“I prefer not to be touched by you, Tanner.”
“I didn’t ask your preference.” His jaw tightened.
Scheme shrugged lazily. “Then the technical term for such force is molestation, Mr. Reynolds.”
He dropped her arm into the water. For the smallest second, she assumed she had won. Now, what did they say about that word? Assume. Something about an ass, she thought in amusement.
A second later he had reached across the tub and gripped her other arm.
“Fine. I’m molesting you.” His hard shoulders shrugged in return. “Breeds weren’t trained to be politically correct or sexually polite either. We were trained to take what we want.”
And it was obvious that among other things he might want, he wanted her.
“Do you ever take no for an answer?” she asked as he let her arm drop into the water once again before dipping his hand below and lifting her knee.
“Rarely,” he answered. “Now prop your foot on the edge of the tub.”
“You’re pissing me off.” But she did as he asked, her gaze focusing on the sponge traveling over her leg.
How much more humiliating could this get?
“Why did your father beat you? And don’t deny it, I heard every word St. Marks said.”
Damn Chaz and his loose lips. He should have just broken her neck and kept his damned mouth shut. She didn’t need all these questions.
“Because I’m into pain?” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye as she let a smile tug at her lips. She did mocking amusement rather well when needed.
“Do you practice that look in the mirror for effect?” he asked as he lowered her leg back to the water before lifting the opposite knee.
“Do you get off on torturing women? What the hell do you want? You’ve been watching me for years. I know you have, you know you have. Why? Why rescue me? Why kidnap me? And why the hell do you think I need you to bathe me?”
She jerked her leg back from him and jackknifed upright as she glared back at him. His hand snapped out and wrapped around her neck as the growly thing turned dangerous.
There was no pressure. Only the threat of it.
“Do it,” she lashed out at him, amazing herself with her own daring. “Go ahead. Snap my neck. You know you want to. Get it over with.”
She had lived with the fear of punishment and death for twenty years. She had sacrificed more than he would ever know and in doing so had come to realize that death wasn’t the terrifying specter she had once imagined.
Cause for regret, yes. Terrifying, no.
She had realized it long before she knew that the man she had once loved was going to kill her.
“Your father ordered your death,” he snapped. “He sent your former lover to do the deed. The father of the child you never had. And he was going to kill you, Scheme. He wasn’t having second thoughts. Why did General Tallant suddenly decide to kill his only child?”
“Why do you want to kill me?” She kept her voice cold. Hard. “Really, Tanner, do you think I give him any less trouble than I’ve given the Breeds?”
“Your father beat you!” Rage flamed in his eyes. She swore the swirling amber nearly blazed.
“And you care why?” Her fingers locked around his wrist as she reminded herself that his fingers weren’t tightening on her throat. That she really could breathe.
“I’m going to kill that son of a bitch,” he suddenly whispered, his face coming closer, his lips pulled back from his teeth to reveal the wicked incisors, top and bottom, at each side. “Do you hear me, Scheme? I’m going to gut him with my bare hands.”
“Are you—”
She gasped, the words cut off as his lips suddenly covered hers and an explosion of pleasure began to storm her body.
It was just a kiss. That was all. Lips meeting. His tongue pressing forward, invading, licking…Oh God, he was licking at her mouth, purring into the kiss, and flames were searing her.