“Do… not… bloody well… move,” he bit out, shoved away from her and stalked to the door.
She thought it best to do as he said. The caged lion had definitely been freed.
He pulled the door open and, luckily, it swung in such a way as to hide Sibyl from whoever was on the other side. Sibyl closed her eyes as she heard the conversation.
“If anyone else comes up here –” Colin’s voice was barely controlled.
“Your mother, Claire and I are going to Walton Park Hotel. I’m going to take the Godwin’s home first.” Sibyl heard his father’s voice speaking, his tone indicating solemn understanding at Colin’s plight.
“Fine,” Colin gritted out.
Sibyl sat up and looked across the room at the back of the door, her face flaming.
“Is Sibyl all right?” Mike asked quietly, his voice now filled with concern.
“She is right now,” Colin answered his father, his words filled with foreboding.
There was a hesitation and then muttered good-byes.
Colin closed the door with a finality that rocked Sibyl and caused her to scramble to her knees as Colin angrily moved toward the bed.
And, in an extreme act of self-defence, she blurted out a semi-fib that was part truth and part lie, “I’m not telling you about what happened between Royce and me because…”
He stopped at the side of the bed and stared down at her, his face a mask of fury. “Yes?” he prompted.
“Because of Royce, he wasn’t even kissing me. He was kissing her.” She wasn’t entirely certain that was exactly true, but she thought it sounded good. “It was his moment to say good-bye and it seemed…” She stopped, not able to find the word as Colin’s angry face didn’t change one iota. She finally found it. “Private.”
“Sibyl.” He voiced her name quietly.
“Yes?” she asked hopefully, wishing very much to get in the car with Mike and her family and go home to her bed, her thoughts and figure out what was to become of her future.
“You’re a very bad liar.” His voice was lethal.
Gone was her dream of escape.
Especially when his arm shot out and dragged her forward.
“Colin.”
He didn’t answer. To her disbelief, he’d located the zipper at her back and, expertly, slid it down.
“Colin!” She pushed against the arm that was still around her waist as his other hand pulled her dress up. She could just not believe he was undressing her. They were arguing, for goddess’s sake!
His eyes locked on hers. “If you fight me Sibyl, I swear to God –” he started.
“What am I to you?” She had to know.
“Until you decide to start talking, our deal stays as it is, you’re mine, for five months.”
Her mouth dropped open.
Nothing had changed.
Not one thing.
Except, she knew she was the one who could stop it if she just told him who she was, what she was, why she took the fifty thousand pounds and all about her dream of a true love.
And none of this she could tell him. Not now, and, until she could trust him, maybe not ever. She’d rather him leave her later, than now. She’d rather have a few months of him, even angry, then just a few weeks. She couldn’t bear to think of how he’d react if he knew the truth.