Absolute Love: A Hot, Romantic Suspense Series, Book 3 (The Carlisle Sisters) (9 page)

"Why did you leave the house when I explicitly asked you not to, Jen?"
 
he roared.

Jennifer opened and closed her mouth several times.
 
She couldn't seem to make herself talk.

"Why?"
 
he demanded.

She squirmed and wrung her hands.

"I was so bored here and after three hours you
still
had not returned.
 
I didn't see the harm in going out for a short walk," she replied hesitantly.

"Are you a child, Jen?
 
You couldn't just wait for a few hours?"
 
he yelled.
 

"I just wanted to get out of the house.
 
The walls were closing in on me," she whispered.

"Those walls were
protecting
you.
 
Had you forgotten what happened last night?"
 
he asked incredulously.

"No, I hadn't forgotten.
 
But I needed some air.
 
I needed to--"

"To be entertained, catered to and pampered.
 
The spoiled Jennifer Carlisle needed her fix of self-indulgence and male attention.
 
Three hours had passed and she was beginning to feel the pangs of withdrawals," he snorted.
 
"Tell me, Jen, how many men groveled at your feet and swore their undying love before you were tossed into the garbage?"

London's green eyes were smoldering with sparks of rage.
 
She could understand his anger and she even appreciated how deeply he cared about her well-being.
 
What she didn't appreciate was his derogatory rant.
 
There was no need for him to speak to her as though she were a selfish narcissist.
 

"How
dare
you!"
 
she exclaimed.
 

"Oh, believe me, Jen, I
will
dare...
a lot!
"
 
he snapped.

"Well I won't take it.
 
I've been there.
 
I've done that.
 
And I won't do it again.
 
I will not allow a man to walk all over me or treat me as if I were a doormat for him to scrub his feet on," she retorted.
 
"Yes, it was wrong of me to leave the house but I will not allow you to humiliate and disrespect me just because you think you can.
 
That will never happen again."

"Then don't give a reason to," he barked.

"Not a problem," said sharply.

She quickly stood and moved toward the door, staggering for just a second before gaining her footing.

"Where do you think you're going this time?"
 
he retorted.

"The hell out of here!" she yelled.

She ran to the door.

"Jen!"
 
he yelled.

She stormed out of the house and down the path.
 
She could hear him running after her.
 
She ran as fast as she could but knew that he would soon catch her.
 
She felt his large hands clasp her bare arms.
 
She struggled wildly against him.

"Jen, stop it!"
 
he said urgently.

"No, London.
 
Let me go!"
 
she cried.

"I will not, Jen.
 
Come back to the house," he said.

"No.
 
Now let go of me," she said calmly and resolutely.

London heard the finality in her voice.
 
He released her arms.

"Jen, listen.
 
We can talk this out," he said quietly, aware that he had gone too far.

"We've
talked
quite enough. I've had my fill," she said stiffly.

She turned and moved swiftly down the street.
 
Soon she was engulfed in the crowd.
 
London let her go, watching her until she disappeared into the throng and wondering how things had gone so wrong.
 

*****
 

Jennifer lay in the hammock on her on patio, gently swinging back and forth.
 
Her head was throbbing but she refused to call London to get her pills.
 
If she died that night from excruciating pain then at least her pride would still be intact.
 

She had recalled her argument with London a million times.
 
It had exploded within a matter of seconds and all hell had broken loose.
 
She was still mad at how he had spoken to her.
 
He'd been cruel and vicious.
 
But a tiny nagging voice kept asking her if he'd been right; however badly he'd expressed himself.
 
She began to wonder if she truly
had
left the house in search of amusement to satisfy her ego.

She was used to the jet-setter lifestyle and it was the tedium and boredom of The Sea View that had brought her to Tahiti.
 
Was it a search for unbridled excitement that ultimately landed her, bruised and battered, in a dumpster?
 
It was mortifying to think that she may actually be so self-absorbing and egotistical.

As she drifted back and forth in the calm breeze, she began to realize that he'd only acted the way he had because he cared about her.
 
It sounded crazy to say that when he'd only known her for one day but, for some reason, she knew it was true.
 
And she felt the same way about him.

But despite feeling like she owed him an apology, his words hurt about as much as her head did now and she just couldn't bring herself to call him.
 
After all, she deserved an apology from him as well.
 
His words may have been accurate but his delivery was abominable.

She rubbed her temples and moaned.
 
She really wished she had her pain pills.

"Take this.
 
It will ease the pain."

She looked over her shoulder and saw London walking toward her.
 
He held a glass of water and what she guessed to be one of her pills in his closed fist.
 
He extended the glass to her and opened his palm.
 
She was right.

Jennifer did not hesitate to take his offering.
 
Without a word, she popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed a gulp of water.
 
