Page 26 of Hostage with Benefits'

“We need to talk,” I said, blocking his path to the stairs.

He looked tired, the kind of exhaustion that made even his perfect posture slump slightly. “Can it wait until tomorrow? I've had a long day.”

“No, it can't wait. It's been waiting for days.”

Something in my tone must have alerted him to my mood because he straightened up. “Very well. My office?”

“Fine.”

I followed him to his office, noting with bitter amusement that he didn't seem concerned about me seeing inside now. He unlocked the door and gestured for me to enter, then followed, closing it behind us.

“What did you want to discuss?” he asked, leaning against his deskrather than sitting behind it. A small concession to make this less formal, I supposed.

“The shipment,” I said bluntly. “My father returned it last week.”

If he was surprised that I knew this, he didn't show it. “Yes.”

“And yet, here I am. Still here. Still being kept hostage in this house.”

“You're not a hostage, Natalia. You can move freely?—“

“But I can't leave, can I?” I challenged. “So what am I, Mikhail? Not a hostage anymore, since you got the shipment back. Not a guest, since guests can leave when they choose. So what exactly is my status here?”

He was silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “It's complicated.”

“That's not an answer.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“The truth would be nice,” I snapped. “Why are you keeping me here when there's no longer any reason to? Is it just the sex? Am I a convenient warm body to keep your bed from getting cold?”

His jaw tightened. “You know that's not true.”

“Do I? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you got what you wanted from my father and decided to keep me as a bonus prize.”

“That's not what happened.”

“Then tell me whatdidhappen! Tell me why I'm still here when the shipment has been returned. Tell me why you've been avoiding me for days, why you check on me at night but won't talk to me, why you keep giving me these... these looks when you think I won't notice!”

He pushed away from the desk, agitation visible in every line of his body. “You want the truth? The truth is I don't know what to do with you. The truth is this was supposed to be simple. Kidnap you, get the shipment back, let you go. But nothing about you has been simple from the moment I threw you over my shoulder in that parking lot.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means you weren't supposed to be like this! You were supposed to cry and beg and hate me. You were supposed to be afraid. Not—“He gestured helplessly. “Not making jokes about kidnappers providing room service. Not blowing me in changing rooms. Not looking at me like...”

“Like what?”

“Like I'm a man, not a monster.” His voice had dropped, the anger replaced by something that sounded dangerously close to vulnerability.

“That doesn't explain why you're keeping me here.”

He ran a hand through his hair, a rare gesture of frustration. “I'm not keeping you against your will. You can leave whenever you want.”

“Bullshit. You told me security would 'ensure' I stayed put.”

“That was before.”

“Before what? Before you got what you wanted from my father? Before you got what you wanted from me?”

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