felt like the opposite of that earlier? She’d allowed her imagination and her lust to mislead her yet again.
He didn’t respond. He just stared at her, his jaw tight, his face like a shadowed, hard mask.
“Jacob?” she whispered, searching his face for some hint of their former, charged . . .
amazing
connection.
“I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this,” he said.
It stung more than she either expected or liked, that he could be so aloof after what had just happened. Annoyed at herself for making more of their sexual encounter than she should have, she shoved her feet off the lounger in the opposite direction from him and tossed the pillow aside. She grabbed her discarded dress and stood. Pointedly avoiding looking at him, she stepped into the opening of the garment and slipped it up over her arms.
Why didn’t he say anything? What was he, some kind of a robot, to make love to her with such pointed tenderness and heat, and then to act so coldly?
What was
she
? An idiot, to have been so taken in by him?
“I didn’t mean to offend you.”
She looked up from buttoning her dress.
“Then why are you acting so distant all of sudden?” she demanded, fury making her voice tremble slightly. She felt very vulnerable. “I mean, granted, we agreed this was just sex, but
really
? Talk about running hot and cold, with nothing in between.” She bent to grab her discarded sweater, the garment making the memory of his touching it and her breasts at once, of his wry teasing about a sweater fetish, rush into her consciousness.
“You don’t understand,” he said. His terse tone struck her as condescending, like she was a stupid child.
“No,” she agreed hotly, shoving her hands into the armholes of her sweater. “I
don’t
understand you. So why don’t you just take me home?” She bent and snagged her underwear and walked to the front of the chaise lounge, where she snapped up her sandals. “I’ll be downstairs.”
“Harper—” he said sharply, and yes. There it was. There was barely restrained fury in his tone. What did
he
have to be mad about? She turned around, completely confused, but half-hopeful he’d say something to apply a bandage to their quickly unraveling date. She couldn’t figure out how things had gotten so volatile.
“Don’t walk away from me.”
“Why?” she demanded after a pause. “What is it you want to say? Jacob?”
His mouth remained hard, his posture stiff. She waited. Apparently, he didn’t want to say anything. He just didn’t like it when people walked away from him. Undoubtedly he was the one used to doing the walking.
“Never mind. Just take me back,” she said, straining to keep her tone even. He didn’t deserve to see how upset he was making her. She was dizzy with confusion. The only thing she knew for sure was that this had been a mistake. “Please.
Now
,” she grated out before she turned and around and took the steps to the lower deck two at a time.
Keep reading for a preview from Beth Kery’s suspenseful and sensual novel, GLOW. Available now from Berkley.
It was the second time in a week that Dylan awoke in the dark room to find his arms empty. Instinct told him that it was still too early for him to escort Alice to the camp, a clandestine ritual they went through every morning before dawn. Neither of them wanted the Durand managers to know that Alice, who was a candidate to become a Durand executive, had taken up with the CEO of the company. What was between Alice and him was complicated, and it was their business alone.
At least for now it was. Dylan wasn’t sure how long he could keep Alice and Durand Enterprises in separate spheres. For all intents and purposes, Alice
was
Durand Enterprises. She just didn’t want to—or couldn’t—accept that reality as of yet.
He reached blindly, finding his cell phone on the bedside table. He squinted at the time. No, he’d been correct. It was only a few minutes past two in the morning, way too
He didn’t respond. He just stared at her, his jaw tight, his face like a shadowed, hard mask.
“Jacob?” she whispered, searching his face for some hint of their former, charged . . .
amazing
connection.
“I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this,” he said.
It stung more than she either expected or liked, that he could be so aloof after what had just happened. Annoyed at herself for making more of their sexual encounter than she should have, she shoved her feet off the lounger in the opposite direction from him and tossed the pillow aside. She grabbed her discarded dress and stood. Pointedly avoiding looking at him, she stepped into the opening of the garment and slipped it up over her arms.
Why didn’t he say anything? What was he, some kind of a robot, to make love to her with such pointed tenderness and heat, and then to act so coldly?
What was
she
? An idiot, to have been so taken in by him?
“I didn’t mean to offend you.”
She looked up from buttoning her dress.
“Then why are you acting so distant all of sudden?” she demanded, fury making her voice tremble slightly. She felt very vulnerable. “I mean, granted, we agreed this was just sex, but
really
? Talk about running hot and cold, with nothing in between.” She bent to grab her discarded sweater, the garment making the memory of his touching it and her breasts at once, of his wry teasing about a sweater fetish, rush into her consciousness.
“You don’t understand,” he said. His terse tone struck her as condescending, like she was a stupid child.
“No,” she agreed hotly, shoving her hands into the armholes of her sweater. “I
don’t
understand you. So why don’t you just take me home?” She bent and snagged her underwear and walked to the front of the chaise lounge, where she snapped up her sandals. “I’ll be downstairs.”
“Harper—” he said sharply, and yes. There it was. There was barely restrained fury in his tone. What did
he
have to be mad about? She turned around, completely confused, but half-hopeful he’d say something to apply a bandage to their quickly unraveling date. She couldn’t figure out how things had gotten so volatile.
“Don’t walk away from me.”
“Why?” she demanded after a pause. “What is it you want to say? Jacob?”
His mouth remained hard, his posture stiff. She waited. Apparently, he didn’t want to say anything. He just didn’t like it when people walked away from him. Undoubtedly he was the one used to doing the walking.
“Never mind. Just take me back,” she said, straining to keep her tone even. He didn’t deserve to see how upset he was making her. She was dizzy with confusion. The only thing she knew for sure was that this had been a mistake. “Please.
Now
,” she grated out before she turned and around and took the steps to the lower deck two at a time.
Keep reading for a preview from Beth Kery’s suspenseful and sensual novel, GLOW. Available now from Berkley.
It was the second time in a week that Dylan awoke in the dark room to find his arms empty. Instinct told him that it was still too early for him to escort Alice to the camp, a clandestine ritual they went through every morning before dawn. Neither of them wanted the Durand managers to know that Alice, who was a candidate to become a Durand executive, had taken up with the CEO of the company. What was between Alice and him was complicated, and it was their business alone.
At least for now it was. Dylan wasn’t sure how long he could keep Alice and Durand Enterprises in separate spheres. For all intents and purposes, Alice
was
Durand Enterprises. She just didn’t want to—or couldn’t—accept that reality as of yet.
He reached blindly, finding his cell phone on the bedside table. He squinted at the time. No, he’d been correct. It was only a few minutes past two in the morning, way too
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