“Why didn’t you call me back?” she demanded, deflecting like crazy. Because she had been convinced Anthony had done something to him, and she didn’t want to deal with the way it had made her feel. Not with him sitting so close that she could smell the citrusy scent of his aftershave, could actually feel his presence as if he disrupted the laws of physics by being there. She wanted to reach out and stroke the smooth skin of his jaw. Wanted to squeeze his forearm to see if the muscles there were as solid as they’d looked when he was banging that damn espresso filter around.
Christian’s sexy mouth curved slightly, as if he knew what she was thinking. “Jaclyn had already asked to meet with me. I planned on coming by your office afterward.”
“But I warned you to avoid the estate. Couldn’t Jaclyn have met you somewhere else? Here, maybe, for a cup of coffee?”
“You didn’t warn me, you only said that you wanted to meet elsewhere. And while I could have asked Jaclyn to meet me away from the estate, in this instance, she was speaking for Raphael, and him, I do not set aside lightly. In any event, I’m not afraid of Anthony or anyone else. And as for the other . . . only Marc and I know about this house. And now, you.”
Natalie gave him a confused look. “But where do people think you sleep?”
“I own a condominium in the Huntingdon tower.”
Natalie was amazed. The Huntingdon was some of the priciest real estate in Houston. “You own a condo at the Huntingdon, as a cover?”
Christian shrugged. “An investment. But I prefer this house.”
“Are you leasing this one?”
“No. Making a residence vampire-safe requires modifications that most landlords would not welcome. I purchased this house as soon as I decided to compete in the challenge.”
“But if you win the challenge and rule the territory, won’t you own the Hawthorn estate along with everything else? Isn’t that how it works?”
He nodded, and sipped his espresso. “But I won’t keep it. I don’t like the estate house or its memories. I can still smell the blood that was spilled there.”
Natalie made a face. She’d never be able to walk those halls again, without sniffing for blood.
“But you’re avoiding my question,” Christian persisted. “What happened in Anthony’s office after I left?”
“It wasn’t what happened in his office. Or not only,” Natalie said reluctantly. “I told you I saw the fight, so I know Anthony’s lying. And you’re right, he doesn’t want you here, but I don’t know why either.”
“I suspect he had a successor already picked out from among his own children. Someone who would retain their allegiance to him, giving him all the perks of the lordship without the responsibilities.”
“And then you showed up.”
“I not only showed up, I outclass every one of his children, as well as Anthony himself. He can’t defeat me in a straight-up challenge, and he knows it.”
“And that’s why I wanted you to avoid the estate. He’s planning something sinister, I know it.”
Christian stroked the backs of his fingers along her cheek. “I cannot hide out like a coward. If I am to rule this territory, I must show that I can hold it.”
“And what about Jake Baudin?”
He raised his eyebrows in question. “I don’t know who that is. You?” he asked Marc, who thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“After you left, Anthony got a phone call from someone telling him about Noriega. At least, I think that’s what they told him, because he had a major temper tantrum. Tore up his whole office.”
“The call was probably from one of Noriega’s buddies, the ones who backed him when he confronted me. They’re all quite alive, ma belle, despite what you think you saw. I knocked them out to even the odds, but only Noriega died last night.”
“Oh.” Natalie felt like she should apologize. “I’m sorry.”
“Ce n’est rien. You couldn’t have known.”
She’d thought he killed all those people, and he said it was nothing. Natalie didn’t forgive herself so easily, but she continued with her story. “After Anthony trashed his office, he came out, all serious and sad, and told us that Noriega was dead, and that you were the one who’d murdered him. And then, totally out of the blue, he told me I needed to go back to New Orleans with him. And not like on the same plane, more like, with him, if you get my drift.”
“You cannot go anywhere with him, Natalie, much less back to New Orleans. I won’t—”
“Don’t finish that sentence, big guy. Believe me, I have no intention of going anywhere with him. But if I wanted to, you’d have nothing to say about it.”
YOU’D HAVE NOTHING to say about it. Her words replayed in Christian’s head while he fought to control his reaction. He sure as hell did have something to say about whether or not Natalie went off with another male, especially if that male was Anthony. But did she really believe what she’d said? Was she going to ignore the obvious chemistry between them? Why the hell did she think he couldn’t stop touching her? And why did she think he’d insisted on bringing her here? For a cup of coffee? Hell, no. As fine as his coffee was, that wasn’t the reason. It was because this house was his territory. He could protect her here.