come faster and faster until her eyes fell to his mouth. Her lips parted in anticipation. She arched up onto her toes, her arms rising—
He clamped his hands around her wrists and backed away. He shook his head once, sharply. Either to say no or to clear his head, but either way he dropped her hands and turned away.
With long, no-nonsense strides, he walked back along the shore, up the rocky incline toward the crumbling pillars.
No.
“Wait just a minute, Charles Tomas.” She left men. They did
not
leave her. “You can’t look at me that way, touch me that way, and just walk off. You insisted on coming with me tonight. A man doesn’t throw around signals all evening the way you have without feeling something. You’re damn right I deserve better, from my father and from you.”
He braced his shoulders and continued walking. Hisleaving, after a day too full of disappointments, pierced her bubble of frenzy.
“Do not turn your back on me,” she shouted after Charles and, yeah, maybe at her father, too. “I won’t follow you. I mean it. I am not moving from this spot.”
He kept walking, not missing a step, as if he hadn’t even heard her.
Her chest tightened, and she gulped in heaving breaths of the humid night air. “Do you know what they’ll do to you if you show up at the
Fortuna
with that car without me in it? You won’t be in any shape to deal cards for quite a while.”
That stopped him. The roll and retreat of pounding waves filled the silence. Her threat may have been mean and small, but she didn’t care. Any reaction was better than being ignored.
Her heart had been pretty much yanked out of her chest while still beating this evening, so if she was operating now without it, she had a damn good excuse.
He pivoted back toward her, slowly, looming above her in the stone archway. Moonlight slashed across his scowl. “Finished with your temper tantrum?”
Temper tantrum? She’d flown halfway around the world for a man who didn’t care to see her. A man who dared to call her daughter. A man who would be happy to go the rest of his lifetime without another visit from his
beloved
daughter. “I’m just getting fired up.” Jolynn flung the words at him like rocks from the crumbling ruins, knowing full well she was being unfair and yet completely powerless to rein it in. Yes, she was shouting but who the hell cared.
Not that there was anyone to hear her now, the tourists disappearing, finding their way into distant bars and restaurants.
Leaving the rocky beach to the two of them.
She drew in a shaky breath. “This has been one of the worst days of my life.”
Okay, the day Uncle Simon died and she’d realized the depth of her family’s dirty business had been far, far worse, but times like this brought that one right back to the fore until it felt like she was in the middle of that horrific moment all over again. “Say something, damn it.”
“Poor little rich girl didn’t get all the attention she wanted from Daddy. What a tough life you and your cousin Lucy must have lived, tearing up the town with your old man’s money.” He shook his head. “You’re breaking my heart to bits.”
His disdain grated over her as he stood silhouetted by moonlight. Like an avenging angel, he dispensed judgment on her superficial existence. As if she hadn’t worked her ass off to create a life in Dallas that didn’t involve her father. As if she still collected some kind of trust fund allowance for being part of a richly corrupt clan. Pale beams shone through the loose folds of his shirt, outlining his trim waist, his broad chest.
Surprise, surprise. He thought she was another airhead heiress just like half the women traveling on the
Fortuna
this week. She felt herself deflate, knowing this argument wasn’t worth the time. That he had every reason to think that of her when he didn’t know her at all.
Slowly, she climbed up the incline until she faced him, toe to toe, heated breath to breath. “I
He clamped his hands around her wrists and backed away. He shook his head once, sharply. Either to say no or to clear his head, but either way he dropped her hands and turned away.
With long, no-nonsense strides, he walked back along the shore, up the rocky incline toward the crumbling pillars.
No.
“Wait just a minute, Charles Tomas.” She left men. They did
not
leave her. “You can’t look at me that way, touch me that way, and just walk off. You insisted on coming with me tonight. A man doesn’t throw around signals all evening the way you have without feeling something. You’re damn right I deserve better, from my father and from you.”
He braced his shoulders and continued walking. Hisleaving, after a day too full of disappointments, pierced her bubble of frenzy.
“Do not turn your back on me,” she shouted after Charles and, yeah, maybe at her father, too. “I won’t follow you. I mean it. I am not moving from this spot.”
He kept walking, not missing a step, as if he hadn’t even heard her.
Her chest tightened, and she gulped in heaving breaths of the humid night air. “Do you know what they’ll do to you if you show up at the
Fortuna
with that car without me in it? You won’t be in any shape to deal cards for quite a while.”
That stopped him. The roll and retreat of pounding waves filled the silence. Her threat may have been mean and small, but she didn’t care. Any reaction was better than being ignored.
Her heart had been pretty much yanked out of her chest while still beating this evening, so if she was operating now without it, she had a damn good excuse.
He pivoted back toward her, slowly, looming above her in the stone archway. Moonlight slashed across his scowl. “Finished with your temper tantrum?”
Temper tantrum? She’d flown halfway around the world for a man who didn’t care to see her. A man who dared to call her daughter. A man who would be happy to go the rest of his lifetime without another visit from his
beloved
daughter. “I’m just getting fired up.” Jolynn flung the words at him like rocks from the crumbling ruins, knowing full well she was being unfair and yet completely powerless to rein it in. Yes, she was shouting but who the hell cared.
Not that there was anyone to hear her now, the tourists disappearing, finding their way into distant bars and restaurants.
Leaving the rocky beach to the two of them.
She drew in a shaky breath. “This has been one of the worst days of my life.”
Okay, the day Uncle Simon died and she’d realized the depth of her family’s dirty business had been far, far worse, but times like this brought that one right back to the fore until it felt like she was in the middle of that horrific moment all over again. “Say something, damn it.”
“Poor little rich girl didn’t get all the attention she wanted from Daddy. What a tough life you and your cousin Lucy must have lived, tearing up the town with your old man’s money.” He shook his head. “You’re breaking my heart to bits.”
His disdain grated over her as he stood silhouetted by moonlight. Like an avenging angel, he dispensed judgment on her superficial existence. As if she hadn’t worked her ass off to create a life in Dallas that didn’t involve her father. As if she still collected some kind of trust fund allowance for being part of a richly corrupt clan. Pale beams shone through the loose folds of his shirt, outlining his trim waist, his broad chest.
Surprise, surprise. He thought she was another airhead heiress just like half the women traveling on the
Fortuna
this week. She felt herself deflate, knowing this argument wasn’t worth the time. That he had every reason to think that of her when he didn’t know her at all.
Slowly, she climbed up the incline until she faced him, toe to toe, heated breath to breath. “I
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