‘Didn’t it occur to you, even once, my father was not implying my moral values when he said I was like Shawna?”
‘To my shame no ”
‘Why?” The bewilderment in her voice tore at his heart.
‘Did I do something to make you believe that?”
‘don’t understand.”
He hated admitting what drove him, but she deserved the truth. ‘I wanted you.”
‘yes, that has been well and truly established.”
‘I could not have you if I believed you to be a virgin.”
‘Because you were not thinking marriage.”
‘Si. ” Anger and disgust with himself made his teeth grind together.
He had been considering marriage a year ago, but not with her. He had not wanted the volatile feelings he associated with his humiliation at Sofia’s hand to be part of his married life and Elisa elicited the most violent of feelings in him. Both passion and possession.
‘So you convinced yourself I was a well-used cherry tree ripe for the picking.”
He winced at the analogy, but nodded a short sharp movement of his head.
‘Because of Sofia?”
‘Because of my own stubborn pride, all right?” He hated this kind of talk. Acknowledging emotions was bad enough. Discussing them was torture.
‘AII right.”
Again the silence.
He kept expecting her to push for more. Did not women always want to dissect the emotions of a situation until they were laid bare in every way for their edification? Yet, she said nothing.
They arrived back at the house. He helped her from the car and she thanked him, but she did not re-open the conversation.
That bothered him. It was as if it was not important enough to her to pursue.
Heaven knew he did not want to discuss his feelings, but still he felt cheated. She should want to.
If she cared about him.
She had not repeated any declarations of love since their reunion. Perhaps all tender feelings for him were gone, but she did not respond in his arms like a woman who felt nothing more than sexual gratification.
What they shared when their bodies joined was sacred.
Perhaps she was attempting to distance herself from him again. Go back to that place she had been for the last year where she had not needed him, had in fact wanted nothing to do with him. He was not about to let that happen.
He led her into the house but did not give her the chance to go to her own room.
He simply swung her into his arms and carried her up the stairs.
She looped her arms lightly around his neck her expression too indecipherable for his liking.
‘Where are you taking me?”
‘To bed ”