before? Every man that ever shared her bed had made a similar declaration, so she shouldn’t be surprised that Trystan felt the same. Truth be told, this somewhat disappointed her.
“Enlighten me,” she invited. Hopefully he would fail miserably and she could go back to thinking that leaving him had been the right thing to do. She could stop wondering what would happen if she kissed him again. Would he reject her, or would he give in?
It irked her that he refused her last time. She was unaccustomed to being turned down.
Trystan stretched out on the blanket, leaning on his elbow as he reclined on his side. He picked up a piece of chicken from his plate and took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. He followed it with a drink of wine.
Vienne smiled. “Nothing to say?” Disappointment eased a little under the pleasure of being right.
His gaze locked with hers and the smile fell from her lips. “You are the youngest in your family. Most of your siblings are much older than you and spoiled you. You were taught to believe that everything you did was perfect, and then something happened, something that made you not so charming and wonderful anymore. That’s why you keep reaching for a bigger and better goal. You’re trying to show the world that you are still perfect.”
Ice pooled at the base of Vienne’s skull, freezing her very blood. She couldn’t find words to make him stop, couldn’t make herself move or run away. She was helpless, pinned there by his unnerving gaze.
“I’m not certain how you came to believe that men were for little more than entertainment and to be used as stepping stones to get where you want to go, but my guess is that someone abused your trust very badly and taught you that very valuable lesson. Now you prefer lovers who are older and only want you for how you make them feel, or younger ones who want you as a sexual trophy. That’s all right because you have your uses for them as well— How am I doing thus far?”
Vienne looked away, her appetite suddenly gone. “You paint a very unflattering portrait, Mr. Kane.”
“You weren’t a trophy to me, Vienne. I would have laid down my life for you.”
If anyone else had said it, she would have laughed at the melodramatic pronouncement, but when the words were on his lips, they only served to fill her with a deep sense of guilt and regret. “I would not have appreciated the sacrifice, surely you know me to be that selfish at least.”
“Yes, I do. I also know that my turning you down that night in your office has been like a thorn in your paw ever since it happened. You don’t have no said to you very often, do you?”
Anger made it easy to look him in the eye. “That is why you did it, is it not? To teach me a lesson? So you could be the man who turned down Vienne La Rieux?”
His smile was grim, to say the least. “I turned you down because if anything romantic does happen between us, you will be sober and it will be my decision.”
Vienne snorted in disgust. “Trust me, Trystan, nothing romantic will ever happen between us.”
Her mockery brought a dark stain to his cheeks—one that both pleased her and made her want to take the words back. “It was simply a figure of speech, Vienne. I know you treat everyone in your life like a business transaction. That’s why you’re so good at screwing people in bed, and out. I paid for it last time we slept together; I have no illusions about getting it for free this time.”
How had their pleasant lunch, their weeklong truce, disintegrated into this ? “I beg your pardon, Trystan. Obviously, you continue to harbor much resentment toward me. If you will excuse me, I will return to work rather than take this unfortunate conversation any further.” She managed to get to her feet, though the effort was far from graceful. She couldn’t stop herself from informing him, “I am not the same woman I was back then, and I apologize for hurting you, but I cannot apologize for ending our
“Enlighten me,” she invited. Hopefully he would fail miserably and she could go back to thinking that leaving him had been the right thing to do. She could stop wondering what would happen if she kissed him again. Would he reject her, or would he give in?
It irked her that he refused her last time. She was unaccustomed to being turned down.
Trystan stretched out on the blanket, leaning on his elbow as he reclined on his side. He picked up a piece of chicken from his plate and took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. He followed it with a drink of wine.
Vienne smiled. “Nothing to say?” Disappointment eased a little under the pleasure of being right.
His gaze locked with hers and the smile fell from her lips. “You are the youngest in your family. Most of your siblings are much older than you and spoiled you. You were taught to believe that everything you did was perfect, and then something happened, something that made you not so charming and wonderful anymore. That’s why you keep reaching for a bigger and better goal. You’re trying to show the world that you are still perfect.”
Ice pooled at the base of Vienne’s skull, freezing her very blood. She couldn’t find words to make him stop, couldn’t make herself move or run away. She was helpless, pinned there by his unnerving gaze.
“I’m not certain how you came to believe that men were for little more than entertainment and to be used as stepping stones to get where you want to go, but my guess is that someone abused your trust very badly and taught you that very valuable lesson. Now you prefer lovers who are older and only want you for how you make them feel, or younger ones who want you as a sexual trophy. That’s all right because you have your uses for them as well— How am I doing thus far?”
Vienne looked away, her appetite suddenly gone. “You paint a very unflattering portrait, Mr. Kane.”
“You weren’t a trophy to me, Vienne. I would have laid down my life for you.”
If anyone else had said it, she would have laughed at the melodramatic pronouncement, but when the words were on his lips, they only served to fill her with a deep sense of guilt and regret. “I would not have appreciated the sacrifice, surely you know me to be that selfish at least.”
“Yes, I do. I also know that my turning you down that night in your office has been like a thorn in your paw ever since it happened. You don’t have no said to you very often, do you?”
Anger made it easy to look him in the eye. “That is why you did it, is it not? To teach me a lesson? So you could be the man who turned down Vienne La Rieux?”
His smile was grim, to say the least. “I turned you down because if anything romantic does happen between us, you will be sober and it will be my decision.”
Vienne snorted in disgust. “Trust me, Trystan, nothing romantic will ever happen between us.”
Her mockery brought a dark stain to his cheeks—one that both pleased her and made her want to take the words back. “It was simply a figure of speech, Vienne. I know you treat everyone in your life like a business transaction. That’s why you’re so good at screwing people in bed, and out. I paid for it last time we slept together; I have no illusions about getting it for free this time.”
How had their pleasant lunch, their weeklong truce, disintegrated into this ? “I beg your pardon, Trystan. Obviously, you continue to harbor much resentment toward me. If you will excuse me, I will return to work rather than take this unfortunate conversation any further.” She managed to get to her feet, though the effort was far from graceful. She couldn’t stop herself from informing him, “I am not the same woman I was back then, and I apologize for hurting you, but I cannot apologize for ending our
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