“Calm down, sweetheart,” Colin said gently, completely calm himself and, in the face of it, she went from irrational to insane.
“Don’t tell me to calm down! You never leave me in bed without –”
She stopped abruptly and lifted her hands to the sides of her hair, shifting the heavy masses away from her face and holding them up.
“I thought something happened to you.” This came out as an accusation and after she voiced it, Sibyl glared at him as if it was entirely his fault.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” Colin explained.
“Well, I’d rather you wake me than have the living daylights frightened out of me first thing in the goddess-damned morning,” she snapped.
His gaze dropped lazily to her thighs and she looked down, realising her hands in her hair brought the t-shirt up to show a hint of the lacy, lilac underwear her sister had cajoled her into buying.
She dropped her arms instantly.
“Come here.” Now his voice was pure silk, his eyes were warm and her bones showed signs of beginning to melt.
Regardless of all that, it was still morning and she was still very grumpy.
“No. My head’s pounding and I’m in a very bad mood.”
He gave her one of his lazy smiles while noting, “You’re always in a bad mood in the morning.”
“Stop being all teasing and sweet. I’m telling you, I’m not in the mood,” she warned.
“Am I being teasing and sweet?” he asked, while, she noted, being teasing and sweet.
In answer, she growled.
“Sibyl, come here,” he ordered.
“Why?” she shot back.
“So I can help with your mood,” he tempted, his eyes, if possible, growing warmer.
“How are you going to do that?” she queried warily, even as she moved forward. She didn’t allow him to answer because she knew by the look in his eye what the answer was. She tried to change the subject. “And who were you talking to on the phone?”
“A private investigator.” Colin arms stole around her when she arrived within reaching distance and she lifted her hands to rest on his upper arms.
At her wide-eyed look at his statement, he continued, “I’ve engaged him to put a team together to find the men from last night.”
“The police –” she started.
“I want them first,” Colin stated, the warmth in his eyes gone in a flash, they were glittering like shards of ice.
“Colin.”
“Quiet Sibyl, we’re not discussing this. I’m handling it. You’re not to interfere.”
This was not what Sibyl wished to hear at the best of times but certainly not in the morning.
Therefore her eyes narrowed dangerously. “I beg your pardon?”
“They held a knife to your throat,” he reminded her curtly, clearly not used to explaining himself and only doing so because he knew she’d rocket to the moon on the fuel of her anger if he didn’t.
“You can’t circumvent justice,” Sibyl pointed out impatiently. “The police will deal with them.”
“The police can have them after I’m done with them.”