swirling inside, ready to erupt. No one had ever dared speak to him in such a manner. Not ever. Nor had anyone ever accused him of such unspeakable behavior before, and he found that it caused a near volcanic eruption inside of him.
His father, in his ultimate wisdom, had taught him at an early age to control his temper, which could be a vicious thing if unleashed.
And right now the leash was straining.
"Son, a man who cannot control his temper can never be in control of himself, can never truly be a man."
He heard his father's words, but at the moment, they rang hollow and empty through his mind, his memory.
Looking at Faith, he realized what she thought of him, what she'd accused him of, and it angered him as nothing had in a long while.
He was a man who prided himself on his integrity and character. He had been taught that integrity, character and a man's name were the three most important assets a man could possess. Something no amount of money could buy, something to protect, treasure and value. He had worked hard his entire adult life to build and maintain all three.
He could not remember the last time someone had questioned his integrity. Especially a woman. No one would dare. No one but Faith.
It angered him, and yes, hurt just a bit because it mattered what she thought of him and he had no idea why.
"What kind of man do you think I am?" He parroted her question back to her, his voice filled with the emotion he was struggling to contain.
Faith merely blinked at him, trying not to respond to his closeness, his temper, his presence. In spite of her anger at him, he was a powerful man, and that blatant power radiated from him like sun off a sidewalk.
If she was a woman who could be intimidated, she'd be quaking in her shoes right now. A host of conflicting feelings battered her, but anger and disappointment ruled.
Ali nodded. "I see." He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to speak. "I believe your eyes tell me all I need to know." He hesitated, letting his gaze travel over her face, seeing the sadness, the tears in her eyes.
Though her words had been sharp, her face was pained. Something inside of him reacted instinctively.
She was angry, but she was also hurt. At the moment, she did not look strong and capable, but fragile and more than a little vulnerable. It tugged at something deep inside, making him want to comfort her, to ease whatever ache had put that pain in her eyes.
What had caused such despair in her, he wondered idly.
"I am sorry, Faith, that your opinion of me is so low." His words softened and his gaze stayed on hers. "It is most regrettable." He took a slow, deep breath. "But since you obviously have such a low opinion of me, perhaps you would prefer that I hire someone else to complete this job?"
Panic clutched her heart, sweeping away other emotions. She was counting on the funds this job would bring in, and cursed her tongue.
Mentally, she gave herself a shake. What Ali did and said to his friends and clients was none of her concern. If he wanted to lie until his nose grew so big he had to back into a room, that was his business. Not hers.
She was supposed to remain detached from him, and her own emotions.
But from the moment she'd laid eyes on him she knew he'd had an uncommon effect on her both physically and emotionally.
Who he was, what he represented to her had caused her to react emotionally in a way that was so unlike her.
The impact he had on her, the reaction he caused, the feelings and emotions he aroused on a totally different plane—on a man-to-woman level—terrified her in a way nothing had in a long, long time.
Perhaps that was why she had such a difficult time remaining detached.
She knew these things, and had hoped that she could simply ignore them and go about her business without letting them interfere.
She'd been wrong.
She'd promised herself she'd stay uninvolved and unemotional. She'd just broken her own rules, and now it might cost her this
His father, in his ultimate wisdom, had taught him at an early age to control his temper, which could be a vicious thing if unleashed.
And right now the leash was straining.
"Son, a man who cannot control his temper can never be in control of himself, can never truly be a man."
He heard his father's words, but at the moment, they rang hollow and empty through his mind, his memory.
Looking at Faith, he realized what she thought of him, what she'd accused him of, and it angered him as nothing had in a long while.
He was a man who prided himself on his integrity and character. He had been taught that integrity, character and a man's name were the three most important assets a man could possess. Something no amount of money could buy, something to protect, treasure and value. He had worked hard his entire adult life to build and maintain all three.
He could not remember the last time someone had questioned his integrity. Especially a woman. No one would dare. No one but Faith.
It angered him, and yes, hurt just a bit because it mattered what she thought of him and he had no idea why.
"What kind of man do you think I am?" He parroted her question back to her, his voice filled with the emotion he was struggling to contain.
Faith merely blinked at him, trying not to respond to his closeness, his temper, his presence. In spite of her anger at him, he was a powerful man, and that blatant power radiated from him like sun off a sidewalk.
If she was a woman who could be intimidated, she'd be quaking in her shoes right now. A host of conflicting feelings battered her, but anger and disappointment ruled.
Ali nodded. "I see." He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to speak. "I believe your eyes tell me all I need to know." He hesitated, letting his gaze travel over her face, seeing the sadness, the tears in her eyes.
Though her words had been sharp, her face was pained. Something inside of him reacted instinctively.
She was angry, but she was also hurt. At the moment, she did not look strong and capable, but fragile and more than a little vulnerable. It tugged at something deep inside, making him want to comfort her, to ease whatever ache had put that pain in her eyes.
What had caused such despair in her, he wondered idly.
"I am sorry, Faith, that your opinion of me is so low." His words softened and his gaze stayed on hers. "It is most regrettable." He took a slow, deep breath. "But since you obviously have such a low opinion of me, perhaps you would prefer that I hire someone else to complete this job?"
Panic clutched her heart, sweeping away other emotions. She was counting on the funds this job would bring in, and cursed her tongue.
Mentally, she gave herself a shake. What Ali did and said to his friends and clients was none of her concern. If he wanted to lie until his nose grew so big he had to back into a room, that was his business. Not hers.
She was supposed to remain detached from him, and her own emotions.
But from the moment she'd laid eyes on him she knew he'd had an uncommon effect on her both physically and emotionally.
Who he was, what he represented to her had caused her to react emotionally in a way that was so unlike her.
The impact he had on her, the reaction he caused, the feelings and emotions he aroused on a totally different plane—on a man-to-woman level—terrified her in a way nothing had in a long, long time.
Perhaps that was why she had such a difficult time remaining detached.
She knew these things, and had hoped that she could simply ignore them and go about her business without letting them interfere.
She'd been wrong.
She'd promised herself she'd stay uninvolved and unemotional. She'd just broken her own rules, and now it might cost her this
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