He couldn’t let another brew
He ainst him and he inhaled with the reprieve “Don’t feel eht to wonder, to worry In fact, I’ent in your examination of my character and intentions before you put yourself in my power this way You know, like you were cross withyou based on such a short acquaintance But then, I believe you wouldn’t have done that with anyone else, that you instinctively felt that you have more power over me than you could ever hand ht of hi she’d blip out of existence
She’dher off the hook, exonerating her of all bla it all himself
But she couldn’t believe he wasn’t offended for real She was used to being ers, by public opinion, but if so for jumped to such unfounded and offensive conclusions about her, she wouldn’t be quick to forgive and forget Could it be true he did so co his gaze
He had And ed role in her out-of-the-blue upheaval He’d co like an irrational airhead She felt herself shrink to the size and significance of a bug