"Give yourself to me, Percy," he said in a guttural voice. "Choose me."
She stilled. "I…can't." Looking down into his glittering eyes, shaking with need, she whispered, "I want you Gavin, but I cannot betray my brother. I won't."
Silence stretched between them, broken only by their panting breaths. Neither moved, and it took every shred of her resolve not to shimmy back against his hard, jutting presence. Not to seek relief from the fires burning inside her.
The next instant, she found herself deposited unceremoniously at the other end of the tub. Water sluiced from Gavin's magnificently aroused physique as he rose and stepped onto the tiles. He reached for a towel and began to dry off.
"If you loved me, the choice would be simple," he said flatly.
Her frustration boiled over. "That is so deuced unfair!" she burst out. "If you cared a whit about me, you wouldn'taskme to choose."
He faced her, hands on his hips. He made no effort to hide his erection, which only fueled her aggravation as her body quaked with longing at the sight of the rampant instrument. So large and thrillingly masculine… so ready to please. If only the rest of the blasted man could be as accommodating.
Hastily, she lifted her gaze, only to realize he'd caught her ogling him.
"We could both be enjoying this," he said with calm arrogance, "if you weren't so bull-headed. I am going to win this wager one way or another, Persephone. You're only delaying the inevitable."
"If that's the case, why are you pressuring me?" Snatching a towel, she wrapped it around her and left the tub. She faced him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Why won't you tell me what is really going on?"
His eyes hooded, he said, "You know what is going on. I've given you ample time to come to a decision about the wager. You said you love me—now prove it."
"You're not telling me everything." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I know you by now, Gavin Hunt, and youarecapable of compassion. You protect urchins, you've even protected my brother from that character O'Brien... why can't you at leastconsiderrelinquishing Paul's vowels? Unless..." A dreadful thought occurred to her. "Why do the shares of Fines & Company mean so much to you?"
He regarded her with a stony expression.
With trembling fear, she asked, "Did... did Paul wrong you in some way? Does he owe you more than money—"
"This has nothing to do with your brother."
"Well, that's a relief."Thank goodness. We can overcome anything but that.She took a deep breath. "It's the money, then? I know you don't wish to deal with Nick, but there is another option." Cheeks warming, she said, "I have a dowry. It's not worth as much as the shares of the company, but it's quite substantial."
"I don't want your bleeding money."
Her patience snapped. "For goodness' sake, whatdoyou want?"
"Justice." In that instant, Gavin transformed from her playful lover to Lord Hades himself. His eyes blazed with crystalline fire, and his arms bunched, veins prominent against the taut sinew. "Tell me, Percy: if a wrong was done to me, a grave injustice, what would you do?"
She blinked. She hadn't been expecting that. "Well," she said cautiously, "I'd support you, be there for you, no matter what. What injustice are you talking about, Gavin?"
"If it came down to making a choice," he said, ignoring her question, his eyes pinning hers, "between me and your family, who would you choose?"
"Why would I have to choose?" she asked, bewildered. "I don't understand."
"Answer my question."
"But that's ridiculous. How could I possibly say..."
"It's a simple enough answer. Me or them?"
She chewed on her lip, her head whirling with questions, possibilities. "Is this about whether or not my family will accept our marriage? Because you don't have to worry about that. They may be a bit shocked at first,"—there's the understatement of the century—"but they'll come around, trust me. Once Mama gets to know you, I am sure she will adore you. As for Nicholas and Helena—"
"I don't give a damn about them," he roared. "I want to know where your loyalties lie.Me or them?"
"You're not giving me enough information. Without knowing the circumstances, I cannot make a choice," she said, lifting her chin.
"You want circumstances? Fine. When I take over Fines & Company and tear it to pieces, will you be standing by my side or theirs?"
Her lips parted in shock. "You mean todestroyPapa's company? But why?"
