Free Magnificent Folly by Iris Johansen Page A

Andrew was able to read her was beginning to make her edgy.
    “May I bring them tomorrow afternoon?”
    “Suit yourself.” Her pace quickened as she strode down the beach away from him.
    “Their coloring is so similar, they might be brother and sister,” Lily said as she watched Cassie playing beach ball with Quenby and Gunner Nilsen. Both Gunner and his wife were tall, blond, and possessed the type of splendid good looks prevalent in Scandinavia. It was difficult to determine their ages. If there were threads of gray in the Nilsens’ hair, they were lost in the white-gold fairness. Both of them were running around shouting and hurling that enormous red ball with a vigor and youthfulness that made them appear little older than Cassie. “Are they both Swedish?”
    Andrew shook his head as he lifted a cup ofcoffee to his lips. “Quenby’s of Swedish descent, but Gunner isn’t Scandinavian at all. He’s from Garvania.”
    Lily frowned. “Garvania? I never heard of it.”
    Andrew shrugged. “It doesn’t exist anymore. Garvania was annexed by Said Ababa over twenty years ago.”
    Lily’s brows cleared. “Well, at least I’ve heard of Said Ababa. That’s the totalitarian country that’s always having border disputes with Sedikhan and Tamrovia. Right?”
    “Right.”
    Lily’s gaze returned to the trio playing a short distance away. “Your friends are nice people,” she said sincerely. “And they’ve certainly charmed Cassie. I’ve never seen her take to anyone but you this quickly.”
    “It’s not surprising. Quenby says Gunner never grew up. He’s probably enjoying Cassie as much as she is him. And Quenby’s always been a sucker for kids.”
    “Does she have any children of her own?”
    Andrew nodded. “A son attending the University of Marasef, in Sedikhan. Jed’s a nice kid.”
    “How patronizing you sound. He can’t be that much younger than you.”
    Andrew’s hand clenched on the Styrofoam cup. “Are you trying to relegate me to the campus set again? I thought we’d gotten past that obstacle. Why are you putting barriers between us?”
    “There are already barriers between us.”
    “It’s strange you never notice them when I’m making love to you,” Andrew said softly. “They just disappear then, don’t they?”
    Lily could feel the warm color stain her cheeks. “Sex is a very basic pleasure and tends to make one forget everything … for an hour or so.”
    “Making love.”
    “What?”
    “What we do isn’t sex, it’s making love.” Andrew lifted the cup to his lips and drained the coffee in two swallows. “Someday you’ll understand that.”
    She gazed at him, startled. “I don’t know—”
    “Yes, you do.” His hand crushed the cup withsudden violence. “You do care about me, dammit. You just won’t admit it.” He jumped to his feet and tossed the crushed cup aside. “I’m going down to play ball with Cassie.”
    Lily watched him stride away from her and resisted the impulse to call him back. What was the matter with Andrew this afternoon? There was something brooding and violent about him; she had sensed those dark emotions in him the moment he had appeared on the beach with Gunner and Quenby two hours before.
    “May I join you?” Gunner asked. “I must be getting more decrepit than I thought. Your daughter really put me through a workout.”
    “You don’t look worn out.”
    Gunner dropped down beside her. “I’m a fantastic actor. Do you think I’d let that little kid know the older generation can’t keep up with her? Now, though, I’m ready to let Andrew take the punishment for a while. Is there any coffee left?”
    Lily poured him a cup from the thermos and held it out to him. “Black?”
    He nodded as he took the cup. “I’ll have tomake you some real coffee sometime.” He sipped the hot liquid gingerly. “I prefer it with cinnamon and ginger.”
    “How exotic. Is that how they drink it in Sedikhan?”
    He nodded. “Exotic is only how you