“Mmmhmm.” Violet nodded, staring at the paper. She traced her finger over the lettering. “Some of these characters are darker than others. That must be part of the clue.” She folded up the letter; she’d figure it out later. Right now, she couldn’t stop thinking about that brief press of his mouth against hers. Damn it, what was wrong with her? One day in his company and she was salivating over him just because he ate a good pu**y? Jesus. Did she have no morals? He abandoned her when she was nineteen and pregnant. Why did she care if his eyes lit up when he was excited about something, or if he’d been a great kisser? None of that mattered if he was a terrible person, and he was.
He was just like her father, using people for his own means.
She glared icily at him when he smiled back at her, determined not to be swayed by his charm. “So now you’re going to drag me off to London, I take it?”
His exuberant expression died slowly, his face smoothing. “Unless you think we should start with Egypt?”
Violet shrugged. “I’m just the hired help. You’re the one calling the shots.”
He nodded, lost in thought, and tucked his letter into his jacket. He turned back to the owner of the house and gave her another charming smile. “I cannot thank you enough, madam.”
“You could give me one of those fancy cars you sell,” she told him, and then tittered behind a liver-spotted hand, her curlers jiggling.
He bowed over her hand as if responding to a command. “It’s done. I’ll have one delivered.”
Her eyes widened into two circles. “I—Mr. Lyons, I didn’t mean—I was just teasing—”
“I know,” he said. “But I shall insist.” He took her hand in his, kissed the back of it, and grinned. “Cherry red?”
She gave him an awestruck nod.
Again, Violet had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. If the man was going to give a car to every person he ran across, he’d be broke in days. That was no way to run a business, Violet thought grumpily.
They thanked the woman once more and Jonathan texted her information to his assistant, and then they headed back out to the waiting car.
Once they were inside, Jonathan grabbed her and dragged her across the seat toward him.
“Jonathan—”
His mouth covered hers, and he kissed her again. Shocked, Violet remained frozen as he pulled her against him and his lips coaxed hers apart. Memories blasted through her, along with his kiss. Memories of his excitement on the dig; he’d never been more turned on than when they had an breathtaking discovery. Adrenaline made him hard as a rock, whether it was from archaeology or something else. It appeared that adrenaline was pumping through him right now, and he’d forgotten that she hated him.
She tried to pull away, but his tongue slicked against hers, and she weakened. It coaxed into her mouth, firm, decisive thrusts that were just as intense as the man himself. His hand moved to her nape and he held her against him, groaning her name between hot, fevered kisses. “Violet. God, Violet.”
The way he said her name made her ni**les harden. Her mouth parted under his and she fell into his spell. The flavor of him was sweet against her mouth, tasting faintly of mint. His lips were firm against hers, as insistent as his grip on her. When his tongue thrust into her mouth and then curled along her own, she moaned. Oh, God, he’d always been such a good kisser. He knew just how to push her buttons—
Violet gasped, realizing what she was doing. She was kissing the man she hated above all other men. The man who had betrayed her and left her, without a care in the world.
She jerked away from him, hauling backward. “No, Jonathan!”
“Violet,” he murmured, and the look in his eyes was sleepy with lust.
She slapped him across the face.
That got his attention. He pulled away, clearly surprised at her violent response. He released her and his hand went to his jaw. “My apologies. I didn’t realize you were so unwilling.”
“I will always be unwilling with you,” she hissed. “You think you can just waltz back into my life and throw me into your bed like nothing has happened?”
The look in his eyes grew intense again. “If I could throw you into my bed this moment and know you would stay there? I would in a heartbeat, Violet.”
“No,” she cried furiously. “You don’t get to touch me! Ever again!”
He raked a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. “I realize we parted badly, Violet, but f**k. We were two stupid kids. Can’t we be adults about this?”
“‘Be adults about this’?” She laughed, the sound hysterical. “You’re the one pawing me every chance you get.”
“I love you, Violet,” he said quietly, his tone deathly earnest. No loud crowing of affection for Jonathan; just quiet, solemn intensity. “I never stopped loving you. Ever. I want you back.”
She trembled, her entire body shaking violently with the force of emotions swirling through her. “You lost my love when you abandoned me.”
He shook his head. “I was nineteen, Violet. What nineteen-year-old wants to settle down and raise a family?”
“You should have thought about that before you got me pregnant!”
He stilled.
She sucked in a breath. The look on his face was terrible in its bleakness.
“What . . . did you say?” He could have been carved from granite, for all the emotion he showed.
“I was pregnant and you still abandoned me,” Violet said softly, because screaming at him in the face of such stillness seemed . . . unnatural. “Don’t pretend like you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t.” He sounded deflated.
“I told you I wanted to go home and start a family immediately. And when that wasn’t clear enough, I left you a note.”
“I never got a note.”
She didn’t know what to think of that response. “Well, you don’t have to worry. I lost the baby a month later, so I’m not going to hit you up for child support.” All her anger was exhausting her. She’d carried it for so long, and spewing it now just felt . . . lackluster. She shook her head. “Look. I just want you out of my life, all right? Whatever we had between us died ten years ago. I want this done so I never have to see you again.”
He stared at her.
He kept staring at her for so long, utterly still, that she grew unnerved. “What?” she snapped.
“There was a baby?” The words were calm, flat.