Yield to Me (17 page)

About as much as I love snakes.
She held
back from answering, wondering if he was testing her. Was he worried he
wouldn’t get as much ransom if their match weren’t made because of
earth-shattering love? If Brent was as money hungry as Jonathan was power
hungry, they were a well-matched pair.

Without warning, Brent reached for
her hand, his gaze zeroing in on her bare finger. She tried to pull away.
“Where’s the rock?” he demanded.

“It’s in the nightstand drawer back
at your apartment.” She tried again to pull her hand away, but he tightened his
hold. For a moment there was a brief struggle as each tried to overpower the
other. Sophie hissed in frustration. “Why do you care?”

He practically threw her hand back
in her face. “Just why the hell are you marrying him?” He crossed his arms, arching
a brow arrogantly.

Sophie didn’t like the sudden look
that came into Brent’s eyes. She’d seen that speculative gleam in her father’s
eyes many times, shrewd and determined. A ruthless politician when he had to
be. He would cut out the middleman quickly, when he could get the job done
better and faster. She wondered what that particular look meant on Brent.

The only person who had a right to
ask her such a thing was her father and so far, thank God, he hadn’t. Sophie supposed
she should thank her lucky stars he hadn’t because lying had never come easy to
her. Although now, staring into Brent’s quiet watchful eyes, another one easily
passed through her lips.

“I told you, I love him.” The words
sounded shallow and false even to her ears.

Brent snorted. “You love him? That’s
priceless! Is that why you let me fuck you? Or are you just a spoiled, rich little
whor—”

She reacted without thinking,
slapping him across the face as hard as she could and cutting off the ugly word
he’d been about to say. Tears sprang instantly to her eyes. She didn’t want him
thinking that of her. She’d given herself to him because there was something
about him that drew her. Something she instinctively knew she’d never find
again.

It felt as though a fist squeezed
around her heart. Sophie turned her back to him, determined to pull herself
together. Telling Brent the truth would only open up the door to more questions
and she didn’t want that. After all, she was the victim. What was he
complaining about? He’d kidnapped her and slept with her and in the end; he
would get paid for it.

Huh! That was rich.

She wiped angrily at the tears
running down her cheeks, fighting back a sob that managed to escape anyway. The
image of them fucking was fresh in her mind; she’d given Brent all she had to
give, and it had been real.

Behind her she heard him release a
low curse. “Hell, maybe I deserved that.”

“That and more,” she agreed without
facing him, her angry tone giving her away. She’d never slapped a man before.
There were times when she’d wanted to hit Jonathan but she’d refused to reveal
her frustration by lashing out at him. Besides, he purposely baited her and she
came out the victor by not responding.

She jumped when Brent’s cell phone
rang, but she didn’t turn around. She glanced at a folder on the countertop.
She hadn’t noticed it before now. The corner of a glossy picture was clearly
visible, and Sophie’s curiosity got the better of her. Listening to Brent’s
voice in the background as he barked into the receiver, her hand dropped to the
counter.

“Now’s not a good time!” She heard
him growl, close behind her. Too close. Then she heard the sound of his phone
snapping shut. Sophie knew she had to make a grab for the picture now if she
wanted to see what it was.

“Was that your partner in crime?”
Her fingers inched ever closer to the corner of it.

“You might say that,” he responded
in a low, even tone. Suddenly she felt his hand curling around her upper arm,
drawing her away from the table and toward him. Gasping, Sophie automatically
put her hands against his bare chest as if to fend him off.

“Don’t,” she gasped, straining away
from him as much as his hold would allow. The flesh beneath her palm was hot
and molded like a bronze statue.

He ignored her. “You can’t be
trusted. I should lock you in the bathroom for your little stunt,” he
threatened.

Which one? Sophie assumed he was
talking about the phone call. She tried to ignore the pull of his masculine
scent. “You would have done the same thing,” she fired back, straining away
from him. “What did you expect?”

“Are we talking about the hot and
heavy sex or the sneaky phone call?” He jerked her closer against him. “Less
than a few hours ago you were wild in my arms, eager for my hands and mouth on
you. Now your back is up, and you’re acting like a frightened virgin.”

“What do you think?” Her whispered
words hung in the air between them. The fire in Brent’s eyes fueled her anger.
He had a nerve being angry; she was the one being held against her will. “This
is a new experience for me. As the saying goes, I’m flying by the seat of my
pants.”

He raised a brow. “Really, it didn’t
take you very long to realize that fucking your abductor might switch things in
your favor. I guess it only proves that women are alike. When all else fails,
use your body to get what you want.”

The urge to hit him again crossed
Sophie’s mind. Instead, she shrugged. “If that’s what you want to think.”

She could tell her lackluster
response angered him. His eyes turned into volcanic glass, the hand on her arm
squeezed until she gasped with mild pain. He loosened his grip immediately, but
he didn’t release her. “Well, then, I might as well take advantage of some free
sex, while waiting for my ransom demands to be met.”

Alarm raced through Sophie, because
his words sparked her desire. “Take your hands off me!” she demanded, fear at
the meaning behind his comment causing her heart to skip a beat. He slowly
pulled her closer. She saw the hunger fill his eyes, before he glanced at her
mouth. “You’re not married, are you?”

Her question caught him totally
off-guard and he jerked back as if she’d bit him. His gaze narrowed on her with
suspicion. “No. There’s no one,” he replied. “Why?”

How can I answer that without revealing I care about his answer?
“I just wanted to know if you’re a faithful man.” She lowered her
lashes, which was a mistake when all it did was bring his bare chest into view.
The scratches her nails had inflicted were fading proof of the lust they’d
shared.

