She sat, knees and ankles pressed together.
“I hear you’re looking for a job. Why?”
“To earn an honest living.”
“I see. Did Salazar encourage you to look for work?”
She tilted her head. Dane was watching her like a lion would an impala. Did he still think she was out for his father’s money? “No. It’s something I want.”
“Of course.” He leaned back in his seat. A bemused smile curled his lips, but his eyes remained cool. “So you won’t object if I ask you to move out of Salazar’s house as a condition of your employment?”
“If you can wait a couple of months, no.”
“Why the delay?”
“I don’t have the money for a deposit or—”
He flicked away her explanation. “I can advance you the money. And my staff can find you a temporary place to stay.”
“That’s very generous, but I’d hate to impose.”
“Unless it’s on my father.”
His superior expression made her hands clench. “There’s absolutely nothing good about my situation. Do you think I want to take someone else’s charity?” She shook her head. “The only difference between you and me is that you didn’t spend all your life pursuing something highly uneconomical out of love and passion, and your father’s better at managing his money than mine was. If what you’re really worried about is protecting your inheritance, don’t worry. I won’t be a leech.”
“This isn’t about any inheritance. I don’t want his money, and in any case I’m already quite wealthy.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“There are two. One, you pretending to want to share his bed because he’s such a great guy. And two, you becoming my stepmother, which I find singularly distasteful.” He paused for a moment, his eyes narrow. “I know what you sound like when you come.”
The gall! “Your dad said you were an asshole, and I thought he was mistaken. But it’s obvious I’m the one who was wrong. You are an asshole.”
“And proud of it. I suppose he forgot to mention that.”
“He did. I guess he didn’t want to paint his son too badly.”
Dane laughed out loud. “Right.”
“For your information, I actually do like him. He’s charming, and he’s nice to me without expecting anything in return. He’s made sure that my dog and I are comfortable while I try to find a way to get back on my feet.”
“Next you’re going to tell me he loves you and you love him.”
She fumed. Was his mind too broken to think of anything but that? “Obviously you’re one of those people who can’t accept kindness at face value. There has to be some ulterior motive, right?” She shook her head. “Now I see why you left the way you did. Despite what you think, all I wanted back then was dinner and sex, and the only thing Salazar’s been offering is assistance, because he realizes I need it. So when your brain starts coming up with all the horrible reasons people might have for being nice to each other, maybe you should reflect on your own soul. Ask yourself why you have to be so cynical when you’ve lived all your life in absolute privilege.”
Dane didn’t respond in any outward way except for an almost imperceptible tightening of his mouth. She swallowed. She didn’t know what made her just say all that. Generally she avoided confrontations, but she simply couldn’t keep her mouth shut with Dane. He pressed every single one of her buttons.
Finally, he got up and walked around the desk, stopping in front of her. Probably a deliberate move to make her tilt her head back to look up at him.
He leaned forward until his nose almost touched hers. His scent—some luxurious aftershave and pure male—enveloped her until her senses drowned in it. Her pulse leaped.
“Are you finished?” His near-whisper was hot against her cheek.
She shivered despite herself. “Yes.”
“Then listen very carefully, Sophia. I’m about to give you an important lesson in surviving my family. It’s precisely because of the way my life has gone that I’ve become so cynical. Kindness can be kindness, or it can be a weapon. And when it’s a weapon, it can be deadlier than a gun. Don’t take anything at face value.”
Her heart thudded, not just from the proximity to him. Dane seemed genuine. Just how messed up had his life been that he believed this? She’d always thought she’d had a less than ideal childhood with her oblivious and negligent parents and her single-minded focus on her sport career. But nothing had damaged her to the point that she equated kindness to something worse than guns. “I see. Well, I’m sorry for wasting both of our time.”