“I think I’ll turn in for the night,” she said after a few moments of anguished silence. “It was a long day and I want to get a head start in the morning.”
He heard her, but didn’t trust himself to look at her again. Whether it was embarrassment at his hesitation or his lack of trust in the raging beast inside him, he didn’t know.
“Sure. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He heard her walk down the hall, then the door close to her room. Only then did he exhale, lean forward, and drag his hands through his hair.
Fuck. He hadn’t been prepared for this. Everything else, yes. This, no.
He stood, trying to shake off the effects that lightning bolt of sensation had caused.
He’d had Isabelle all set up, primed, relaxed and ready. With a little coaxing, he could have gotten what he wanted.
And maybe an unexpected bonus.
But that wasn’t what he was here to do.
He walked to the side of the yacht, his fingers curling tight to the rail as he tilted his head back, searching the heavens for answers to his dilemma.
Could he really do this assignment? Even if it meant taking that next step with Isabelle, knowing what he was, what he was capable of?
It was his job. He had to do his job, no matter what it entailed.
Even if his job included succumbing to the most sinful, sultry temptation.
He’d walked down that road before, hadn’t he? It wasn’t like the result could be any worse than the last time he’d chosen hell over heaven.
CHAPTER EIGHT
After last night’s oh-so-clear rejection, Angelique had done her best to steer clear of Ryder. She had gone straight to bed, and spent the entire next day going about her business and ignoring him. Not that she really had any business to do. She was stuck in this house with a man who had no desire to be there with her.
Though that wasn’t true. At least the desire part. Evidence of said desire had been quite clear last night, yet he’d still pushed her away-which both insulted and intrigued her.
Fine. That wasn’t the purpose of their being together anyway. It would mean complications neither of them wanted or needed, so he’d been right to put a stop to it. He’d been the levelheaded one; she’d been all gooey and emotional and passionate. She’d have pressed on, and that would have been a mistake.
Thankfully, one of them had common sense. Her mother had always told her that her passion and curiosity would land her in trouble, that she was too open, too willing to give her heart. That she should be more wary. But that just wasn’t Angelique’s nature.
She should probably start remembering her mother’s advice and save herself some heartache.
Something about Ryder sparked her, though. She’d been attracted to men before and never done anything about it. So what was it about him that made her so stupid?
She rolled her eyes and looked out the kitchen window. Ryder was outside talking on his cell phone. Frowning. News, maybe? Should she even bother to care?
She’d had breakfast, lain by the pool the better part of the day until her skin had turned prunish, then taken a shower and fixed dinner. Just a salad with some leftover chicken that Ryder had barbecued the night before. She supposed she could wander out there and let him know it was ready.
She stepped out the door and toward him. His frown deepened when he saw her approach.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Lou,” he said. “We should stay put here. Isolating them from each other keeps the demons from centralizing everyone. I think that’s what they want, everyone in a single location.”
What was he talking about? Or who?
She waited while he listened.
“I am trying to find out,” he continued. “Do you think I’d still be here if I already knew?”
She arched a brow. She knew what he was talking about. The black diamond. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, impatiently waiting for him to get off the phone.
“I don’t know. Nothing’s happened here yet, so we’re safe for the moment. But that could change. I’ll let you know.”
He hung up and turned to her.
“What?” she asked, observing the tension in his muscles.
He seemed reluctant to say anything. Something big was happening.
“Ryder, tell me.”
“Dalton found your sister.”
Dread mixed with excitement, her stomach flipping over. “Where? Is she all right?”
“She’s fine. She’s in Malta on an archaeological dive.”
Angelique exhaled, then sat on the chaise lounge. “Thank God. When do we leave?”
“We don’t.”
She stared up at him, his face shadowed by the falling sun behind him. “What?”
“We’re not leaving, Angie. We’re staying put.”
Oh, no. They weren’t going to do this to her. “I need to see my sister.”
“That’s the worst possible thing we could do.”
“Why?”
“Because putting you and Isabelle in the same place is exactly what the Sons of Darkness want.”
“It is not. They don’t care at all about me. They want Isabelle.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do know that. If they wanted me, they had a shot at me in Australia. They know I’m worthless to them.”
He sat in the chaise next to hers. “Angie, there’s a lot we don’t know about them, about their motives and plans. It’s best to keep you and your sister separated for now.”
Then it struck her. “You’re doing this to punish me because I won’t tell you where the black diamond is hidden.”
His narrowed gaze showed his anger at her statement. “No, I’m doing this to keep you safe.”
She didn’t believe him. “Ryder, I have to see Isabelle. I need to talk to her, to find out where she’s been, what’s been going on with her. Something’s wrong.”
“Dalton said she’s fine. He’s watching over her.”
“Dalton doesn’t know her like I do.”
“He doesn’t need to know her to keep her safe.”
Panic bubbled through her bloodstream, a sense of urgency the likes of which she’d never felt before. Even though they were outside in the open air, she felt closed in, like she couldn’t breathe. She had to get out of here, and to Malta. The need to see Isabelle was overwhelming, the sense of danger multiplying by the second.
But what could she do? Ryder would never let her leave.
She knew then what she’d have to give up. “I’ll give you the black diamond if you take me to Isabelle.”
He looked at her like she’d just sprouted two heads. “What?”
“I’ll take you to the black diamond. The Realm of Light can have it. I just want to see my sister.”
He stood, walked a few steps, then turned to her. “I don’t believe you. What kind of game are you playing now, Angie?”