“Well?” he asked, completely cool and detached, all the emotion of the previous hour gone.
“Well, what?” It was eerie how he could do that, just separate himself. He’d always been able to.
“Do you want to call it off? Shall I take you home and release you from your contract? I can do that, but under one condition.”
“What’s that condition?” she asked, hoping it would be something she couldn’t accept because more than anything, she wanted to stay. With him. She wanted Luke Roark like she had years ago when she was a teenager and he was a man.
“If I take you home, you give me your word that I will never again see you at a party like the one tonight, not to mention any BDSM clubs or gatherings of any kind.”
He didn’t want her in his world? “You can’t tell me what to do,” she said.
“Grow up,” he retorted, then opened the door and stepped aside. “After you.”
Crap.
“If Damien finds out, then I don’t get paid.” She hated to use that one.
“I wouldn’t tell him. And besides, from what I know, you got a healthy stash of cash after the accident,” he said.
Her mouth tightened and emotion bubbled up inside her. But there were enough years between that night and today that she could keep them at bay.
He watched her in those moments and she realized maybe she wasn’t as good at hiding her emotions as she thought. He dropped his head. “I’m sorry, that was out of line.”
“You’re damn right it was,” she said. Losing her parents like she had wasn’t worth the insurance money, not even close. And besides, she couldn’t touch it until she was twenty-five. Nate had full control over it and he had full control over her—until then. That’s how she’d gotten into this mess to begin with.
He closed the door. “Come inside,” he said, flipping on light switches as he led the way down the hallway to the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”
Her stomach growled in response. “Yes,” she said. “I was too nervous to eat today.”
He pulled out a stool at the counter for her and went to the fridge. “Eggs?”
“Great,” she said.
He took out a carton of eggs and two beers. “You’re old enough to drink, right?” he asked, twisting the lid off and handing it to her.
“Not an old man like you but yes, old enough to drink.”
“Watch your mouth or I will spank you,” he teased, cracking two eggs into a pan.
“I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Her sex had reacted quickly to his words.
“Yep,” he said, turning to her. His eyes let her know just how much. “But I’m guessing I wouldn’t have to hold you down too hard,” he threw back at her.
She turned bright red and for once, didn’t have a comeback.
“How do you like your eggs?”
“Sunny side up. And the white should be crispy.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, sipping his beer.
“Nice house.” She looked around the ultra-modern kitchen. “Isn’t there a wife or girlfriend to keep it for you?” she asked.
“Fishing?” he asked.
“You wish,” she threw back.
“Louisa takes care of the house,” he said.
So Louisa, was it. Emma already hated the name.
“She’s my fifty-six-year-old housekeeper/cook/second mom. Otherwise, I don’t do relationships.”
“Oh.”
“Your hair looks better this way. Natural.”
“Thanks,” she said, embarrassed by the compliment.
“Tell me about Damien. What the hell attracts someone like you to a boy like him?”
“He’s not a boy,” she defended, although in comparison to Luke, he was a toddler. “In actual age, that is.”
“Please,” he said. “I want to know if you were looking for a Dominant, how does he appeal?” he continued, serving their eggs and passing her a plate.
“I don’t know. I…he was the first person I met who wasn’t totally…vanilla. It’s not like I’ve had a ton of experience in this field, not like you, I imagine.”
“That’s a good thing. Eat before your eggs get cold.”
She took a bite and a big sip of beer. “Did you mean what you said earlier?”
“What was that?”
Oh, he knew perfectly well, but he was going to make her say it, wasn’t he? Fine, she could do that. “That you would teach me?” Heat flushed her neck and cheeks. Maybe she wasn’t so brave after all.
He smiled. “I quite like it when you’re embarrassed,” he said.
She waited.
His face grew more serious. “You’re Nate’s little sister, Emma,” he said. “And you’re a kid.”