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“No,” Max denied flatly.
And there it was—the denial she’d expected. “But—”
“We’ll discuss it later, Erin.”
Rafael stood to his feet and held out his hand to his stepsister, giving her no chance to refuse him. “Nora and I will get out of your hair. We only stopped by to welcome you, Erin. It’s been a pleasure to meet you and we’ll make plans soon, yes?”
Max stood as well and Erin followed suit, answering the man, “Yes, of course.”
As they walked the neighbors out and the door was firmly closed behind them, Erin turned on Max. “You’re not going to let me go shopping without you? Is that the way my life will be?”
The look he turned on her was antagonistic. “Do you speak Spanish? Do you know our currency or our laws? Do you know how to dial for an emergency in this country? Do you know what to do in a flash flood, which this region is prone to?”
Erin reared back. “Well, no—but I can learn all of those things.”
“Yes, and when you learn, then we will have a discussion about a trip to Buenos Aires without me. Until then, you will stay here or travel with me. You will have my protection until you learn these things for yourself.”
“Is that the real reason? That you’re worried about me? Or is it that you’re worried I’ll go back home the very first chance I get?”
“Erin. You need to get this through your head. I’m not holding you here—it’s your choice to stay. I’ll ask you one last time and then I don’t want to hear another word about it. Do you want to be my wife, or do you want to go back to America?”
“If I go home, you’ll go after my brothers.”
“Yes.”
“But—”
“Choose.” Steel came over his features, as his temper seemed to snap. “Choose now and get it over with.”
His anger set hers off to such a degree that she lost it. “You really piss me off—you know that?” His hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist but she ignored it and continued, “You expect this to be easy for me—but it’s not. You expect me to believe you—but I don’t. I can’t. You expect me to do what you say—but I don’t think I can tolerate that!”
As she ended her tirade with a hostile glare, he tightened his hold around her wrist, and in a move that quickened her pulse, he twisted it behind her back and held it there while he stared down at her, his breathing changing rapidly. His glare was filled with hostility, fire, and impatience—and his hold on her was unbreakable. It wasn’t bruising or hurting, but it was inflexible, nonetheless.
His head started to come down and she tried to turn away, but his other hand shot up and held her face firmly. His mouth came down over hers, yet another facet of his personality introducing her to a different brand of kiss. His mouth opened fully over hers, forcing her lips apart as his tongue plunged inside. As he began to kiss her as if she had no input into the matter, her emotions splintered. She was immediately turned on, but she was pissed that his caveman tactics were so intoxicating. She felt a helpless sense of rage—and a horrible, ridiculous feminine craving for what she knew he could make her feel.
She wanted control over their relationship . . . at least some degree of control.
She began kissing him back, and the very second she did, she felt a change come over him. His anger seemed to flee, until all that was left was his ill-concealed desire for her.
It made a new wave of weakness overcome her—and gave her a hint of the control she craved. The feeling was heady, and she fell into the kiss even more. He continued to hold her arm captive behind her back as finally, she was forced to pull her mouth free for oxygen.
Opening her eyes, she found him looking down at her. Who was she fighting more? It didn’t matter, because fight him, she would, even if fighting her own needs was just as difficult. She began pushing against his hold, but he didn’t release her. Lifting her chin, she blistered him with her words. “You can let go of me now.”
“Can I?”
“Yes.”
“Why should I?” he challenged.
“Because—”
He let out a bark of twisted laughter. “Because you want to get away from me now?” The look he treated her to contained a conflagration of twisted emotions. “You really think I fell for that simpering little smile you sent my way earlier? I know when you’re putting on a front. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating me, Erin. I haven’t gotten this far in life by being stupid. But then again, maybe I have—maybe I’ve been going about this the wrong way. I can see now that giving you time to come to terms with your life here has been a mistake.”
