Itdidseem to her that she’d noticed something like steps carved into the side of the cliff that led from one opening to another, but then she’d been passing all of them so quickly on the way down she couldn’t be sure and even if she was right, what could she do with that? Hide in one of the other caves until he came to get her?
No. She had to become an ally, enlist his help to get what she wanted.
And he wanted to fuck. Good thing for her that he did. She could use that because, unfortunately it was the only damned tool/weapon at her disposal.
Good thing for her she really didn’t mind!
She absolutely refused to acknowledge that it was a lot more than ‘didn’t mind’ or that her plan included making up for being left hanging.
It was good plan. It made sense. And she damned well couldn’t think of another one.
The only problem with it was that she’d made her displeasure very, very clear when she stalked out. She wasn’t going to be able to try to get back into his good graces until she’d allowed a few days cool down time.
Well, she could try right away and he’d probably accommodate her, but she thought he would be suspicious of her motives if she did.
And the plain fact was that he’d been surprisingly gentlemanly toward her considering he was a barbarian. She’d let him in the door—literally. She couldn’t expect to keep him out anymore.
But she could take advantage.
Maybe.
And the way to do that wasn’t to throw herself at him. She had to make him work for it for it to be any kind of advantage for her. If she gave too freely, it would have no value and she wouldn’t have anything to barter with.
There was no sense in weeping over the situation. That wouldn’t make things any better and she didn’t think it would even make her feel any better.
An explosive climax—like the one promised andnotdelivered—mighthave helped relieve the tension, she thought with some dudgeon.
It was a while—hours then days—before she realized the ‘incident’ had resulted in her becoming sole owner of the only bedchamber that had a bed.
She certainly hadn’t expected him to suddenly stop sleeping beside her. He had since he’d brought her to his cave and she was not happy to discover she’d gotten used to it, grown accustomed to his warmth at night when it was cooler, and the sense of being protected, sheltered ….
Andallbecause she’d given him a look like she could cheerfully saw his head off with a dull sliver of rock?
She damned well didn’t know what that asshole had to be pissed about!Hehad gotten off, damn him!
Some thought produced the possibility that he was pissed because she’d tried to escape, but she thought that wasalsounreasonable!
She was a person, damn it! He couldn’t just expect to keep her like she was a damned pet or something!
Well shehadbeen trying to escape—which she figured she had every right to do, or try—but it sucked that she was stuck with his interpretation of just every frigging thing because she couldn’t make up a lie.
Not one that she could use, anyway.
After a couple of days of getting a cold shoulder, she decided she was never going to get anywhere if she couldn’t figure out how to communicate.
Hand motions only went so damned far!
And she couldn’t do that without talking to himandgetting a response.
Which she didn’t get the first few times she tried to engage him in conversation. He pretended he was deaf.
Irritated past bearing and desperate, if the truth were known, she bellowed his name at him. That got his attention.
She didn’t know where the hell to go from there.
Finally, her anger inspired her and she plugged her fingers in her ears. “Deaf? No can hear?” God! It wasn’t going to help toteachhim broken English! “You can’t hear?”
His response was a blank, unflinching stare.
