His confidence only served to infuriate her, but she did her best not to let it show beyond a small frown and the fire in her eyes. She stared at him just as he stared at her, unwilling to look away and show him any sign of weakness in such a personal negotiation. At least she told herself it was really a negotiation.
"Certainly not," she agreed, breathing a small sigh of resignation. Her thoughts drifted to her sister as she dearly hoped the girl had not lingered to listen in on them. It was entirely out of Kai's nature, of course, but Eyla's concern for her was breeding paranoia.
"Perhaps I might show you to your guest quarters when it suits you and we can discuss this there," she offered, the words innocent enough on their own. She knew perfectly well what she meant by them, though, and that conversation was certainly to have very few words said between them.
The fact that she was even entertaining the idea of truly offering anything to him at all had her skin prickling with gooseflesh in a mix of anger and excitement. It was so very wrong to think so, given her place, but she remembered the looks they'd exchanged only nights ago and the way his eyes had spoken to her. Perhaps he was all allure and posturing but some part of her expected there was more to him than that.
If his motive was to entrap her with blackmail that didn't mean she was to get nothing in return. Sex was still hers to control, hers to offer even if the payment she received would be different. Thinking of it that way put her mind at ease and the earlier tension running through her dissipated.
There wasn't anything wrong with him exactly either. At least there wasn't if she ignored his less than ethical approach. Her previous observations seemed to stand: he was well-dressed, groomed, looked healthy and strong. Attractive, if she ignored the aura that rolled off of him screaming "danger." They would simply make an unconventional exchange and move on with the rest of their business together like adults, in her mind.