"But I don't understand. Please," she said as Magnus shook his head in disbelief. "Really, I don't understand. I thought you just wanted sex, so I don't see the point of you dragging it out." A sigh escaped her lips and her shoulders drooped. He watched as the light went out of her eyes and they turned dull. "Fine, if that's all you want." She started to unbutton her shirt, her shaking fingers slipping from the buttons as her chest started to rise and fall with the tears Magnus could sense building up inside her.
He grabbed hold of her arms and eased her toward the dining table before she started to fall. Hooking a chair out with his foot, he gently pushed her down into the seat and passed her a glass of wine.
"Drink," he instructed, pulling out a chair opposite her and dropping into it. "Regardless of what you think, I do not treat women badly. We have a deal, but that doesn't mean I am going to treat you like a cheap prostitute. There's no reason why we can't get to know each other before we get to the bedroom." He took a sip of wine and leaned back in his chair. Magnus watched her face regain some of its color. "If nothing else, I enjoy a good conversation. You aren't a faceless person, Kate. You're an extremely desirable, red-blooded woman who I find appealing and wish to have sex with." He gave her time to absorb his words. "Sure, I want a deal that has no strings attached; it's just the way it is with me. If I choose to cook you dinner and learn something about you before I take you to bed, it is my right. For the next six months, I own you, Kate, don't forget that. Now you can either take off your clothes or help by setting the table."
Magnus watched as she stood on shaky feet and headed to the kitchen, pulling out drawers until she found the cutlery. He smiled to himself, returned to the stove, and put the pan on the grill. Kate was so different from the usual women who couldn't wait to tear off their clothes in his presence. Her terrified innocence tugged at his conscience, but a deal was a deal. I'll bed her, and when I'm finished with her, I'll say good-bye and find another willing body to feed my primal urges. That's if I can let her go.
"The salt and pepper are in the pantry along with the candles." Magnus turned the steaks and the aroma of the sizzling meat filling the room. He took a tossed salad from the refrigerator and put that on the bench, along with some crusty bread and butter. "How do you like your steak done?"
"Medium, thanks." Kate lit the candles and set them between the two table settings.
"Have a seat. It won't be a minute," Magnus said, taking plates from the rack. He plated the steaks, brought it to the table, and took a seat opposite her. Picking up the wine bottle, he leaned over and filled her glass. For a moment he toyed with the stem, then took a breath and raised his in a toast.
"To getting to know you better," he said, daring her to object.
She raised her glass and drank deeply, the wine sending a buzz to her brain. None of this was going the way she had planned. She was prepared to be taken roughly and brutally because that was how she thought of him. Now that he was playing the nice guy by cooking her dinner, it threw her out of whack. How am I supposed to respond to him now?
"Did you know your father had gambled away the farm?" Magnus asked, cutting into his meat.
Kate looked down at her plate, her appetite suddenly gone with the single question, the meal in front of her now unappealing. "No, no I didn't." A tight fist squeezed her heart as she tried to control her breathing, forcing the tears back. "My father never had a gambling problem as far as I knew. It was a complete surprise to me."
"It is amazing how much you don't know about a person, isn't it?"
Kate lifted her head, ready for battle. "You know nothing about my family apart from our financial problems. My father was the hardest working man I knew. He lived for his family. My mother's death shocked him more than he let on. I never knew how much it hurt him. I was too young to understand."
"Nevertheless, he didn't provide for you or your future. I am sure he knew what he was doing every time he took out another loan to cover his gambling debts."
"Playing right into your hands," she retorted. "How lucky for you, Magnus. A never-ending water supply and a mistress for no extra coin. You must be feeling very pleased with yourself."
"It is hardly how I normally do business." Magnus cut off another piece of steak. He chewed it slowly, his gaze intent on her. "But I would be a fool to turn down what was virtually thrown into my lap, wouldn't I?"
Kate pushed her plate away and lifted her chin in defiance. "So when do you intend to bed me, then?"
"That is entirely up to you."
"What, I just tell you the time and place and that's it?" She eyed him warily.
"Not quite. It will be in my bed, and it will be at the end of the day. I have too much work to do on the farm to be rolling around in the sheets with you when I should be working."
Kate felt as if he had slapped her. With his words, he had just relegated her down another level. Her face burned with shame, a shame she had no control over. She pushed back her chair and took her plate to the kitchen, scraping her dinner into the trash bin. She had to pluck up the courage
