The Ruthless Billionaire, Australian Bachelors

point o

words that cost me dearly,

thing you wan

flected drawl, and I suppr

leaned little from his expression

e, let's do

want to spend any more time than nece

d slightly. I looked too slender, my features

account...but why did he have the feeling

r, despite the intervening years, he still retained a vivid recal

; my reaction to his touch; the way I'd fe

ible and left him with a lingering sense of frus

hinking it might be anything else...and he'd grasped opportunity with both hands s

feeling he en

to eat, Eric v

ave a

, I conceded, aware it

ast time you at

e underlying censure. "In case you've forgotten, I spend m

clien

ness," I responded, and

a leisurely meal in my co

horrent. I closed my eyes, then

, and I hesitated as Eric indicated a re

el

e I could

determined an aura of wealth, and ush

licited our order, and I opted to s

have a p

idn't want

t very

n went ahead and ordered the bruschetta, two entrèes, two

nly to close it again as I incu

lly want

a silent v

t it out there and be done with it--for the thought of playing polit

hless, powerful. Someone it would be wise not to toy wi

nown to reveal, with pride, his residence in

destitute and in de

compa

circumstances? Probably not. Unless h

the table. The bruschetta was tempting, bu

t,

urlish, given a banan

ou intend to s

nd held it. "As

r that didn't comm

th the conditions

oncern of mine whe

and was so caught up with nerves I d

with me? Eric prompted and ca

't prevaricate, wouldn't pr

hilst outlining only the pertinent fac

over me like the sword of Damocles, ever t

tretching my nerves

pression, making it impossible to discern w

t do you ha

sum, and he di

eive it a

slightly as I replaced my water goblet down on the ta

ed me under the terms of M

r the figures, minimizing them to bare essentials

ack every cent,

hat tim

ation. "Less, I as

rom Cressida's estate and t

fully, then offered a

me large stricken pools. I had nowh

ctly short-term basis and non-pa

to seed and take hold, sparking int

haker and hurl it at him. I consciously placed

inancial help died a natural death, and I rose to my feet

w York and hav

te-grey eyes seared

a

ext instant a hand closed over my wrist, m

throat in a low growl, and my eyes

and breadth of shoulder, the clean, laundered smell of h

own...

se my anger as I glared at him.