Being the prey, not the predator.
But now, in his apartment, she was starting to wonder if she had made the right decision in coming here. It wasn’t just that she didn’t know what to say. He seemed utterly unfazed by her presence.
‘Why don’t you sit down?’
She glared at him.
‘Will I need to? Is trying to bribe me into handing over my nephew not big or bad enough for you? Have you got some other bombshell you want to drop on me?’
The tension in her body was making her voice sound high and breathless, but if he noticed he gave no sign of it.
‘You brought the battle to me, Ms Thorn.’
She felt the fine hairs on the back of her neck rise.
Yesterday, his threats had been more subtle—just hints at the array of legal firepower and money he had at his disposal. But now he was being less coy. The gloves were off.
Her gaze darted involuntarily to his hand, resting negligently along on the armrest, and she remembered that sharp sting of heat as his fingers had touched hers.
In that moment, just for a few fleeting seconds, she had seen a different man beneath the smooth, controlled surface. A man without boundaries. A man willing to use those hands to stir and torment and pleasure his lover to the point of abandonment.
She felt her heart skip a beat, then speed up, and, feeling suddenly a little dizzy, she sat down.
‘You’re right. I did.’
The anger and audacity that had brought her here were rapidly dissolving. But she needed to say something. She couldn’t just sit there and glare at him.
Sitting up straighter, she forced herself to meet his gaze. ‘Look, I know your family is a big deal in Macau, and I’m sure you’re used to throwing your weight around and getting your own way there. But we’re not in Macau, and your name and your money don’t mean anything here.’
She had half expected him to interrupt, to tell her that she was wrong, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he just watched her impassively, letting silence fill the space between them until she thought she might scream simply to break it.
‘In my experience, money is a universal language,’ he said finally.
Her heart pounded fiercely. He was right. Rich people had that knack of getting what they wanted, but—
‘Archie’s not some business deal,’ she snapped, her fluttering panic giving way to a punch of anger. ‘And, excuse the pun, but I have the law on my side. Or at least the only law that matters.’
For a moment, he held her gaze, and then he shrugged dismissively. ‘For now.’
‘No, not just for now.’ Her fingers tightened into fists, as his mouth flickered at one corner. ‘I’m Archie’s appointed guardian. If you want anything to do with him, you have to go through me.’
‘But of course,’ he said softly. ‘Isn’t that why you’re here?’
She stared at him, her heart bumping against her ribs as he shifted in his seat, the movement making his shirt tighten distractingly against the contours of his chest.
‘Or did you have some other more p
ersonal reason for coming today?’
Her eyes flew to his, a quiver of heat running down her spine, and she breathed out unsteadily, trying to ignore the way his words were making her pelvis clench.
He was playing with her. And the more fiercely controlled he became, the more she started to unravel. But what was she supposed to say? I wanted to feel like a tiger, not a deer. That would sound completely mad.
She took a steadying breath. ‘When he was alive, your father didn’t want anything to do with Archie.’
‘But I’m not my father,’ he replied quietly. ‘And I do want to know Archie. Very much.’ His gaze held hers steadily. ‘Ms Thorn, I understand and respect your loyalty to your sister—but, like it or not, Archie is my father’s son and my half-brother.’
She felt her stomach clench. Her pulse quickened. Coming here today was supposed to catch him off guard. So why did it feel as if a trap was closing around her?