“Where you can be found, a story can be found,” she grunted. “Give me a break, Cabal.”
“Give me one. Where did you get your tip?” The question was more a demand.
Cassa gave a brief, hard laugh. “Why don’t I just give you that information?” There wasn’t a chance that was happening.
She turned and glanced at him in time to see his jaw tighten angrily.
“Don’t make me dig for the answers, Cassa,” he snapped. “Where or who did you get the tip from?”
“Anonymous source,” she answered truthfully, knowing it would make him crazy.
She was right. A little growl vibrated in his chest as he glanced at her.
“What did your source say?”
“That you could go to hell,” she bit out angrily. “Leave it alone, Cabal. I’m not in the mood for your questions, and I’m sure as hell not in the mood to give you any more information than you’re giving me. Now, if you want to try a nice little exchange here . . .” She left the question open.
“Exchange of what?” he asked suspiciously.
Cassa smiled. “Information of course. I don’t bargain with anything else. Especially with you.”
“Especially with me?” If his tone of voice was anything to go by, he was becoming angrier by the second.
That should concern her, she thought, it really should. Only a fool deliberately teased the tiger.
“Of course.” She shrugged again. “I like to think I’m smart enough not to want to mate with a Breed, Cabal. This reaction building between us isn’t on my list of things to deal with this year.”
And, of course, that comment didn’t please him in the least. His expression became darker, tighter.
“And if I decide I do want to deal with it?”
Cassa laughed at that. Trust a Breed to only want to do something if challenged.
“I’d tell you to check your little black book for the name of one of your little playthings then.” She heard the contrary tone of her own voice and assured herself that she wasn’t jealous.
She had been assuring herself of that for years. She didn’t believe it now any more than she had believed it then.
Hell yes, she was jealous. Every time she turned around there was another woman on his arm. Even after she had learned about the mating heat, and learned that the reaction had begun all those years ago in that facility, still, he’d ignored her. She’d begun taking the hormonal treatments to contain the arousal that bloomed inside her at the most awkward times, while Cabal had satiated his lust with other women.
There were days she was thankful that he avoided the heat with the same dedication she did. There were other days that she thought she just might hate him for it.
“So we’re going to just keep pretending we’re not dying for each other?” he asked, as he pulled into the parking lot of the inn.
Cassa could hear the throb of lust in his voice. It was hard to miss. The dark, husky pitch was a vibration of hunger and need.
“That was my plan.” She ignored the regret that ached inside her just as she ignored the loneliness that wracked her at night.
She’d found over the years that there was more to this reaction than just the physical. There were the nights when she’d lie alone and wonder which woman he was with, and hate them both. And there were nights when she wished she was the one he was lying beside.
“Think that plan is going to work?”
She turned to him as he asked that question. “It’s worked so far.”
He nodded slowly, then reached out to touch the hair that had fallen over her shoulder.
“It won’t work if you stay here.”
Cassa felt her breath lodge in her throat as the backs of his fingers brushed over the material of the thick shirt covering her br**sts.