Page 58 of His Dark Hunger

That, he realized, was part of her power. As a middle-aged woman, she seemed to have been living under the illusion that she was past her prime and completely undesirable when the reality couldn’t be much farther fromthe truth. Amy had an incredible body, but she wasn’t only a pretty face. She was smart, intuitive, and increasingly shrewd, and in the short time he’d known her, he’d watched her come alive with his loving.

Pausing at the door to his study, he contemplated just how far they’d come in a short space of time. They hadn’t only declared their feelings for one another but also genuinely started to trust as well. It was all more than he could ever have hoped when he’d bought her a loaf of bread in that insalubrious grocery store.

Opening the door slowly, he found her standing across the room at his filing cabinet. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed she appeared to be reading something.

Shit!Usually so in control, Kyle wasn’t prepared for the cold wave of terror that drowned his body.What is she reading?

He hadn’t left any documents on top of the cabinet. He remembered that much with clarity because she’d strewn her duster there when she’d been tormenting him with the look of her gorgeous backside. So, where had she found the paper?

A deep and unsettling sense of foreboding stirred inside him, providing him with the only logical answer.

She’s taken it from the cabinet.

Shit.

She’s found the tenancy agreements!

His jaw clenched as he pulled the door quietly closed behind him. With her back turned, she didn’t seem to have heard or seen him enter, so he still had the element ofsurprise, and worryingly, whatever she was reading seemed to have utterly engrossed her. If Amy had stumbled across his historical tenancy contracts, who knew what she’d be thinking? Hopefully, she hadn’t found the one Graham had signed, but no doubt she’d recognize the name of the street.

Of course, she will. She’s not stupid.

He flinched as she pulled in a sudden deep breath, and without turning, she wandered to the window. Resting her head against the pane, she lifted the paper again, seemingly reading it over and over, as though she was urging the words to change.

Shit.

Why had he left the files there? Why hadn’t he locked the cabinet? And why, for fuck’s sake, had he actually enticed her to dust the thing?

“Fuck.” She sounded close to tears as the profanity slipped from her lips.

Then and there, he knew it was too late. She’d found the paperwork pertaining to the house she’d lived in with Graham, and she’d discovered he was their landlord.

“Oh my God.” The paper fell from her fingers, landing on the carpet by her feet, but still, she didn’t seem to sense the weight of his stare behind her. “He sent the eviction notice that catapulted me into a financial shitstorm.”

There were definitely tears from her then, her voice quivering with a combination of what he assumed was upset, shock, and anger. At the very least, she’d want to know why he hadn’t told her he used to own her old home—a reasonablerequest, perhaps, had it not uncovered the long litany of things he’d undertaken over the years to keep an eye on her.

How was he supposed to manage the long list of enraged questions that would likely rattle from her alluring lips? Contrition wasn’t his style, and despite the riveting penance he’d delivered around honesty, he wasn’t yet ready to divulge his entire backstory.

The sinking feeling in the depths of his stomach was disturbing. Logically, he understood how hypocritical withholding the information made him, and he wanted to do better, tobe betterfor her, but in the short term, there was no easy way to resolve the problem.

I have to take control.

In the end, he settled the matter in seconds and resorted to the one course of action he knew by heart—the one that was as natural as taking another breath. He’d take the bull by the horns and blindside her. Since he’d found her snooping through his filing cabinet, that should be easy enough.

“Little girl?” Folding his arms over his chest, he employed his firmest tone. “Want to tell me why you’re reading my files?”

She spun, her eyes wide as she appraised him. She was obviously shocked to see him, but her snippy tone revealed little of her concern.

“I found the file.”

“You’ve been going through my things.”

His guilt was fast sliding into something dark and unimpressed. He was culpable for keeping things from her,but that didn’t excuse her interference. He would have told her about their past connections—at some point—when he’d been ready, but to have her force the situation was far from pleasing.

“You used to be my fucking landlord!” She spat the words at him, lowering to collect the proof from the carpet. “You lecture me about honesty, yet you don’t even mention that?”

“I don’t like your tone, young lady.” He tapped his foot against the soft pile, watching her face redden.

“I don’t give a damn what you like!” Rage was radiating from her in waves so strong, he could practically sense them. “How could you do this, William? Why didn’t you tell me?”

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