The Monte Carlo Affair: Across A Crowded Room (IATO Series Book 2) by Eliza March, Elizabeth Marchat Read Free Book Online Page B

infatuated!”
    The old sarcasm wasn’t foreign to either of them.
    “Fine, fine, just be a smart ass,” Jason snapped back, and then he chuckled, apparently amused with her comeback.
    It showed a crack in the ice wall they’d allow to form between them. The teasing camaraderie was the part of the old relationship she missed the most. She had to believe even after all this time, no one knew him the way she did.
    “Ah, Jason, you may as well be prepared. I’m going back out on the yacht with him tonight.” She waited for the explosion she knew would come.
    His eyes narrowed and the lightness in his expression darkened. He stared at her as if he’d been slapped. “You shouldn’t have set up anything tonight without checking with me first.”
    “I couldn’t help it—”
    “You should have made an excuse.”
    “I–I couldn’t—”
    “Yes, you could! You didn’t want to.” They both knew what Mosel had in mind and the position she’d put herself in. Furious was a mild term for the emotion she sensed rising inside him.
    “I can handle this—”
    “Oh, right. Like you handled him this afternoon? It looked like he was doing all the handling.” He grabbed her arm and jerked her against him. He snarled. “Just what do you think is going to happen? That he’s going to let you tease him like you did all day and get away with a good night kiss? He’s a damn player, an arms dealer, for Christ’s sake. This isn’t some college boy. He’s going to expect to fuck you!”
    He took her by both of her shoulders, with his fingers digging into her flesh. He shook her, his voice rising, sounding slightly panicked. “How do you plan to get out of this? What the hell were you thinking?”
    “Jason, stop.”
    “I’m not sure I’ll be able to rescue you out there. It’s not like I can just drop in unannounced.” And he stopped suddenly, realization taking hold. He quieted and released his grip on her as if he’d been burned. “You...?” He turned away from her, unable to look at her as he choked out the rest of his thought. “You’re prepared to go through with it, aren’t you?”
    She glared at him, never losing eye contact. What was she planning, really? “What do I have to lose? An attractive man wants me, the one I’m supposed to be seducing. Well, it worked.”
    He released her with a push. He sounded disgusted when he asked, “You were never planning to stop, were you?”
    His voice was low, almost a growl. He turned and sneered at her as if revolted by her very presence. “You’d go that far?”
    “If it would seal the deal. Yes. Wouldn’t you?” She snapped back and lifted her chin in the air. “Haven’t you?”
    He flinched. She could see the pain her answer caused him. He looked like he had been gut punched.
    His voice turned to a soft whisper. “This is different.”
    She softened, realizing his predicament. “I’m not planning on going through with it. I’m not counting on it being necessary. I think I can maneuver my way through this. Well, I hope I can at least for tonight.”
    “By God, I hope you’re right, because I’m not sure I can leave you with him tonight. Not under the circumstances. Not after what I’ve been watching all day.”
    She watched his jaw clench when she responded. “It’s not up to you anymore. The plan’s underway, and we’ll have to play out our hands—win, lose, or draw. That’s the deal.”
    “He’s not prepared to take no for an answer,” Jason warned.
    “I understand. But what he finds intriguing about me is more than just your interest in me. I think he’s fascinated that I can find him attractive and still control my sexual urges where he’s concerned. My impulses are there, and I let him know that. I’m just not ready to go through with them like every other woman he encounters. My guess is not many women have ever resisted him.”
    Jason lifted her chin and stared deep in her eyes. “Just make sure you’re one of the ones who