Asking for Trouble (Line of Duty #4)(22)

“Hayden…” He trailed off. Asking for more would be a big step. She could very well say no. Was it worth the risk? God, yes. “Listen, I, uh—”

“Oh!” She visibly shook herself, her face transforming with…embarrassment? A robe went on over her shoulders as she crossed the room. Brent watched in confusion as she picked up her purse and removed a wallet. “We never discussed…what you wanted to be paid for tonight. Just tell me how much you wanted…whatever you think is fair.” Finished with her ramble, she looked up at him expectantly.

It took Brent a moment to process her meaning. When it finally hit him, anger washed over him in a wave. Here he stood, about to beg for another few hours in her bed, when she’d merely considered him a business transaction. He averted his eyes. “You certainly didn’t waste any time putting me in my place, duchess.”

She paled, the purse dropping to her side. “I thought…”

“You thought what? I’m so hard up for cash that I need to suffer through three hours of canapés and smooth jazz to make a buck? Keep your money. I’ll sleep in Grand Central Station before I ever take a dime from you.” Brent snatched his jacket off the ground. “No, I did it to teach you a lesson. Plain and simple.” He jerked his chin toward the bed. “I had no idea you’d be such an eager student.”

“Oh, f*ck off, Florence.” She yelled as he reached the living room. “Don’t let the door hit you on your well-spanked ass on the way out.”

“Your concern is touching, sweetheart. Miss you already.”

He wrenched open the front door and walked into the night.

…

Hayden pushed open her window and let the cool air off the Hudson blow across her overheated skin. Pressing her palms to her cheeks, she tried to banish the sting of humiliation, but couldn’t seem to manage it. If she made it through a single day for the rest of her life without seeing a replay in her mind of what had just taken place, she’d consider herself lucky. In some kind of weird Pretty Woman role reversal, she’d offered a man money, moments after sleeping with him. Brilliant.

For a split second, before he’d transformed back into her adversary, she’d caught a flash of hurt move across his features. God, that bothered her. She couldn’t stop thinking about it.

She’d just been at such a loss over how to proceed. Standing at the end of her bed, he’d looked at her as though he wanted something more, but didn’t know how to ask for it. Maybe she’d wanted that thing to be her, but his flippant, sex-is-no-big-deal attitude told her she was wrong. He’d practically jumped out of bed to get away from her, so why would she assume he wanted to stay? Why had she wanted him to stay?

Dammit. Just dammit. She’d made a huge mistake in judgment. Not just by offering him money. Cringe. Bringing him here. Thinking they could be mature enough to scratch the itch and move on. That had been her mistake. Now she’d made herself look like the materialistic dingbat he’d assumed her to be. But worse, so much worse, the pigheaded jerk had rocketed her into another stratosphere in bed. Going into this ill-advised endeavor, she hadn’t known what to expect. Would sex with Brent be awkward since they hated each other? Would he simply lie on top of her and work out his own lust like the men of her experience? None of the above. He’d let her take the lead. Mostly. It hadn’t been easy for him, letting her set the pace, but he’d known exactly how to encourage, to force a response from her without being patronizing or obvious.

Hayden had discovered something about herself tonight. At first, she thought she’d merely been missing control. And she certainly had. Taking the reins had put air in her lungs. Purpose in her belly. However, she’d been just as turned-on when Brent flipped her onto her back and dominated her. She suspected because, in her mind, she knew that with Brent, she always retained some level of control. Top or bottom, he listened to her. Wanted to give her what she needed.

The man she’d always assumed took the title for biggest self-centered * in the universe was actually a perceptive, unselfish lover. What a kick in the ass. In the past, she’d been treated to polite, non-sweaty sex. No wonder she’d found it overrated. Not anymore. Now she knew how amazing it could be. Yet the thought of being so uninhibited with anyone besides Brent felt…wrong. He’d made her feel safe and desirable. He’d lost his control, too, in the process. She didn’t think it would be very easy to find that with someone else.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she moved to close the window, then jumped when she heard footsteps in the living room. Her heart leaped before she could stop or analyze her reaction. Had he come back? She went to her bedroom door and pushed it open.

“Mother?” She yanked her robe tighter. “What are you doing here? It’s almost midnight.”

She set her purse down, cast a look into the bedroom behind Hayden. “I needed to speak with you and it couldn’t wait until morning.” A sigh whistled past her lips. “Obviously you couldn’t wait either. I met your date sneaking out like a thief in the night.”

Hayden pushed her hair over her shoulder, wincing at the thought of Brent running into her mother. Had they exchanged words? She didn’t even want to know. “I’m a big girl, Mother. I don’t have to account for my every move to you.” She dropped down on the couch. “What did you need to talk to me about?”