Page 39 of To Catch a Sub

The truth of that struck him, and Landon processed it for a minute, while she continued inspecting the room. She finished by the half-glass wall.

“That’s your room?”

“Yes.” He joined her, looking at the other room, which was slightly larger, and had an armchair and footstool that this room didn’t. It also had a window, and the lights of the city spilled in, filtering through into this room.

“Voyeurism?” She tapped a glass pane with one finger.

“Security. If I need to get to you, it will take too long if I have to go out into the hall.”

To his surprise she nodded.

“No protests?” he asked.

“No. It makes sense.”

“You really are worried about the supposed Russian traffickers.”

“That doubt in your voice is not reassuring, Agent Malik.”

“You could fix that. Give me details. Tell me what’s really going on.”

* * *

Landon held his breath, hoping this time she’d answer him.

“I told Interpol enough that they offered me to you… Offered you to me…” Colette’s words stumbled to a stop. He stared, having never heard her this unsure of her words.

“They offered me protection,” she said in a much more businesslike tone.

But it was too late, he’d heard what she first said.

They offered me to you, offered you to me.

Grammatically the statements were a mess, but he didn’t think it was just a translation error.

Her first statement, the words that she seemed to have spoken without thinking and calculating, were laden with heavy meaning.

They offered me to you…

He wanted Colette to offer herself to him. Preferable while on her knees.

He turned his head to the side, briefly closing his eyes, and willed away the image. But it didn’t help. Because there was more to this than just physical attraction.

Her moment of uncertainty was the kind of thing that made him think there was something deeper between them. Something more than the lies she’d told both years ago and yesterday.

He tipped his head to one side, then the other, in an effort to release tension in his shoulders. It didn’t help.

Landon turned to face her once more.

“They offered to let you stay in their experimental BDSM club.” He made his words deliberately harsh, angry with himself for his ongoing stupidity. She was manipulating him with both her words and body language, and even knowing that’s what she was doing, he was having an emotional reaction.

He wanted to take her in his arms and promise to keep her safe. Wanted to hold her on his lap until she felt secure enough to tell him what was wrong, and what she was really afraid of.

“I’m going to figure out what you’re really doing in this club,” she said, her tone teasing.

“I thought you decided we were using it for entrapment.”

“You said you weren’t, and I believe you.”