squared her shoulders against the seat to stare straight ahead.
His hard gaze bored into her for several seconds before he turned the ignition key to start the motor. It was a heavy, oppressive silence that dominated the atmosphere on the incredibly long ride to the office. Tamara felt crushed by it, but didn’t know how to ease its weight.
When Bick braked the car to a stop in front of the building, her hand unerringly found the door handle. Before she could slide out of the car, his fingers were gripping her elbow.
“I’m sorry.” Bick ground out the words as if he’d never said them before. Tamara remained poised on the edge of the seat, the door open, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “I am sorry!” he repeated angrily. “Is it so wrong that I wanted to be with you, that I wanted to spend an entire afternoon with you? I lashed out at you in frustration. That was wrong and unfair. And I admit it. And I’m sorry.” He spelled it all out in concise, angry words. “Will you accept that?”
Tamara sensed it was the closest he had ever come to humbling himself. It soothed the hurt he had inflicted. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. “Yes.”
With a groan, he leaned across the seat to press a hard kiss on her lips. Before it could develop into something deeper, Bick straightened. “You’d better go before I decide to forget to be sensible.”
That desirous light in his green eyes had her spirits soaring into the clouds as she stepped from the car and hurried into the building. If Bick wanted her that much, if he cared that much, then surely everything would work out better than she could ever hope.
This feeling of confidence made it hard for Tamara to be unduly concerned about the continuing audit that afternoon. She tried to keep her feet on the ground, but she kept floating off. The only question mark in her mind was when she would see Bick again.
That was answered when she left the office at quitting time. As she turned to walk to the bus stop, a car pulled up to the curb. Tamara needed only one glance to recognize the car and the driver. She slid into the passenger seat, her heart skipping beats at the way Bick automatically leaned over to give her a quick kiss of greeting. Then he was turning the car into the traffic flow.
“Where would you like to go tonight?” He gave a sidelong look that was guaranteed to make her bones melt.
But it was his question that made Tamara swallow in apprehension because she knew what her answer had to be. “I’d like to go out to dinner with you, but I have to go home.”
“Are we going to go through this again?” Bick sighed in irritation.
“I’m sorry, but I do,” she insisted quietly.
Bick didn’t argue as he concentrated his attention on the rush hour traffic, but Tamara knew the discussion wasn’t over. He was waiting untilhe could devote all of his energies to changing her mind. She only wished she could let him.
In front of her house, he stopped the car and turned in the seat to face her, draping one arm over the steering wheel. “All right. Now I want you to explain why you can’t come out with me tonight.” His mouth was compressed into a thin line that said her explanation had better be a good one.
“In the first place, my mother isn’t well and can’t be left alone for an entire evening. Plus, I earn extra money by typing in the evenings and I have some legal contracts to do for an attorney who needs them by tomorrow morning. So, you see, I honestly can’t go out with you,” she reasoned and met his searching gaze.
“All right.” He conceded that her argument was sound. “If you can’t have dinner with me, then I’ll have dinner with you.”
His suggestion sorely tempted her, but Tamara breathed in deeply and shook her head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she said with a wistful smile of regret.
“Why?” Bick demanded. “Who else is in the house? Do you have a live-in
His hard gaze bored into her for several seconds before he turned the ignition key to start the motor. It was a heavy, oppressive silence that dominated the atmosphere on the incredibly long ride to the office. Tamara felt crushed by it, but didn’t know how to ease its weight.
When Bick braked the car to a stop in front of the building, her hand unerringly found the door handle. Before she could slide out of the car, his fingers were gripping her elbow.
“I’m sorry.” Bick ground out the words as if he’d never said them before. Tamara remained poised on the edge of the seat, the door open, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “I am sorry!” he repeated angrily. “Is it so wrong that I wanted to be with you, that I wanted to spend an entire afternoon with you? I lashed out at you in frustration. That was wrong and unfair. And I admit it. And I’m sorry.” He spelled it all out in concise, angry words. “Will you accept that?”
Tamara sensed it was the closest he had ever come to humbling himself. It soothed the hurt he had inflicted. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. “Yes.”
With a groan, he leaned across the seat to press a hard kiss on her lips. Before it could develop into something deeper, Bick straightened. “You’d better go before I decide to forget to be sensible.”
That desirous light in his green eyes had her spirits soaring into the clouds as she stepped from the car and hurried into the building. If Bick wanted her that much, if he cared that much, then surely everything would work out better than she could ever hope.
This feeling of confidence made it hard for Tamara to be unduly concerned about the continuing audit that afternoon. She tried to keep her feet on the ground, but she kept floating off. The only question mark in her mind was when she would see Bick again.
That was answered when she left the office at quitting time. As she turned to walk to the bus stop, a car pulled up to the curb. Tamara needed only one glance to recognize the car and the driver. She slid into the passenger seat, her heart skipping beats at the way Bick automatically leaned over to give her a quick kiss of greeting. Then he was turning the car into the traffic flow.
“Where would you like to go tonight?” He gave a sidelong look that was guaranteed to make her bones melt.
But it was his question that made Tamara swallow in apprehension because she knew what her answer had to be. “I’d like to go out to dinner with you, but I have to go home.”
“Are we going to go through this again?” Bick sighed in irritation.
“I’m sorry, but I do,” she insisted quietly.
Bick didn’t argue as he concentrated his attention on the rush hour traffic, but Tamara knew the discussion wasn’t over. He was waiting untilhe could devote all of his energies to changing her mind. She only wished she could let him.
In front of her house, he stopped the car and turned in the seat to face her, draping one arm over the steering wheel. “All right. Now I want you to explain why you can’t come out with me tonight.” His mouth was compressed into a thin line that said her explanation had better be a good one.
“In the first place, my mother isn’t well and can’t be left alone for an entire evening. Plus, I earn extra money by typing in the evenings and I have some legal contracts to do for an attorney who needs them by tomorrow morning. So, you see, I honestly can’t go out with you,” she reasoned and met his searching gaze.
“All right.” He conceded that her argument was sound. “If you can’t have dinner with me, then I’ll have dinner with you.”
His suggestion sorely tempted her, but Tamara breathed in deeply and shook her head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she said with a wistful smile of regret.
“Why?” Bick demanded. “Who else is in the house? Do you have a live-in
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