“Like you’re faithful to Lord?” he
threw back at her.

She bristled, glaring up at him with
heated emotion. “That’s different.”
How
can I explain what I’m feeling?
How
can I be unfaithful to a man I don’t even love?

“Different?” Brent barked, cutting
her off. “Don’t you dare try and say I forced myself on you again, lady,” he continued
in a harsh voice, his eyes impaling her.

“I wasn’t about to.” Sophie met his
abrupt anger head on. “What I meant was…” She hesitated, wondering if she could
even put into words what she meant without revealing her situation with
Jonathan.

“Yes?” He gave her a little squeeze
to regain her attention. “I’m very interested in your explanation.”

She slowly lowered her face,
realizing she’d backed herself into a corner and sensing Brent wouldn’t give
up. “I simply meant that some men don’t think it’s a big deal two-timing the
women they love.”

“And you think men have a monopoly
on that?” Brent laughed scornfully. “I have news for you, princess; there are a
lot of women out there who enjoy sex with anything they can get their hands
on.”

The bitterness reflected in his tone
caught her unaware. She raised her gaze in time to see the shadow of deep disappointment
on his expression before he had a chance to mask it. In that split second
Sophie knew someone had hurt Brent deeply. “I’m sorry if someone hurt you.”

“Don’t feel sorry for me, princess;
you’re the one stuck with a cold-hearted bastard without feelings other than
those south
of his belt.”

“Leave Jonathan out of this!” she
spat without thinking. He seemed to know Jonathan so well, making her wonder if
her abduction was the result of a personal vendetta rather than for financial
gain.

The silence that followed was
unnerving, yet Sophie couldn’t look away from the piercing directness of his
eyes. They delved deeply into hers, as though searching the secrets of her very
soul. She wondered what she’d said or done to cause such a stony expression to
settle on his face.

“I was talking about myself,” he
finally admitted, watching her closely.

Sophie’s mouth dropped when she
realized her mistake. Though by then it was too late, she couldn’t take back
what she’d said.

“Is that the kind of man Lord is?”

“That’s none of your business. I
think this conversation has gone on long enough.” She felt her face grow warm beneath
Brent’s watchful stare. The silence that met her statement was interrupted by
the hunger rolling in her belly. She tried to pull away and for a moment their
bodies moved against each other intimately. Brushing up against the hard muscles
in his thighs reminded her of how powerful he was.

She knew she was fighting a losing
battle and it didn’t take much for Brent to subdue her by bringing her arms
around her back, pinning them there with his large hands. She bit down on her
lip, hoping to hold the tears of frustration at bay. “I’m hungry.” Sophie
prayed he thought her trembling was out of fear, and not the renewed desire flowing
through her traitorous body. Her watery gaze swung up to his.

The smoldering look in Brent’s eyes
brought a whole new meaning to the word hunger. “I’m hungry too.” Sophie sensed
it wasn’t for food. He surprised her by releasing her. “I think you’d better
remember what the situation is and go back to the bedroom. Making love with me
gained you nothing.”

For a moment, she thought about
ignoring his comment. His gaze remained glued to hers, silently demanding that
she do his bidding. If she thought she could win the battle, she’d defy him.
Only Sophie knew if she pushed Brent into putting his hands on her again it
would lead to a repeat of what they’d shared in the bedroom. And that would be
a dangerous road to travel again.

She tossed her hair, sending the
thick mane behind her shoulders. At that moment, she saw her reflection in
Brent’s eyes. Saw how vulnerable she looked, how frightened, yet strong, and
determined. Is that what he saw, too?

“I admire your spirit, princess. But
now isn’t the time to test me.”

Sophie stood her ground another
moment before turning and walking calmly away.

Before she revealed how spirited she
was and kissed him.

Chapter 15

Brent stepped into the doorway to
watch Sophie walk down the narrow hallway to the bedroom. It crossed his mind
that she really was afraid of the water, but he wasn’t ready to trust her.
She’d proven more resourceful than her father led him to believe, and he wasn’t
about to take her for granted again. He thought about their conversation. He’d
wanted to push her into anger so she’d slip up and reveal something about Lord.
Well, she was angry now, and crying too, if the sniffling he heard was anything
to go on.

His mouth twisted into a tight
grimace. He was a bastard, especially for accusing her of fucking him for her
own gains. Waking and finding her gone had led him to draw his own conclusions.
He’d tried to convince himself that she was just another Connie, spoiled,
rotten and used to getting what she wanted, no matter whom she hurt along the way.
Not averse to using her body to wear a man down.

Connie had done that, after sucking
him in so deep that he hadn’t seen the signals until the damage had been done.
Her seductive sophistication had clouded his judgment. She’d taken in his
family too. It had been tough dumping a woman everyone loved, but that was his
fault for not telling them the truth. It had been easier letting them believe
he just wasn’t ready to settle down yet.

As Sophie disappeared into the
bedroom Brent realized no matter how much he compared them, he knew in his gut
she was different. Instincts told him she’d never sink so low as to sleep with
a man to get what she wanted from him. Finding her on the phone had angered and
disappointed him. He’d been too rough on her, but for a reason. A real kidnapper
wouldn’t give a damn whether he hurt his victim or not.

His cellular rang, severing the
silence. Brent flipped it open, brought it to his ear, and turned from the
doorway.
“Yeah?”

“What the hell is going on?”

Recognizing the senator’s aggravated
voice caused his mouth to lift with humor. He’d been expecting his call back,
and was a little surprised it had taken him this long. Senator Adams didn’t
like surprises; he liked things mapped out and to go according to plan.
“Everything’s under control.” He didn’t bother to elaborate.