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Something I didn’t recognise glinted in Ash’s blue eyes. ‘Perhaps I want to move to Sydney, pretty thing. Did you ever think of that?’
The use of his silly pet name in public jolted me, the teasing note in his deep voice making me blush harder, the blood flowing hotter in my veins. ‘No, I didn’t.’ I tried to pull myself together, flicking him a look from beneath my lashes. ‘But you know I don’t mind where we live as long as I’m with you.’
His gaze flared in a way that I was becoming familiar with, his competitive instinct rousing. ‘As long as there’s a bed, right?’
I could feel my cheeks get hot, but I wasn’t going to let him win so easily. ‘I wasn’t aware we needed a bed.’
There were flames in his eyes now, one corner of his hard mouth curving in acknowledgement.
Delaney cleared his throat. ‘Well, please don’t let me interrupt,’ he said, sounding amused. ‘But I think you might be pleased to hear this news, Evans.’
‘What news?’ Ash didn’t look at him, his gaze on mine.
The rest of the bar was beginning to fall away, the only thing in it the man sitting in front of me, staring at me with open hunger.
And I could feel myself beginning to respond, the ache between my thighs intensifying.
‘I’m going to sell you the islands,’ Delaney said.
‘Good.’ The curve of Ash’s mouth deepened.
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‘It wasn’t a hard decision in the end,’ Delaney went on. ‘Not after Dumont withdrew his offer.’
Ash froze, the fire in his eyes dousing instantly. Then he turned his head sharply in Delaney’s direction. ‘Say that again,’ he ordered, his voice rough.
If Delaney was surprised at the change in Ash’s mood he didn’t show it. ‘Your half-brother called me a couple of days ago to tell me he was withdrawing the offer. Mainly because he knew you were keen on the property and he wanted to clear the field for you.’ Delaney smiled. ‘He said he owed you, which is such a generous gesture given how much he wanted to purchase them as well. But I thought, well, if that’s not family-minded, what is? And given that, plus your lovely Ellie here—’ he gestured at me ‘—I don’t think I could sell the islands to a better person.’
Ash had gone statue-still, tension gathering around him like a storm cloud. I could feel it crawling over me, too, tightening my muscles and making me catch my breath.
And I understood. The whole reason he’d come to Dubai, with me, was to steal those islands out from under Dumont. And now Dumont had just denied him. He’d conceded the fight.
The warrior in Ash would hate that.
Sure enough his blue eyes blazed like gas flames in his face, his scars vivid white against his olive skin. He didn’t just look angry. He looked furious.
But... I got the sense that something else was going on here.
His thigh under mine was like iron so I squeezed it, wanting to give him some kind of reassurance. But he stood, a sharp, jerky motion, then without a word he turned and strode away, leaving me sitting there with Delaney, both of us staring after him in shock.
‘What’s happened?’ Delaney turned to me, frowning. ‘I thought he’d be pleased.’
I shot to my feet, the urge to go after him, to find out what was wrong and whether he was okay, filling me. I should probably have stayed to smooth things over with Delaney, but I couldn’t. If Ash was a bear with a sore paw, then someone had just stomped on that paw, making him roar.
And I didn’t like that. I didn’t like it at all.
‘Sorry,’ I muttered. ‘I’ll just...uh...go see what the problem is.’
Before Delaney could speak, I picked up my emerald green skirts and rushed after Ash.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ash
I STRODE THROUGH the ostentatious, overblown nonsense of the hotel, paying no attention to the people scattering in my path, fury pounding in my blood, feeling absolutely fucking feral.
I’d thought I’d won this petty little fight with Dumont. I’d thought I’d got one over on him, stolen those fucking islands out from under him, made life a little bit harder for him.
