“Now to the payment for my services.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’ve already told your boss that I’ll be paying Scanguards one million dollars for keeping Blake safe. Isn’t that enough?”
Quinn suppressed his surprise at the large amount. Clearly, Blake meant a lot to her, otherwise why would she shell out that kind of money? However, he wasn’t interested in cash. He had more than enough to see him through eternity.
“The million is for Scanguards, not for me. I prefer something more personal than cold hard cash.”
He roamed his eyes over her lithe form. God, she was gorgeous. He remembered her glistening body as if it had been yesterday. He could still feel her muscles squeezing him, her heels digging into his backside, her hands caressing him. Despite the many women he’d had after her, he’d never forgotten his night with Rose.
But it would be different now. What he was planning wasn’t meant to rekindle those sensations. It was meant to destroy them, so he would finally be free of her.
“What do you want?”
Quinn raised his eyes to meet hers. He noticed the apprehension that had taken over her face.
“You pay with your body. I’ll fuck you whenever it pleases me until the assignment is over.”
She gasped.
Only if he removed the mystique surrounding their one and only night together would he be able to stop thinking about her. When he’d taken her virginity so many years ago, he’d been a relatively inexperienced young man, and making love to Rose had been magical. Today he was well versed in all matters of the carnal arts. He’d slept with the most experienced of women. Sleeping with Rose now wouldn’t elicit the same responses in him as it did two hundred years ago. It would finally rid him of the feeling that he’d lost something very precious.
Yes, he argued with himself, if he fucked her now, it would be no different than being with any woman. She would be nothing special. He had to prove it to himself, make it clear to his body and his heart, that he didn’t need her, that whatever he needed, he could get from any woman.
Rose would finally lose the power she had over him. And he would be free to love somebody else. Free at last.
“You can’t be serious!” she finally shot back.
“Take it or leave it!”
This point was non-negotiable. If she wanted his help, she would pay for it.
“But he’s your flesh and blood. How can you be so callous?”
Quinn expelled a bitter laugh. “Callous? Don’t go there, Rose. This Blake means nothing to me. He may be my flesh and blood, but what does that really mean?” He slammed his fist onto his heart. “I feel nothing here. Do you understand? Nothing!”
And she was the reason for it, but he didn’t bother saying it, because the glint in her eyes told him she already suspected it. She was smart, his Rose. She’d always been bright. Brighter than the other young women that he’d met during the season in London. Her beauty had drawn him to her, her mind had made him stay. While the other women had been airheads, Rose had always stated her opinion, asked intelligent questions, and supported her arguments with logic. He’d loved sparring with her.
“I’m sure you’re not short of women willing to share your bed.”
Was she fishing whether he was seeing anybody? “I can name you a dozen who will jump right now if I make the call,” he said icily. It was the truth, but he wasn’t in the mood for any other woman. He was in the mood for Rose.
Her jaw tightened visibly. “Then what do you want from me?”
He took a deliberate step toward her, bringing his body within an inch of hers. “I wasn’t aware that you were hard of hearing. But let me spell it out for you again: I want to fuck you. That’s my condition for protecting Blake. You have until tomorrow at sunset to give me your decision. Then my offer expires.”
Swiftly, he pulled a card from his pocket and stuck it into the pocket of her jeans.
“Text me.”
He turned away.
“Fuck you!” she hissed.
Quinn grinned. “That’s the spirit, Rose. Now let’s put those words into action.”
9
When Quinn’s cell phone pinged hours after he’d left Rose behind, indicating a text message, his heart pounded excitedly, and he had to take an extra breath of air to steady it. He’d been wandering aimlessly through the city, trying to clear his head.
Pulling the phone from his pocket, he closed his eyes for an instant. He couldn’t let her know how relieved he was that she accepted his ridiculous condition.