‘As the daughter of a hereditary peer—even an estranged daughter,’ he added. ‘You fit the bill.’
She blinked, looking momentarily stunned. ‘I’m sorry...what? Did we just time-travel back to the nineteenth century?’ Her gaze darkened with pity, making his temper spike. ‘We’re living in the twenty-first century, Jack. No one cares about titles and lineage any more. Especially not in the City of London. I think you’re totally overestimating the importance of social status in your bid for world domination.’
‘As you’ve never come from nothing, I would hazard a guess you know nothing about what it’s like to be barred or blocked from your chosen path because of things you cannot change,’ Jack said tightly.
‘You’re right,’ Katie replied, the instant capitulation as galling as the sympathy shadowing her eyes. ‘Maybe you can’t change your past, or where you came from. But surely you’re living proof it doesn’t have to matter?’ The hint of pity in the words loosened the leash on his temper still further. ‘For goodness’ sake, Jack, you don’t even have a cockney accent. Why on earth would you need to date someone like me when you’re a gazillionaire?’
He’d worked hard to get rid of his East End accent, he thought resentfully, well aware of the snobbery of his early investors who had been unwilling to put their money into the hands of someone who didn’t pronounce their Ts and Hs properly. But he’d be damned if he’d give her more ammunition with which to condescend to him. He’d never been ashamed of his accent, or where he’d come from. He was just aware of how it had stood between him and his goals. And, anyway, having her seen as his date was nowhere near as important as getting her to London so she would be available when he wanted her.
‘Frankly, we’re getting off the point. I’m not interested in discussing the reasons why I want you on my arm at social events,’ he said, resenting the fact she had managed to sidetrack him and touch a nerve he had considered long dead. ‘All I’m willing to do is negotiate the terms of your acceptance.’
She huffed out a breath. ‘Well, I’m not willing to negotiate it. I don’t want to date you for any reason.’
The provocative comment was like a red rag to a bull, triggering every last one of his competitive instincts. Even if he hadn’t desired her in his bed for the foreseeable future, her refusal to negotiate was enough to make him determined to change her mind.
‘I think you’re forgetting I lent your father a large sum of money on preferential terms,’ he said. ‘If I call that in, he won’t be happy.’
Her eyebrows shot up, the surprise on her face almost comical. ‘Really, Jack? Are you trying to blackmail me?’ she asked, obviously expecting him to be ashamed of the implication.
He wasn’t. In truth, he much preferred using the carrot to the stick when it came to persuading people to do what he wanted, but he hadn’t been nicknamed the Big Bad Wolfe in the financial press for no reason. ‘I wouldn’t call it blackmail, simply a fact.’
Her eyebrows levelled off, her breathing becoming slightly laboured, which only made her more tempting. He clamped down on the inevitable surge of lust, while acknowledging that her inability to hide her response to him was another point in his favour.
‘Call in the loan if you want,’ she said. ‘My father can’t bully me any more. And neither can you.’
The bold statement demonstrated a bravery he admired, making it harder than expected to crush her rebellion. ‘I’m not sure Beatrice would agree with you.’
She sucked in a breath as the implications of his threat finally dawned on her.
Distress flickered across her features, the obvious fear for her sister making him feel like a bastard, but he ignored the knee-jerk urge to reassure her. He’d given Beatrice his word he would not change the terms of the loan. And, while he could be unscrupulous when necessary, he never broke his word.
But Katherine did not need to know that. Using her concern for her sister against her was simply a negotiating tactic. He didn’t need her to think he was a good man—in fact, it was better if she knew he was not.
Even so, he found it more difficult than he would have expected to remain unmoved when she hissed, ‘You bastard.’
He shoved his hands into his pockets to resist the urge to touch her again. Crushing her spirit had never been his intention, but he always played to win, and this situation was no different.
You have to say no. This is insane.
Katie stared at Jack Wolfe, the strange feeling of unreality almost as disconcerting as the sensation rioting over her skin.
She loved Beatrice dearly, but it was time her sister stood up for herself. Katie couldn’t protect her from their father’s temper for ever.
And didn’t she have the right to protect herself? Of course, the chance to clear Cariad Cakes’ debts was tempting. But if she accepted she would be at Jack Wolfe’s mercy.
Oddly, though, it wasn’t the thought of the arguments and disagreements yet to come that bothered her. She’d already noticed a big difference between the way Jack Wolfe approached a negotiation and the way her father had bullied her. Jack might be commanding, powerful and ruthless enough to attempt to coerce her over the loan he’d made to her father but, weirdly, she also appreciated the fact he was being so pragmatic about what he wanted. Despite his outrageous suggestion, he hadn’t condescended to her, hadn’t tried to seduce her and had treated her like an equal. Something her father had never done.
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest to stop the pulse of connection getting any worse. And making her give in, when she knew it would be foolish even to contemplate becoming Jack Wolfe’s trophy mistress.
Jack Wolfe was dangerous—not just to her independence but her sense of self. Because beneath the ruthless businessman was a man who could cut through her defences without even trying.
‘Come on, Katherine,’ Jack said, obviously tired of waiting. ‘Is it really that hard to say yes?’ he asked, the seductive tone reverberating in her abdomen as he stepped closer.
The hot spot between her thighs throbbed at the memory of him inside her—hard, forceful, overwhelming.
‘It’s only six months.’ He cupped her cheek, the rough calluses turning the ripples to shudders. ‘By which time, we’ll have tired of each other. And by then your business and your future will be secure.’
She shifted away from the tantalising caress, her bottom pressing onto the countertop. She must not get carried away again on the tide of passion that had got her into this fix in the first place.
But, instead of crowding her even more, pressing his advantage, Jack remained where he was. He thrust his hands back into his pockets, almost as if he were having to force himself not to touch her.
And something flickered across his face. Something as shocking as it was unexpected.
Yearning.