“I was in a meeting.”

“In a bar?”

He took a step toward me, and his face still didn’t reveal anything. “The conference is in a hotel. Where should I have met with her? In her room?”

“Right, like that would be better.”

“Do you think if I had something to hide or was even contemplating doing anything remotely resembling what you’re suggesting, that I would do it in a public bar?”

“Yes.”

He took a deep breath and clenched his fists. “Are you saying you think I’m fucking Charlene?”

“No, I know you’re not fucking her. If I thought for an instant you were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation because you’d be dead and I’d be in jail. What I was saying was that if you were going to fuck her, you’d be sly enough to use the ‘We’re just meeting in the bar for business’ line so people wouldn’t think anything of you being seen together.”

“I see. So I’m not a cheater. I just have a devious mind.”

“You don’t get to be CEO of a successful business by playing nice in the sandbox.”

“This isn’t a damn sandbox.”

I put my hands on my hips. “And then you throw on me that you want to extend the time I’m collared and, oh, yeah, let’s do it right now.”

“Sit down and let’s talk this out like calm adults.” He turned and walked toward the couch, stopping on the way to pull the curtains closed.

“Why did you meet with her for lunch? What are you talking about tonight?”

He spun around to face me and his features were hard and cold. “It is business. We were talking about the nonprofit.”

“You refuse to tell me.”

“I just did.”

“I don’t believe you.”

We stared at each other for several long seconds, my words hanging in the air. Each judging the other, weighing what to say next, anticipating what might be done. We were so different in many ways, but so similar in others. Neither one of us changed our minds easily.

“I’m not pleased at all you just said that,” he said and by not pleased at all, he meant mad as fucking hell.

I thought about what I could say to diffuse the situation, but his phone vibrated and he reached into his pocket and pulled it out. He frowned at the display.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“Her.”

“Fuck diffusing the situation,” I said. “I’m going to bed. You sleep on the floor.” I stomped into the bedroom and slammed the door. I waited for a few minutes, staring at it, expecting him to bust in or knock or do something.

Surprisingly, he didn’t say or do anything. In fact, when I crawled into bed, he still hadn’t knocked. I strained my ears, listening for any sort of sound from the other room, but finally gave up and fell into an uneasy sleep.

Rough hands woke me up at some point, shocking me out of sleep. I flinched and struggled to get away.

“Damn it, Abigail,” Nathaniel said while I twisted out of his hands. He grabbed me again and turned me onto my stomach. “Go ahead. Fight me.”

His knee dug into the lower part of my back and I heard him rip his shirt off. The mattress bounced as he threw it to the ground. Fuck. He was angry. I tried to turn over, but he held me tight to the bed. He shifted again and his body was pressed along the length of my back.

“I should spank your ass for ever thinking I’d want anyone other than you. How dare you say you didn’t believe me. And I’ll be damned if I’m sleeping on the floor.” He grabbed me by the nape of my neck and bit my ear. “Do you understand?”

“Fuck you,” I said, fully awake and remembering every word of my outburst.

He jerked the hem of my gown to my waist and slapped my ass. Hard. “I’m mad as fucking hell right now, so you better watch your language.”

I tried to kick back at him, but missed. “You think I’m not mad?”

“I really don’t care how you feel right now.”

“Asshole.”

He slapped my ass again and shoved my legs apart. His erection pressed against my anus. “Speaking of assholes, what’s keeping me from fucking yours right now?”

Shit. He wouldn’t, would he? He’d never treated me like that when he was angry.

But he held my upper body and arms down, showing me he could if he wanted to.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

His laugh was evil. “No. No, I wouldn’t, but you’re walking a thin line. I understand you’re upset and angry, but you need to watch it.”