She didn’t doubt if she glanced down she would discover he was still hard and aching to be inside her.
With an effort she squashed the urge to confirm her theory and instead concentrated on holding that burning gaze.
“Querida…” he began, only to give a startled blink when she pointed a finger directly in his face.
“I mean it,” she gritted. “The days when I was forced to beg on my knees for a bit of food and shelter are long over. These days I take care of myself. I won’t give that up.”
Something flashed through his dark eyes. Something that might have been disappointment? Pain? Wounded pride?
“You refuse my assistance?” he demanded softly.
She ignored the odd prick of regret. She couldn’t have hurt him. The man was arrogant, and aggravating, and utterly impervious to anything remotely resembling human emotions. Except for desire. Hell, hadn’t he seduced her and then abandoned her for nearly two centuries?
Still, she found her voice softening despite her best intentions. “Of course not, I’m not stupid. I don’t even know what I’m up against.” She gave an awkward shrug, tugging the belt of her robe tighter. “But, accepting your assistance is considerably different from being ordered around and kept in the dark. We’re either partners or I’m leaving.”
A tense silence filled the room. It was obvious that Cezar’s arrogant need to be in charge was grimly warring with the knowledge that she wasn’t jerking him around. She fully intended to walk if he didn’t agree.
Expecting an angry response, Anna was caught off guard when his lips at last twitched with a wicked amusement.
“Partners, eh?” he murmured, his hand reaching up to trail through the tangled strands of her hair.
Her eyes narrowed with a wary uncertainty. This all seemed waaaay too easy.
“I’m not kidding, Cezar. I’d rather be dead than back to feeling like a beggar.”
His gaze deliberately skimmed down to the deep vee of her robe. “You know, I wouldn’t mind doing a little begging if you would…”
Reaching up, Anna slapped a hand over his mouth. His low voice was a nearly tangible caress that flowed over her sensitive skin, bringing with it thoughts of pushing him back onto the bed and crawling on top of him.
They were both nearly na**d. It would only take a few tugs and…
Focus, Anna. Focus.
“Do we have a deal?” she rasped, gritting her teeth at the knowing expression on his face.
He could sense the desire that still pounded through her, but strangely he didn’t try to take advantage. Instead he gave a small shrug. “I’ll try.” He abruptly lifted his hand as her lips parted. “Hear me out, Anna. I’ve been alive a long time.”
“How long?” Anna demanded, unable to halt the question. She’d had a lot of time to think and brood over this man. Her curiosity went way beyond casual.
“Over five hundred years.”
She studied the bronzed, breathtaking beauty of his face. “Were you a conquistador?”
His brows lifted at her words. “When I awoke after the transformation I wore the uniform of a conquistador.”
“You don’t remember?”
“We have no memories of a life before becoming a vampire.” His lips twisted in a wry smile. “A good thing, actually.”
His confession startled her. How odd to simply have your life erased. Surely they must be curious as to who and what they had been before?
“Why is that a good thing?”
He nodded his head toward the door. “Because my king is an Aztec.”
“Ah.” A grudging smile touched her lips. “Yeah, I suppose that could be trouble.”
His hand shifted to grasp her chin between his thumb and finger, his gaze shimmering with his restless energy. Despite Hollywood’s depiction of vampires, they weren’t walking corpses. Their skin might be cool to the touch, and their hearts might not beat, but they possessed a frenetic power that surrounded them like a force field. In truth, being close to Cezar was like being next to an electrical charge.