LITMIR.BIZ

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she said in a hiss.

      Sebastian smirked. Her comment just proved how innocent and unworldly she really was. Hadn’t she realized by now that he was much, much worse?

      “On the contrary, Casillas had set a trap. I’m being extremely honest about what I want.” And he wanted Ashley more than anything. It didn’t make sense. She wasn’t like the other women in his life. She was untamed and inexperienced. Trouble. An inconvenience.

      He should cut her loose. After all, he was lying about what he was willing to offer in exchange. He wasn’t letting her back on that island. He wasn’t going to break a promise just so he could please this spoiled little princess. But he was intrigued to see what her price would be.

      “Honest?” she asked, the word exploding from her pink lips. “How can you say that when you introduced yourself under a different name with the intent of seducing the island from me?”

      He rose from his seat and approached her. This time she was too angry to be cautious. She didn’t catch the scent of danger. Her brown eyes glittered and she thrust out her chin.

      Sebastian wondered why she attempted to hide behind the shapeless white dress. Her beauty was too bold, her personality too brash, to be restrained. His palms itched to pull her hair free and watch it tumble past her shoulders. He wanted to smear the pale makeup from her face and reveal the island girl he knew.

      “You’re the one who isn’t being honest,” Sebastian said as he stood before her, noticing how her chest rose and fell with agitation. “You knew what Casillas was really after and you didn’t disabuse him of that idea because you needed the money.”

      “I tried the banks but—”

      “Casillas makes your skin crawl. Don’t you think he knew that? Did you realize that made you even more desirable to him?” Sebastian asked. “You tried to play the game and got in too deep.”

      Ashley raised an eyebrow. “Did you consider that I fell into bed with you because I wanted to get rid of my virginity? That I needed to so I could escape Raymond?”

      Sebastian jerked his head back. He had not considered that. The possibility ate away at him like acid. He was not going to be used by a pampered princess.

      Sebastian gripped her chin with his fingers and held her still. He felt the fight beneath her smooth, silky skin. “Did you?” he asked in a low, angry tone that would send his employees scurrying for safety.

      Her eyes gleamed with reckless defiance. “Not so sure anymore, are you?”

      He watched her closely as the unfamiliar emotions squeezed his chest. With her natural beauty and independent spirit, Ashley Jones could have had any man. He didn’t know why she’d waited for her first sexual experience, but if she needed to get rid of her virginity, she would have picked an uncomplicated man whom she could control.

      He stroked the pad of his thumb against her chin as he held his fiery emotions in check. “I think you slept with me because you couldn’t help it,” he said in a husky voice. She wanted him even though it meant yielding. Surrendering. “Casillas had nothing to do with it. You forgot all about him when you were with me.”

      She tried to slap his hand away. “Dream on.”

      He couldn’t help but dream about Ashley and the night they had shared. He remembered every touch and kiss. Every gasp and moan. Ashley hadn’t been faking it. “You want me so much that it scares you. And that’s why you tried to push me away.”

      “I pushed you away because I didn’t want to continue the fling,” she argued. “You served your purpose and I was done. I have no interest in playboys.”

      He dropped his hand. Served his purpose? He knew she said that to hide the fact that he would always be a significant part in her love life, but she was going to pay for those words. “I’m not a playboy.”

      “Ha!” she said bitterly. “You tried to hide it when you were at Inez Key, but I grew up around womanizers. I know what kind of man you are. You would dangle a woman’s home as bait, but we both know you will not give it back.”

      Sebastian bit back a smile. Ashley Jones thought very highly of herself. Did she really believe he would give up his treasure for another taste of what they’d shared? “I never said I’d give back your home.”

      She went still and frowned. “I don’t understand. You asked me—”

      “How much you wanted Inez Key,” he clarified as he stepped closer, inhaling her citrusy scent. “The ownership of the island is not up for grabs. I keep what is mine and I will not let it slip through my fingers.”

      Ashley paled and she leaned against the door. “I’ve taken care of the island for years,” she said in a whisper. “I have given it my love, sweat and tears. I’ve sacrificed everything for it.”

      “Why?” There was nothing remarkable about the island. It had no natural resources or historical significance. It was in an undesirable location and he had been the only prospective buyer interested in the island.

      “Why?” she repeated dully. “It’s my home.”

      Sebastian saw the guarded look in her eyes and knew she wasn’t giving the whole answer. He also knew she wouldn’t share it with him. She’d learned her lesson and didn’t trust him anymore.

      There had been moments during that weekend when Ashley had been unguarded and spontaneous. Now she was wary. He ignored the surprising pang of regret. It was time she learned how the real world worked and he had given her a very valuable lesson. “Your attachment to Inez Key doesn’t make any sense.”

      “What about you?” she countered. “Not that many people would go to such lengths to steal someone’s home.”

      “I didn’t steal it,” he said with a hint of impatience. “You couldn’t pay back the loan so the island is now mine.”

      “What are your plans for it?” she asked as if it hurt to think of the changes he was going to make. “I can’t imagine you want to live there. I’m sure you have many homes. Inez Key is practically roughing it in comparison.”

      “Don’t worry about it,” he said as he reached for the door. It was time to force her into making a decision. “Inez Key is now my concern.”

      Ashley bit her bottom lip as she stared at the open door. The beat of silence stretched until her shoulders slumped. “Cruz.”

      “The name is Sebastian,” he reminded her. She had said his name repeatedly during that one night. She’d said it with wonder and excitement. With longing and satisfaction. And tonight it would be the last thing she said before she fell asleep.

      * * *

      Sebastian. No, she wouldn’t call him that. Sebastian had been a mysterious stranger on the island. His intensity and raw masculinity had unleashed a fierce sexual hunger that she hadn’t known was in her. She would never be the same again.

      This arrogant man was calculating and intimidating. He was breathtaking and she couldn’t take her eyes off him. But he was not the fantasy lover she remembered.

      Maybe that was the problem. Had she built up that one magical night in her head? Everything had been so new. Almost foreign. She wouldn’t feel overwhelmed from the wild sensations if she had sex with him again. Yet the memory of sharing a bed with Sebastian still made her weak in the knees.

      “If you have no intention of giving me back my home,” she asked carefully as her heart pounded against her ribs, “what are you offering?”

      “You’ll be the caretaker and stay in the cottage behind the main house.”

      She held back the flash of anger. She had been the mistress of the house. She had free rein of the island. Now he was offering the role as caretaker as if it was a gift? “Not good enough.”

      He placed his finger against her lips. “Careful, mi vida,”

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