A Deal with Benefits (12 page)

He knew she loved her morning coffee to the point that it was a sacred ritual, but this was ridiculous. She was hiding from him. Distancing herself.

And Ashley was too quiet for his liking. In the past he would assume the lack of conversation meant she was plotting his demise. Today he suspected she was uncomfortable about sharing her secret with him.

He was offended but he also knew she had a right to feel this way. He didn’t have a great track record when it came to Ashley Jones. When she told him about the loan with Raymond Casillas, he had used that information for his benefit. He had also used her sexual attraction to make her his mistress. A broken promise or two, and the possibility that he accidentally got her pregnant....

Sebastian swallowed back an oath. She was probably counting down the minutes until this agreement ended. He needed to show Ashley that he could take care of her in and out of bed. He had to honor his agreement and have her stay on Inez Key.

But would she still want to be with him? Or was she already distancing herself because there were only a few more days of their arrangement? Was it too late to prove to Ashley that he could be the man she wanted?

Sebastian hated this uncertainty. Most women were content with his attention and his lifestyle. That wasn’t enough to hold on to Ashley. For a moment he wished she were pregnant with his child. He had a blistering need to create a lasting connection with this woman.

There was one place he could start. “I have to go on another trip today,” Sebastian announced. “I want you to come with me.”

Ashley pushed back her hair. “Where are you going this time?”

“Inez Key.”

Ashley jerked with surprise. Her fingers shook as she set the coffee mug down with a thud. “You want
me
to go to Inez Key? Why?”

Because he wanted to make her happy. Give her everything she wanted. Find some kind of compromise that could even assuage the guilt that pressed against his chest. “The renovations are almost complete,” he said as if that explained everything.

“That was fast,” she said with a frown. “How did you manage that?”

“You can accomplish anything when you have money.” And he had thrown a great deal of money on the project. Everything had to be perfect in the main house. The grounds had to be exactly as they were twenty-five years ago. Nothing else would do.

“Why do you want me along?”

“You’re going to be the caretaker of the island,” he said as he took the last sip of his coffee.

Ashley dipped her head. “About that...”

His hand stilled as he listened to her hesitant tone. He thought she would be pleased. Excited to remain on the island. Grateful for the chance to stay.

“I have to decline the offer.”

“Why?” She had stayed with him for a month to gain the right to be on the island. Now she was throwing back his offer. “Isn’t that what you wanted all along?”

“I needed the island five years ago. It was my haven.” Ashley glanced up and met his gaze. “But I’m a different person now and I can’t put my life on hold anymore. It’s time for me to move on. I can’t do that if I’m at Inez Key.”

Sebastian struggled with the temptation to argue. He wanted to convince her that the island was the best place for her to stay, but deep down he knew it wasn’t true. It was the best thing for
him
if she stayed. She would remain on an isolated island with no single men and always available to him. He liked that idea far too much.

“What are you going to do instead?” he asked gruffly.

Ashley looked away. “I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”

She didn’t seem excited about this change in her life. She simply accepted it. But if she didn’t want Inez Key anymore, he had no hold on her. Unless he asked her to live with him.

Sebastian’s heart pounded hard against his chest. He wanted to extend the invitation, but he wasn’t sure what her answer would be. She had rejected him before, and that was before she discovered how he’d double-crossed her. Ashley knew what kind of man he was and she would not willingly choose to share her life with him.

“You should still visit Inez Key with me,” he decided. “It would be a good time to collect your things and say goodbye to your friends.”

“You’re right,” Ashley said softly. “I should have one last look and then move on.”

* * *

Ashley didn’t like staying in the antebellum mansion at night. There were too many memories and too many shadows to face in the lonely and quiet house. But tonight was different. The islanders had decorated the beach with torches and flower garlands for her. They danced to the beat of a makeshift drum, sang old pirate songs and drank rum.

The gathering felt more of a coming-of-age celebration than a going-away party. She felt the love and understanding from everyone. She was going to miss them, but she knew they would be thinking of her as she started this new journey.

“Thanks for inviting me to Inez Key,” Ashley said to Sebastian as she curled against him while they took the winding staircase to the master suite. “I’m glad I came.”

“The islanders are really going to miss you.”

“Try not to sound so surprised,” she said with an exasperated smile. “Everyone on Inez Key has been like family to me. Clea treated me as an honorary daughter. I’m not sure what she thinks of you.” Ashley’s smile dipped as she remembered how the older woman had stared intently at Sebastian for most of the party.

