A dead silence reverberated in the room. She wilted into the chair like a rag doll. Her face radiated none of its usual vibrancy. He'd never seen her face when it wasn't lit with an inner glow. Whether it was joy at seeing him or anger against him, there'd always been a glow.
Her reaction hit him hard, hard enough to feel like a blow to his gut. His brain stuttered, the intention he'd had to lay the facts out before telling her of his rescue crashed inside him. Nothing mattered except stopping her hurt and pain. His words burst forth. "All is not lost, however."
"What?" She didn't even glance his way.
"I know the man Andrew worked for. Fairly well."
"You will talk to him?" A light mark of color seeped into her cheeks.
"I already have. I have the situation in hand."
She looked down, focused on the movement of her hands smoothing down her capris. "I suppose I should thank you."
A curl of irritation at her grudging tone laced through him, dampening his desire to ease the severity of this discussion for her sake. "You are welcome."
Her head came up at his sarcastic words, her mouth twisting. "You love this, don't you?"
Irritation turned to ire. "I love calling in a favor from a respected peer because your brother is a stupid young man who botched his career?"
"Don't call him stupid." Her eyes no longer resembled stones, they were alive with fury.
"He was stupid."
"And you love throwing this in my face, don't you?" Her hands fisted in her lap. "You love playing the lord and master who's fixed all the problems for us poor, stupid peons."
If she only knew what he'd done for her family. If she only knew he'd not only saved her brother's neck-
"Just stand there," she snarled. "Looking high and mighty."
"Lara-"
"But you can stand there forever. I'm not going to grovel at your feet in thanks."
His temper bubbled under his firm control. Pushing and pulsing beneath his determination to keep this meeting, this one meeting between them smooth and civilized. He took in a deep breath, trying to keep it suppressed, yet frustrated words burst from him, hammering at her. "Your brother's situation is not the only problem."
She stilled as if caught off guard. Fear replaced contempt in her golden gaze. "What do you mean?"
The fear in her eyes swept around his anger, creating a mess inside him. He felt tied in knots and yet torn apart at the same time. Before he found himself making the mistake of sweeping her into his arms to comfort her, he forced himself to walk over beside the fireplace and lean on it. "This is bigger than Andrew."
"There's more?"
"Your father has lost everything."
She sucked in a deep breath.
"Everything, Lara." He stopped himself from trying to lessen the blow. She needed to understand the true situation to be appreciative of everything he was going to do for her family. He needed her to feel complete and utter gratitude if he had a chance of cracking her misconceptions of him.
"The house?" Her voice was flat and low.
"He has not paid the mortgage for many months. The bank has called the loan."
"His savings?"
"Gone. Andrew used the last of his equity and lost it."
"We're going to lose our home?" The cry was soft, haunted.
All temper leached from him. "No, I'm-"
"Bloody hell." Sudden realization made her eyes widen. One tear streaked down her cheek. "Papa won't be able to help with my school anymore."
"Lara-"
"Gerry's inheritance won't be enough. I'll have to close it." The knowledge seemed to drain the last bit of life from her.
"An option." He wanted to rush to her, hold her tight, tell her everything was going to be fine. Still, he also wanted to use this moment to show her how awful it could have been. Without him. "But there are other options."
Her head slowly lifted and her dull stare centered on his chin. "Other options?"
"Options which include me."
His statement lingered in the heavy stillness. He watched her as she took in his words. Her head tilted, her look questioned, her hands tightened around each other.
Then those golden eyes closed. Her spine went rigid and her mouth curled in disgust.
"Bastard."
Her one word sliced across him like a knife.
"What?" Dante jerked upright. He had missed something. Her womanly logic had either dropped into a deep hole which he couldn't follow or else had zoomed past him at ten times the speed of light.
"Don't play me for a fool," she jeered. "I can see where you're going with this."
"What are you-"
"I marry you and you save my family."
Her words hit him square in the solar plexus and sucked the air from his lungs. For a moment, he experienced nothing except complete disbelief. Complete and utter disbelief.
She truly thought he was a monster.
She didn't understand anything about him.
The rage descended on him like a thick, deep blanket of scarlet. Rushing through his veins and arteries, it blew away any sense of honor, any sense of integrity. In its place pounded a fury so volcanic, it blew everything good out of him.
The woman had insulted him beyond bearing. No one had ever dared think of him in this way. No one had ever charged him with such a despicable act. No one had ever thought Dante Casartelli would need to force a woman to be with him.
She deserved everything ugly inside of him.
"That's right," he said, madness roiling in his gut. "You have it exactly right."
Chapter 10
Her nails cut into her palms. She wouldn't be surprised if she bled. But there was no alternative. If she let go, her hands would wrap around the bastard's neck and her family's troubles would multiply with a murder trial.
Her brain refused to think in a clear way. Instead, a fuzzy mist descended, obscuring any coherent thought. Lara pinned her focus on his face. His expression was a mask, his usual mask.
Dark frown. Haughty nose. Blank gaze.
He stared back. No emotion, no compassion.
You are mine.
A man who got whatever he wanted, damn the consequences. He'd decided he wanted her and so, he'd have her. One way or the other. Fair means hadn't worked, so foul means would do.
She'd known he was bad, known he was capable of anything. Yet, yet...
The pain in the pit of her stomach ached with disappointment.
And something like despair.
"I should have expected something like this." She wasn't proud of the quiver in her voice, but at least she'd said something.
Anything. Except yes.
His dark brows arched and his mouth tightened. However, he gave nothing else away. No flares of passion in his black gaze. No need or desire rolling off his big body. Everything was cold. From the look in his eyes to the feel of the air around them. "I always strive to meet your expectations." His voice was iced precision.
She couldn't look at him anymore, couldn't bare to look into that stare filled with...nothing. She glanced down at his mouth. The mouth that had moved over hers with swift passion and purpose.
Don't go there.
She yanked her focus away from him altogether. The library was perfectly normal, comforting and solid. Her father's pipe lay on the side table next to the old leather chair he read in. The photo of Andy in his graduation gown stood on the fireplace mantel along with a recent picture of her sitting in the garden, laughing at her brother's joke. The room was a warm and friendly reminder of family and home and love. Amazingly ordinary after what had just been said. Though not for long. Not unless she-
He sighed, the sound harsh, taut. "This is not how-"
"All right," she said before she lost her nerve. "You win."
From the corner of her eye, she saw him take a step forward. "Lara-"
"No." She put her hand up. "Don't touch me."
"This is insane." He stood right by her chair. Poised to swoop for a kiss, no doubt. This was a business deal, though, not a romance ending in a loving embrace. That's how she would force him to play it.
"It's your insanity." She rose and walked away from him to stare out at her father's garden. She could not stand by and see her papa lose this last reminder of his beloved wife. She could not stand by while her brother was carted off to jail. She had the means to save them and she would do so. Yet there would be revenge. Starting now. "I want every detail put down on paper."
"That is not needed." His tone turned hard and cold.
"It damn well is." She twisted to glare at him. "I don't trust you."