Page 55 of Blackmailing the Bad Girl

“Go out where?”

He shrugged, a frown flickering across his face. “Go for a walk? Somewhere we can talk.”

Talk about what?

She cast him a sideways glance and found him studying her in return.

“I don’t know why or what,” he said. “But there’s something between us. Something good. Hell, better than good. No one has ever made me feel the way you do.”

“You don’t like that?”

“I like it and I hate it.” He put down his plate and scrubbed a hand through his already-messy hair. “I lost my faith in people a long time ago.”

“I get it. You’ll never trust me.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I suppose the question is—do you want me to? I thought I was everything you hated. Rich, immoral…”

“And I’m a thief.”

“We make a good pair.” He sighed. “One thing—I’m rich enough that if you stay with me, you’ll never need to steal again.”

She went still at his words. He clearly had no faith in her ability to remain honest. And she had no clue what he was suggesting. Stay with him? It had such a sound of permanence. She’d expected him to say he wanted an affair. Get this attraction out of their systems as he’d suggested back in the beginning.

“You’re thinking too much.” He picked up the tray and put it on the table beside the bed. “There’s one way I can persuade you.” He took her in his arms, lowered his head and…the phone rang.

Nik went still, then slowly pushed himself upright. He blew out his breath. “I have to take that. They wouldn’t have put it through if it wasn’t important.” He picked up the receiver and listened for a moment. “I’ll be right there.”

He put the phone down and looked at her. “Stay here. Finish your breakfast. Go have a shower or something. I’ll be back.” He got up, grabbed his shirt from the back of a chair, and pulled it on, and then he was gone. Her appetite had vanished, but she sipped at her coffee and kept her mind blank.

She didn’t know what to think. And it was making her head hurt.

By the time she finished her coffee, he still wasn’t back. She pushed herself out of bed, picked up her panties and her dress, and headed for the huge bathroom with its enormous tub and a walk-in shower. She eyed the tub for a few seconds, but decided against it. Instead, she showered slowly, her body aching in all sorts of interesting places. He’d pushed her to the limits, and she’d loved it.

Now he wanted to go for a walk.

What did that even mean?

And talk.

She was purposefully not thinking about the “stay with him” comment.

Anyway, it wasn’t happening. At least, not today. She was due at her mother’s for lunch. She was finally going to meet the not-a-boyfriend, Pete. At least that would give her a little breathing space, some time to decide what to do. She needed to figure out whether she wanted to see where this went, or if she was going to move to the opposite side of the world. Except that would be a violation of her parole.

How had her life gotten so messy?

She waited five minutes, pacing the room, itchy and on edge. Finally, she decided she was going to find him, say her good-byes and…run away.

She glanced at the elevator, but in the end, she went out the door and down the wide staircase. She didn’t come across anyone, but she heard voices as she arrived on the ground floor. Should she tiptoe out? Instead she followed the voices and found Nik talking to a woman in a large, airy living room. His back was to her, and she hesitated in the open doorway, not wanted to intrude. He was talking in a low voice, but she could sense frustration wafting off him.

The woman was stunning. At least five feet eleven, and slender, her perfect figure shown off in black leather pants and a white fitted shirt. She wore diamonds at her ears and her throat. If they were real, they were the biggest diamonds Summer had ever seen.

For a moment, she presumed this was one of Nik’s supermodel girlfriends—how inconvenient—but only for a moment. A closer glance told her that the woman was much older than Nik’s thirty years. She had long honey-blond hair, perfectly styled, olive skin, and Nik’s dark eyes. His mother?

The woman didn’t look any happier than Nik, her shoulders tense, her mouth a tight line. She’d gone silent when she’d caught sight of Summer, her eyes widening. Nik must have sensed something, because he turned slowly. He ran a hand through his hair, his brows drawing together.

“Summer.”

She lifted one shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t want to intrude, but I need to leave and wanted to say…good-bye.”

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