“She’s angry with me because I’m the reason you’re leaving,” Sebastian said as he opened the door to the master suite. “She may always see me as the enemy.”

Ashley stepped out of Sebastian’s arms as she stepped into the master bedroom. She blinked when she noticed the change. The heavy furniture and the four-poster bed that once dominated the room had been replaced. The colorful and modern furniture changed the feel of the room. Erased the oppressive feeling she had whenever she had stepped inside.

“I forgot,” Sebastian muttered. “This room had too many memories.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m right where I want to be.” She cupped Sebastian’s face with her hands and kissed him. This might be the last chance she had to touch him and lay with him. After her month was up, she no longer had a claim to him.

She broke the kiss and reached for his hand before she silently walked to the bed. She crawled onto the sumptuous bedding and reached for him.

Sebastian didn’t seem to be in any rush. He cradled her face and brushed his mouth against hers. His gentleness made Ashley’s breath catch in her throat.

He continued to kiss her slowly. Sebastian pressed his mouth against her forehead and her cheeks. His lips grazed the line of her jaw and the curve of her ear. It was as if he was committing her features to memory.

“This is how I would have made love to you the first time,” he said as he dragged the thin shoulder straps of her dress down her arms. “If I had known you were a virgin.”

“Our first night was special. Perfect,” she insisted as she tilted her head back and arched her neck, silently encouraging him to continue. “I don’t need a do-over.”

“I scared you off,” he reminded her as he kissed a trail down her throat.

“I scared myself,” she corrected breathlessly as her pulse skipped a beat. “It was too much, too intense. I’d never felt that way before.”

“You wanted to hide,” he said as he reverently peeled her flirty sundress from her body. “That’s why you had rejected my offer.”

“It was stupid of me,” she admitted as she dragged the buttons free from his shirt. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth against the warm, golden-brown skin she had just revealed. “I didn’t mean to come across as a coldhearted bitch.”

“What if I made that offer now?” Sebastian’s tone was casual, but she sensed he was not asking lightly. “How would you respond?”

Her heart lurched. “That depends,” she said huskily. “What is the offer?”

Sebastian shrugged off his shirt and lowered her onto the mattress. He stood before her, proud and male. “Come back to Miami with me.”

For how long? And in what role? The questions burned on her tongue but she remained silent. Would she be his occasional hostess or his arm candy? Would she be his hostess or his baby mama?

Ashley wanted to accept his offer immediately and not look too closely. Refuse to negotiate and dismiss any reservations. She loved him with a ferocity that bordered on obsession. She now understood why her mother had risked everything to be with the man that she loved. The only difference was that Ashley had chosen a good man. A man who would treat her with respect and adoration.

“Well?” Sebastian asked impatiently.

Ashley bit her lip. She wasn’t sure whether he was suggesting this because he thought she was pregnant. He had asked her every morning and it didn’t help that her period was late. Was he making a strategic move or was this invitation from the heart?

She stretched slowly against the mattress and watched Sebastian’s features tighten with lust. “No incentives this time, Sebastian?” she teased.

“I don’t have anything you need,” he said as he hooked his large fingers underneath the trim of her panties and slowly dragged the scrap of silk down her trembling legs.

She swiped her tongue along her bottom lip. “Don’t be too sure about that.”

“Tell me what you want,” he encouraged softly. “Ask for anything and I will give it to you.”

She wanted his love. Ashley knew she should look away before her eyes revealed the truth, but she was ensnared by his hot gaze. She wanted more than his attention or his heart. She wanted everything Sebastian Cruz had to offer. She wished to be part of his life, his future and his very soul.

“You.” Her voice croaked as the emotions gripped her chest. “I want you and don’t hold anything back.”

“And you shall have it,” Sebastian said as he crawled onto the bed and hovered above her. His strong arms on either side of her head as his hands pinned her wavy hair. She couldn’t move if she’d wanted to.

Sebastian crushed her lips with his mouth before he licked and kissed his way down her chest. He captured her tight nipple with his teeth and teased her with his tongue until the sensations rippled under her skin.

Ashley twisted underneath him as he caressed and laved his tongue against her flat stomach. She bunched the bedsheets in her fists. Her legs shook with anticipation when he cupped her sex with a possessive hand.

Sebastian held her gaze as he stroked the folds of her sex. Her skin grew flush and her breathing deserted her as he rocked her hips. He placed his mouth against the heart of her. Ashley moaned as her core clenched. She went wild under his tongue as he savored the taste of her.

