Heart of the Dragon Read Free Page B

then?”
    “He didn’t desert them!” she said loudly. Kashadlin Santelli didn’t blink, though she was inches from his face. She realized how close she was, and how hard her heart was pounding. “His wife died, and her family took the baby. He was never able to get her back. Because he was a foreigner, he had no rights.”
    “So he waited all these years to mention this lost daughter to you. Why?”
    “That’s for me to discuss with my half sister.”
    Kash’s fascination with her turned to anger. It was time to stop the charade. “No, that’s for you to discuss with me. If I think there’s any merit in your story, I’ll report it to her.”
    “Then I’ll stay in Thailand until I find her myself.”
    “With the help of your employers?”
    “My what?” She stared at him openmouthed.
    He grabbed her by the wrists and pinned her arms against his chest. In one swift, graceful move he backed her against his massive desk. She stumbled and sat down on the beveled edge. It pressed into her hips, while his fingers pressed into her arms. Her shout of shock broke off in speechless disbelief as he trapped her with his body. Her precarious balance made her struggle for a foothold; one foot was drawn up, the other slipping on the sleek tapestry rug under the desk. He pressed tightly against her from chest to thigh, with her legs splayed around him. Rebecca’s skirt bunched up between her thighs but was barely a cushion for his lower body. His hipbones pressed hard against her soft flesh.
    “Be still,” he ordered mildly. “I simply want you to pay attention to what I’m about to say.”
    “Where I come from, a man doesn’t assault a woman to make her listen to him.”
    “If this were an assault, it would clearly be painful. I haven’t hurt you. In fact, I guarantee that I won’t hurt you. Which is more than you can promise me about your intentions.”
    “I have no intentions other than to meet my half sister!”
    “You work for the Nalinat family. Admit it.”
    “I never heard of them! Let go of me!”
    “You’re not in America. There’s no place to run to, no one to call for help. If you want to be trusted, you’ll have to trust me, believe every word I tell you.” He bent his head closer, and his dark eyes bored into hers without blinking. “Ms. Vatan had no American army chaplain for a father. She and her relatives have said so, and that’s why no one will allow you to see her. There’s no point. We know you’re lying.”
    “No. I don’t understand why no one will agree with my story, but it’s true.”
    “You’re working for the Nalinats. If not, then you’re a fool for stepping into the middle of a very ugly feud between them and the Vatan family.”
    Furious, she struggled against him. “I wish I knew who these Nalinats are! I’d love to know something that’s supposed to be so important to me!”
    He pulled her tighter against him. “Calmly, calmly,” he commanded. Kash saw the blazing disgust in her eyes. He searched for fear, for lies, also, but found only the fury. He’d already noticed too much that had nothing to do with his work—the opalescent flecks in their blue background, the seductive way the dark brown lashes swept down at the outer corners.
    “I know what the Nalinats are trying to accomplish,” he told her. “I just don’t know what part you play in it. But whatever they’re paying you, it isn’t worth it. This feud is over. Mayura Vatan will never marry their son, no matter how much the Nalinats threaten or harass her. Now why don’t you pack your bags and go back to Iowa—or wherever you’re from.”
    “Tell Mayura Vatan that her half sister is staying in Thailand until she agrees to meet me! I think I can prove the truth, but I’m not going to try with anyone but her. I don’t know anything about this family feud. I swear!”
    “If you stay and if you cause trouble, you’ll answer to me.”
    “What kind of threat is that?”
    Kash debated for a