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“Why what?”
Her brows knit together. “Why me?”
I shrug, not meeting her eyes. I won’t tell her the real reason, but it won’t hurt to give her a partial truth. “Because I was mesmerized by you. And I have my reasons.”
Frowning, she continues asking probing questions. “Why didn’t you just… woo me?”
“Woo you?” I furrow my brows, not understanding. “What does this mean?”
“Pursue me,” she says. Her cheeks flush a deeper shade of pink. “It’s an old-fashioned term, I suppose.” Those silly historical romance novels she reads.
“Charm me,” she stammers on. “Heck, date me.” Now she’s adorably beet red. It bemuses me what things make her blush and what doesn’t. She tries to cover it up by turning to the dresser and removing the clothes I put there for her. “You didn’t have to steal me and keep me prisoner. I maybe would’ve responded well to a little… oh, forget it.”
“Look at me.” I will not have her hiding her shame. It all belongs to me. Every last bit of it. When she doesn’t turn around right away, I cross the room to her and tangle her hair in my fist, spinning her around. I’m impatient for her immediate obedience. I thirst for it.
“I said look at me,” I repeat.
Her wide brown eyes flash angrily at me.
“This afternoon, you’ll meet my brothers,” I tell her. “They will push you. Test your boundaries. And I’ll expect you to behave. Why do you hide now?”
I watch as tears well in her eyes. “That hurts,” she whispers, her fingers delicately touching my wrist.
“I know,” I respond, not caring.
“It’s embarrassing to think of,” she says, closing her eyes so she doesn’t have to look into mine, but a sharp tug makes her eyes spring open again.
“What are you talking about?”
“A man like you,” she says through watery eyes, “pursuing a woman like me. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I shouldn’t have asked you.” I probe her gaze with mine, searching, but I don’t know what I’m searching for. Clarity? Something inside her that will explain why the monster inside me rages, tempting me to do more than pull her hair?
There was no time to court her. No time to win her favor. But the truth is, I wouldn’t put myself in the position of growing attached to a woman I was going to destroy.
Finally, I release her and continue getting ready. Ignoring what plagues me.
“It shouldn’t be embarrassing,” I tell her, my temper stoked. She thinks so little of herself that she can’t imagine a man like me wanting her? It’s bullshit. But when she sees my temper flare, her own eyes heat.
“I’m as boring as they come,” she seethes.
“So?” I step into my pants.
“I dress like a nun,” she spits out. Her temper’s rising, making my own blood simmer. How quickly she got over the little hair pull. The knowledge both impresses me and makes me want to stripe her ass again.
“Your point?” I ask, piercing her with a stern gaze that makes her back down a little. She looks away.
“You’re strong and powerful and rich,” she says to the wall. “The women in this country cultivate beauty.”
“Yes,” I agree, fastening my pants. I reach for the belt coiled on the chair beside me and begin threading it through the loops on my pants. I watch her eye the belt and swallow hard. She twists a strand of hair in her fingers.
“It doesn’t make sense,” she snaps.
“It doesn’t need to.” I don’t owe her an explanation. I keep my hand on my belt to make a point. She won’t get the truth out of me. Not now. Not ever. And if I’m honest, there’s more than money in this bargain.
I need to ask her a question.
“Last night was your first orgasm, Sadie,” I say, my eyes focused on her eyes that go from narrow to wide. When she captures her lips between her teeth, my cock aches to remind her what that felt like. “Have you ever been touched by a man?”
She shakes her head.
“Is that the truth?” My tone sharpens.
“Yes.”
“Good,” I mutter to myself, and ignore the question in her eyes. “Have you been kissed before?”
The pretty pink flush I’ve already grown accustomed to heats her cheeks. “No.”
My chest tightens with pride. I captured the victory flag and stumbled upon a treasure. I own all her firsts. Her first kiss. Her first orgasm.
I’ll take her virginity and own that, too.
Her money is only an excuse. I’m greedy for more than what money can buy, and I’m on the cusp of a fucking goldmine.
“Go get ready,” I instruct her, dismissing her. Sadie is too perceptive for her own good, and I don’t need her to read any weakness. “You’ll find everything you need in there. When you’re finished, we’ll eat breakfast.”
I watch her stalk to the bathroom, stomping her way to the door before she slams it shut behind her. On the other side of the door, she fumbles with the knob, no doubt trying to lock it. Silly girl. As if I’d allow such a thing. There are no locks in here. None for her to access, anyway.
