Awaken to Pleasure - By Nalini Singh Page 0,17

well or she'd scratch out his eyes. She had no pride where Nick was concerned but for herself, she had plenty.

"I'd make sure you were taken care of," he began, his hand on the banister.

"Stop right there." Putting down her cup, she stood up on the second step, level with his face. "The only reason I'm considering this crazy idea is because it will help me keep my brother. I don't want your money!" In her anger, she didn't stop to consider why he'd offer to sweeten the deal, when she was the one without options.

"I'd be asking you not to work while you were my wife, even though I'd lose the best secretary I ever had."

"Why not?" She put her hands on her hips. This reasonable man was not the passionate, wild creature she knew. Where was herJackson?

"More than half my business is done via social events. Bonnie alienated a large number of people we need to woo back. You'd be working, but in a way that the outside world would never appreciate." He continued in that calm and practical way, stoking her simmering temper.

"If we separated, it would be difficult for you to get back into the workforce. It's only fair that I give you something to tide you over. You'd never use Nick's trust fund and it would hurt him if you were without resources."

"You really know how to hit the jugular don't you?" Her tone was sharp.

"It's a skill." His voice was uninflected but she knew that she'd hurt him.

Why had she done that? Was it because she was afraid of what he made her feel? She'd vowed to never love a man as much as her mother had, because she knew that in some ways, she was the same asHelena

. They both loved with a passion that could be destructive if it wasn't returned.

Her mother had loved the man she'd had an affair with, and she'd ended up loving Lance, too. Her suffering when they'd both thrown her aside like used tissues had been fatal.Taylornever intended to be in that position - never would she allow herself to be that vulnerable. Except sometimes,Jacksonmade that ultimate weakness seem tempting.

Unable to bear his hurt, she reached out to touch his cheek, rough with five o'clock shadow. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for." He didn't move away from her touch, but neither did he show any reaction.

She pushed her hand into his thick hair while he stood there, letting her do whatever she wanted. "Don't you ever get angry,Jackson? Flat-out mad?"

"No." He looked into her eyes, completely cold.

"No, you just go icy," she whispered. He'd yelled at her in the office but that had been over little things.

When it really mattered, he simply shut down. She wondered if he felt too much and had to feel nothing at all to survive. Her heart hurt for him. "Well, guess what?"

He raised a brow at her snappish tone.

"If you marry me, you have to live with a temper."

"I face tantrums all the time in my line of work."

"Tantrums?" Leaning across, she put her other hand in his hair. She trusted him to not let her fall from her precarious position. He didn't let her down. Big, warm male hands clasped her waist tight. "Don't you ever say I have tantrums, JacksonSantorini , or I'll show youangry. "

"You wanted to know if I could handle temper." Despite her deliberate provocation, his tone remained even.

"Okay." Until this moment, she hadn't realized the depth of his pain. Just who was JacksonSantorini behind his guise of powerful producer? "How do you deal with the tempers in the business?"

He gave her a humorless smile. "You know we talk money and if the demands are unreasonable, we get hard-nosed. Or, we send in people to soothe their famous nerves."

She stifled a laugh. "So, how's that going to work for me, Mr. Big Shot Producer-Guy?"

For a second, he looked dumbstruck. Then he said, "Guess I'll have to learn to soothe your nerves."

"Nerves!" she cried, before glimpsing the tiny spark of humor in his eyes. Relief at finally getting through to him made her giddy. "Ooooh. You make me so mad."

The hands on her waist tightened. He lifted her up without visible effort and set her on her feet in front of him. "How mad?"

"Sooooomad." She had to tilt her head back to look up at him. The position made her vividly aware of his size and power. He was so hot and alive. So