she stared at the pages with a frown.
Something bugged her. She couldn’t think what it could be but her intuition told her something was off.
She started scanning the pages again, fiddling with a lock of hair as she forced herself to concentrate...
The bastard!
Now she knew what was wrong.
Sucking on her little finger, she skimmed through all the papers one more time looking in vain for her name.
In a maelstrom of anger and indignation, she stormed to his office and shoved the door open.
Raul was sitting at his desk, phone in one hand, a pen twirling between the fingers of his other.
‘You lying, manipulative...’ she said, throwing the deeds onto his desk.
He stilled for a moment, then spoke quietly into the phone and disconnected the call.
‘Has something upset you?’ he asked with steely calm.
‘These deeds are in your name.’
‘Yes,’ he agreed.
‘You said the building would be mine.’
‘No, I said the building would be in the Cazorla name and that is exactly what I have done.’
‘You know perfectly well I thought it was being put in my name. I was going to form a trust and hand it over to the centre!’
He laughed. ‘Then it seems I made a wise decision to put it in my name. What do a bunch of childminders know about managing a project such as this?’
‘Don’t speak so...so derogatorily about them,’ she snarled, pulling the word out after having it trip over her tongue. She hadn’t even known what derogatory meant five years ago. ‘Besides, they weren’t going to manage the project, I was, and I know a lot more than you credit me for. I didn’t go into this lightly.’
‘Maybe you did, maybe you didn’t; it doesn’t change the fact that you couldn’t get the financing for it and for the very good reason that your track record in business is abysmal.’
‘You’re sick,’ she seethed. ‘You’ve done this deliberately, haven’t you?’
He shrugged. ‘Does it matter? The end effect is the same—the building will be used for a new centre.’
‘But under your control.’
‘I am not a team player, cariño. I don’t deal with collaboration. You will get your centre but you will not have the opportunity to mess up the renovations.’
‘I am not going to mess this up!’ she shouted.
He gave her a measured stare. ‘Control your temper. It is most unattractive.’
‘Do you think I care what you find attractive?’
‘You should, considering the project hasn’t even started yet.’
She knew exactly what he meant. ‘Are you seriously serious? If I don’t toe the line then you’ll pull the plug?’
‘If necessary. But as I’ve said numerous times, if you fulfil your side of the bargain then I will fulfil mine.’
‘You lied to me.’
‘No. You made assumptions.’ He rose from his seat and rested his hand on the desk, leaning forward. ‘I made it very clear that I would be taking control. I will be in charge and you will be by my side. Look at it from a positive perspective—this time you’ll see how a project is conducted properly all the way to its conclusion.’
The anger inside her had risen so high it threatened to choke her. The worst of it was that she knew he was right. She had made assumptions.
But, damn him, he’d let her.
She’d known from the start that her husband was a competitive man who had to be the best at everything he did. He wasn’t satisfied until he’d mastered whatever he’d set out to do. In this case he’d set out to master her, to punish her for her refusal to have the child he thought was his due.
Unable to be in the same room as him for a moment longer lest she throw something at him, she stormed out and ran up the stairs to the sanctuary of the room she’d made her own.
The room was empty.
She checked the wardrobe, the dresser and the bathroom. Every single one of her possessions had gone. The bed had been stripped, the white mattress and plump pillows lying there uncovered as if in forlorn sympathy for her.
‘Your belongings have been moved into my bedroom.’
She spun around to find Raul pressed against the doorway.
‘Nice to know you didn’t waste any time,’ she said, not bothering to hide her contempt.
He smiled lazily and stepped over to her, placing his hands on the tops of her arms and leaning down to breathe into her hair. ‘Your anger is a waste of your energy.’ His voice dropped as he slid his hands down her sleeved arms and covered her balled fists. ‘Come, let me show you where you’ll be sleeping for the next four months.’
‘I’d rather sleep in a box,’ she hissed, somehow managing to hold back the burn of angry tears that had welled in her eyes.
‘Cariño, are you deliberately trying to rouse my anger?’ he asked in a caressing tone that contained an edge of warning.
‘Why should I be the only one to be angry?’ she demanded. ‘You’ve hoodwinked me.’
‘I’m investing a great deal of money in your scheme and I want to protect it.’
She forced her voice to remain calm. ‘Will you sign the deeds over to me when the renovations are complete?’
He contemplated her silently and his blue eyes narrowed. ‘If you can prove yourself to be focused, and by that I mean that you keep your focus until the renovations are complete, then I might consider signing it over to you.’
‘Might?’
‘I will not make a false promise, cariño.’ His voice dropped to a purr and he dipped his face into the curve of her neck and traced his lips gently over her skin. ‘Enough talk about deeds and renovations. I can think of a much better way to pass the time.’
She dug her still-too-short nails into her palms, far too aware of his warm fingers holding her, his hot breath sensitising her skin... How could she still want him?
Something hot flickered in her belly, a resolve that pushed through her fury, taming it enough so she loosened her fists and laced her fingers through his.
So he wanted her, did he? Well, let him have her.
