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She felt him stiffen, and her stomach flipped over. The sense that they were so far from what they used to be made her ache. But her smile didn’t falter for a moment.
“You are very lucky she is so understanding of your one-eyed work ethic. I do not think there are many women who would put up with being ignored for a stack of boring documents,” Luciana commented with a shake of her head.
“Believe me, mother, I do not ignore Ava.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
ONLY HE DID IGNORE her. He ignored her in the golf cart, on the way back to the boat. He ignored her when it pulled up on the sand near the jetty, and when the suited driver opened the door to let them out. He ignored her as they walked, side by side, neither touching the other, up the ramp to the boat, and he ignored her once they were finally alone.
Addie looked at him from beneath shuttered eyes, confusion making her quiet when she was full of questions. Questions about his mother and father, about their relationship with Santiago, about Guy’s closeness to them. Questions about the island and its caves, and his time here as a child. About the games he’d played and the exploring he’d done, about all the things she’d never known about him.
Curiosity was a beast within her, begging for release, thrashing its way through her nervous system. But anxiety caged it.
“Are you okay?” She heard herself ask quietly, all her doubts evident in the single, softly-voiced question.
“Si.”
“Guy?” She moved to stand in front of him, a frown spreading across her face. “What is it?”
His eyes might as well have been cast from ice. “Nothing, querida.” This time, he spat the word at her as though it were venom in his mouth. “What could possibly be bothering me? Not your acting skills, certainly.”
Addie’s brows knit closer together. “You’re pleased with how tonight went?”
“Oh, yes,” the words were filled with anything but pleasure.
“Then why are you behaving like…”
He stared at her for a moment, and her heart skidded in her chest, bumping to a stop. She tried not to focus on the depth of his eyes, eyes that were devouring her, that she wanted to read like a book.
“The ease with which you lie is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
Addie’s frown was just a slight smudge on her face. His words hurt , but she wasn’t offended. She knew nothing about the evening had been a lie – not for her. “Isn’t that why you brought me here?”
“Yes,” he nodded, turning away from her and shrugging out of the jacket he’d worn to dinner. “I just didn’t believe I could think less of you than I already did.” The words were scathing.
Addie’s blood gushed at the indictment. “That’s highly unfair.” She said after a moment’s pause. “You told me I had to give a stunning, realistic performance or else our deal would be off.”
“So I did.” He angled his head, so that she could see his profile. “It certainly makes me see our ‘relationship’ through new eyes.”
“You know that’s different. I wasn’t pretending then.” I’m not pretending now. The words hovered on her tongue, but she didn’t say them. Fear kept them locked inside of her.
“You’ll understand why I find that impossible to believe.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Guy, because that month in London was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced. Being with you…”
“Stop,” he spun around to face her, and his chest moved in time with the force of his breathing. His eyes, cold and angry, locked to hers, pinning her to the spot, and tension arced around them, splicing Addie’s nerves in two. She pressed her fingertips into a nearby bench for support, but she didn’t look away. She didn’t move away.
Fear was welling inside of her, but she knew how important it was to make Guy believe her. To speak the truth.
“Guy,”
“Do not talk about the past,” he interrupted warningly. “It is the last thing I wish to discuss.”
“Fine,” Addie murmured, concealing – with difficulty – the frustrations that were slicing through her. She took a step closer, her eyes unflinching as she moved nearer to this impossible brute of a man. “Let’s talk about the present.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, and said nothing. She took this as an invitation to continue. Yes, she was terrified, but fear was no barrier to imperative, and she needed to convey her feelings to Guy. To help him understand.
“You were angry at me when you left London.”
