A quirk of her brow showed what Karolina thought of that remark.“Now you’ve got me intrigued.”She lied as smoothly as he had.
At least they were talking.Getting through to Karolina was crucial to his plan.
“Are you planning to coax some green shoots of true love and romance from the shit of my background when we’re married, or don’t you care?”
Her comment amazed him and put into question everything he’d thought about Karolina Karolides, but on the basis that it might be a ruse to get him to open up so she could betray him to her father, he picked on one remark only.“Love?”He drew his head back with surprise.“I have to say, love in this context had never occurred to me.”
Karolina’s expression hardened.“Enjoy your meal, Mr.Murphy,” she snapped as she turned away.
“Conor, please.”Women generally expected too much of him, but for some reason, Karolina’s reaction was like a slap in the face.He’d have to do better to win her over.And do better he would.
As a member of the Blood and Thunder special forces security network—ostensibly a group of wealthy men playing polo at the international level—Conor’s mission was to unravel the complex web of Ambassador Karolides’s crime syndicate.It suited him to get close to the daughter, as Karolina was the key they would use to bring her father down.He knew that nothing was what it seemed at the Kasiki embassy, but that now included the ambassador’s daughter, which could complicate things.
“Relax,” he murmured discreetly to Karolina.“I mean you no harm.”
“Oh, that’s good to know,” she flashed back, turning to pierce him with a caustic stare.“Don’t let your food get cold, Mr.Murphy.”Turning her back, she continued talking to the person on her other side.
The ambassador chose that moment to stand and welcome his guests.“And finally,” Kaspar Karolides finished, lizard smile firmly in place, “I invite you to welcome our guest of honor.The preeminent judge of horseflesh on the planet—and women too, by all accounts!”Conor ground his jaw with distaste as everyone laughed.“Conor Murphy!”
Conscious of Karolina staring up at him with undisguised disgust, he rose to his feet to acknowledge the applause.
As the guests cheered and banged the table, she took in the black diamonds flashing at Murphy’s cuffs.Had those been purchased with human misery?A mountain of a man with a face like a Greek god—if Greek gods forgot to shave—he exuded ruthlessness and danger, and she wouldn’t put anything past him.
Best guess?There wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t jump at the chance to jump Conor Murphy, but Karolina had no intention of leaping from the frying pan into the fire.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t say he left her cold.The opposite was true.Her body was more than eager to get very close indeed to the Irish hardman.What did he think of her?Most likely that she was a willing participant, up for sale to the highest bidder, and totally uncaring about the trade going on here.
“Show the goods, don’t hide them,” her father gritted out when, unwittingly, she closed her arms defensively across her chest.
Showyourfat belly andyourchicken legs!She was full of loathing for a man who cared nothing for any living creature beyond himself and his stable of valuable ponies.
“Don’t go overboard with your enthusiasm.”
As Conor spoke, she blinked and refocused, realizing now that she was the only one not applauding him as he sat down.“Well done,” she said tensely.If he moved even a fraction closer, she’d be forced to gasp.Even with distance between them, she felt as if she’d been plugged into a nuclear reactor.“Did your little chat include how many horses you’ll be trading for me?”
“You weren’t listening?”
“Apologies.I lost concentration partway through.”
He seemed amused by this.“And they’re ponies,” he corrected her.
She shrugged.“How many?”
“Why are you so keen to know?”
“I’d like to know my value, and I’m finding it a struggle to believe you’d trust your precious ponies to my father.”
Something different flared in Conor’s eyes.It was as if, for a moment, they’d stopped verbally jabbing at each other and had started a conversation.
“Your father won’t be caring for them,” he explained.“I’ve visited and evaluated the stables where they’ll be housed, and interviewed the staff.I know some of them personally.They’re good people.”
Then they can’t have any idea what’s going on here, she thought.
“The horse world is quite separate and contained.”
Conor’s additional comment was interesting.It hinted that he knew more than he was letting on.“You still haven’t told me how many ponies,” she reminded him.“Before you avoid answering the question, you should know I’ve been told to make conversation with you, and this is the only topic on which we could possibly share an interest.”
With a shrug, he carried on.“The gift of ponies in exchange for you will be on a sliding scale.Our agreement is two to begin with, and then, if I find you satisfactory, two more.If you give me children, I’ll give him a pony for each living child you bear.”
