Instantly his expression closed down. His gaze was watchful, shrewd. “I don’t like games, Maia. What the hell are you talking about?”
He was thinking conspiracy theory. She sat across from him, weariness plain on her face, no makeup, no guile, and he was actually considering the possibility that she had somehow set up the injury to the horse and was out to get him, using Jase. Had he gone over the edge? To be paranoid of the veterinarian? She traveled all the time. Was a stranger in town, but was able to gain the trust of those around her fast. Nonetheless, the little voice that was always asking questions and compiling data persisted.
Maia saw the wariness in his eyes. The sudden alertness. There was danger, but she couldn’t figure out what button she’d pressed. Talking with Cole Steele was like walking through a minefield. It was no wonder he preferred one-night stands. No talking, just get down to business and he was safe. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I was referring to your penchant for hunting for women in bars. I was just about to say when you’re not treating women like sex toys, you’re really an okay human being, but I’ve changed my mind. You’re a very difficult human being.”
His eyes went cold and hard. “What the hell does that mean? I don’t treat women like sex toys.”
“Of course you do. It’s exactly what you do. You troll the bars for women willing to get you through the night, no strings attached. Hopefully you’re also a safety boy.”
“Safety boy?” he repeated, unable to believe what she said.
“I hope you at least protect all those women; otherwise, there’s no hope for you at all.” She turned away from him, shrugging her shoulders carelessly when she didn’t feel careless at all. She was beginning to be pulled into the drama in the Steele home, and it frightened her. She didn’t want to care about them, or worry about them. She couldn’t afford to get involved with someone like Cole Steele.
“I’m not about to pick up a disease or get someone pregnant, if that’s what you mean. And I don’t give a damn what you think about me.”
His voice was as cold as ice, but he was smoldering with anger. She could tell.
Maia stared out the glass window, watching the snow coming down relentlessly. It was much safer looking at the snow than looking at him or around at the ice-cold beauty of the house. “I was stating a fact, not making a judgment; but you obviously have an entirely different set of values, so of course you wouldn’t see it that way.”
Cole could feel his temper rise. No one managed to get under his skin the way she did, although he couldn’t deny her accusation. He had gone into the bar several nights running with the sole intention of sleeping with her in the hopes of getting through the Christmas season. Looking at himself through her eyes wasn’t a pretty sight, and the revelation was difficult to take.
“How do you know how I’d see anything?”
Maia turned her attention back to him, her too-cool gaze sweeping his face. “I don’t, Cole. And I don’t want to know anything. Whatever your suspicions of me are, I’m not looking for a husband, a lover, money, or anything else. I do my job, and I get out of town.”
Cole could feel his stomach churning. She’d given him an out. He should go the hell to bed, walk away and leave her alone. But something held him to the chair. Held him under her gaze. He wished it were sex. Wished it were the intense physical attraction he felt for her. He didn’t want it or need it to be anything else. He scrubbed his hand over his face, trying to rid himself of the demons that refused to let go.
“The first lesson I can ever remember learning was never to trust anyone at all. Not my mother, certainly not my father, not the housekeeper or any of the hands. It didn’t matter how nice or friendly they seemed. They would report everything to him. They would stand there watching when he killed something I made the mistake of caring for. They stood in silence when he beat me with his fists or a whip or a hanger or whatever else happened to be handy.” He waved his hand to encompass the ranch. “This was a prison. There was no way to get away from him. He had his security force, who watched our every moment.”
He was half-angry with himself the moment he revealed one of his darkest secrets. He’d told her by way of apology for his paranoid conspiracy theories. Or maybe to prove to himself he wasn’t as far gone a human being as he believed he was. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t take it back no matter how much he wished he could.