"A key that I've had since I leased this apartment for you five years ago," he interrupted in the same calm tone. "A key that I have never used until tonight."

Her mouth closed in a hard line. Her finely carved face was pale, yet there was an obstinate jut to her chin. And beneath her silvery bangs, her eyes-almost the same color as her hair-were full of sparks.

Christ, the woman was a bloody turn-on. She was a delicious combination of delicate fragility and iron strength. Possessing such deep passions yet armoring herself with a tough shell that dared the world to crack it.

No wonder she'd always fascinated him. Why he'd found all other women boring in comparison. No one else had her will or her strength. Or her secrets. She was a challenge he'd been resisting for too long-to both their detriment probably.

"This is my private apartment, Zac," she said in a shaky voice. "You've got no right to waltz right in here unannounced and just-"

"I don't care about your fucking apartment. What I care about is the information you've been withholding."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh yes, you do. It's time for that discussion now, Eva."

She said nothing, staring at him.

"Answer me." This time he didn't bother hiding the order, injecting all his will into it.

"No." The word burst from her as if she'd forced it out. Her chest heaved, the curve of her small, beautifully shaped breasts outlined against the tight cotton of her black t-shirt. As usual, she was in jeans and heavy boots in addition to the t-shirt.

All part of her armor. Nothing pretty or feminine was allowed.

Yet she didn't need pretty or feminine. There was a reason he called her angel and it wasn't only because that had been her hacker handle.

She reminded him of an angel. Beautiful and fragile. Ethereal and otherworldly. Untouchable. A fallen angel in her black boots and skinny jeans.

"Do you think I will hurt you? Is that what you think?"

She didn't move. "Get the hell out of my place, Zac."

"Not happening. Like I told you, I have some things I want to discuss."

"Oh, fuck, you can't expect to come in here and-"

"Seven years, Eva. Seven years I've done everything you wanted. I've kept my distance. Respected your boundaries. Been your friend and asked for nothing in return." He met her gaze. "But now I've come to collect."

Her jaw was tight and it was obvious she was struggling to contain her breathing. "Collect what? Jesus, since when did our friendship become a damn transaction to you?"

"Since the lives of our friends were put in danger."

Color crept into her cheeks. "Look, I can find the identity of that guy no sweat. It won't take long." Her throat moved as she swallowed. "In fact, why don't you take me out to the island? You can protect me while I investigate."

Of course she'd go for that option. Of course she'd expect him to fall in line, like he always did. "What do you think I am? Your tame housecat? Do you think you can order me around to suit yourself?" He held her gaze, letting the mask of the gentleman slip just a little. Letting her see the beast he was inside. "I'm not your fucking pet. And the sooner you understand that the better."

Anger flared in her eyes. "I'm not stupid, Zac," she said. "I know what you are."

He watched her, studying the delicate architecture of her face. He'd been learning Eva King for seven years and he knew all her expressions, all her moods, all her little gestures. "I'm not sure you do. You only see what I let you see. And I've been protecting you for a very long time." He leaned forward, noting the almost imperceptible flinch she gave at the movement. "And I know you're not stupid. What you are is scared."

"Bullshit." That anger burned bright, as if he'd personally insulted her. Her fingers flexed on the glass as she pushed herself away from the windows. "I'm not scared."

It was a low move because he knew she hated being told she was afraid. That she'd react to it. Nevertheless, it was true.

He put his elbows of his knees, linking his finger loosely. "Then if you're not scared, tell me what happened. Tell me how you know the man in that video. And why you'd get a personal email warning you off. We need the background, angel. We need to know those connections." He paused, holding her silver gaze. "Or are your friends' lives less important to you than your fear?" Another low blow, but he wanted to push her, stoke her anger. That was preferable to her being afraid.

The color in her cheeks deepened. "No, of course not."

"So tell me." He paused. "I won't ask again."

"Oh Christ. You're not my damn father, Zac, so quit telling me what to do."

She was stalling, that much was obvious. Which meant he was going to have to push her again and this time go further.

The time had come for him to stop protecting her from himself.

Slowly, he got up from the chair and rose to his full height.

Her head tipped back as she tracked the movement and he caught a fleeting apprehension cross her face. Then as quickly as it had appeared, the expression vanished, her usual sarcastic, prickly mask firmly back in place.

"I think," he said gently. "That it's time someone told you what to do more often. And that you should listen."

"Or what?" She was operating on sheer bravado now, he could see it. "Are you trying to intimidate me? Is that what you're trying to do?" She took a step towards him, then another, coming closer. "Nice way to treat your friends, asshole."

All the color had leached away from her face, her cheeks pale as ashes. Her eyes glittered, fear bright in them despite her tough words.

That was the problem with his angel. She was a fighter and it was her greatest strength. Yet it was also her greatest flaw. Because she didn't know when to stop. That sometimes there was more strength in surrendering than in fighting.

You can teach her how to do that.

Oh, yes. He could. There were so many things he could teach her if she'd only let him.

Zac took the last step, closing the distance between them, getting right into her personal space. He wasn't touching her but they were only inches apart. It was a tactic he used to intimidate and overwhelm. To assert his authority, his dominance.

