“You’ve made it very obvious,” Ashley said in a withering tone.
“I’m not ashamed of it.” He didn’t consider his desire for Ashley a weakness. It was more of a problem, a distraction and a growing obsession. She, on the other hand, was ashamed by the attraction they shared. She acted as if it went against everything she believed in.
“I’m not for sale,” she declared.
The corner of his mouth slanted up. “You said the same about Inez Key and look at how that worked out.”
Her jaw clenched. “I’m serious, Cruz,” she said in a growl.
If she’d been serious, she would have tossed back his indecent proposal. Used a few choice words and punctuated her indignation with a slap. Instead, she held the door handle in a death grip. She was wavering. Horrified but enthralled. If he played this right he could have Ashley back in his bed for more than a night.
“I’m sure we can work out an arrangement,” he said smoothly as the excitement burned inside him. He had ached for her for weeks and the sensation intensified now that he knew the wait was almost over.
“You are no better than Raymond,” she said in a hiss.
Sebastian smirked. Her comment just proved how innocent and unworldly she really was. Hadn’t she realized by now that he was much, much worse?
“On the contrary, Casillas had set a trap. I’m being extremely honest about what I want.” And he wanted Ashley more than anything. It didn’t make sense. She wasn’t like the other women in his life. She was untamed and inexperienced. Trouble. An inconvenience.
He should cut her loose. After all, he was lying about what he was willing to offer in exchange. He wasn’t letting her back on that island. He wasn’t going to break a promise just so he could please this spoiled little princess. But he was intrigued to see what her price would be.
“Honest?” she asked, the word exploding from her pink lips. “How can you say that when you introduced yourself under a different name with the intent of seducing the island from me?”
He rose from his seat and approached her. This time she was too angry to be cautious. She didn’t catch the scent of danger. Her brown eyes glittered and she thrust out her chin.
Sebastian wondered why she attempted to hide behind the shapeless white dress. Her beauty was too bold, her personality too brash, to be restrained. His palms itched to pull her hair free and watch it tumble past her shoulders. He wanted to smear the pale makeup from her face and reveal the island girl he knew.
“You’re the one who isn’t being honest,” Sebastian said as he stood before her, noticing how her chest rose and fell with agitation. “You knew what Casillas was really after and you didn’t disabuse him of that idea because you needed the money.”
“I tried the banks but—”
“Casillas makes your skin crawl. Don’t you think he knew that? Did you realize that made you even more desirable to him?” Sebastian asked. “You tried to play the game and got in too deep.”
Ashley raised an eyebrow. “Did you consider that I fell into bed with you because I wanted to get rid of my virginity? That I needed to so I could escape Raymond?”
Sebastian jerked his head back. He had not considered that. The possibility ate away at him like acid. He was not going to be used by a pampered princess.
Sebastian gripped her chin with his fingers and held her still. He felt the fight beneath her smooth, silky skin. “Did you?” he asked in a low, angry tone that would send his employees scurrying for safety.
Her eyes gleamed with reckless defiance. “Not so sure anymore, are you?”
He watched her closely as the unfamiliar emotions squeezed his chest. With her natural beauty and independent spirit, Ashley Jones could have had any man. He didn’t know why she’d waited for her first sexual experience, but if she needed to get rid of her virginity, she would have picked an uncomplicated man whom she could control.
He stroked the pad of his thumb against her chin as he held his fiery emotions in check. “I think you slept with me because you couldn’t help it,” he said in a husky voice. She wanted him even though it meant yielding. Surrendering. “Casillas had nothing to do with it. You forgot all about him when you were with me.”