“What happened between you and Salazar?” he asked with lethal softness.
“Bastard,” she muttered as she lifted the suitcase off the bed.
“He’s been called much worse, but what did he say to you?” Sebastian asked impatiently. “I couldn’t get a word out of him.”
“No, you are the bastard,” Ashley said as she thrust a finger at him. He looked like a dark angel. He had discarded his jacket and tie, but that didn’t diminish his raw masculinity. There was something angry and volatile about him. Dangerous and powerful. “I trusted you. I thought we had an agreement.”
“We do,” he said as he stepped into the room. “You are my mistress for a month.”
“Which you told Oscar Salazar.” Her voice shook as she remembered the way that man had looked at her. As if he wanted to sample the goods before he made a bid.
“I didn’t say you were my mistress.” Sebastian’s voice was as stinging as the flick of a whip. “I warned him off.”
Then how did Oscar know? She didn’t act like a mistress. She didn’t dress like one, either. The only way he would have known was if Sebastian said something. “You broke your promise and you broke our agreement. I’m leaving.”
“Like hell you are.” Sebastian rushed forward. He grabbed the case and tossed it on the floor. “You’re not going anywhere until I say so.”
She’d never seen Sebastian like this. His movements were rough and clumsy. His sophisticated veneer was slipping. It was as if he was upset that she was leaving. But that was ridiculous. Sebastian Cruz didn’t care enough to panic.
Ashley thrust out her chin and met his gaze. “You can’t tell me what to do. I’m not your mistress anymore.”
A muscle bunched in his jaw. “Then you will never see Inez Key again.”
“Fine,” she retorted. She pressed her lips together as the horror snaked through her. She wanted to take those words back.
His eyes widened with surprise. He was silent for a moment, his breathing hard, as a strange urgency pulsed around them. “Fine? You are ready to walk away from the home you fought to hold on to?” he asked as he stepped closer. “The home you took care of and made sacrifices for? The one where you lowered yourself and slept with me so you could stay on the island?”
“This isn’t about Inez Key. It’s about you,” she replied. “You don’t care about what is important to me and you certainly don’t care about my feelings.”
He rocked back on his feet as he looked at her with such intensity that she felt she was going to burst. “How are you going to get back?” he asked. “You have no money.”
Ashley closed her eyes as the pain ricocheted inside her. He didn’t deny her accusation. He didn’t care about her feelings. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’ll hock this dress. I’ll swim all the way home. Maybe I’ll trade my body for favors. That’s what everyone thinks I do anyway.”
He snatched her wrist. She felt the tremor in his hand. “Don’t even joke about it.”
“Why not, Sebastian?” She tried to yank her arm away from him but he tightened his hold. “You made me a joke. You made me a mistress.”
“And you accepted,” he said. “You had other choices. You could have walked away but you didn’t.”
“You dangled my home as bait,” she cried out.
“Like you said, Inez Key had nothing to do with it,” he reminded her coldly. “You wanted to be with me but you were afraid to go after it. And now you’re upset because you like being a mistress.”
Her gasp echoed in the room as she went still. “No, I don’t,” she said in a scandalized whisper. “Take that back.”
“I stand corrected.” Sebastian let go of her wrist. “You like being my mistress.”
She wanted to slap him. Push him away. But it was true. She liked sharing his bed and enjoyed seeing the desire in his eyes when she walked into the room. She treasured their private moments and was proud to be at his side in public. She ached for his touch and she was greedy for his undivided attention. She would accept whatever role he chose for her if it meant she could share a part of his life.