Read Online Silver Linings by Jayne Ann Krentz - Free Book Online

in front of him.
    “You will apologize for that crack,” he said, his tone verging on the lethal. “You will tell me you are very, very sorry you said that. You will say you know it's not true. And you will say it now.”
    Mattie looked pointedly down at his hands on her arms. “Sure, Hugh. I'll say anything you want me to say. You're a lot bigger and stronger than I am and I'm trapped here with you, so you just tell me what you want to hear and I'll say it.”
    He stared down at her in a kind of awed wonder. “You're really determined to push your luck, aren't you?”
    “What luck? I've had nothing but bad luck since I hit Purgatory. Please let me go, Hugh.”
    “Not until you apologize, by God. We'll stand here like this all day if that's what it takes.”
    She believed him. “All right, I'm sorry I implied Aunt Charlotte was trying to buy you. There. Satisfied?”
    For a few seconds it did not look as if he was satisfied in the least. Then, with a short, explicit oath, Hugh released her abruptly. He jammed his fingers through his hair. “You really know how to get to me, don't you? You know all the right buttons to push.”
    Mattie stood tensely, watching him. “Hugh, this is crazy. We have got to stop arguing. Who knows how long we're going to be together in this mess?”
    He slid her a long glance. “Doesn't it mean a damn thing to you that I've spent the last eight months trying to make up for the stupid mistake I made a year ago?”
    She clasped her hands together. “That's just it. You didn't make a mistake last year. You were right to reject my utterly ridiculous offer. We're all wrong for each other, Hugh. I realize that now. What I can't figure out is why you've changed your mind.”
    “Well, it sure as hell isn't because Charlotte Vailcourt promised to promote me or give me a fat bonus if I marry you,” he retorted.
    Mattie chewed her lower lip. “I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I was so angry. Dear heaven. I never lose my temper. I don't know what got into me.”
    Hugh was quiet for a long while. The only sound in the cavern was the hollow echo of water slapping at rock. Then his mouth curved faintly at one corner. “Well, I'll be damned.”
    Mattie eyed him suspiciously. “What's so funny?”
    “Nothing. I was just thinking that maybe it's a good sign you're trying to stick pins in me whenever you get the chance.”
    She blinked. “A good sign?”
    “Yeah. Think about it.” His smile broadened into a satisfied grin. “You wouldn't be so prickly about our relationship if you'd really lost interest in me, would you? You wouldn't have gone out of your way to avoid me this past year if you didn't give a damn any longer. You're nervous around me because you're still attracted to me and you're afraid of being hurt again. That's what this jumpy behavior on your part is all about. I'll lay odds on it.”
    Mattie's brows rose. This was a whole new side to the man. “Since when did you become an authority on interpersonal relationships?”
    “You like to think I'm some sort of Neanderthal in the sensitivity department, don't you, Mattie? Why is that? Because it makes you feel superior?”
    “It isn't just my opinion, you know,” she murmured.
    “We're talking about Ariel again, I take it? Hell, I already know she thinks I'm something out of the Stone Age. That's why she got interested in me in the first place. She was using me as inspiration for her damned painting. Don't you think I eventually figured that out?”
    Mattie flushed and coughed slightly to clear her throat. “I, uh, hadn't realized you were aware of it precisely, no. When the two of you came back from Italy together and announced your engagement, you looked so damned pleased with yourself, Hugh.”
    He rubbed the back of his neck. “I was pleased. Ariel's a beautiful woman and the timing was perfect. I was getting set to quit doing odd jobs for Charlotte and start working full time at my own business on St. Gabe. I was looking