Therian Promise(39)

He grabbed her upper arm, bringing her up short. “You gave up too easily.”

“I don’t have time for games.” She tugged against his hold, secretly thrilled by the strength of his grip. He might look like a man nearing middle age, but she knew from experience that his body was lean and muscular. If only a kind person resided within that buff body, these games would be a lot more rewarding.

“I think you enjoy games every bit as much as I do.” He pulled her toward him with slow, steady insistence. “You pretend indifference while your body begs for more.”

“You treat me like a sex toy.” She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. It was a dance, a balancing act. She had to encourage his interest without actually giving in.

“And you enjoy every minute of it.” He reached for the top button on her blouse, but she twisted away. “Is this where you try to convince me you aren’t willing?”

“I’m not that big a hypocrite.” She straightened her shoulders, giving him a better view of her cleavage. “My body responds to your bullying, but my mind is appalled by my weakness. I have more pride than to let it go on indefinitely.”

“So this is about assuaging your pride?” He chuckled and released her arm. “I seldom fuck any human more than once. The fact that I’m still interested should make you feel better.”

What an arrogant jerk. If not for the backers, she never would have let Osric touch her in the first place. He was a means to an end. Nothing more. But she couldn’t let him realize how she really felt. “That’s the problem. You’re not interested in me. You’re interested in my pussy.”

A dark smile curved his lips and he leaned toward her. “Come to my room and I’ll prove you wrong.”

“Do you really think I’m that stupid? As soon as the door closes behind me, you’d be all over me.”

His brows shot up while lust smoldered in his gaze. “Have I forced anything on you?”

“That’s not the point. I don’t want to sleep with you again, so going to your room would be foolish.”

“Don’t you trust yourself?”

“No, I don’t trust myself.”

That seemed to please him. “How can I earn your trust if you avoid being alone with me?”

“Do you want to earn my trust?”

It took him a moment to reply and he seemed almost surprised by the answer. “I do.”

She just stared up at him, letting the tension build. He would never follow her lead. He needed to make the next move.

“We both seem fond of games,” he said a short time later. “I propose a challenge of sorts.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’ll go to your room and stay until you ask me to leave.”

Smoothing down her lab coat, she kept her face averted. “We already established that I have a hard time resisting you.”

“Then what do you suggest? What will it take to make you more comfortable with our encounters?”

Finally! An angle she could use. “I’d like to know more about you. You’re always so secretive.”

His gaze narrowed on her face as he considered the suggestion. “And what do you offer in return for my personal history?”

She started to reply then licked her lips instead. It had to be his idea. “What do you want?”

“Obedience. For every question I answer, you comply with one directive.”

“I won’t sleep with you. We need to start over, allow this to develop gradually.”

“My clothes stay on unless you remove them.”

There was a hell of a lot he could do without removing his clothes, but she had to keep his interest. “And you’ll still leave as soon as I ask you to?”

“Of course.”

His triumphant smile only added to the tension gripping her belly. Could she suppress her own desires long enough to interrogate him or would they end up in bed together? The challenge excited her as much as the pleasure he was likely to give her. This was as close to control as he’d allowed her to have and she intended to use it to the fullest.

“Deal, but no one-word answers or evasions. I’ll obey as long as you’re honest and open.”

He motioned toward the door, his gaze fixed on her mouth. “Lead the way.”

It only took a few minutes to reach her quarters, but she used the time to prioritize her questions. This was about gaining information. She could not lose sight of her goal. She locked the door behind them and activated the privacy jammer. “No one can hear you but me.”

“And no one can see you but me.”

She wasn’t sure why the distinction was important but she nodded. “Did you approach the backers or did they recruit you?”