She knew she should thank him but she couldn't push the words to her lips.
 
She was still too angry.
 
He smiled sardonically.

"Move over," he said.

She didn't move.
 
He could sit in one of the chairs if he wanted to stay.
 
But he had other ideas; simply climbing into the hammock and forcing her to scoot over.

"There are plenty of chairs that you could sit in.
 
There's no reason to practically push me out of the hammock," she pouted.
 
"I already
have
a head injury.
 
I don't need another."

"Don't worry.
 
I won't let you fall, Jen," he said.

He let out a big sigh.

"Listen," he added.
 
"I want to apologize and I want to do so with you in my arms.
 
I won't take the chance of you running from me again."

Jen didn't know what to say so she said nothing.
 
She just waited as he wrapped her in his strong arms.

"I'm sorry, Jen.
 
What I said was cruel and the words should never have left my lips.
 
I shouldn't have even thought them.
 
Will you forgive me?
 
Please?" he asked contritely.

That time she didn't hesitate to answer him.

"I forgive you," she said softly.
 
"You had every right to be angry with me.
 
I left the house knowing that I shouldn't have.
 
And it not only led to my getting hurt but it worried you half to death."

"I understand who you are, Jen.
 
I do.
 
And I know I have to be more patient as you grow and evolve," he sighed.

"You speak as though I'm emerging from a cocoon," she frowned.

"In many ways you are.
 
We all mature and hopefully grow wiser.
 
I am no exception," he said quietly.
 
"And you've been through a lot.
 
I have a good idea of what your life has been like, even more so after our argument.
 
And, as a result, you are changing.
 
Emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
 
You may not realize it but you are.
 
I have to be cognizant of your growth and allow it to happen at its own pace, not at the pace I'd like it to.
 
I lost it because I was so afraid for you.
 
But I shouldn't have spoken as I did.
 
And for that I am very sorry."

Jennifer thought about what he had said.
 
He was right.
 
She
was
changing.
 
The animosity she held toward her sisters, primarily Beth, was fading as she accepted her own faults.
 
If she took a hard look at herself, she would see a woman who was spoiled, selfish, conceited and arrogant.
 
The rich lifestyle that she'd led had turned her into a person whom people of character wanted nothing to do with.
 
She had accused Beth of being self-righteous when, in reality, it was
she
who was haughty and pretentious.
 

She'd been too jealous to be happy for Beth and Tracy because of her own sense of entitlement.
 
She'd been atrocious with them at every turn, refusing to accept the branch that they'd repeatedly extended.
 
But she was beginning to recognize the mistakes she'd made and she wanted to start over.
 
In life and with her sisters.
 
She just hoped they'd want to start over as well.

"I'm sorry too," she whispered.
 
"It was wrong of me to leave the house.
 
You made your wishes very clear and I had agreed to them.
 
It was selfish of me to disregard them and do what I wanted."

"Well, we all make mistakes; even me sometimes," he teased, anxious to return to their typical lighthearted banter.
 

She frowned at his joke and punched his arm. He laughed and squeezed her gently.

They looked out at the moonbeams reflecting on the ocean.
 
It was so peaceful and serene.
 
And as the soft breeze continued to rock them gently, they drifted off to sleep under the stars.

*****
 

"Maybe they are coming after me to get you to back off on the project," Jennifer said.

She and London sat on her terrace eating the dinner they'd had delivered.
 
When they'd woken up together that morning, still holding each other in the confined space of the hammock, London had restricted Jennifer to a day of rest.
 
They spent the day lounging around her bungalow, ordering room service and talking about everything from their past lives to London's agricultural project.
 
They were getting to know each other and, in the process, growing closer.
 

By the time late afternoon had arrived, Jennifer was feeling fine and she and London decided to call room service once again and enjoy another evening looking out at the beautiful Tahitian beach.
 
It was amazing how different a day could feel when you were with someone you cared about.
 
The day before she had been bored to tears after just a few hours on her own.
 
With London there, she couldn't think of anything else she'd rather do.

But as they sat down to eat, she'd noticed London's misgivings from across the table.
 
She knew he was thinking about the threat.
 
In fact, she had known he'd been thinking about it all day but didn't want to bring it up.
 
But the time had come.

He slowly buttered a roll as he mulled over her statement.

"That thought had entered my mind, of course.
 
How could it not after yesterday.
 
And it angers me to even
think
that you could be targeted because of me," he said tightly.

She reached across the table and covered his hand with her own.

"London, it's not your fault that they felt they could control your actions by coming after me," she said.

"I wish I knew who 'they' are.
 
They make a dirty play then hide behind a smoke screen.
 
Well, their tactics are not going to work.
 
I'll see to that," he said grimly.

"How?
 
You don't even know who attacked me or why.
 
We're only speculating as to the reason," she said.