Master No (Masters and Mercenaries, #9)(69)

His mind immediately slid away from the ramifications of her choice. It didn’t matter. If she wouldn’t get him on the island, then he would find a way. There was always another way. He had assets already on the island. Markovic and Des were there. He wouldn’t be able to get onto the grounds himself likely, not by any legal means, but there was always a way. During Faith’s birthday bash, they would have to hire outside caterers and waitstaff. That might be his way in.

He needed to know the security around the building.

He would try harder.

Ten walked out of the bedroom, leaving it to her. It was late and she wouldn’t be able to leave until the morning. He strode down the hall to the second bedroom. Phoebe had set it up as an office for him. There was a secure computer and all of his intelligence. He wouldn’t get any sleep tonight so he could use the time to start digging deeper into Kronberg. They were the key.

He sat down behind the desk and stared at the screen, his hands not moving.

Faith was going to leave him. She would walk away and never think twice about it because he hadn’t really meant anything to her. He’d been a convenient lay and good with a crop. She liked the crop.

The door to the office came open and she was standing there, still dressed in nothing but his oversized shirt. It hung down to her knees. He’d seen her naked and in next to nothing. The girl had some seriously sexy lingerie. So why did the sight of her in his shirt do something funny to his insides?

“Ten, we should talk,” she said in a quiet voice.

There really wasn’t any reason to piss her off more than he already had. It was over. He’d f*cked up. He’d pushed too hard when he knew he’d needed a delicate hand. Now wasn’t the time to argue or make a fuss.

“I’ll sleep on the couch tonight unless you would rather go back to Theo and Erin’s. I can drive you.”

Her face fell. “You want me to leave?”

He looked back down at his computer screen. “You certainly don’t have to. Like I said, take the bed. I’ve got a ton of work I need to get through.”

Faith sighed and walked into the room, standing in front of the desk. “Ten, I’m sorry. I was harsh. I know my sister can be a lot to take. She’s not the easiest person to get along with. She was probably rude to you.”

He composed himself. It looked like she wasn’t ready to get rid of him. There were a couple of weeks left on their contract, and it would likely be difficult to find another Dom. He might still pull this back. “Not at all. I don’t have feelings about your sister one way or another. I was simply putting things together in my head. You’re the expert here. If you say it isn’t possible, then I’ll drop it.”

“She wouldn’t hurt me,” Faith explained. “It was all coincidence. Besides, it all turns out to be for nothing because the vaccine was exactly what it was supposed to be.”

Unless her sister had gotten the name of the lab and bribed or coerced them to change the results. He kept that bit of logic to himself. She wouldn’t want to hear it. She’d made up her mind. He had to be satisfied with the fact that it didn’t seem she was going to turn out her temporary Dom.

Cold. He felt freaking cold.

Why had he pushed?

“You’re right.” It was time to smooth everything over and get her back into bed. Once he was inside her, giving her as much pleasure as she could take, she would let the last few minutes go and they would be right back where they needed to be. He would convince her to go to the islands in a few days instead of weeks and they could get this whole thing over with. He would investigate the sister, of course. He was right about her. And he’d been right about Faith. She chose her family and would do it again. “I’ve been working this job for far too long. I won’t mention it again.”

Her teeth worried her bottom lip. “You don’t understand my family.”

“No, I don’t.” He should move close to her, overwhelm her. So why did he find himself stuck in his chair? “I’m going to clean up some paperwork. You should rest. If you’re still interested, we’ve been invited to a private session at Sanctum on Monday. Think about it.”

“Please don’t push me away.”

He stopped. “I’m not pushing you away. I’m going to get some work done. Go to sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”

He felt her hand on his back and heard her sigh. “You are pushing me away, Ten. I know you were only looking out for me. I came off as harsh, but I wasn’t judging you. Can I think about what you’ve said? Do I always have to agree with you?”

He didn’t like anything about this conversation. He’d rather be anywhere but here with this nasty, restless feeling roiling in his gut. Why wouldn’t she leave well enough alone? “Feel free to think about what I said, but also know that I won’t mention it again.” He forced a smile on his face. “Hey, we’re just having a good time. I apologize for making you uncomfortable.”

Her hands were fists at her sides. “God, you’re making me crazy is what you’re doing. Stop. Stop with the whole thing. Do you think I don’t know what you’re doing? You’re placating me. I don’t want that.”

“I’ve apologized,” he said, his voice going cold. “What more do you want from me? Perhaps you should think about it and write out a list so you don’t forget.”