now. At least he turned his head in her direction. The dark sunglasses he wore prevented her from seeing if Seth was actually looking at her. Completely unnecessary sunglasses considering it hadn’t been a sunny day to start with and was already starting to get dark.
Except, as the eyes were reputed to be the windows to the soul, the sunglasses prevented Diana from being able to discern any of Seth’s thoughts.
“Do you have a problem with that?” he prompted dryly.
“I…We…It only has one bedroom.” Diana’s cheeks burned hotly.
“So?”
“So it’s my bedroom.”
He gave a mocking inclination of his head. “I’d assumed so as it’s your apartment.”
“There’s only one bed.”
“I’d assumed that too.”
“Where are you going to sleep?”
Dark brows rose above the sunglasses. “Where would you like me to sleep?”
At a hotel.
Or in another room in her apartment.
At least in a separate bed.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake…” Seth muttered his obvious impatience with this conversation. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I’m not about to ask for sexual favors in exchange for helping you,” he explained as she eyed him questioningly.
Her chin rose. “You would be wasting your time if you did.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.” The look she gave him dared him to contradict her. To even mention her lack of control earlier.
“Fine.” He nodded tersely. “But how the hell do you expect me to protect you if I don’t stay at your apartment with you?”
Good point, Diana acknowledged with a wince. She had been so intent on having Seth believe her, in enlisting his help, she hadn’t thought this far ahead. But, of course, it was stupid to expect—or want—him to stay at a hotel. The whole point of his being here was so that he could protect her while he helped her unravel exactly why these things were happening to her at all.
“I’ll sleep on the sofa if that will help assuage your puritan little heart,” Seth bit out harshly.
“It’s a chaise,” she corrected. “I rented the apartment already furnished, and there’s no way you would ever fit comfortably on a chaise.” His shoulders were wider than the delicate piece of furniture, for one thing, and his legs would hang over the end by at least a foot too. “I’ll sleep on it.”
The whole conversation on the subject proved to be a complete waste of their time when they arrived at Diana’s apartment and found it was as wrecked as her hotel room had been earlier.
Actually, it was worse, Seth acknowledged with a pained grimace, because this was where Diana had made her Parisian home, and everything in it—apart from the furniture—belonged to her. It meant something to her if she had carried it all the way here with her from England.
Not a single drawer or cupboard had been left untouched, or a single item of clothing left in the wardrobe or dresser, all of the crockery smashed on the floor of the small kitchen area. Someone had taken a knife to the mattress on the bed and the soft furnishings—including the chaise—as well as the paintings on the walls.
It seemed to Seth that the crockery and paintings were destruction for destruction’s sake.
As was the trampling of the decorated Christmas tree and the wrapped presents beneath it.
Someone was getting seriously pissed off at not being able to find whatever it was they were looking for.
Seth’s mouth thinned at how ashen Diana’s face had become as she stood in the middle of the mess that was her sitting room and adjoining kitchen. “The man following you obviously has an accomplice here in Paris.”
“Yes.” That look of defeat was back on Diana’s face.
“Look, we don’t have to stay here. We can go to—”
“No!” Her eyes glittered as she glared at him. “I’m not going to allow these people to hound me out of my own home.” Her shoulders straightened with determination. “I’ll tidy up, throw out what’s beyond repair, and order a new mattress
Except, as the eyes were reputed to be the windows to the soul, the sunglasses prevented Diana from being able to discern any of Seth’s thoughts.
“Do you have a problem with that?” he prompted dryly.
“I…We…It only has one bedroom.” Diana’s cheeks burned hotly.
“So?”
“So it’s my bedroom.”
He gave a mocking inclination of his head. “I’d assumed so as it’s your apartment.”
“There’s only one bed.”
“I’d assumed that too.”
“Where are you going to sleep?”
Dark brows rose above the sunglasses. “Where would you like me to sleep?”
At a hotel.
Or in another room in her apartment.
At least in a separate bed.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake…” Seth muttered his obvious impatience with this conversation. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I’m not about to ask for sexual favors in exchange for helping you,” he explained as she eyed him questioningly.
Her chin rose. “You would be wasting your time if you did.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.” The look she gave him dared him to contradict her. To even mention her lack of control earlier.
“Fine.” He nodded tersely. “But how the hell do you expect me to protect you if I don’t stay at your apartment with you?”
Good point, Diana acknowledged with a wince. She had been so intent on having Seth believe her, in enlisting his help, she hadn’t thought this far ahead. But, of course, it was stupid to expect—or want—him to stay at a hotel. The whole point of his being here was so that he could protect her while he helped her unravel exactly why these things were happening to her at all.
“I’ll sleep on the sofa if that will help assuage your puritan little heart,” Seth bit out harshly.
“It’s a chaise,” she corrected. “I rented the apartment already furnished, and there’s no way you would ever fit comfortably on a chaise.” His shoulders were wider than the delicate piece of furniture, for one thing, and his legs would hang over the end by at least a foot too. “I’ll sleep on it.”
The whole conversation on the subject proved to be a complete waste of their time when they arrived at Diana’s apartment and found it was as wrecked as her hotel room had been earlier.
Actually, it was worse, Seth acknowledged with a pained grimace, because this was where Diana had made her Parisian home, and everything in it—apart from the furniture—belonged to her. It meant something to her if she had carried it all the way here with her from England.
Not a single drawer or cupboard had been left untouched, or a single item of clothing left in the wardrobe or dresser, all of the crockery smashed on the floor of the small kitchen area. Someone had taken a knife to the mattress on the bed and the soft furnishings—including the chaise—as well as the paintings on the walls.
It seemed to Seth that the crockery and paintings were destruction for destruction’s sake.
As was the trampling of the decorated Christmas tree and the wrapped presents beneath it.
Someone was getting seriously pissed off at not being able to find whatever it was they were looking for.
Seth’s mouth thinned at how ashen Diana’s face had become as she stood in the middle of the mess that was her sitting room and adjoining kitchen. “The man following you obviously has an accomplice here in Paris.”
“Yes.” That look of defeat was back on Diana’s face.
“Look, we don’t have to stay here. We can go to—”
“No!” Her eyes glittered as she glared at him. “I’m not going to allow these people to hound me out of my own home.” Her shoulders straightened with determination. “I’ll tidy up, throw out what’s beyond repair, and order a new mattress
Similar Books