Because if there was one thing Eva King had to learn it was that he was the one in charge here and always had been. Yes, her anger was preferable but her fear was a useful tool too and he would use it. Especially when it came to protecting her life and the lives of their friends.

Her eyes widened at his nearness, but she held her ground. She was nothing if not brave.

He'd never been this close to her before since she didn't like to be touched. So close he could feel the warmth of her slight body, see the quickened beat of her pulse at her throat. Smell the sweet, subtle scent of the jasmine and vanilla body lotion he knew she favored. Christ, it was delicious. It woke urges that had lain dormant for a long time. Urges that hadn't even flickered for the sub in Limbo days ago.

Not a good sign. Because as much has he wanted to do it, he wasn't here to dominate her. She wasn't ready even if she'd shown an interest in him. And she'd never shown an interest. Not once.

No, he couldn't satisfy those urges. He was here to get information out of her and that was it.

"Are you challenging me?" Zac murmured softly, looking down into Eva's white face. "Because if you are, you're making a mistake. I'm not a man you want to challenge."

Her chin came up, courageous to the last. "Yeah and why is that? What are you going to do? You can't force me, Zac."

He smiled and let the mask of the gentleman drop entirely. "Oh I won't have to force you, angel. There are ways and means, and believe me, I know all the ways. I can make you want to give it to me." He let his smile turn savage. "I can make you want to give me everything."

Eva couldn't move. She could barely breathe. Her fear battered against the walls of her control, demanding she run, screaming at her to back away, throw herself out of the windows, something. Anything to get away from the man standing right in front of her.

Towering over her. So tall and dark and intimidating it was all she could do not to whimper.

But she wouldn't give in to the terror. She never had, not while she was on the streets, not while she was in the House, not when He had had her over and over again, and certainly not now.

Even so, she couldn't quite process the fact that the man she'd always thought of as being safe wasn't quite so safe any longer.

On the surface he was still the same Zac she knew, wearing a beautifully cut suit even in the middle of the night, every button done up, the lapels of his black shirt perfectly pressed, tie of dull gold silk knotted just so.

But something had changed. Like a blade drawn from the scabbard, he was all razor sharp edges and bright, glittering danger. A danger she'd never really understood.

I'm not your fucking pet ...

The smile on his face held no amusement, only a savage intent that made her heart race even faster, panic burning in her blood bright as magnesium. It was the smile of a predator, pure and simple. And the look in his amber eyes ... wolf's eyes.

She'd always thought the heat in them was anger. But this wasn't anger. This was something else, something far more intense and far more complicated.

The world spun as she became aware of other things, other aspects of him she'd never noticed.

Because you've never let yourself notice.

His height in comparison to hers had always added to that feeling of safety but now ... she didn't feel safe. She felt something else she couldn't quite pinpoint. It was fear yet there was another element in there like ... excitement. The breadth of his shoulders too and the hard strength she knew went right down through muscle and bone to the core of him. The kind of strength you could dash yourself against and never make a mark. The kind of strength you could rest on, that could hold you up ...

Her breath caught, a tight sensation in her chest, a pulse somewhere down low inside her.

Jesus Christ. What the hell was happening to her?

These weren't feelings she'd ever associated with Zac, at least not the Zac Rutherford she knew. But then this man wasn't the Zac Rutherford she knew. He was someone different. And he ...

Terrifies you?

No, of course he didn't terrify her. What a ridiculous thought. Okay, so he wasn't acting like the friend she'd come to know and rely on for the past seven years, but he was still the same guy underneath that. Wasn't he?

"Give you everything, huh?" Ignoring the tremble inside her, the dread that dried her mouth and made her breath catch, Eva forced herself to lift her hands and touch him, smoothing the lapels of his suit in a casual movement. "That sounds ominous."

She only wanted to prove to herself that these feelings didn't matter. That she wasn't afraid and that he didn't intimidate her.

She'd never touched him before, not once in all the years she'd known him. Yet as soon as her fingertips met the fine wool of his suit, she understood that she'd made a mistake.

Even through the fabric she could feel the heat of his body and the hard, tensile strength that was part of him. Like a wall between herself and a raging fire. And if that wall were to collapse, she would be consumed ...

She looked up, unable to stop herself and as she met his intent, golden gaze, realized she'd only compounded her mistake by looking at him. Because there was the fire she'd sensed, burning in his gaze. Burning her to ashes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Jackie Ashenden lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, the inimitable Dr. Jax, and their two kids and two cats. When she's not torturing alpha males and their stroppy heroines, she can be found drinking chocolate martinis, reading anything she can lay her hands on, posting random crap on her blog, or being forced to go mountain biking with her husband.

Jackie writes dark, sexy contemporary romance for St Martin's Press, including the New York Billionaires Club series of novellas. You can find Jackie at www.jackieashenden.com or follow her on Twitter @JackieAshenden. You can sign up for email updates here.

ALSO BY JACKIE ASHENDEN.

NINE CIRCLES SERIES.

Mine To Take.

E-NOVELLA SERIES THE BILLIONAIRE'S CLUB.

The Billion Dollar Bachelor.

The Billion Dollar Bad Boy.

The Billionaire Biker.

end.