جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

Within a matter of hours, Alexander had the whole trip organized, and he hadn't bothered to ask if she even wanted to go — but he was her boss, and she had to look after the kids wherever they ended up.Did she want to go? Diana asked herself.Maybe she did. Her own father had never once made time for her. And the only place her mother ever wanted to take her was boarding school, so she could learn everything necessary to become — in her mother's exact words —"Intelligent, but not so intelligent that it shows. That way her husband won't think he married a know-it-all. Elegant, well-mannered, and always aware of her place in the world. A pretty trophy wife."To her mother, saying good morning to your husband and then ignoring each other for the rest of the day was just what marriage looked like. After that, she'd head out for martinis with her friends, all of them complaining about how hard it was being married to a tycoon.Diana had come into the world out of obligation, and when her

Diana lay down and didn't bother pulling the sleeping bag over herself. She couldn't stop watching the shadows the fire threw across the tent's canvas, twisting and jumping."You're not a little kid. Stop being such a baby," she muttered at herself.Alexander had offered to let her sleep in his tent, and for one second she'd almost said yes. She'd had to bite back the impulse and actually think before answering. She liked him more every day, and if she didn't put the brakes on soon, she was going to end up with a broken heart.Time crawled by, and no matter how exhausted she was, sleep wouldn't come. It was that man's fault. Every time she closed her eyes, there he was, shirtless, radiating that insufferable I've-got-this-handled energy.She forced herself to relax, and little by little, it worked. He followed her into her dreams, and she felt a hand trailing up her leg."That tickles, Alexander," she mumbled, and pressed her hand over her leg.Her fingers closed around something furr

Diana was so furious she wanted to walk out right then and there, but she didn't want to ruin the trip for the kids."Sit down and eat breakfast. We'll talk after," Alexander growled at her, because she'd stepped away so no one would notice how upset she was."I don't want to talk to you. You already got what you wanted. Now if you want to fire me, go ahead, but what happened last night is never happening again," she hissed, full of rage.Getting Diana angry was basically a Herculean task. Her nature was too easygoing, too accommodating—but in that moment, she'd snapped. It was as if every frustration she'd ever bottled up had detonated all at once.Alexander softened his voice and tried to pull her in by the waist."Don't be so hard on me. I made a mistake. Let me explain."Diana wouldn't let him hold her. She wasn't about to be won over by his fake tenderness."I don't want to hear it. Please, let go of me.""Come have breakfast with the kids… and with me." The way he said it sounde

"This isn't funny! Untie us!" Diana shouted, watching Alexander clutch his stomach, laughing so hard he could barely stand."Dad, she tied us up!" Nathan lied."That's not true, don't lie. Please, Alexander, untie us — I'm getting eaten alive by ants here.""Be right back," he said, and walked off, leaving her there again.He came back a few minutes later with a huge knife in his hands."Tell me that's to cut me loose and not to finish me off and bury me somewhere no one will ever find me.""You and your imagination, Diana," he grumbled, but every time he looked at her face he burst out laughing again. "It's for the rope.""Don't laugh — don't you see you're just egging the kids on to keep doing this?""No little clown is going to come tell me how to raise my own kids, especially not one who just got herself tied to a tree," he growled, then pulled out his phone and flipped the camera around so she could see herself.It was humiliating.Why had God cursed her with such a deep sleep?H

Morning came, and having the kids see her leave their father's tent didn't go the way she'd hoped. They didn't say a word about it, and the whole time, they were dead serious. Alexander pretended everything was fine in front of them, but whenever Diana tried to talk to him, he just grunted and left her hanging mid-sentence."Let's make the most of our last day before we head home," Alexander said, and told them they'd be doing a little canoeing that morning. "Gabriel and Nathan love it," he added, for her benefit."Victoria and I will stay here. We've never done anything like that.""But I want to, Mommy, I want to ride in the boats," his daughter whined."The water's calm, Diana. If it weren't, I wouldn't be taking my kids out there. It's only farther down where the river forks and the rapids start that it gets dangerous for someone with no experience." Alexander looked at her like he wanted her to come, but honestly, she wasn't sure."She's boring, Dad, just let her stay here," Nath