Page 28 of Hidden Raphael
"If you say so." His voice was like a steel rod. She stared at him and wondered why he was so cold.
She’d be sick if she thought about Ellie right now. "That sounds personal."
He continued to read the diary and avoided her gaze. "You hardly knew her yourself. From what you said."
Kimberly wished she could fade into the walls and not face Ellie's memory. Her shoulders hunched. "She was nice to me."
Raphael kept reading. "If you say so."
Perhaps she shouldn't have doubted him. Maybe she conjectured some connection out of the clear blue sky. He flipped the pages. She folded her hands on the table. "Had you found out anything about Harry yet?"
"No, just that Eileen loved Ali to distraction." He shook his head. "I suppose that was a good thing for the end."
What could he mean? And why did Raphael turn so cold on the subject of Eileen and Ali? "Why would that be a good thing for the end?"
"They both died." He shrugged and a shiver ran through her. "At least she died an honest woman."
"How do you know she was honest?"
"Not all women are faithful." He gazed into Kimberly's eyes. "It just seems like Eileen was nothing like my brother's ex."
Okay, he had told her about his affair. What kind of man sleeps with his brother's wife and then doesn't remember? Was the last bit dishonesty, and was that why he cared if people should be honest? She scratched her neck. Tiffany messed with his opinion on women, but she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to push him with how she was different. "I suppose if you look at it that way. I saw them interact, and they loved one another."
Outside the wind howled. A cold shiver went down her spine. She packed her computer back into her small bag that had protected it in the crash. "I might go up to my room. I’ll see you in the morning."
He nodded and stared at the diary. "I'll be gone early."
"I'll be up, regardless." She heard the Miami in her, but she refused to correct her accent.
He pocketed the book. She stared at his hand. She swallowed, unsure. Raphael picked up her bag for her. "I'll walk you up. Do you want to read the diary tonight?"
A huge sigh escaped her lips. It was the first offer of evidence he'd offered her without a fight. She kept her mouth shut. "No. You can keep it. I'll read it tomorrow while you’re gone."
He scratched his jaw. "I'll keep it and search for clues about Roger, then."
Something in that statement rang in her head as false, but she let it go. Tonight she had to check her computer history was good and that no one had touched anything that had her mother or sister’s information on it. Roger had access to what mattered in her life. She stared into his dark succulent eyes, and a warmth entered her body again. "Okay. I want to go through my computer. I want to see what files were tampered with."
"Unpack everything before you go to bed." He shook his head as he walked beside her. "I'll be doing laundry in the morning."
Meg always seemed to take care of that. "Why? I can do my own laundry. There is no need." She’d told Meg the same thing.
He shrugged. "Suit yourself. The laundry is in the east wing."
They walked up the stairs and their shoulders brushed against each other. "The east wing? I haven’t been there. I'll have to search the rest of the castle. Are there any skeletons I should avoid?"
"None from me, though I can't account for whatever guests left behind. The staff left in a hurry to avoid a storm."
"Great, I have your permission to rummage through all your underwear, then." Tomorrow, she’d find Meg and question her again. A chill inched through her, but a frank discussion with the maid would give her some clues on Raphael.
He stood next to her until she took a step toward the door. Then he followed. "Perhaps you shouldn't. I don't want to lead you to the wrong conclusions about me."
What conclusions? His package beneath the black clothes he wore signaled with one glance that he was hung. She sucked in her breath and stared into those sexy eyes of his. His forehead wrinkled. "Are you okay? You're bright red."
He had to know why. She inhaled, and the smell of the woods relaxed her. She nodded. "Yes. Slightly peaked from all the excitement, and I must be getting tired. It will be nice to do things I used to do."
She took a step forward again, and he stayed behind her. "With the computer?"
She glanced at one of the gargoyles on the stairs instead of his face. "Yeah. I'll get back into a familiar routine and journal, at least."
