His eyes narrowed. “If you’re not willing to discuss this like a rational human being …”
“You’ll what?” Gina asked, tapping the toe of her boot against the dust-covered concrete floor. “Hire someone to do my talking for me? Or no, wait. Better yet, you could hire someone to do your talking. Then you wouldn’t even have to look at me until it was time to come to bed and do your duty for the King ranch and dynasty.”
He gritted his teeth and the muscle in his jaw twitched. “You think I treat lovemaking as a chore?”
“Isn’t it for you?” she countered and immediately wished she hadn’t. Never ask a question if you don’t think you’ll like the answer. But too late now. Yes, he seemed to enjoy making love with her. But what if she was wrong about that? What if he really was doing only what he considered keeping up his end of the bargain? What if she hadn’t even reached him in bed? Didn’t she have to know? And wasn’t pushing him the only way to know for sure?
“We made a deal,” she accused, hoping with everything she was that he would deny what she was thinking, “and you come to me every night to check sex off your to-do list.”
“Now you’re not making any sense at all.” He snorted a dismissive laugh.
“No? Then tell me you want me, Adam. Tell me that making love to me is more than a chore. More than just holding up your end of the bargain.” She stepped in close to him, felt the heat pouring off his body and reaching for hers. “Prove me wrong, Adam,” she taunted. “If I’m more than that to you, prove it to me.”
Seconds ticked past as she stared into his eyes. Heat flared in those dark chocolate depths and Gina almost wondered if she’d pushed him too far.
Then he grabbed her, yanked her flush against him and took her mouth with a fierce aggression that melted every bone in her body.
Looked like she’d pushed him just far enough.
Adam couldn’t breathe.
The anger that had been choking him was drowning now in a molten sea of desire. He pulled her in close,
wrapped both arms around her and gave himself up to the raging need within. She opened her mouth for him and his tongue delved into her heat. He tasted and took, grabbing as much of her as he could, as if his life depended on it.
She was a contradiction in so many ways. Sweet, and yet not afraid to stand up for herself. Even to him. Sexy and warm and hot tempered, as well. She shook up his life. Brought chaos to order. Dragged strangers onto his property. Made him feel too much. Want too much.
His hands fisted in her hair and he pulled her head back, bending her back as he took all she offered. All she promised. He felt her like a drug in his system. She filled every cell. Awoke every nerve.
She was dangerous.
At that thought, he pulled himself up from the spell he was under and broke the kiss like a man surfacing for one last gasp of air before he drowned. He released her and she lurched unsteadily until she found her footing. Then she lifted one hand to her mouth and raised her glassy eyes to his.
Adam fought to bring air into straining lungs. Fought to ignore the throbbing in his groin, the near-frantic demand for release clamoring at him. When he finally felt as though he could speak again, he said only, “You’re not a chore, Gina. But you’re not permanent, either. You can’t be.”
Pain flickered in her eyes and he steeled himself against it. He wouldn’t be moved by concern for her. Would hold himself to the course he’d set when he embarked on the bargain that had shattered the peaceful solitude of his world.
“Why, Adam?” Her voice was soft and sounded as bruised as her eyes. “Why are you so determined to feel nothing? You were married before. You loved Monica.”
Ice flowed through his veins just as quickly as the fire had only moments before. “You don’t know anything about my marriage.”
He hoped she would drop it, but of course, being Gina, she didn’t.
“I know that she’s gone. I know that the pain you felt at losing your wife and son will never really go away.”
“You know nothing.”
“Then talk to me!” Her shout was loud enough to rattle the window glass in the old barn. “How can I know what you’re thinking if you won’t talk to me? Let me in, Adam.”
Shaking his head, he fought for words, and couldn’t find any. He didn’t want her in. Didn’t want this to be anything more than the impersonal bargain they’d first begun. His past was just that. His. He didn’t make decisions based on guilt or pain or any other emotion that could cloud judgment, impair thought.
Adam ran his life as he ran his portion of the King business. With calm, cool reason. Something Gina clearly was unaccustomed to.