skin. His breath caressed the tip of her nose, his gaze dipping to her mouth. âYou didnât wonder what would happen if I came back and turned your life upside down. You didnât expect this current that comes to life when we look at each other. Do you have a plan for what to do in this twisted situation weâre in?â
Emotion, that emotion she wanted to see in him, it coated every word. This unbidden fire between them, for all his forcing the matter, he didnât like or want it any more than she did.
âDo you think your life is still completely in your control?â he asked.
âIt would be if you werenât so determined to play games with me.â
âI havenât done one thing today that I wouldnât have even if you werenât the most beautiful, most infuriating, the strangest creature Iâve ever met.â
A soft gasp left her mouth at the vehemence in his words.
The small sound reverberated in the quiet cabin.
Releasing her, he stepped back, his gaze a wintry frost again. Glanced at her with unease. As if he didnât know what had happened.
âYou are the problem, Riya. Not me. It rattles you when I come near you, when I lay a finger on you. You fight it by attributing motives to me. Tell me youâll sell the estate, and Iâll have the pilot turn the plane around. Tell me youâve had enough.â
âWhy are you fighting me so much on this?â she said, desperation spewing from her. âWhat do you lose by talking to Robert a few times? What do you have in there, a big hard rock for a heart?â
Her attack took him by surprise. A scornful twist to his mouth, he stared at her. And Riya could literally see the minute he decided she wasnât worth it. Whatever it was.
Perverse disappointment flooded her and she stood immobile in its wake.
âI have no heart. At least not a working one.â His mouth barely moved, his jaw clenched tight. âIâll never forgive him for what he did to my mother. He let her down when she needed him. Flaunted his affair with Jackie in her face. Just the mere thought of him fills me with anger, reminds me of my own weakness.â
CHAPTER FIVE
R IYA STRAIGHTENED IN HER leather seat as they touched down on the runway. She had spent the entire flight alternately staring at the screen and catching sneaky glances of Nathan. He, however, seemed to have very effectively removed her from his mind.
The new software model that he had demanded loomed high at the back of her mind, but she was way too restless to focus.
As much as it galled her, the infuriating man was right.
All these years, she had drowned herself in work, focused on the estate and Robert and Jackie. Had spent it all denying herself a normal life.
What was the point in inviting anyone into her life when all she faced in the end was pain and disappointment? When, inevitably, she would be deserted? A small mistake, and look how easily Drew had walked away from her. Wasnât it better than the hurt that followed if she allowed herself to form any kind of attachment, to constantly look inside and wonder what she was lacking?
For years, she had wondered why her father had given up on her so easily, why she wasnât enough for Jackie as she struggled herself...
Safer to focus on work, to develop her career. At least, the results were dependable. But it also meant she was woefully unequipped to deal with her attraction to Nathan. And all the ensuing little things she was sharply becoming aware of.
Simple things like how different the texture and feel of his hand was against hers. How the scent of him invaded her senses when he stood so close. How there was a constant battle within her between reveling in what he evoked and fear that she was losing control.
How slowly but surely his words were beginning to affect her...
As she followed him down the planeâs stairs, she stilled on the second step, taking in the vast expanse of
Emotion, that emotion she wanted to see in him, it coated every word. This unbidden fire between them, for all his forcing the matter, he didnât like or want it any more than she did.
âDo you think your life is still completely in your control?â he asked.
âIt would be if you werenât so determined to play games with me.â
âI havenât done one thing today that I wouldnât have even if you werenât the most beautiful, most infuriating, the strangest creature Iâve ever met.â
A soft gasp left her mouth at the vehemence in his words.
The small sound reverberated in the quiet cabin.
Releasing her, he stepped back, his gaze a wintry frost again. Glanced at her with unease. As if he didnât know what had happened.
âYou are the problem, Riya. Not me. It rattles you when I come near you, when I lay a finger on you. You fight it by attributing motives to me. Tell me youâll sell the estate, and Iâll have the pilot turn the plane around. Tell me youâve had enough.â
âWhy are you fighting me so much on this?â she said, desperation spewing from her. âWhat do you lose by talking to Robert a few times? What do you have in there, a big hard rock for a heart?â
Her attack took him by surprise. A scornful twist to his mouth, he stared at her. And Riya could literally see the minute he decided she wasnât worth it. Whatever it was.
Perverse disappointment flooded her and she stood immobile in its wake.
âI have no heart. At least not a working one.â His mouth barely moved, his jaw clenched tight. âIâll never forgive him for what he did to my mother. He let her down when she needed him. Flaunted his affair with Jackie in her face. Just the mere thought of him fills me with anger, reminds me of my own weakness.â
CHAPTER FIVE
R IYA STRAIGHTENED IN HER leather seat as they touched down on the runway. She had spent the entire flight alternately staring at the screen and catching sneaky glances of Nathan. He, however, seemed to have very effectively removed her from his mind.
The new software model that he had demanded loomed high at the back of her mind, but she was way too restless to focus.
As much as it galled her, the infuriating man was right.
All these years, she had drowned herself in work, focused on the estate and Robert and Jackie. Had spent it all denying herself a normal life.
What was the point in inviting anyone into her life when all she faced in the end was pain and disappointment? When, inevitably, she would be deserted? A small mistake, and look how easily Drew had walked away from her. Wasnât it better than the hurt that followed if she allowed herself to form any kind of attachment, to constantly look inside and wonder what she was lacking?
For years, she had wondered why her father had given up on her so easily, why she wasnât enough for Jackie as she struggled herself...
Safer to focus on work, to develop her career. At least, the results were dependable. But it also meant she was woefully unequipped to deal with her attraction to Nathan. And all the ensuing little things she was sharply becoming aware of.
Simple things like how different the texture and feel of his hand was against hers. How the scent of him invaded her senses when he stood so close. How there was a constant battle within her between reveling in what he evoked and fear that she was losing control.
How slowly but surely his words were beginning to affect her...
As she followed him down the planeâs stairs, she stilled on the second step, taking in the vast expanse of
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