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Chapter Sixteen
“I can’t believe it. You almost got us arrested by the police... In the most compromising situation.” As soon as she climbed into his car, Susan unleashed her fury, shouting. “If my brothers or Kasem ever heard of this mess, they would lock me up to punish me, and they would kill you to wash away the family dishonor.”
“Don’t exaggerate. We’re in the twenty-first century.” He started the car and drove away, hoping she would soon calm down.
“Not over there where men are omnipotent, and women have to obey them. How could you do that to me?”
“Sweetheart, calm down. Nobody will find out anything. Next week we’re going away to Indianapolis, and we’ll forget the story—”
“You’ll forget. Not me.” Her head spun toward him, her gorgeous eyes sparkling with anger. “Besides, I’m not going anywhere with you. You’re a magnet for trouble.”
“Susan, please, don’t say that. We’ll have fun. We’ll spend hours together, three full days together, alone.”
“Nope, I’m not coming. I’m done taking risks to be with you.”
Damn it, what could he say to convince her not to make a big hullabaloo out of the incident?
“It’s not such a big deal. In a few years, we’ll laugh about it, and we’ll have a fun story to tell our grandkids.” He regretted his words as soon as he blurted them and frowned, worried by her heavy breathing, and the clenching and unclenching of her fingers over her knees.
“Go to hell, Royce.”
His gut twisted. “You don’t mean that. You know I love you, babe. I can’t stay away from you,” he crooned into her ears, his voice a soft murmur, and glanced at her.
Her eyes filled with tears. “I love you, too, but right now I need space to think. I’ve done everything for you. You haven’t done a thing to solve our problem.”
“Not true.” But he couldn’t say more.
“Stay away from me, Royce. And don’t say anything else.”
He winced at her haunted looks, sighed, then turned into her street.
“I’ll call you.” He stopped the car in her driveway.
“No.”
“Then I’ll text you.” He bent to kiss her.
She averted her head, opened the door, and jumped out, running to the house, her heels clacking on the stones.
Crushed, he watched her disappear inside.
How could such a lovely evening have degenerated into such a mess?
Desperate and missing her already, he drove to his condo, determined to drown his own sorrow in a glass of scotch.
At home, he found Kasem slumped in a chair in the living room, a mournful expression on his face, and a glass of scotch in his hand. “How come you’re home so early?”
“My life sucks.”
Interested, Royce tilted his head, arching his eyebrows. “Why? Where’s Tracy?”
“She sent me packing, and I don’t know how to fix the problem.”
Welcome to the club.
“What happened?”
“I don’t understand women. We were making love, and I was telling her how much I love her. Suddenly, she pushed me and jumped out of bed, saying she was fed up with hearing empty words. I was no better than the others, all talk and no action. I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. She was like a fury, shouting that unless I showed her that I love her, I wouldn’t see her again.”
