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Holly shivered, torn between feeling angry and turned on by Avel’s suggestiveness. She shook her head and looked away. He was doing it again, playing with her. Trying to make her think she was desirable.

She narrowed her eyes and glared at Avel. The fun was over. “I don’t sell myself to anyone. And certainly not you.”

He jerked back in his seat. His hands clenched as he hissed out a breath. “Of course. Why would you?”

Holly opened her mouth, meaning to apologize. That had been mean. Avel must know how hot he was, how tempting he was. But the anger radiating off him made her stop.

She cleared her throat. This was self-preservation. She couldn’t have Avel. She couldn’t fall for him.

He was a temptation she couldn’t succumb to. He would burn her, and she knew how much that hurt. It could never happen again.

Chapter 14

Anger and the bitter taste of rejection colored Avel’s vision red as he glared at Holly’s profile. He knew he was being a jerk, teasing her and making suggestions about what she could do to pay off her debt.

He hadn’t meant to take it so far, but he’d seen a flicker of desire in her eyes and wanted to see what buttons he could push and how she’d react when he did.

It looked as if he’d pushed the wrong ones. Her whole body was turned from him, her arms crossed over her chest, and her eyes looking at anything but him.

He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He never used his position of power to take advantage of people. He’d never asked a woman to open her legs to pay off a debt. That way of working was for losers and scum.

Avel had only been fooling around with Holly.

He thought about leaving it. It wasn’t like they meant anything to each other. He shook his head and rolled his shoulders. Holly did mean something to him. Avel couldn’t deny it any longer. She’d helped him when he’d been vulnerable when everyone else would have taken advantage.

He’d seen how shocked she’d been when he’d suggested she make use of her advantageous position over him. That wasn’t Holly. She was his sweet, cupcake loving human who always saw the best in people.

What had he done to repay that? Suggested she fuck him. No wonder she hated him and had shut him down so hard.

“Holly, I didn’t mean any of that.”

“Neither did I.” Her shoulders rose an inch. “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter.”

“Like hell, it doesn’t matter.” He grabbed the arm of her chair and tried to turn it, but the base was twisted, and it only moved a couple of inches. “I never do that. I never trade debt for sex.”

She shook her head but didn’t reply.

“There are plenty of guys who do. There are a few predators who target vulnerable women, loaning them money and ramping up the interest rate, so they can force them to get on their knees. That’s not me. My business is legitimate.”

“What happens when the women can’t pay you back?” Holly said quietly. “Do you let them off with a warning?”

“I always get my money back. I don’t write off a debt because someone offers to spread her legs for me. Although, maybe I should.”

Holly glanced at him before looking away. “What do you mean by that?”

Avel’s mouth twisted to the side. “Looking the way I do, I don’t get half as lucky as I’d like to.” His mixture of alien and human turned a lot of women off. Some didn’t mind. He even knew a couple who’d slept with him because they wanted a hybrid alien notch on their bedpost.

Most didn’t know what to make of him. Everyone was wary of purebred Dackins with their sharp beaks and claws, but he lacked either distinguishing feature and only brought out his claws in deadly situations.

“A freak like me finds it hard to convince a good girl to spend any time with him.”

Holly shifted in her seat and looked at him, her eyebrows raised. “You’re telling me you have trouble getting girls?”

Avel didn’t even know why he was sharing this. “I do okay.”

Holly snorted a laugh. “I imagine you do. You’re almost seven foot tall and built entirely of muscle. Women are going to want you.”

His eyes narrowed as he tried to work out if she was teasing him. “Is that so? You haven’t seen them jumping all over me while I’ve been on Prodigy.”