Page 21 of Master of Secrets

“Let me make a counter-offer,” he coaxed. “Let me send my people to monitor your home and your martial arts school while you stay here tonight. Let’s find out if our mutual enemies have put a name to you, hunted down your address, possibly even put your students in danger. That would be solid, useful, actionable data for you, right? And it costs you nothing.”

“And what would I owe you for that?”

“Nothing,” he said. “It would be sleazy and opportunistic to expect anything of you, since I muscled you into this. I give you the info you need, you stay safe. If they make a move on you, then I have a fresh opening, which I badly need. In the meantime, you can kick back, have a glass of wine, enjoy the view. Let yourself be pampered.”

His expression revealed nothing, but I felt the energy, roaring off him. The heat, the need, the intense curiosity.

Curiosity was the most dangerous thing of all.

“Maybe you haven’t gotten my vibe,” I said. “I don’t do pampered. I’m not the type to lounge around sipping a drink and enjoying the view.”

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. I would go to incredible lengths to make you feel welcome, if you’ll just stay safe in my fortress while my team does its thing.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Anything?”

As soon as it came out of my mouth, I regretted it. It sounded so suggestive, so flirtatious. And how could I risk that, isolated with a guy so accustomed to having the upper hand? It was too late, though. The smolder in his eyes was a hot blaze.

“Anything,” he said softly.

I licked my lips. “Um. Maybe I gave you the wrong idea, back in the elevator, when I invited you to coffee.” My voice sounded nervous and prim to my own ears.

“Did you?” he said. “And then saving my ass in that elevator, like the warrior goddess that you are? I have never had such a powerful idea. Right or wrong.”

“Ah…” My voice trailed off.

Okay. This was the part where I put him in his place. Made him feel like a fool for suggesting it. Bitch-slapped him into gibbering submission. That was my usual playbook, when men came on to me.

It was the kindest thing I could do for them, after all. I was trying to protect them from my shitty life, from my fucked-up destiny, and my numerous personality disorders.

But Ethan Masters was the kind of man who didn’t need to be protected. I could even consider indulging—until he figured out for himself how bad an idea this was.

Maybe, if we imposed clear limits from the very start, it wouldn’t even come to that. Maybe this could be a brief parenthetical statement in the more or less arid shitshow that was my life. A moment of sensual luxury to treasure in the years to come.

Holy freaking crap, look at me. I was actually considering it.

And he knew it. He could read it, in my aura. Damn the man.

“It would be really stupid,” I said.

“Oh, probably,” he agreed. “But it would be a lot of fun. I would make very sure it was worth your while.”

I could feel my face heating up. Jeez, was I actually blushing? I licked my lips again, then wished I hadn’t when he stared at them as if he was hypnotized.

“I am not interested in having a boyfriend,” I told him. “Particularly not a boyfriend that a whole bunch of assholes are trying to kill. That sounds stressful.”

“That actually works for me, too,” he said. “I love sex, but I don’t do romance, or commitment, for all the reasons you saw today. My life is nuts, it’s too fucking dangerous, and my priorities are elsewhere. But here we are, together. If you were into it, today is the perfect moment to indulge. No strings, no obligations. No expectations, other than pleasure. I will make it good for you. I swear it.”

I let out a nervous, jerky laugh. “Wow. That is, ah…quite the claim.”

“I’m good for it.” His voice was deep and resonant, a caress of my nerve endings. It made shivers rush over the surface of my overheated skin.

I got up, and walked out onto the terrace. It was cool out there, a breeze ruffling my hair. I leaned on the wrought-iron railing, clutching it with both hands, until my knuckles were white. Staring out at that vast array of peaks and shadowy valleys.

Ethan joined me, leaning on the railing next to me. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said. “I shouldn’t have made a move on you after what happened today.”

“Oh, God, no,” I said. “That has nothing to do with it.”

“Was it something else that I said?”