Page 44 of Skin Trade

“Oh, you know her name?”

He paused, tilted his head. She wanted to smile in victory at knocking him a little off balance. “You know jealousy is not an attractive trait.”

“Jealous? Who said I was jealous?”

“You did.”

“I did not.”

He moved his chair closer to her, making it so she either had to get up, or part her legs so he could wedge his knee between her thighs. He hooked his finger under her chin, and she pursed her lips to chase away any reaction she might give him. “It is all over your face. In the way you speak, the way you sit.”

She went to knock his hand away, but he caught her hand with his, holding her wrist the same way he had done in the bathroom.

“I know women. I have known them a long time.”

“And that makes you an expert?”

“Yes, it does.”

She glared at him, determined not to give anything away. Not even the way her breathing hitched a little. “You’re so … so …” she ground her jaw, trying to find the right word.

“Adorable? Wonderful? Spectacular?”

“I was going for annoying.”

Her accusation made him laugh and that made her want to snatch her hand away even more so she could tell him to get lost. But he had her stuck there. Somehow, some way, he had made her into stone, frozen, unable to move out of his way.

“It is not me you are annoyed with, Payton. What annoys someone is often what they see in others. A reflection.”

“I am not annoyed with myself.”

“No?” he slipped to the edge of his seat, pushing his leg further between hers. “What annoys you is what you want and what you don’t let yourself have. Do you know your entire body calls to me when I touch you? I can hear it. It’s like a siren singing from the shore.” He let his hand drop from under her chin, only to run his finger along the side of her neck. She shivered with his touch. “Even with your free hand, you do not stop me.”

She wanted to. Her entire body hummed just being this close to him and she felt the need to open her legs further. He was so close to her, not just physically, but pushing on the edge of her mind, she was standing on the edge, ready to fall over and tumble all the way down into the darkness.

His face came closer to hers, and she closed her eyes. It was the only way she could focus and put her hand up to stop him coming closer. “Stop,” she said, her voice a tremor.

“You keep fighting it,” he said. “But I can feel it. You’ll give in eventually.”

Mind games. That’s what this was. She’d walked into the trap and got herself stuck, got herself lost in it. It took everything she had to lock down her mental shields and push him out. He was there, sneaking in, easing his way around the edges. His lips were so close to hers; another inch and their mouths would be touching. She pushed against him, met his gaze. “I am not your second score for this evening,” she said and pushed herself back to get up. “Thank you for dinner. But I am sure Peta is waiting for you.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

There was no denying the amazing view from the terrace. Every time Payton came out here and gazed across the span of the land, it took her breath away. It was like seeing it for the first time, every time. What it would be like to walk the entire perimeter of Skin Trade itself, to see the land around it? In her head, she had built an image of the way the place was set, it’s back hanging over the drop, one side on the mainland, and the other looking over this gap. Maybe Seth would let her if she asked him. Not that she had seen him in a week.

She came out here, heart leaping when the door opened, or when a deep male voice came close. Each time, it was never him. It was like the universe had found a way to torment her. To make her pay for never fighting against Creven—never getting herself out of there. At least Josie had been right on that. She couldn’t free herself, how would she ever free anyone else? Except this was freedom. This was something better than locked away.

She set her glass down beside her on the table. She sat on the table, feet perched on the chair, bowl of rice on her lap. Seth belonged out here too, he was the missing part that made something in her ache.

It was hard to dismiss, but maybe it was simply he’d brought her out the first time and now she associated it with him. Perhaps. Whatever it was, it was crazy in her head. Seth was no one to her, and she was no one to him--nothing more than a financial transaction. Yet …

Yet, she didn’t know, and it was all probably made up in her head. Wasn’t that how Stockholm syndrome worked? Seth was the lesser evil of Creven, and she’d mentally attached herself to him. She’d better un-attach herself pretty quickly or she was in some shit.

She put her rice bowl down then picked up her glass and let her gaze wander. It was better this way. Just being that little bit higher gave her a vantage point on things. She sipped her wine, washing down the rice she’d just eaten. Not that she knew what the dish was. Something with rice and an array of vegetables. It was the special for the day. She’d ordered the special every day. It was less hassle for the chefs, and it meant she didn’t really have to choose. She’d spent so long not being able to make her own choices that now, when faced with them, it overwhelmed her. It was crazy. When she’d been with Creven, she’d dreamt of eating all kinds of things, but now she had the choice she shied away from it.

“Bloody hell.” She let out a sigh and leant into her hand. She could fight this, or she could admit it. Either way, it made no difference. Seth’s absence was causing her problems. Not just his absence from the terrace, but the entire place. Something was missing … he was missing. Like he wasn’t anywhere in the building at all. He was a mental tick far away. She couldn’t reach him. Even if she closed her eyes and focused.

Just go and check.

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