Her climax was swift and brutal. Ashley went limp as her heart raced. She heard Sebastian remove his clothes and she slowly opened her eyes. Sebastian stood at the side of the bed, gloriously naked as he rolled on a condom.

He didn’t say anything as he parted her legs with forceful hands before he settled between her thighs. She watched the primitive emotions flickering across his harsh face as he surged into her.

Ashley’s gasp mingled with Sebastian’s low groan. She rolled her hips as he began to thrust. It was a slow and steady rhythm that was designed to make her lose her mind.

Her flesh gripped him tightly as he surged in deeper. Ashley wanted more. Wanted this to last forever. She wanted Sebastian forever.

“I love you.” The words tumbled out of her mouth in an agonized whisper.

Sebastian went still. Ashley closed her eyes and turned her head away. She hadn’t planned to reveal her final secret to him.

Sebastian drove into her. His rhythm grew faster. Harder. She didn’t dare look at him. Did he feel triumphant or annoyed? Was he amused or irritated by her spontaneous words?

The bed shook with each demanding thrust. It was as if he was branding her with his touch and making the most intimate claim. Another climax—harder and hotter—took her by surprise. She cried out just as Sebastian found his release.

He collapsed on top of her and she welcomed the weight of his sweat-slick body. There was no doubt anymore, she decided as she gulped in air. She belonged to Sebastian Cruz forever.

CHAPTER TEN

T
HE
NEXT
MORNING
Ashley stood by the double doors that led to the balcony. It was a perfect day at Inez Key; hot with very little humidity. The ocean was calm and a vivid blue. The tropical flowers were opening under the brilliant sun.

But her troubled thoughts didn’t allow her to enjoy the view. Ashley glanced at the bed behind her. The sheets were rumpled and the pillows had been thrown on the floor at some time during the night. Yet this morning she had woken up alone.

Sebastian was avoiding her because she had told him she was in love with him. Ashley bit her lip as she recalled that moment. What had gotten into her? She was good at hiding her feelings, but she’d lowered her guard last night. She had been compelled to share how she felt.

And Sebastian didn’t say anything in return. In fact, he didn’t say anything at all.

Ashley rubbed her forehead and leaned against the door frame. It didn’t matter. She had said it in the heat of the moment. He wasn’t going to take her words seriously.

She saw a movement on the beach and leaned forward. Sebastian was walking on the dock as he spoke on his cell phone. She couldn’t hear his conversation but she knew from the smile and the way he dipped his head that he was speaking to his mother.

Sebastian Cruz was an arrogant and powerful playboy, but he was also a family man. She admired how he took care of his family. She thought that kind of man was only found on unrealistic television shows. But she also noticed how Sebastian treated his mother and sisters.

Unlike the playboys she knew, Sebastian respected women. No matter how exasperated he was with his sisters, Sebastian saw them as successful women who brought a valuable contribution to their fields, community and to the family. He listened to his mother’s opinions and sought out her advice. He was ready to help the women in his family if they asked, but he never saw them as useless, porcelain dolls.

Ashley watched from her vantage point, knowing he couldn’t see her on the shaded balcony. She could study him and memorize his hard angles and wide shoulders. The man was raw male and sexuality even in his wrinkled cotton shirt and low-slung jeans. It was a shame she wasn’t carrying his child.

She’d discovered that this morning, and instead of feeling relieved, Ashley had struggled with her disappointment. She hadn’t realized how much she’d wanted Sebastian’s baby until that moment. Now there was nothing to keep him at her side.

Ashley saw Sebastian disconnect his call as he walked to the front door. She couldn’t see him but she heard him greet Clea.

“Good morning, Mr. Sebastian,” the housekeeper said. Her tone was friendly as usual, but Ashley recognized a bubbling excitement underneath the words. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, but I haven’t had a chance to speak to you alone.”

“What do you want to know?” Sebastian’s voice was low and rough.

“Did you use to live in this house? I would say about twenty-five years ago?”

Ashley jerked back as her heart stopped. What was Clea saying? That the Cruz family had once owned Inez Key? That was ridiculous, surely.

“Yes,” Sebastian said with eerie calm, “this used to be my home until Donald Jones stole it from my family.”

Ashley’s skin went hot and then cold as the bile churned in her stomach. Her father had taken this island from the Cruz family. Ruined them. And for what? He’d had no interest in Inez Key.

“And you stole it back,” Clea said dazedly.

