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“How did you sleep?” He ran his hand up her arm, his fingertips dancing over her skin leaving a trail of electricity in their wake.
“Fine,” she lied tersely, standing up quickly and scanning the room for her underclothes. They weren’t there. Fragments of the night before came back to her. The way they’d made love in the lounge room, then bathed together. She swept her eyes shut on the sensual imagery that was tormenting her anew. Nausea filtered through her, biting her mouth.
“Sarah?” The single word made her cheeks flush with misplaced guilt.
“Yes?”
“Is something the matter?”
She shook her head. “Not at all.” She was a bad liar. “But I have to get back to Lexi.”
“It’s still early,” he said, but the words were laced with the hardness that should have signalled to her, years earlier, that he was a powerful ruler. “Surely you do not have to rush off yet?”
“It was hard enough for me to get away for the night,” she said with an attempt at a smile. “By the time my flight lands it’ll be midday…”
His eyes narrowed speculatively. “Your flight is booked for this afternoon.”
“I changed it,” she murmured.
“You didn’t say anything about this last night.”
“Didn’t I?”
“You know you didn’t. You’re running away.”
“I’m running away?” She repeated angrily, her eyes flashing to his with barely-concealed resentment. “That’s rich, coming from you.”
He compressed his lips at her justified quip. “What’s happened?”
“What do you mean? Nothing’s happened.”
“Last night, we made progress. And yet this morning, you are mad at me once more…”
Her face paled. “Progress? Progress? My God, Syed. What do you think we’re progressing to? You came back after half a decade and propositioned me. Sex for money. There’s no progress from that.”
A muscle jerked in his cheek.
“This is crazy. I shouldn’t have come.” She stalked through the room, yanking the door inwards angrily. It took her a moment to get her bearings. The bedroom was further down the hallway, and she looked left then right before moving quickly into the enormous living space.
The dress had been draped over a chair, her shoes put neatly beneath it.
Servants must have come in at some point and tidied up after them. She would have been embarrassed if she wasn’t so damned angry. And the worst of it was that she couldn’t even direct that anger at Syed.
It had all been Sarah’s fault.
She should never have come.
Eventually he would have got the message and left her alone.
“I don’t want you to go.” The words were quietly spoken, and when she spun around, his brow was crinkled, his face wearing a mask of complete confusion. “I need you to stay.”
“Stay?” She repeated, fishing her underpants off the chair and pulling them on. “Why? For more closure?”
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not true.”
“Why am I not s
urprised,” she snapped. “Another lie.”
