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‘And as if it wasn’t bad enough, you then had the gall to ask me to organise the evening party to celebrate your wedding. You had to rub my face in it.’ All the emotion that had been locked inside her for so long came flowing out, smothering her and choking her. ‘And I had to laugh and smile and say, “Of course I don’t mind,” to what felt like a million nosy people who wanted to stop and stare at our massive car crash of a relationship. It was bad enough that you asked her to marry you so soon after we broke up, but to ask me to organise the party knowing that I wouldn’t feel able to refuse—’ she was sobbing now, tears soaking her cheeks as she finally lost control. ‘How could you do that? How could you want to hurt me and humiliate me like that? How could you?’
Ashen, he muttered something unintelligible and reached for her but she snatched her hand away and dodged him.
‘No! There is nothing you can do or say to make this right. I’ve always thought that long-term relationships were doomed but with you, just for a moment, I was happy. And hopeful. And then you did that.’ The words ended on a hiccup. ‘And it wasn’t an accident. You did it to hurt me. And you did. You did hurt me, Mal. And I won’t let you do it again.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
MAL stood frozen to the spot, staring at the space where only a moment ago she’d stood. Stunned, he sifted through the words she’d thrown at him, sorting them in order of importance. And when he’d done that, he cursed softly.
Mouth tight, he rapped on the door of the bathroom. The door that she’d locked, of course. ‘Avery? Open up. Now.’
When there was no answer, he stepped back and contemplated his options. Examining the lock, he strode across the bedroom and retrieved the bag he’d taken into the desert. The knife felt heavy in his hand and he stared at the blade, wondering if it would serve his purpose. Silently thanking Rafiq who had ensured that he was armed with no end of practical skills, he manoeuvred the knife and successfully unlocked the door.
She was huddled on the floor of the bathroom, her arms locked around her legs, his shirt barely covering the tops of her pale thighs. His entry earned him a scowl. ‘So now you can walk through locked doors? Get out.’
‘No.’
‘It isn’t enough to hurt me once? You have to do it again and again?’ Her gaze dropped to his hands. ‘And with a knife?
Is this a new blood sport?’
He’d forgotten about the knife in his hand and instantly he put it down, thinking that he’d never seen her like this before. Never seen her with her emotions so clearly on display. ‘I did not hurt you intentionally.’ With the same care and caution that he would have approached an injured animal, Mal squatted down next to her. ‘I didn’t know, habibti.’ He purposefully kept his voice soft and non-confrontational but that didn’t stop the sudden blaze of fire in her eyes.
‘Didn’t know what? That you are an insensitive bastard? That just means you have a depressing lack of self-insight.’
He chose to ignore the insult because he recognised it for what it was—a last frantic defence from someone who was terrified. ‘I didn’t know you’d given me your heart. Until today, I didn’t think you had. I thought that was a prize I hadn’t won. You didn’t say anything and I—’ he let out a breath ‘—I failed to pick up the signals.’
‘And you’re such an expert in body language.’
‘Apparently not.’
‘You didn’t have to be an expert.’ The derisive glance she sent in his direction spoke volumes about her view on relationships. ‘I was with you for a year. A whole year. What do you think that says?’
‘To me it said that we were having a good time.’ Mal saw the shimmer of an unshed tear stuck to her eyelashes and his heart clenched. He lifted his hand to brush it away gently with his thumb but she flinched away from him. The shirt she’d grabbed was too big for her and as she flattened herself against the wall of the bathroom it slid down, exposing one pale shoulder. Just a glimpse, and yet it was enough to force him to shift positions for his own comfort. Enough to remind him that this woman affected him in a way that no other woman ever had. ‘It didn’t tell me that you were in love with me. I didn’t presume that and you didn’t tell me that. Not once did you say those words.’
‘Neither did you.’
Was it that simple? Was that all it would have taken? ‘I was ready to say them. I was ready to ask you to marry me. I had plans. And then you told me it was over and walked away.’
‘The first I knew of your “plans” was when a creepy guy who could never keep his hands to himself rang me to make me an offer for my business because he’d heard I was giving it all up to walk five steps behind you for the rest of my life.’
Mal reined in the anger, refusing to be sidetracked. ‘I didn’t know he’d made an offer on your business.’
‘He was taunting me because he knew how much my company meant to me. And I fell for it, of course.’ Eyes closed, she let her head fall back against the wall. ‘He understood my weaknesses better than you did.’
‘And he understood mine.’ His muscles protesting at his cramped position, Mal stood up and lifted her to her feet, relieved when the shirt she was wearing slid back into place and covered slightly more of her.
‘I thought you were Prince Perfect. You don’t have any weaknesses.’ Her hair tumbled over her shoulders, softly tangled after a night in his bed. Without her make-up she looked impossibly young and Mal felt something soften inside him. He’d so rarely seen her like this. This was the real Avery, not the businesswoman.
‘You think I don’t have a weakness?’ He slid his hands into her hair and tilted her head. ‘My weakness is you, habibti. It’s always been you. And Richard knew it. He knew exactly what to say to cause maximum havoc. And his plan was a spectacular success. I lost my cool.’
Her beautiful eyes were bruised and wary. ‘Sorry, but I just can’t imagine that.’
‘Try. It was bad.’ Mal’s mouth twisted into a smile of self-mockery. ‘Very bad. You want details? Because it wasn’t pretty. I lost control, just as Kalila told you.’
‘I didn’t believe her. You never lose control.’
‘Everyone has a breaking point. He found mine with embarrassing ease. I’d planned to ask you to marry me. To do it “properly”. I knew we were happy together. I knew you were the woman I wanted to spend my life with. It was an unfortunate coincidence that Richard confronted me before I’d had a chance to have time alone with you.’
