couldn’t offer them. Not now. Perhaps, not ever.
Chapter Eight
H e sat across from a silent Dinah in the hotel’s upscale restaurant. They’d wished up some appropriate clothes for her, but that’d been the extent of the conversation. He’d moved too fast.
It had taken one of his brothers years to convince his s hareek hayat, his mate and partner for eternity, to join him. He thought Dinah would be different. They had a connection. A damned good one too. Or so he’d thought. “You can stop white knuckling the pepper shaker. I’m not going to press you into anything.”
“It’s not that.”
“I shouldn’t have told you. It slipped.”
“It’s not the kind of thing you keep from a person.”
“Because telling you worked out so well? If I wasn’t supposed to tell you and I wasn’t supposed to keep it from you, what the hell option did I have? I didn’t plan this.”
“Fine.”
“Can you at least try to look at me? Thank you. Dinah, I just want to date you. Take you out and see what happens. You can leave at any time. I’ll scrape up the broken pieces of a wasted existence and—”
“That’s not funny.”
“At least you’re smiling. Kind of. I mean it, though. Everything is up to you. This thing only works one way. I don’t expect you to love me, not yet. I know I have to work for it.”
She took the lamp and chain she’d had balled up in her hands and laid it on the table next to his phone. “So you won’t be upset if I get on that plane? Alone?”
Even the idea of it had his stomach in knots. Telling her that, though, would make the situation worse. “I’ll be back in Galveston in a week. I guess I’ll call you then. Is that alright?”
“I’d like that. A little time to process, that’s all I’m asking. So...good. I’m gonna get my things from the room and hit the airport ahead of time.”
“At least finish your food.”
“I’m not really hungry. If I go now, maybe I’ll get an early flight. That’s not a wish, by the way.”
“Sure.” He couldn’t let her go without a kiss. Dinah leaned to meet him half way, then stiffened and he knew he had an uphill battle ahead of him. “I’ll walk you up.”
“Stay and finish your lunch. It’ll be better for both of us. Please, understand. All of this – I mean. I’ll only be five minutes and then I’ll head straight to the shuttle.”
“Of course.” He stood up to watch her leave over the partition. For the first time since meeting her, she didn’t’ look back. His chest burned with a heart that ached as if someone else held his lamp. That’s what a lamp was anyway. Heart and home. And his had just disappeared into an elevator.
He’d fight to keep her. No question of that. Djinn had gone mad convincing mates to stay. Some turned to unspeakable things. Not him. He’d woo her unrelentingly and would enjoy watching her fall for him. If there were any competitors for her love, he’d squash them. He’d felt he truth of their future and with a little patience, he’d find a way to show it to Dinah.
He tried for a soul cleansing breath, but the tightness in his chest only doubled. That meant one thing - Dinah was on the move again and away from him. She must be in the airport shuttle already.
Impossibly, the vise around his heart made another turn, this one tripling the pain already left by Dinah’s exit. He patted the empty space around his neck and turned around.
A certain redhead stood at their table. He was only an arm’s length away, but it was enough for her slip into Dinah’s seat. He didn’t have to look to know that the space beside his phone would be empty.
Karlin turned around and smiled, holding his lamp in her palm. It glinted under the florescent lights as she twirled it in the air. Two disasters in rapid succession.
“I’ll take that back, now.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’d love to. I did a little bit of research in my room, genie. I believe you and I have a lot to talk about.”
“Hand
Chapter Eight
H e sat across from a silent Dinah in the hotel’s upscale restaurant. They’d wished up some appropriate clothes for her, but that’d been the extent of the conversation. He’d moved too fast.
It had taken one of his brothers years to convince his s hareek hayat, his mate and partner for eternity, to join him. He thought Dinah would be different. They had a connection. A damned good one too. Or so he’d thought. “You can stop white knuckling the pepper shaker. I’m not going to press you into anything.”
“It’s not that.”
“I shouldn’t have told you. It slipped.”
“It’s not the kind of thing you keep from a person.”
“Because telling you worked out so well? If I wasn’t supposed to tell you and I wasn’t supposed to keep it from you, what the hell option did I have? I didn’t plan this.”
“Fine.”
“Can you at least try to look at me? Thank you. Dinah, I just want to date you. Take you out and see what happens. You can leave at any time. I’ll scrape up the broken pieces of a wasted existence and—”
“That’s not funny.”
“At least you’re smiling. Kind of. I mean it, though. Everything is up to you. This thing only works one way. I don’t expect you to love me, not yet. I know I have to work for it.”
She took the lamp and chain she’d had balled up in her hands and laid it on the table next to his phone. “So you won’t be upset if I get on that plane? Alone?”
Even the idea of it had his stomach in knots. Telling her that, though, would make the situation worse. “I’ll be back in Galveston in a week. I guess I’ll call you then. Is that alright?”
“I’d like that. A little time to process, that’s all I’m asking. So...good. I’m gonna get my things from the room and hit the airport ahead of time.”
“At least finish your food.”
“I’m not really hungry. If I go now, maybe I’ll get an early flight. That’s not a wish, by the way.”
“Sure.” He couldn’t let her go without a kiss. Dinah leaned to meet him half way, then stiffened and he knew he had an uphill battle ahead of him. “I’ll walk you up.”
“Stay and finish your lunch. It’ll be better for both of us. Please, understand. All of this – I mean. I’ll only be five minutes and then I’ll head straight to the shuttle.”
“Of course.” He stood up to watch her leave over the partition. For the first time since meeting her, she didn’t’ look back. His chest burned with a heart that ached as if someone else held his lamp. That’s what a lamp was anyway. Heart and home. And his had just disappeared into an elevator.
He’d fight to keep her. No question of that. Djinn had gone mad convincing mates to stay. Some turned to unspeakable things. Not him. He’d woo her unrelentingly and would enjoy watching her fall for him. If there were any competitors for her love, he’d squash them. He’d felt he truth of their future and with a little patience, he’d find a way to show it to Dinah.
He tried for a soul cleansing breath, but the tightness in his chest only doubled. That meant one thing - Dinah was on the move again and away from him. She must be in the airport shuttle already.
Impossibly, the vise around his heart made another turn, this one tripling the pain already left by Dinah’s exit. He patted the empty space around his neck and turned around.
A certain redhead stood at their table. He was only an arm’s length away, but it was enough for her slip into Dinah’s seat. He didn’t have to look to know that the space beside his phone would be empty.
Karlin turned around and smiled, holding his lamp in her palm. It glinted under the florescent lights as she twirled it in the air. Two disasters in rapid succession.
“I’ll take that back, now.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’d love to. I did a little bit of research in my room, genie. I believe you and I have a lot to talk about.”
“Hand
Similar Books
