shamefaced in the slightest. As if she were the one in the wrong. The outrageous, presumptuous bastard.
“That settles it” She marched into the room. “The next man who scares me out of my wits jumping out of the dark at me—
He didn't even blink. “Yes.”
“Yes?” Her anger bubbled and fumed. “That's all? Just yes?”
He got to his feet. “Yes, I understand that. Let's move on to what the fuck you've been doing for the past sixteen hours.”
She was so furious, his looming and glowering didn't even intimidate her. “What business is it of yours? You have no right to ask! You have no right to even be here! I should be calling nine-one-one!”
“After yesterday, I have every right.”
The cool conviction in his voice maddened her. She wished she hadn't discarded her shoes. She needed the extra two inches to face him down. “Let me explain something to you, Seth, because we're not communicating very well,” she said. “If I had a boyfriend, I would of course include him in every aspect of my life. I would call him, and e-mail him, and leave cute little text messages on his cell phone. I would keep him informed of where I'm going, when I'm getting back—”
“Yeah. Exactly. That's what I—”
“But I don't have a boyfriend, Seth” she yelled. “I don't have a phone number, I don't have a beeper number. I don't have a clue! What I do have is a problem. A big, nasty-tempered problem who invades my privacy and jumps out of the dark like a horror movie monster! A man who thinks he owns me just because we slept together!”
“For the record, that wasn't just sleeping together.”
“Oh no? What was it, exactly?” she demanded. “Enlighten me, please. Remember, I don't have your vast experience in these matters.”
“It was ... it was more.” He shoved his hand through his hair and shook his head. “It blew my mind. And there was no sleeping involved. In fact, I haven't actually slept since I met you.”
“Oh, please. I'm so flattered! I'm so incredibly hot in bed, you just can't help yourself? Sleep deprivation has driven you so far out of your mind that you feel justified in breaking into my house? What is it with me, Seth? Why does everybody seem to mink that the normal rules of civilized behavior don't apply with me? Have I got a sign on my back that says 'anything goes'? “
His breath hissed through his teeth. “Christ, Raine. I've been sitting here on a bed of nails wondering what that bastard was doing to you, and you're mad because I forgot to give you my phone number?”
She stared at him. “How did you know I was at the island?”
“I called the office! If you'd been there, I would have asked you out to dinner! But you weren't there! You were off at Lazar's fucking private island!”
She sat down on the bed and dug her toes into the thick carpet. “Why would you think that Victor would hurt me?” she asked gently.
“Oh. It's Victor, now, not Mr. Lazar, hmm?”
She brushed his words away with a wave of her hand. “Don't be ridiculous, please. Just answer the question.”
“He handed you over to me yesterday like you were a professional, Raine,” he said hoarsely. “He threw you to the wolves, and he did it for run.
Her mouth dropped open. He had been worried. Frightened for her. She was so touched that for a moment, she forgot how angry she was. “Victor Lazar did not force me to go to bed with you,” she told him gently. “I had already decided on my own to seduce you, if I could.”
He snorted. “If you could. Hah.”
She lifted her chin. “I went with you because I wanted you. I am not as helpless and stupid as you seem to think. Today, I negotiated contracts for Taiwanese pharmaceuticals, Indonesian teak flooring and textiles, Baltic timber and Norwegian cheese. I also formatted the annual report and typed letters and e-mails to the entire world, in five different languages. It was a very normal working day, Seth. I was not called upon to provide sexual entertainment for Victor or anyone else, so put your mind at ease.”
He opened his mouth, but she held up her hand. “I'm not finished yet. You have to follow the rules. Like knocking on locked doors, for instance. That's not too much to ask. And this jumping out of the dark and scaring me to death, that's a terrible habit. I won't tolerate it.”
“Like a dog pissing on the rug?”
She forced herself not to laugh at his sour expression. “Exactly,” she said. “People should try to follow the basic rules of civilized society. Particularly... lovers.”
The silence in the room was absolute. His gaze bored into her face, as focused as a laser. “Does that mean we're lovers, men?”
This was the moment of truth. She had felt it coming since his visit that morning. It was time to either dive off the cliff into deep, unknown water, or turn and run like hell. She squeezed her eyes shut, head spinning with a tingling rush of vertigo. She opened her eyes and jumped. “I don't know, Seth,” she whispered. “Are we?”
two swift strides, and he was upon her. “Hell, yes.”
His hard grasp made her stiffen up; it was too much, too soon, and she was still angry and contused. The world dipped and spun. She was on her back, on the carpet with Seth arched over her. He unraveled her braid and fanned her hair out around her head. He pushed her legs apart and settled his hard body against her.
She shoved against his chest. “Seth, hold on. Wait!”
“Relax.” He tugged her blouse out of the waistband of her skirt, sliding his hand beneath it. He growled with pleasure as his hand found warm skin. “What's the problem? You said we were lovers, right?”
She seized his wrist and yanked it out of her blouse. “Sex is not all that means, you dog!”
His eyes gleamed. “Woof” he said. “What else does it mean?”
“Lovers do things together! They rent videos, they ride Ferris wheels, they go out for pizza, they play Scrabble. They... they talk!”
“Talk?” He lifted his head and frowned, his eyes puzzled. “We talk all the time, Raine. I've never had such talkative sex.”
“That's just it!” She wiggled, flailed, but couldn't budge him. 'Two minutes alone with you, and I'm flat on my back. Every single time!”
A slow, knowing grin spread over his face. “Is this your way of telling me you want to be on top?”
It was too much. She had been pushed around all day, she was still buzzing with adrenaline, and that smug, self-satisfied look on his face was unbearable. Pressure built up and snapped, faster than she could think or reason. Her hand lashed out and slapped his face, hard.
They stared at each other, stunned. Raine looked at her stinging hand as if it were not her own. Seth seized her wrist and pinned it over her head without speaking. His eyes were hard with controlled anger.
“Oh, God,” she whispered. “I wish I hadn't done that.”
“Me too.” His voice was low and menacing. He settled more of his weight upon her, squashing her breathless. “That one was for free. Do not ever,
She licked her dry lips and tugged at her trapped wrist. “Seth, I—”
“Is that absolutely clear?”
She nodded. Long, silent moments slid by. They were frozen, immobile. As if waiting for a bomb to explode.
Raine pushed at his chest, trying to make room for her lungs to expand. “You're playing power games again,” she said. “Please don't.”
“This isn't a game. You're pushing me, Raine. You're testing me, and I'm just laying down the rules.”
“Your rules,” she said
“That is right.” His face was implacable. “My rules.”
“That's not fair.”
“What's not fair? You wanted to follow the basic rules of civilized behavior, right? Civilized people don't hit each other. Simple enough. Or do the rules only apply to me, and not to you?”
“You just broke into my house, you manipulative bastard,” she hissed. “Don't you dare throw my words back
