I scowled at his perfect face.

"Bella, it's not my fault if you are exceptionally unobservant." His
voice was quiet as usual — velvet, muted.

I scowled at his perfect face. His eyes were light again today, a deep,
golden honey color. Then I had to look down, to reassemble my now-tangled
thoughts.

"Why the traffic jam last night?" I demanded, still looking away. "I
thought you were supposed to be pretending I don't exist, not irritating
me to death."

"That was for Tyler's sake, not mine. I had to give him his chance." He
snickered.

"You…" I gasped. I couldn't think of a bad enough word. It felt like the
heat of my anger should physically burn him, but he only seemed more
amused.

"And I'm not pretending you don't exist," he continued.

"So you are trying to irritate me to death? Since Tyler's van didn't do
the job?"

Anger flashed in his tawny eyes. His lips pressed into a hard line, all
signs of humor gone.

"Bella, you are utterly absurd," he said, his low voice cold.

My palms tingled — I wanted so badly to hit something. I was surprised at
myself. I was usually a nonviolent person. I turned my back and started
to walk away.

"Wait," he called. I kept walking, sloshing angrily through the rain. But
he was next to me, easily keeping pace.