He’d wanted to question her right away but hadn’t let himself. That line of conversation would invite her to ask about X and Dr. E, and he wasn’t ready to confess. Did she have a protector, like him? Did she have a tormentor?
“Well,” she huffed, “there’s nothing you can ever say to make me speak to you again.”
His lips twitched with an amusement that was just as potent as his desire, astonishing him. “I’ll come up with something.”
“Want to bet?”
Oh, Vika. You are too adorable for words.
Now that he’d decided to have her, adorable was no longer such a terrible thing.
Solo considered his options. Exactly how was a man like him supposed to entice a female? What could he give her that she didn’t already have?
Well, he could think of one thing she’d probably never received. An apology. Determined, he closed the distance and sat directly in front of her. She refused to meet his gaze. He cupped her cheeks, paused to savor the softness of her skin, then forced her attention on him.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” he said gruffly. “I would have wanted kisses from you. I still do. You’re a beautiful woman, and I have wanted you since the first moment I saw you, even though you were appointed my keeper.”
Her eyes grew larger with every word he uttered. “You wanted me, even though I’m—”
“As small as a twelve-year-old boy? Smart-mouthed? Yes, even though.”
Expression beseeching, she curled her fingers around his wrist. “Be serious. Even though I’m Jecis’s daughter?”
Right now, she wasn’t the zoo owner’s daughter. She was Solo’s woman, and nothing else. But just like the physical aspect of their relationship, she wasn’t ready for that kind of boldness or that intense of a possession. So he did the only thing he could. He ignored the question and changed the subject.
“Just so you know, I’ve won our bet. You’re definitely speaking to me.”
A moment passed. A soft smile brightened her face. “And you’re forgiven for earlier.”
“That easily?” Surely not. If she were anything like him, she would keep a checklist of his transgressions, whether he apologized or not. After three, she would wash her hands of him. But then, no one could maintain a relationship when they kept a checklist, could they? The record keeper was always too conscious of the bad to concentrate on the good.
“You look astounded and suspicious,” she said, that smile widening. She could not be a mere mortal; she just couldn’t be. “I’m not sure why. You used the most pleading tone when you apologized, practically dripping with sincerity. I’m just sure of it.”
He laughed with hearty amusement, carefree in a way he’d never been, even outside the cage. But the sound cut off abruptly the moment he realized what he was doing, and only the crackling of the fire and the buzzing of the insects could be heard. He’d set out to charm her, but she was the one charming him.
• • •
“I want to play a game,” Solo said a little while later. He’d taken a bit of time to try to fortify himself against Vika’s allure, because he’d known he couldn’t dazzle her if he was always being dazzled. He’d thought he was ready.
“And you always get what you want?” she replied, her nose going in the air.
He’d thought wrong. “Is this a fit?” he asked, fighting a grin. “This seems like a little-girl-princess fit.”
She gasped with mock outrage. “How dare you! I do not have little-girl-princess fits!”
Will not laugh again. He sat across from her, a position he enjoyed. She was close enough to scent, close enough to touch, but just far enough away that he wasn’t tempted to dive on her—more than a few times. “Tell me. What do you do in your spare time?”
Her brow furrowed, her mock pique fading. “I don’t understand. What does that matter? What about the game?”
“We’re playing it right now.”
“Oh. And it is . . .”
“The question game.”
“Oh,” she repeated, still dazed and somewhat confused. “Well, what are the rules?”
“There’s only one. If I ask a question, you have to answer it.”
Understanding took hold, and her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Well, good luck. I’m playing to win.”
“Me too.” And he planned to win more than the game.
“Toss out question number one, and listen to me dominate.”
He enjoyed seeing her like this. Excited. Perhaps even happy. “I already did.”
“What did—oh, yeah.” Toying with the ends of her hair, she said, “On the days I’m forced to remain in my trailer I count my