“We’re adults. Let’s talk—”
“Talk is cheap.”
“Agreed!” she snapped. “But it’s better than the cold shoulder.”
“This isn’t a cold shoulder. This is my job. You are—” Man, he just couldn’t say it.
“Your prisoner? A whore?”
Hands on his belt, he clenched his jaw. “We had a deal—”
“Yes, and where are the others?”
“How would I know? I’ve been too busy saving your freakin’ life!”
“And kissing me.”
He huffed. Closed his eyes.
“What? You figured I’d been with so many men that adding you wouldn’t matter?”
Assaulted by her accusation, he straightened. “Inevertreated you like that,” he said in a low, fierce tone.
“You just did! You took what you wanted and walked away. Only difference is you didn’t leave money.”
He was going to be sick. Wanted to argue. Fight. But Canyon’s warning to tread carefully hammered him. “You’re …” He huffed. “You are right. It will not happen again.”
She recoiled and he had no idea why.
“The fear you’ve lived in for the last ten years? What happened between you and all those men? Never worry that will happen between us.”
“Between?” she scoffed. “You don’t understand, do you? Nothing happenedbetweenme and any of the men who …” She shoved her hair from her face. “Never mind.” She stormed from the room.
And he let her go, suddenly so lost and out of his depth even a sonar ping couldn’t help him find his way.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Wesh, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
Screwed it up again,genius.
Later that night, Range tossed the ruck against the wall next to the door. Wouldn’t Canyon love to rub this in his face? Went for the wrong girl. Again.
But … was she wrong?
Madam.
Definitely wrong.
Yet there was this gut instinct that told him it went way deeper. When was the last time he’d kissed someone? What he’d felt had far exceeded anything he had felt before. It stripped him of his excuses regarding her so-called profession. It had been herexistence. She’d been sold into it—
Didn’t excuse what she’d done. The children …
She’d been sold. Sold into that life.
Dang, this was so muffed. Which way was up? He sat on the edge of the bed, scrubbing the back of his neck. He seriously needed to talk to someone. Find out—
Shouts echoed through the house.
