CHAPTER 7
GEARY SAT IN THE CAR, STARING AT HER PERMITS AS IF they were the mythical Holy Grail that had miraculously dropped into her lap while George politely ignored her. She didn't know what was keeping the men. Maybe Arik had found some other woman to molest...
That bizarre thought triggered an odd jealous twinge-which really made no sense. At the moment, she'd gladly pay someone to take Arik off her hands. "George?"
He met her gaze in the rearview mirror. "Yes, miss?"
"How long have you worked for Solin?"
"Long enough, miss. Long enough."
Boy, wasn't he the font of all information? Before she could continue her questioning, the guys finally left the building.
They were much more subdued as they joined her in the car.
Solin offered her a tight-lipped smile. "Are you happy now, Dr. Kafieri?"
"Thrilled beyond belief."
"Good." He cleared his throat. "By the way, I would like to apologize for my brother's unconscionable behavior."
"I don't need you to apologize for me, Solin. I'm quite capable of doing it myself."
If George hadn't picked that exact second to pull into traffic, she'd have swung the door open and left.
"And just out of curiosity, what made you think that that behavior was appropriate?"
Arik sighed. "I wasn't thinking at all. The truth is you surprised me and I reacted poorly. For that I'm truly sorry. I would never have insulted you in any way."
Okay, so the guy could be charming when he put forth the effort...
But she still wasn't quite ready to let him off the hook. "Do you always make it a habit of groping a woman's private places in public?"
Arik narrowed his gaze as he returned her question with one of his own. "Do you make it a habit of throwing yourself against men and kissing them in public?"
Her face flushed as a feeling of dread consumed him. He'd offended her. Again. Damn, being human was hard.
"No, I don't," she snapped, her eyes blazing. "And I can assure you that I will never do such a thing again. Especially not to you and not in public, private, or anywhere else."
" Good going, Arik," Solin said snidely in his head. " Any more brilliant apologies and you'll be able to sell icicles on the equator."
He glared at Solin. " Have you a better one?"
"Tell her that you couldn't help yourself, you were overwhelmed by her beauty. That she is the most desirable woman you've ever kissed and because of that your emotions ran away with you."
"I don't think that's going to work."
"Trust me, it always works."
Arik wasn't so sure, but since Solin had more experience on this plane, he decided to listen to him. "I couldn't help myself, Geary. I was overwhelmed by your desire and I've never kissed a woman more beautiful than you."
Instead of placating her, that only seemed to anger her more.
"That's not what I said, Arik. Jeez."
"You were overwhelmed by my desire?" she said, enunciating each word slowly so that they conveyed the full weight of her anger. "What planet are you from?"
"Moronia," Solin said out loud. "Every full moon they teleport the Morons to earth and let them loose.
Consider this your first encounter."
"Shut up, Solin," Arik said from between clenched teeth. Then he projected, " I told you it wouldn't work."
"It would have had you said it the way I told you to."
Before he spoke to Megeara Solin glared at him. "I hope you can forgive my brother, Doctor. He was raised in the mountains where there wasn't any real civilization of any sort. He's basically a goat farmer and he isn't used to interacting with people. He lacks many social skills."
"Oh, thank you. Why not tell her that I wet the bed in my sleep while you're at it?"
" If it'll work, I will."
Megeara gave him a gimlet stare. "Is that the truth?"
"Yes," Arik said. "I haven't had much interaction with human people."
She gave a light laugh. "Human people, huh? Are there any other kind?"
As a matter of fact there were, but now didn't seem like the time or place to educate her on that.
Grateful that her mood was lighter, he offered her a small smile. "Can you forgive me for my behavior?
Please."
She looked down at the permits in her lap, then smiled. "I think I can, but only if you promise to never do something like that again."
"I swear it on Solin's life."
Solin sputtered, "Uh, excuse me?"
"I would, but there's truly no excuse for you."
He folded his arms over his chest. "Ha, ha."
Geary rolled her eyes at them, but deep inside their bantering play made her ache. She and Jason used to bait each other like that. It would drive her father to distraction, and the weird thing was neither she nor Jason knew why they did it.
It must have been innate sibling behavior that made them constantly pick at each other. Jason had been a smart, good-looking teenager who would have followed her father to the ends of the earth without complaint.
God, how she missed Jason.
"Are you all right, Megeara?"
She met Arik's concerned gaze before she nodded. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."
"Something?"
"Personal," she finished.
He nodded and she was grateful that he didn't pursue his line of questioning. Anytime she thought about Jason, it made her cry.
"So what do we do now in preparation for the excavation?" Arik asked, changing the subject.
When she didn't respond quickly enough, Arik pointed toward her permits. "Remember our bargain?"
"I remember."
Solin sat forward on the seat. "What bargain is this?"
"That I would allow Arik to participate on the team if he came through with the permits."
Solin arched a brow. "Really? Well, in that case I want to join you."