‘If it’s an apology you want...’
‘No.’ She’d overreacted. She was the one who ought to be apologising.
‘I’m sorry. I should have let you know where we were. I lost track of time and you understandably got worried. It won’t happen again.’
‘It’s okay. It doesn’t matter.’
His blue eyes. You could always tell what was going on in Edward’s head by those eyes. Now they were dark, as if an old anger had seized him.
‘It does. I know that I can’t really understand because I’m not a parent....’
‘What?’ Where had that come from?
‘I’m not stupid. I know what people think of me.’ He turned away from her, one hand slicking his hair back across his head. ‘That I’m too bound up with my books to even notice what’s going on under my nose.’
Not that again. ‘Face me, Edward.’
‘Is that better?’ When he turned, his face was brooding, angry from the hurt that seemed to have steeped in his soul for a long time now.
‘A little bit.’
This was like a crazy game. Each trying to drive the other away, protect themselves, and yet fascinated by each other.
Unable to resist the temptation to dig deeper. Charlotte stepped forward. ‘Touch me.’
He looked at her as if she’d gone stark, staring mad. If she’d taken a moment to think about what she’d just said then she would have agreed with him completely.
‘Like this?’ His fingers trailed the line of her jaw. ‘Or this?’
His other arm snaked around her waist in a strong, domineering motion and suddenly she was pressed against him. She should have known better than to taunt Edward.
Charlotte reached up, cradling his jaw in her hands. Not even the fact that Isaac was in the next room could stop her now. ‘Now. Listen to me.’
‘I’m listening.’
He was listening all right. She had every piece of his attention, from the strong curl of his body to the ever-fascinating eddies of his mind. It was all-encompassing, irresistible.
Charlotte took a deep breath. ‘You should have let me know where you were, but I should have trusted that Isaac would be safe with you.’
‘And...?’
His anger had subsided and she could feel the tautness of his frame relax against hers. Melting, almost...
‘I just...’
‘Find it hard to trust?’
Was she that transparent? ‘Yes. I suppose I do. It’s a big world out there, and Isaac’s starting to be interested in it. My job is to keep him safe, make sure that he’s got what he needs, and...’
‘Let him go. Just a bit, maybe.’
‘Yeah. Just a bit.’ She reached up and touched the side of his face with her fingertips. ‘Who says that you don’t understand?’
He let her go abruptly. Probably just as well. Their bodies seemed to have taken on a life of their own. Moving against each other with an almost imperceptible but blissful friction.
He shook his head as if to clear it. ‘It’s not rocket science. You’ve had to fend for yourself and Isaac for a long time, now. Isaac’s father, the one person who should be helping you, is only making things worse. You’ve had to struggle to make ends meet, and been chased out of your home by debt collectors. I would think that trust issues go hand in hand with that.’
‘Hmm. Life’s a bit more complicated than rocket science sometimes.’