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‘No, I most certainly did not.’
‘I see. Well, that’s good. That’s very good.’ A blush flared across her chest.
She looked disconcerted, even a little deflated, the vivid blush riding her collarbone and seeping into her cheeks.
It occurred to me she had painted herself into an interesting corner with the suggestion I had paid off Carsoni. A corner I couldn’t resist shining a light into.
‘What kind of gratitude did you have in mind, bella?’ I asked. The blush illuminated the freckles on her nose.
‘I... Can you forget I said that?’ she said.
‘No, I think not,’ I said, not about to let her off so easily. Seeing her rattled felt like payback. Because she had done nothing but rattle me ever since I had first laid eyes on her. ‘I’m just wondering what kind of gratitude would be worth five million euros?’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said, busy avoiding eye contact.
My lips quirked. Damn, but she was even cuter when she was mortified.
‘Five million euros is a lot of money,’ I mused. ‘I would expect something very exceptional for that amount,’ I added, openly teasing her now.
The strange thought that she would be worth every cent of that amount hit me unawares though, as she raised her head and stared at me.
Her soft skin was flushed with embarrassed heat but her eyes sparkled with a strength of character that reminded me of a battle-weary Valkyrie.
Edie Trouvé might be that very rare thing, a woman as honest and open as she was fearless.
Desire flushed through my system.
What would it be like to have such a woman in my bed, surrendering herself to pleasure?
The stab of longing at the thought disturbed me on a level so visceral, my amusement at the situation faded.
Edie Trouvé wasn’t fearless; she was desperate. And on one level she had just insulted me, by offering me her ‘gratitude’ in payment for five million euros. There was nothing honest or open about what she’d implied. Sex was always a transaction, just like everything else in life, but all she’d done was prove that point.
I’d learnt at a very young age that needs and desires only made you weak. I’d made my fortune, forged a future for myself alone, without relying on or having to trust anyone, knowing that no one gave anything freely. There was always a price, and Edie’s offer was no different.
‘You’re mocking me,’ she said, the sparkle of excitement gone from her eyes. ‘But I do want to thank you, Mr Allegri, for contacting Carsoni and making this happen. If you let me know what the legal fees are I’ll endeavour to repay you that.’
I should have been vindicated by her surrender. But somehow the defeated tone had the exact opposite effect.
Exasperation gave way to annoyance. ‘My legal team are on a retainer, so there are no additional fees for this work.’
She nodded. ‘Then it’s just the matter of repaying the million euros I owe you.’
‘That debt is erased too,’ I said curtly.
‘Are you sure?’ she said.
‘Tell me honestly,’ I said. ‘Did you know the bank draft was fraudulent?’
She paused for a moment and then shook her head. ‘But I still lost the money at the table. So surely I still owe it to you.’
I nodded. ‘Yes, but unfortunately it’s very clear you cannot afford to repay it.’
The flush of arousal, the rapid rise and fall of her breathing and the nipples visible against the worn cotton of her T-shirt, were making it hard for me to concentrate on the conversation.
The urge to take her in my arms and kiss that concerned look off her face was not something I could pursue while she was still bruised from yesterday’s assault. I had come here with an entirely different purpose. One I needed to focus on now, before I did something I might later regret.
I needed time to properly assess my attraction to this woman. Because, in light of her current circumstances, it made even less sense than it had two nights ago, when I’d believed her to be the spoilt daughter of a rich man.
