They stopped at the camp where the research scientist had been stationed.His tent and all his equipment were gone, as was the researcher, to Jayce’s relief.He would have had to ask Adam to relocate him again, and Adam wasn’t known for his patience, especially with people who refused to take a hint.Jayce didn’t want Adam to end up in jail.
By this time, Jayce had noticed Malika wasn’t herself, and that perhaps his mother was right, because she did seem upset.She hadn’t come to her senses and decided last night was a mistake, had she?If so, it was too late for regrets.They’d moved on to damage control.
“What’s going on?”he asked her.
“Nothing.”
Jayce had heardnothingenough times from his mother, uttered in that exact tone, to understand that the word had different meanings to women, and none of them good.
“How about you clarify nothing for me,” he said, half-convinced he knew why she was upset, and that it was okay, because he had a plan.
“I have no money.”
Malika worrying about money was an odd twist.It grew on trees in her world.
“Is this about the phone call to your sister?”he asked.
Green eyes spit daggers of ice.“Your mother told you.”
He mentally apologized to his mother.She had a better bead on Malika than he did.
“Only because she was worried about you,” he said.“What do you need money for, anyway?”She had food and shelter, and Burning Scrub—plus his mother—supplied her with clothing.
“To start my new business.I told you about it.Aisha had given me two hundred thousand dollars to put toward it, but Adeel took the money from me when I was abducted.I needed more.”
He massaged the bridge of his nose with a fingertip.Her flirting was one thing.Even an idiot—Andy Danvers came to mind—could tell she meant nothing by it.But last night, he should have made himself clear.Taking her clothes off online and telling strange men what to do was not going to happen.He had a much better option for her.
“You should be glad your brother took your money from you.It was a bad business idea.”
That might have been the wrong thing to say.
Malika got testy.“My roommate makes money, and she isn’t nearly as pretty as me.”
He didn’t tell her it wasn’t her face men would be watching, since she had to know.She’d taken care to draw his attention to her other fine features the night she performed for him from her balcony.
“If your roommate makes so much money, why is she still working for your brother?”he asked, trying to be reasonable, but reason and Malika didn’t always coincide, and she usually ended up making him crazy.
“If you own a ranch, why do you work for Burning Scrub?”was her snooty response.
There was nothing wrong with the way he earned money.He kept his clothes on.
Saber shot him a baleful look too, as if he’d taken her side, and he believed Jayce was the one being stupid.
“The ranch and Burning Scrub are a partnership,” he said, because he wasn’t about to be chastised by a horse.“Besides, do you even know how to set up payments online?”
“If my sister had sent me money, I could have hired someone to set it up for me.”
He pounced on that.“Do you know how much someone might charge to set it up for you?”
She drew Saber to a standstill.Side-eye, sensing serious discord about to erupt, sidled closer to Saber, in search of reassurance.
“Instead of pointing out my shortcomings,” she said coldly, “you could help me learn to overcome them.That’s what Mavis does.”
That wasn’t what Mavis did.Mavis gave her dumb, menial tasks to keep her occupied and out of trouble.
But if she wanted his help, then now was the right moment to propose, and he seized it.
“Marry me,” he said.