The housekeeper’s words echoed in her head. Ashley leaned against the wall as her shaky legs threatened to buckle. That was why Sebastian had been so interested in this island. Why he’d refused to accept Inez Key wasn’t for sale.

A collage of images slammed through her mind. Sebastian standing at the dock like a conquering leader. The watercolors Sebastian’s father had painted. The shadows in his eyes when he looked at the main house.

He’d set out to seduce and steal Inez Key from her because her father had stolen it first. It was an eye for an eye.

Ashley inhaled sharply as the fury and pain whipped through her. She tried to breathe, but her chest was constricted. This was why he didn’t respond to her declaration of love. Because he had no feelings for her. She was just a pawn in his game of revenge.

How had she got it so wrong?

She had made herself believe that Sebastian was nothing like the men she knew. That he could love and respect a woman. That he was a good man. A man she could trust and share her life with. Because she believed her happiness and safety was his priority. That he wanted what was best for her.

She had ignored her first instinct. Was it his incredible good looks or his overwhelming sexuality that had distracted her? He used her without compunction. She had been a pawn he could easily sacrifice. She had believed what she wanted to believe.

Ashley closed her eyes and turned her head. She wanted to block out the world around her. Pretend that this wasn’t happening. Run and never look back.

But there was a simple truth she couldn’t ignore: She was no better than her mother.

Linda Valdez wasn’t the only woman in this family who made stupid decisions over the men they loved. Donald Jones had not been worthy of her mother’s time or tears, but Linda didn’t want to see it. Her mother had built a fantasy world, a place where she had finally felt loved and special.

Ashley slowly opened her eyes. She had done the same.

Ashley couldn’t speak. It took all of her strength to stand still when her instincts urged her to escape before she lashed out. The walls were closing in on her. The anger—the howling pain—bubbled underneath the surface, threatening to break free. It was going to be ugly and violent.

No, she wouldn’t let it. She was not going down the same path as her mother. Ashley curled her hands into fists and dug her nails in her palms. She welcomed the bite, but it didn’t take the edge off her fury. Now, more than ever, she needed to be in control.

She had to get out of here. Her legs were unsteady as she walked across the room. She wanted to double over from the pain but kept walking until she found the bag she had packed in the closet.

Her legs felt heavy and she just wanted to fall into a heap and curl in a protective ball. She blinked as her eyes burned with unshed tears.
Don’t cry now
, Ashley thought.
Cry when no one can see you or use your weakness against you. Cry when you’re alone.

Alone
. She was all alone with no support system. No home. There was no comfort or peace in her life. Sebastian had taken it all away.

Ashley exhaled slowly, but the pain radiated in her body. She knew she had been different from the other women in his life. She questioned how she’d gained his attention, how she’d attracted him, but hadn’t wanted to inspect it too closely. She had been too afraid to poke at her good luck in case it fell apart.

Ashley bent to the waist as the agony ripped through her. It had all been an illusion. All of it.

Even the sex. She leaned against her bedroom door as the nausea swept through her. Especially the sex. He had made her feel special and desirable. Powerful and sexy. Sebastian had introduced her to pleasure. Passion. She thought he had felt the same.

Her body burned with humiliation. She wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Ashley quickly grabbed her bag, knowing she only had a few moments to escape.

She was crossing the floor of the master suite when she heard Sebastian’s footsteps down the hall. She barely had time to brace herself when the door swung open.

Her heart gave a brutal leap when Sebastian stood in front of her. She felt so small and insignificant next to him, like a peasant standing before an all-powerful emperor.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked in a hiss.

Sebastian noticed her stricken expression and the bag clutched in her hand. He glanced at the doors that led to the balcony and immediately assessed the situation. A shadow crossed his harsh features. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He didn’t speak as he crossed his arms and watched her.

She felt trapped, weak, and had a fierce need to hide it by striking first. She was never more aware of his intimidating height and powerful build than right at this moment. The button-down shirt and faded jeans didn’t hide the fact that he was solid muscle. There was no way she could move him.

“You look upset,” he drawled.

Did he still think this was a game? Had he no remorse? “What is Inez Key to you?”

He paused. “It was my childhood home.”

“And you felt the need to steal it from me? It was my childhood home as well.”

“I didn’t steal Inez Key,” he pointed out calmly, but she saw the anger flash in his eyes. “Your father did.”

“What exactly are you accusing him of?” she asked hoarsely. She knew Donald Jones probably did something underhanded. It was how he approached life.

