The Billionaire's Captive Bride. Emma Darcy

at him.

      He shrugged, his mouth twitching into a bemused little smile. “It’s what a gentleman does for a lady.”

      “And what does a lady do for a gentleman in your world, Peter?”

      She goes to bed with him.

      The cynical thought was in her mind, even as she posed the question. Nevertheless, it came as a shock when she read it in his eyes, the sudden simmer of desire directed straight at her.

      Even his smile seemed sensually seductive as he answered, “In my world a gentleman looks after a lady who answers his needs.”

      Her mind was in an absolute whirl. “What need am I answering?” shot straight out of her mouth.

      “My need to talk with you.”

      His reply was so smooth, his expression shifting so swiftly to serious sincerity, Erin wondered if she’d imagined the hot flash of desire. But her skin was still tingling from it.

      Fortunately the waitress arrived at their table to take their meal orders, diverting Peter Ramsey’s attention and giving Erin a breathing space. She needed a blast of oxygen in her brain to clear her confusion and get some reasonable perspective on what had eventuated from this meeting so far.

      She had paraded her wish to be desirable to him with blatant honesty.

      He hadn’t liked it.

      Yet now…did he find a hard-to-get scenario more stimulating—the challenge of winning over resistance? Perhaps he’d had too many women offering themselves to him on a platter and he’d envisaged her being different—more of a novelty for him, like her choice of this restaurant.

      She sighed.

      Nothing in real life was simple.

      Which was why she much preferred living in the stories she made up in her mind. She had total control over how her characters acted and what their response to each other would be.

      “Erin?”

      Peter’s prompt snapped her out of fantasy and back to the immediate demands of the present. She smiled at the waitress. “I’ll have the Chilli Jam Prawns.”