Page 36 of Shai

Predictably, he stiffened, attempting to put some space between us. “I locked the door for a reason.”

As attempts at defiance went it was fairly half-hearted. I spun him away from the window and pushed him back against the wall. Plastering my body to his, I searched his face, taking in the dark shadows under his eyes. I smoothed my thumb over the one under his left eye. “You’re not getting enough sleep.”

He snorted. “And why do you think that is? I’m a prisoner who’s learned that an attack can come at any time.”

“An attack!” I instilled the words with a mixture of amusement and

mockery, my gaze lingering on his lips. “Lucky for you that I’ve been busy, then, isn’t it?”

Elijah tipped his chin up. “Where were you today?”

“Were you looking for me, Elijah?”

“No!”

“So you weren’t looking for me, yet you knew I wasn’t here. Must be

those psychic powers of yours.”

“Fuck you. The world doesn’t revolve around you.” I regarded him silently for a few moments. “You’re in my world now.

So, I hate to break it to you, but the world really does revolve around me. And the sooner you realize that, the better.”

Elijah let out a sigh. “What do you want?”

“A kiss.”

A multitude of emotions flickered across his face, everything from

surprise to resentment. It was the tiny flicker of lust that I concentrated on, though, my cock pressing against Elijah’s thigh in response to it.

“You can take one, but I won’t give one.”

“Is that so?”

He didn’t respond, his chin jutting out mutinously. “You wanted to know where I’ve been. I had a meeting with your

previous owner if you must know.”

“My…” A stormy look settled on Elijah’s face as he worked out who I

was referring to. “He never owned me.”

“Maybe not.” I slid my hand around his neck, caressing the line of his

jaw with my thumb. “He wanted to discuss a possible deal. He gives me sixty million pounds and I give him back what I took from him, plus half my men. What do you think I said?”

Elijah considered it for a moment. “I think you told him where he could

stick his offer. You don’t give a damn about the money. All you care about is the power and the reputation. He could offer you every penny he had and you’d still turn him down.”

I nodded, surprised by his accurate reading of the situation. It seemed he

had learned a thing or two about me in the relatively short time we’d spent together. “You’re right.”

“So why did you go?”

“To annoy him, to bait him, to…” I shrugged. I’d been asking myself the same question. It hadn’t served any purpose apart from infuriating McIntyre, and an infuriated man was one that much more determined to recoup his losses. If it was possible, I’d made an even bigger enemy out of him. Perhaps it had absolutely nothing to do with McIntyre and everything to do with Elijah. Maybe it was Elijah I was more interested in baiting. “What do you think he would do if he knew you hadn’t met your watery grave? Do you think he’d want you back to do the job properly?”