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Dexter halted, then slowly turned around. Laura found herself holding her breath. His eyes locked with hers briefly before returning his attention to the inquisitive gathering. Then with an angry retort, he growled, “Unfortunately.”
Then quickly, before anyone could stop him, he hurried out of the room dragging Laura behind him. Once in the sanctuary of the sitting room he shut the door soundly then turned on her at once. “First of all, let me start by saying if you ever pull a stunt like that again I’ll—I’ll—.”
She wanted desperately to go to him, to put her arms back around his neck and kiss him endlessly. But she wanted to hear him say the words. She needed to hear him say the words. So she waited quietly as he scolded her for her lack of etiquette and conduct. When he finished he took a deep breath, looked at her searchingly, and then said, “What exactly is it you know and are bragging so arrogantly about?”
“Mr. Jenkins called me tonight.”
He looked vacantly at her. “Am I supposed to recognize the name?”
She smiled. “That’s okay, he didn’t know you either.”
His eyes narrowed. “What point are you trying to make?”
“Mr. Jenkins is the insurance broker.”
Again he looked at her blankly, obviously unable to follow her train of thoughts.
“He told me you didn’t pull any strings to receive the proceeds of my insurance.” At this, his face became hard, but Laura continued, “You told me the renovation came from the proceeds of the insurance claim.”
“I never actually said that,” he firmly stated.
“Maybe not in so much words, but that was what you had me believe.”
“I didn’t have you believe anything. I simply told you I was able to pull some strings together in order to pay for the reconstruction. You were the one who jumped to the conclusion it came from the insurance.”
Piqued, she claimed, “You didn’t deny it.”
“No.” It was one word, but it held so much power in what she would say next.
“Adell denied having anything to do with it either.” Suddenly she felt very nervous. “Which left only one conclusion.”
He looked unsmiling across the room at her without uttering a word, waiting for the inevitable as he saw it.
“Y-you.” Once the word was out, she went very still and held her breath fearfully. Praying he had the strength to confess. Or to deny, which Laura would dig the biggest hole to bury herself in.
Sighing, he got to his feet and ran a hand through his hair as he turned his back to her. “I don’t see how it matters who paid for the renovation. The point is it’s done.”
“Because I owe that person an immense amount of gratitude. They have given me—”
He spun around angry, “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. Dammit, Laura, I don’t want your gratitude.”
Slowly, she began to smile and had enough confidence to take a step closer. “It was you.”
Frowning heavily, he stared at her. “Don’t you dare utter a single thank you. That’s not why I did it.”
Her smile turned into a full beam. “I told you.”
She nearly took pity on him, so uncomfortable he was becoming. “Tell me what?”
“That you love me.”
Physically he did not move, however the jolt from the depths of his hazel eyes, brought Laura to a new level of understanding. “Cursed woman, you want me to say it don’t you?”
Grinning suddenly, Laura nodded as her heart accelerated.
“First let me ask you, did Mother have anything to do with this?”
“Let’s just say she helped me clarify things. I thought it was she who bought me the cottage and believed whomever paid for the renovations, also gave me the little cottage. You gave her a duplicate.”
