The Burlington Manor Affair

“I had your implicit agreement. I think we both know that.”

Her lips pursed.

“I want to know how much you want the house. Demonstrate your commitment to Burlington Manor.”

If looks could kill, Rex knew he would be dead already.

“It’s all right for you to say that,” she seethed, “but how in hell can I prove it to you?”

Her attitude triggered something dark in him. Something that demanded to be fed. “Crawl.”

Carmen’s head dropped back as if she’d been physically slapped.

The urge to push her some more roared in on him, taking charge. He strode to the chair where his clothes lay abandoned from the night before.

Swiping up his jeans, he fished into the pocket. He tossed the key chain out across the floor, holding on to the end of the long chain. “Get down on your hands and knees and crawl over here for it.”

When the key landed on the Persian rug, she stared down at it. Rex jerked on the chain.

The key flipped over on the floor between them, like bait. Like a lure.

“Show me what you want, what you came here for,” he said.

Carmen shook her head.

“I want to know exactly what you wanted when you stepped through the door. The truth.”

She stared up at him. “I can’t do this. It’s too hard!”

“You can, because you want me to sign it over, and you agreed to do whatever I said to get it.”

He felt her buckling. Would she use the safe word? Would this push her humiliation trigger just that bit too far? He didn’t care, as long as it got the truth out of her. He had to know. “Why are you here? What did you want? Just the property?”

“Yes.” She dropped onto her hands and knees. Her voice was weak, forced. “It’s a fair exchange, that’s what you said.”

The light outlined her body, drawing his eye to her curves.

She moved suddenly, jerking forward and crawling toward the key, but she was in turmoil. He could sense it. He could see it.

The sight of her that way made him painfully hard and yet his sense of frustration only grew. He wanted to understand this woman more than anything in the world.

When she got to it, her hand wrapped around the key, but she stayed there, shifting uneasily. The light from the window fell across her naked form, delineating the arch of her waist and the curve of her hip. Her soft skin glowed in the morning light. In contrast, her face was shadowed by her hair as it fell forward, and she looked up at him like a wild creature, her eyes blazing.

“Tell me why,” he demanded, and he held tight to his end of the key chain.

Her body rippled, her back arching. Her head swung to one side. She whimpered. Taking a deep breath she moved again, gathering the chain up in her hand as she went.

“Just the house?” he asked. “That’s all you wanted? You were that cold and mercenary?”

She froze, then sat back on her heels. Her breathing was labored. She was battling something, fiercely.

He pressed her further. “Why is this so hard for you to talk about?”

“Because I’m scared.” She stared up at him, and her eyes looked wild.

Rex swallowed. “Why are you scared?”

Her gaze roved over him, her jaw going lax when she saw his erection.