Page 23 of Dimitri
He merely raised a brow, not in the least bit offended by her tone. "That would be a start wouldn't it? The child will needthe basics, like clothing and food and I'm sure the uncle would appreciate all the help he can get." He gestured towards her with his spoon. "You happen to have money too."
"I don't--"
"If I'm not mistaken, the stones in your lobes are diamonds and emeralds. The suit you have on is tailor-made and expensive. The cottage, we will call it that for now, has a lovely structure and sits on a very nice parcel of land." His smug smile made her want to hit him.
"I don't have the kind of money you do."
"Who does?" he shrugged elegantly. "The point is, I want to help, and you should not be allowing your pride or distrust to stand in the way of making things better for the boy."
Words failed her and she resumed eating.
"I want to see you."
"You're seeing me now."
"In private. What time will you stop working?"
"I have no idea. Late." He smiled at the cryptic response.
"I will bring over a meal."
"I did not invite you," she pointed out.
"I don't believe I need an invitation." He merely continued to eat when she glared at him.
"I'm not getting involved with you, so forget it."
"I believe we're already involved," he told her calmly.
Resisting the urge to scream, she clamped her mouth shut and picked up a roll.
"Ever thought about cutting your hair?"
"Why?"
"I like it long. I keep imagining it spilling all over my pillows." He reached over to play with a fat coil that had escaped her tidy bun.
"Then I guess I'm going to have to cut it."
"You wouldn't." His confident tone had her gritting her teeth. The man was impossible.
For a moment, silence stretched between them, charged with stubbornness and something unspoken. She glanced away, her fork tracing idle patterns on her plate. "You have an answer for everything, don't you?" she muttered, not quite able to keep the edge from her voice.
He grinned, unbothered. "Only when it comes to you."
"You've finished your meal." He sounded pleased.
To her surprise, she realized she had almost scraped the pattern off the bowl.
"I guess I was hungry." She glanced at her watch and saw to her shock that they had been inside the diner for almost an hour.
"I have to go."
"All right. Let me get the--" As if by magic, the server came over.
"How was the meal?" Completely ignoring Allison, she beamed at Dimitri.
"Excellent. We will certainly be back." He paid in cash and had the woman's eyes popping wide at the generous tip.
