begin to function in the mornings but she was blowed if she was going to admit that he was right about anything today. She shrugged, taking the tray as he came to stand close to the bed before nodding her thanks. ‘Not really,’ she lied coolly. ‘Either are fine.’
‘Funny, I’d got you down as a tea girl.’
He’d got her down as a lot of things as he’d made only too plain the night before. After taking the tray she refused to look at him, keeping her eyes on the teacup. ‘Really?’ she said, putting a wealth of disinterest into the one word.
‘You’re mad at me.’
Dignified contempt, remember, she warned herself silently. She raised flinty brown eyes. ‘Why would I be mad at you?’ she asked coldly.
‘I don’t know, unless it’s because I’ve made you face up to a few things.’
The sheer arrogance took her breath away, that and the way the tight black curls on his broad chest—visible through the loosely tied robe—gleamed like oiled silk in the sunshine spilling into the room. ‘Hardly,’ she said stiffly.
‘You sulk beautifully.’
The thread of amusement in his voice was reflected in the quirk to his mouth and Cory was sorely tempted to throw the tea over him. She just couldn’t bear to spoil the exquisite broderie anglaise cover on the quilt, though—that and the inch-thick cream carpet. Besides, she told herself, she’d decided on cool disdain and that was what she was sticking to. ‘Where is the nearest railway station?’
‘Why?’ he asked calmly.
‘Isn’t it obvious?’
‘Not to me.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t dream of bothering you to run me back to London when you’ve only just got here,’ she said with heavy sarcasm.
‘Good.’ He had been standing looking down at her but now he sat on the bed. Cory’s senses went into hyperdrive. ‘But you aren’t going anywhere other than to do some shopping with me today, so cut out the childish tantrums and finish your tea.’ He leant forward as he spoke, depositing a firm but swift kiss on her lips before standing again and walking to the door. ‘I mean it, Cory,’ he said evenly, all amusement gone from his face and voice. ‘You’re spending the weekend here. You’re meeting my family. End of discussion.’
She glared at him, hot colour burning her cheeks. How could he make her feel like a recalcitrant child when he had been the one who was way out of line? ‘You can’t keep me here by force,’ she said tightly.
‘No, I can’t, nor would I want to.’ He stood with his hand on the door handle, eyeing her with the piercing blue gaze which seemed to look right into her soul. ‘I was being cruel to be kind last night, can’t you see that?’
‘I thought that was the excuse people normally trot out when they are caught mistreating someone or something.’
‘Then you thought wrong, in this case at least. I spoke as I did because I care, Cory. Think about it.’ He opened the door and exited the room before she could answer.
She sat, trying to ignore the dull ache in the region of her heart that his last words had produced. She wanted to stay mad at him. She needed to stay mad at him. By his own admission he had been cruel last night. How could he say he had been like that because he cared about her?
Her parents had never had sufficient interest in her to tell her any home truths, either as a child or a young woman.
The thought hit her with the force of a ten ton truck. She couldn’t remember a time when they had actually focused on her or got angry with her like Nick had done last night, she thought sickly. They had spoken sharply many times, usually to send her back to her room if she had left it for too long or if she was asking for their attention over something or other. But to take time to think about her or worry about her or even wonder why she behaved the way she did just hadn’t been in their scheme of things. They hadn’t cared enough.
She sat quite still, the tea cooling in her hand. Nick had said he cared. He’d also said he loved her before he had gone to Germany. But what exactly did he mean by that? How much? How much did he care?
With the tea now quite cold she got out of bed and carried the cup into the bathroom, tipping the contents down