again.
Star’s throat constricted. Her wretched body might quicken at one glance from those stunning dark eyes of his, but did he really think she held herself that cheap?
‘You don’t want me enough…’ Even as that impulsive contention escaped her Star tried to bite the words back, for they revealed all too much of her own feelings.
Luc surveyed her steadily, devastating dark eyes fiercely intent. ‘How much
is
enough?’
She wanted him on his knees. She wanted him desperate, telling her that never in his life had he experienced such hunger for any woman. If she couldn’t get into his mind, it would be the next best thing. Hot colour warmed her cheekbones.
‘How much?’ Luc repeated huskily.
‘M-more…’ The current of excitement he generated in her as he moved closer literally strangled her vocal cords.
More?
What did that mean? Familiar frustration raked through Luc. He felt like a man trying to capture a dancingshard of sunlight. He felt out of his depth, which infuriated him. He had expected her to grab that offer with both hands. She never looked before she leapt. She was as hot for him as he was for her. He saw it in her, he could
feel
it in her, only this time she was holding back. Star, exercising restraint? Why? What more could he offer?
‘Cash inducement?’ Luc enquired with lethal cynicism.
Her eyes widened, and then she couldn’t help it. A nervous laugh bubbled from her dry throat.
His superb bone structure snapped taut, hooded dark eyes glittering. He reached out a lean brown hand, closed it over her narrow wrist and tugged her close, so close she stopped breathing. ‘You think this is funny?’
Belatedly, Star saw that
he
didn’t. He thought she was laughing at him, but sheer disbelief had made her laugh. She gazed up into the night-dark depths of his eyes. The wickedly familiar scent of him washed over her. The faint tug of some citrus-based lotion overlaying warm, husky male. She wanted to bury her face in his jacket and breathe him in like an intoxicating drug.
‘Not funny…
sad.
’ Star struggled to retain some element of concentration even as his raw magnetism pulled at her senses on every level. ‘I think you’d prefer it if I asked for money.’
He released his breath in a stark hiss. ‘That’s rubbish—’ ‘You could call me greedy then. You could judge me, stay in control.’
‘I’m not
out
of control.’
‘You like paying for things…you don’t value anything that comes free,’ Star condemned shakily, fighting not to lean into him.
‘Ciel!’
Luc countered with roughened frustration and impatience. ‘Since you and your mother entered my life, everything has had a price!’
At that charge, which had its basis in actual fact, Star paled. Simultaneously from somewhere in the distance therewas the most almighty screeching sound, followed by a loud crash. As she jerked back from him, Star’s eyes flew wide with dismay.
Luc swung away with a frown. ‘What was that?’
Star groaned. ‘It sounded like the scaffolding coming down.’
Loosing an impatient expletive in his own language, Luc headed for the door. Star only then recalled that he had parked his car
beneath
the scaffolding surrounding the tower. Pausing this time to thrust her feet into the leather toe-post sandals lying on her bedroom floor, she hurried outside after him.
When she reached Luc’s side he was poised in silence, scanning the huge heap of twisted metal framing and rotten splintered wooden panels which had come down on top of his gorgeous sports car. The car was all but buried from view on three sides.
‘Pour l’amour du ciel…’
he ground out in raw disbelief, abruptly springing back into motion to stride towards the still accessible driver’s door.
‘What are you doing?’ Star cried in panic, grabbing his sleeve to hold him back.
‘I need my mobile phone!’ Luc launched down at her.
‘Are you crazy?’ Star pointed to the single tier of scaffolding still hanging