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“It matters to me. Setting aside the fact that it’s hard to stomach the idea of losing the First Lady, I’m ambitious.”
“Yeah? How ambitious?”
“Ambitious enough to know that finding Aurora gets me noticed by the director, the Secretary, even the President.”
She gazed at his earnest, unlined face. “Lots of people are ambitious, hotshot. It’s doing the work that’s hard.”
His eyes skimmed from her graying hair to her slightly overweight body. “Oh, I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble keeping up with you.”
He’d thrown down the gauntlet, and she smiled. “Yeah? Well, we’ll see about that, little boy. We’ll see which one of us knows the most about how to find a missing First Lady.”
Both girls were cranky, so Nealy ordered room service for them and pretended she wasn’t annoyed with Mat for not returning. Lucy watched a movie, then fell asleep with Button curled beside her. Nealy showered, strapped the detestable padding around her middle, and slipped into her nightgown.
When she came out of the bathroom, she was startled to see Mat standing in the open doorway between their rooms. He was barefoot and his T-shirt hung out of the denim shorts he’d changed into earlier. His body seemed even larger silhouetted against the light, and despite the two girls sleeping on the bed, she felt as if they were very much alone.
She spoke softly, her tone light. “So you decided not to abandon us after all?”
“I want to talk to you.”
His low, harsh tone made her uneasy. “I’m tired. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
“We’re going to talk right now.” He jerked his head toward his room. She thought about refusing, but something in his expression told her it would be a waste of breath.
He shut the door behind them, and his eyes were wintry. “I don’t like being lied to.” Although he hadn’t touched her, she realized she was backed against the wall. “What do you—”
Her words got lost as he caught the hem of her nightgown and pulled it up. She tried to jerk away, but he clasped her arm.
“Stop it!”
He stared down at her, taking in the pillow tied to her waist and the lavender lace panties just below.
She struggled, pushing against his chest, but he was too strong for her. “Let me go.”
He’d seen what he wanted, and he slowly released her.
The fabric slid back down over her legs. She tried to push past him, but that big solid body was in the way.
His eyes bored through her. “You haven’t told me the truth about anything.”
He knew her pregnancy was phony, but did he know who she was? She tried to swallow her panic. “I—I told you I wasn’t endangering you or the girls. That’s all that counts.”
“Not in my book.”
“We can talk about this in the morning.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” He caught her shoulder and pushed her into the chair.
In all her life, no one had ever manhandled her, and she was so astonished she sputtered. “That was uncalled for!”
He splayed one hand on each arm of the chair, caging her. A cold finger ran down her spine as she gazed up into those hard eyes. This man had rough edges that she couldn’t even begin to comprehend.
“Play time’s over, princess. Let’s start with your real name.”
Her name? He didn’t know who she was! She gulped for air. “Don’t call me that,” she managed. “And Kelly is my real name. My maiden name.” She’d been thinking on her feet all her life, and she struggled to put a story together. “There’s no reason for you to know my married name.”
“You’re married?”
“I’m . . . divorced, but my ex-husband won’t accept it. His family is very powerful, quite wealthy. I—I need some time to . . . to—” What? Her mind went blank. She regarded him haughtily. “My personal life is none of your business.”
