A Deal with Benefits Read Free Page B

she pointed out fiercely. How dare this man question her decision? Her father’s finances had been a shambles when he died. Sebastian had no idea what she’d had to do, what she’d had to sacrifice, to keep Inez Key. “It was the only thing I have of value.”
    He tilted his head and captured her gaze. “Was it?” he asked softly.
    Ashley stiffened as she sensed the danger lurking beneath that question. How much did this man know? She needed to take control of this meeting. Her legs shook and she felt jittery, but she forced herself to remain standing. “Inez Key suffered a lot of damage during the hurricane, and the insurance wouldn’t pay for all of it.”
    He shrugged. “I don’t care how you got into debt.”
    She wanted to claw at his bored expression. Ashley curled her fingers into her palms as she felt her temper flare dangerously. “I didn’t make an agreement with you,” she said roughly. “I had a payment plan with Raymond.”
    “Which you couldn’t pay,” he said. “You took a gamble and you lost.”
    Ashley gritted her teeth. It was true and she couldn’t deny it. She had taken many risks when she’d accepted the loan. She’d had difficulty finding the money to repay, but she couldn’t let it end here. She had to get Inez Key back.
    “Raymond understood why I was having trouble making the payments,” she said, her voice shaking as emotions ran wild inside her. “He was giving me more time since he had been best friends with my father.”
    “I’m sure he was the epitome of understanding and compassion. But it was smart of you to keep it out of the banking system.” He wagged his finger at her. “I would have found out about it earlier.”
    Did he think this was funny? That this was a game? Her future was at stake here. “And then you wouldn’t have had to sleep with me to get that kind of information,” she retorted.
    Sebastian’s gaze slowly traveled down her tense body, resting briefly on her gentle curves. “That isn’t why I took you to bed.”
    Her skin burned. She couldn’t stop the fragmented memories flooding her mind. She remembered his hot masculine scent and the taste of his golden skin. Her dress felt tight as she recalled the sharp hiss between his teeth and the bite of pain when his strong fingers had tangled in her hair.
    Ashley abruptly looked away. She had a tendency to remember that night at the most inconvenient moments. Her heart was pounding against her chest and her body was flushed. “You didn’t have seduction in mind the moment you stepped on Inez Key,” she mumbled. “I find that highly unlikely.”
    “I didn’t know that you would indulge in pillow talk after sex,” he drawled as he leaned back in his chair and steepled his long fingers together. “I certainly didn’t expect you to reveal your agreement with Casillas. That was a bonus and it was impossible for me not to use that information for my benefit.”
    Ashley stared at Sebastian as her chest twisted painfully. How could he be so callous about that intimate moment? Didn’t he realize that she never confided in anyone? But she had felt close and safe enough to tell him her worries. She had been interested in his opinion and valued his advice. It was only in the light of day that she realized she had been lulled into a false sense of security.
    She somehow knew that rare slip of the tongue would come back and haunt her. He had used that moment of weakness to his advantage. “I will not allow you to take this island from me!”
    Sebastian was unmoved by her heated declaration. “It’s too late.”
    “Why are you being so unreasonable?” Her voice echoed in her ears. She lowered her hands firmly against her sides and tried again. “Why can’t you give me a second chance?”
    He seemed genuinely surprised by her question. As if she was more naive than he had given her credit. “Why should I? Have you done anything that would suggest you deserve a second chance?”
    She saw the way his