Page 68

“Then why?” she asked as she shoved at me.
Instead of pushing her too far, I let her move over and get off the bed. She headed to the bathroom, and I followed her, taking my time to watch her naked body until she got into the shower. I didn’t wait for her to invite me in with her, and I didn’t give her a chance to shut me out.
“Why did I kill them?” I shrugged as the water sprayed down on me. “Because they deserved it.”
“And my happiness matters that much?”
She had me there. I stared at her, hating that she was changing the terms of what we were doing.
Surprising me, she cupped my face and stroked her thumb over my cheek. While she initiated intimacy sometimes, this felt too poignant, too different.
“Did you kill them and eliminate my debt because you want me to be happy?” she asked.
I kissed her instead of answering, keeping my touch tender and light for a change.
She kissed me back but eased away. “Answer me.”
I smiled, amused. “Since when do you think you can tell me what to do?”
After she rolled her eyes, she shook her head slightly. “Fine. Please, can you answer me?”
I hugged her loosely, drowning in the vulnerability in her eyes as steam rose and curled around us. “Why does it matter?”
“Why does it matter if you care about my happiness?” She huffed. “Because.”
“Because why? You seemed happy ten minutes ago, coming on my cock.”
“Maxim, enough. YouknowI can’t get enough of you like that.”
“Then what’s there to complain about?”
She gave me a wry smirk. “Because sex isn’tallthere is to life. I’m not a toy. I’m not a thing.”
If she was trying to claim another title for herself, she had better watch it. I wasn’t any closer to trusting a woman in marriage. Not even her. My allergy to commitment ran too deep for her to cure.
“Did you kill them to make me happy?”
“Sure.”
She groaned. “Did you kill them to make me owe you for it and stay here?”
I laughed once. “You’re not leaving me, Sloane.”
“Say I don’t,” she challenged hotly. “Wouldn’t you want to give a shit about me more than your ability to give me orgasms?”
“I give a shit about you to the extent that you give me an heir.”
She nodded, turning to give me her back and wash herself. “Fine. You’re the one in control, after all.”
Fuck. I hated that coolness in her tone. I doubted she’d give me the silent treatment again, but I didn’t care for this distance.
“Don’t play games with me,” I warned as I turned her back to face me, taking over washing her.
“I’m not. I’m not doing anything but living here without any purpose to my life.”
“Your purpose is to give me an heir.”
She opened and closed her mouth. “And then what?” She pinned me with a harsh look. “Then what? I have this baby for you, and then what?”