“He won our home in a poker game,” Sebastian said. “But he had cheated.”

That sounded like dear old Donald, but maybe this was the one time when her father’s reputation automatically made him the culprit. “You don’t know that. You have no proof.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “He bragged about it years later. His friend Casillas confirmed the story.”

Ashley wanted to be ill. “Why did he want the island? It doesn’t make sense. My father didn’t care about property. He rarely used this island.”

The anger whipped around Sebastian. “He wanted something else and tried to use the island as a bargaining chip.”

“What?” Ashley couldn’t shake off the dread. “What did he really want?”

“My mother.” His voice was cold and harsh. “Jones said he wouldn’t take the island if he could take my mother to bed instead.”

The words drew blood like the lash of a whip. She could easily imagine her father trying to make a deal like that. She’d seen him try many times. And he occasionally succeeded. “Is that why you slept with me?” she asked.

“No,” he said in a raspy voice. “I took you to bed because I wanted you and I couldn’t stop myself.”

She wasn’t going to believe that. Not anymore. He had already proven that she had no power over him. He didn’t stop himself because he wanted to continue playing the game.

“Don’t lie to me,” she warned. “It was an eye for an eye. My father tried to blackmail your mother into bed. You did the same to me. Only you were successful.” Because apparently she had a price.

“My father wasn’t going to let Jones touch my mother. She was his wife. The mother of his children. He should have killed that man for suggesting it.”

“And I was a spoiled heiress living the life you should have had,” she whispered. She gripped her bag until her knuckles turned white. She wanted to get out. She needed to escape before she said too much or crossed the line.

“Put down the bag,” Sebastian ordered. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“I believed every word you said,” she said and scoffed at her ignorance. “You said you would look after me if I got pregnant. I actually thought you meant it.”

“I still mean it.” Sebastian froze and his gaze quickly traveled down the length of her body.

“Don’t worry, Sebastian. I’m not pregnant. Or was that part of the plan too?”

He took a step toward her. “I would never do that to an innocent child.”

Ashley backed away. She didn’t trust herself around Sebastian. She’d already made a few assumptions and poor choices. He had the ability to make her forget her best intentions with one simple touch. Worse, he knew it.

“But you would do it to me because I couldn’t possibly be innocent. I’m Donald Jones’s daughter, right? I must be punished.”

“Let me explain,” Sebastian said as he reached for her.

“No! Don’t you touch me. You no longer have that right.”

He held up his hands. “Listen to me. When we thought my mother was dying, she made a request. If she survived the surgery, she wanted to live out her remaining years on Inez Key.”

Ashley remembered Patricia’s faraway look when she’d talked about her home. She was remembering Inez Key. It had been lovingly re-created in the watercolors her husband had painted. It was the paradise she had lost.

“Oh, well, that makes all the difference,” Ashley said with heavy sarcasm. “Your mother wanted the island. That excuses the fact that you seduced me and stole my home.”

“I’m not making any excuses,” he said as he watched her reach the door.

“No, you don’t think you need to. You were only getting justice, right?”

“What he did—”

“My father stole the island from you. You stole it from me,” she said as she swung open the doors and fled down the stairs. She heard Sebastian’s footsteps behind her. “My father wanted to humiliate your parents by blackmailing Patricia into bed. You blackmailed me and tried to humiliate me by making me a mistress. My father’s action drove you into poverty. Your actions leave me homeless and broke. Have I missed anything?”

“I had no plans for revenge,” Sebastian said as he followed her. “My goal was to buy Inez Key and make it my mother’s home.”

“Oh, you didn’t
plan
to repeat history,” she said as she marched to the front door. “You
accidentally
fell into the same pattern that my father followed. What a relief! You don’t know how
happy
it makes me feel that you are exactly like Donald Jones.”

Sebastian glared at her. “I didn’t start this twisted game. I finished it.”

“Congratulations, Sebastian. You won.” She almost choked on the words as she opened the door and crossed the threshold before she slammed the door shut. “I hope it was worth it.”

* * *

Ashley didn’t notice the aggressive lines of steel and glass as she strode into the Cruz Conglomerate headquarters. The impressive lobby and stunning artwork no longer intimidated her. The anger coursing through her body silenced the noise and the crowds of people surrounding her. She didn’t care about anything other than saying a few choice words to Sebastian.

She crushed the buff envelope in her hand as she waited impatiently at the reception desk. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing Sebastian. It had been a month since she’d left Inez Key and she didn’t feel ready.