Heart of the Dragon Read Free

caught a flash of predatory white teeth. Mayura Vatan’s lover, I bet, she thought instantly. An electric snap of curiosity and envy shot through her.
    His lips were full, his mouth wide. It could have been a fantastically sensual mouth—and must be, when he was doing something with a woman besides trying to intimidate her—but right then it had a sarcastic tilt at one corner. He lifted a hand slightly, addressing her.“Are you a dangerous woman, Ms. Brown? Does my client need protection from you?”
    Rebecca thought he was teasing. There was just enough humor in his tone to make it possible. But also enough warning to bring her anger to full bloom. She clenched her satchel with both hands and spoke between gritted teeth. “I’ve said this about a dozen times. Now I’ll tell
you
. Maybe someday, someone will believe me.
I’m not here to cause trouble
.”
    “You realize, surely, that a claim such as yours, against a young woman of wealth and prestige—”
    “I’m not making a claim
against
anyone. I’m trying to make someone believe the truth. I just want to meet Mayura Vatan.”
    “Because?” he asked, and let the word hang expectantly, as if he hadn’t already been briefed on the whole story.
    “Because she and I are half sisters!”
    Kashadlin Santelli’s eyes narrowed. It appeared that hearing this outrageous-sounding statement from her own lips only confirmed his opinion of her—and that opinion wasn’t good, she could tell. “I’m fascinated,” he said dryly. “Please go on.”
    “What’s the point? You’re only the latest in a long line of Vatan family employees who’ll smile politely and never believe a word I say.”
    “No. You see, I’m the one who determines whether you’re a threat to her. Frankly, the family has given me the authority to do whatever I think best about you. Who knows? I might decide in your favor.”
    “My objective is to meet my half sister and give her a message. I’d like to learn a little about her, too, because I don’t have any brothers or sisters except her, and I learned about her only a few months ago. But if I can only give her the message, that’ll be enough.”
    “I could pass this mysterious message along.”
    “No. I want to meet her myself.” Rebecca looked at himpensively. “The message is from my—that is,
our
—father.”
    “Who is now deceased, I understand.”
    She nodded. A twinge of grief made her look away; she felt exposed and vulnerable. “He died last April.”
    “And your mother?”
    “She died when I was a child.”
    “And so you’re all alone, and perhaps in need of money? Is that why you came to Thailand on this strange mission of yours?”
    Because she’d been raised to hold her temper, she stifled an urge to hit him with her satchel. Instead she rose sternly, tossed the satchel onto his desk, along with her purse, and stood facing him with her hands clasped behind her back. “You don’t even know me,” she said in a slow, even voice that shook with anger. “I don’t need any money. I didn’t come here to get money. I came here to meet my blood relative and tell her about our father. I’ve brought pictures of him, mementoes, things I thought she ought to see.”
    Kash silently congratulated her on her dignity. He slid forward on the plush sofa and steepled his hands under his chin, never taking his eyes off her. In her white blouse and skirt she stood out among the dark office colors. The lamps lit her dramatically, bringing something unfathomable to her smooth, pretty face. He held his breath, studying her. There was a timeless quality about her that made him think of a classic painting. Something basic and strong. A man could read an infinite number of interpretations into her, and find something new each time.
    There was nothing remarkable about her—no heart-stopping beauty in her face, no extraordinary curves under her neat and proper clothes, but she was, nonetheless, fascinating. Something about that open,