Colters' Daughter by Maya Banks Page B

brows knitting as he pondered the best way to answer. He paused for a moment, his fingers tangled in her hair, the comb still in his hand. Then he began combing again. Long, steady strokes. Infinitely gentle.
    “I made my fortune at a young age. For me it was necessity, not so much desire. It wasn’t that I craved fine things. Or even money. For me money wasn’t about the luxuries it could provide, but the necessities and what I could give to my mother and my sister.
    “I wanted my mother not to have to worry. I wanted her to have the same lifestyle she had when she was married to my stepfather. I wanted my sister to go to the best schools and have all she needed.”
    “How did you do all that? You make it sound so simple.”
    He tugged at one particularly difficult tangle and then carefully worked out the snarl.
    “I worked my ass off. Two, sometimes three jobs. Every penny I made at first was saved to buy my first property. I sold it for a ten-thousand-dollar profit and you’d have thought I hung the moon. I used all of it to make my next investment and with the second sale, I made a whopping six-figure profit. Part of it was luck. Being in the right place at the right time, but just as much of it was determination to succeed. Failure simply wasn’t an option.”
    That she could believe. She couldn’t imagine Max failing at anything he set his mind to. To hear his story only confirmed what she already knew. Max was driven. He was ruthless when he had to be.
    She shivered with sudden realization. He’d made it clear that she was his current ambition. And if his past was anything to go by, she didn’t have a chance in hell of resisting him.
    But then she didn’t really want to.
    Was she a temporary challenge? Had he pursued other women as he’d done her?
    Silence fell between them as he continued his careful combing of her hair. He was meticulous, separating each of the strands and working the tangles out.
    She wondered how much experience he had with taking care of other women. The thought was unwelcome and painful. It was also stupid. His past was just that. His past. Just like he couldn’t hold any of her past lovers against her. But it still cut at her to think of other women under his care. Submitting to him as she was submitting to him.
    She frowned again. Had he had such relationships in the past? Surely he had. He was simply too comfortable and too adept at seeing to her every need. He was arrogant but not in a petulant fashion. He wore arrogance like it was his due. Like he was convinced, not trying to convince others.
    And he was extremely confident and comfortable as someone always in control.
    “You’re tense. What are you thinking now?”
    She blushed. Heat crawled over her skin as he caught her out again.
    “Callie,” he prompted.
    “It’s just that you’re very good at this,” she mumbled. “I wondered how many other women you’ve shared this sort of relationship with.”
    “Do you really want to know?” he asked bluntly. “Or are you just torturing yourself?”
    She winced. “Both, I guess. It’s natural to be curious. And natural to discuss prior relationships. Don’t you think? Isn’t this the sort of thing all couples get into after a while?”
    “I suppose it is. It’s a sticky subject though. If you aren’t prepared for the answer or if it hurts you, it’s best not to ask.”
    “Yeah, yeah, I know. Never ask for an answer you aren’t prepared to receive.”
    “I propose that I finish combing your hair, and then I need to make a few business calls. I’ve already made arrangements for dinner to be delivered as well as something for you to wear tomorrow. Those things should be arriving soon. Then, if you still want to have this discussion, we’ll talk about it while we eat.”
    She nodded her agreement.
    “Relax,” he murmured. “You’re supposed to be enjoying this.”
    She closed her eyes, leaned back and once more allowed the pleasure of his attentions to seep