Why do you do that?
She paused and looked up. Do what?
He pointed to the waffle. Cut your food so precisely.
Startled, she glanced down at her plate then felt herself flushing with embarrassment. Freak. Always a freak.
I dont know, she said. I suppose its just a habit. She laid down the knife and fork and then folded her hands in her lap, her enjoyment of her food suddenly gone.
Ah, damn, I didnt mean to upset you, East muttered.
Ally made herself smile. Dont be silly. I dont get upset.
That cold, emotionless wall had gone up between them again and East found himself resenting its presence. By God, he was going to get an emotional response from her, even if it was nothing but anger.
Yes, you do. Everyone does at one time or another.
Ally bristled. She hadnt known this man even twenty-four hours and he thought he knew what she was thinking?
Listen, Mr. Kirby, you dont know me, so how can you sit there and pretend you know my behavior patterns?
The flush on her face had gone straight to her cheeks. They were fiery with anger, matching the glitter in her eyes. East leaned back in his chair, satisfied with what hed done. She didnt know it yet, but she would thank him one day for putting her mind on something besides the hell that had driven her here.
You gonna eat that? he asked, pointing to the leftover food on her plate.
Prepared for another stinging rebuttal, his question took her off guard. UmmI, uhdont suppose.
Good, he said, and pulled the plate in front of him, then picked up the waffle like a piece of toast and took a hearty bite. As he chewed, his eyebrows arched in surprised appreciation. Then he swallowed. Not bad, he said. Not bad, at all, and opened his mouth again.
Suddenly, Ally regained her sense of self and snatched the waffle out of his hands just in time to save it from another bite.
I changed my mind, she said. You eat what you ordered and Ill eat mine.
Ally stared down at her plate and the chaos hed made of the waffle. Sighing, she reached for her fork when she heard him clear his throat. She looked up, glaring at the smug expression on his face. Damn him. Theres nothing wrong with being a little bit fussy about ones food.
What? she asked.
He shrugged, as if to say he didnt know what she was asking.
Thats what I thought, she snapped. As she began trimming off the uneven spot hed bitten into, she heard him chuckle.
Just because I dont want to share my food, doesnt mean theres anything wrong with me, she muttered.
Easts grin stilled. He leaned forward. Ally.
What? she mumbled, refusing to look up.
I was just teasing you. There isnt a damn thing wrong with you, do you hear me?
She paused, letting an old pain resettle itself around the region of her heart. Then, just to prove she was as outrageous as the next, she set her jaw and cut a reckless swath through the chilling waffle, slashing off a diamond-shaped bite, rather than her usual, perfect square. Then she gave him a take that look and stuffed the bite into her mouth just as their waiter appeared with Easts breakfast.
East hid a grin as the waiter set down his food. Moments later, he dug into his scrambled eggs and bacon. As he ate, he couldnt help thinking theyd never tasted so good and wondered if it was the waffle appetizer that had piqued his appetite, or the company he was in. Either way, for a day that had started off so chaotically,
it was turning into something very interesting.
Chapter 4
He paced the floor between windows and walls, his anger growing at the latest news hed just received. A courier had just been arrested at the Iranian border carrying highly classified documents. Documents that led straight back to him. And if that wasnt damning enough, there was the matter of one-hundred thousand dollars recently deposited into his personal bank account that he could not explain.
Damn, damn, damn it to hell, Jonah growled, then pivoted sharply and slammed his fist into a wall.
If it wasnt for the Presidents intervention, the Attorney General would already be issuing a warrant for his arrest. He didnt know how much longer he could fend off these assaults on his credibility and character. Immediately his thoughts went to Alicia Corbin. Before, hed been willing to give her plenty of time to play on Easton Kirbys guilt, but this latest stunt with the foreign courier changed everything. Whoever was trying to ruin him was escalating the incidents. Time was no longer on his side. Shed been there almost a week and he needed to know what was happening at Condor Mountain Resort, because if East couldnt be persuaded to help, he was going to be forced to look to someone else. But to whom? The only reason hed approached East in the first place was because he didnt know who else to trust.
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