A Deal with Benefits - Page 55

And Sebastian didn’t say anything in return. In fact, he didn’t say anything at all.

Ashley rubbed her forehead and leaned against the door frame. It didn’t matter. She had said it in the heat of the moment. He wasn’t going to take her words seriously.

She saw a movement on the beach and leaned forward. Sebastian was walking on the dock as he spoke on his cell phone. She couldn’t hear his conversation but she knew from the smile and the way he dipped his head that he was speaking to his mother.

Sebastian Cruz was an arrogant and powerful playboy, but he was also a family man. She admired how he took care of his family. She thought that kind of man was only found on unrealistic television shows. But she also noticed how Sebastian treated his mother and sisters.

Unlike the playboys she knew, Sebastian respected women. No matter how exasperated he was with his sisters, Sebastian saw them as successful women who brought a valuable contribution to their fields, community and to the family. He listened to his mother’s opinions and sought out her advice. He was ready to help the women in his family if they asked, but he never saw them as useless, porcelain dolls.

Ashley watched from her vantage point, knowing he couldn’t see her on the shaded balcony. She could study him and memorize his hard angles and wide shoulders. The man was raw male and sexuality even in his wrinkled cotton shirt and low-slung jeans. It was a shame she wasn’t carrying his child.

She’d discovered that this morning, and instead of feeling relieved, Ashley had struggled with her disappointment. She hadn’t realized how much she’d wanted Sebastian’s baby until that moment. Now there was nothing to keep him at her side.

Ashley saw Sebastian disconnect his call as he walked to the front door. She couldn’t see him but she heard him greet Clea.

“Good morning, Mr. Sebastian,” the housekeeper said. Her tone was friendly as usual, but Ashley recognized a bubbling excitement underneath the words. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, but I haven’t had a chance to speak to you alone.”

“What do you want to know?” Sebastian’s voice was low and rough.

“Did you use to live in this house? I would say about twenty-five years ago?”

Ashley jerked back as her heart stopped. What was Clea saying? That the Cruz family had once owned Inez Key? That was ridiculous, surely.

“Yes,” Sebastian said with eerie calm, “this used to be my home until Donald Jones stole it from my family.”

Ashley’s skin went hot and then cold as the bile churned in her stomach. Her father had taken this island from the Cruz family. Ruined them. And for what? He’d had no interest in Inez Key.

“And you stole it back,” Clea said dazedly.

The housekeeper’s words echoed in her head. Ashley leaned against the wall as her shaky legs threatened to buckle. That was why Sebastian had been so interested in this island. Why he’d refused to accept Inez Key wasn’t for sale.

A collage of images slammed through her mind. Sebastian standing at the dock like a conquering leader. The watercolors Sebastian’s father had painted. The shadows in his eyes when he looked at the main house.

He’d set out to seduce and steal Inez Key from her because her father had stolen it first. It was an eye for an eye.

Ashley inhaled sharply as the fury and pain whipped through her. She tried to breathe, but her chest was constricted. This was why he didn’t respond to her declaration of love. Because he had no feelings for her. She was just a pawn in his game of revenge.

How had she got it so wrong?

She had made herself believe that Sebastian was nothing like the men she knew. That he could love and respect a woman. That he was a good man. A man she could trust and share her life with. Because she believed her happiness and safety was his priority. That he wanted what was best for her.

She had ignored her first instinct. Was it his incredible good looks or his overwhelming sexuality that had distracted her? He used her without compunction. She had been a pawn he could easily sacrifice. She had believed what she wanted to believe.

Ashley closed her eyes and turned her head. She wanted to block out the world around her. Pretend that this wasn’t happening. Run and never look back.

Tags: Susanna Carr Billionaire Romance
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