He brushed his nose across her cheek and whispered in her ear, "Prove it."

She trembled in his arms. He could feel her breath coming in quick puffs against his skin.

He moved his mouth closer to hers. "Show me."

With a small cry, she turned her head away from him.

Shit. He had been right all along. He'd been nothing but a game to her. He dropped his hands from her shoulders. "Admit it. You flirted with me because you were bored and I was safe. I desperately needed the job, so I was going to follow the rules no matter how much you tortured me."

She pressed a hand to her forehead. "I–I didn't mean…"

"To make me ache for you? Tell me, Vanda, did you ever feel anything? Did you really care about me, or were you just being a cold-blooded bitch?"

With a gasp, she pulled her hand back and slapped him. "Get out!"

He rubbed his jaw and smiled. "I guess you're not too cold-blooded."

She pointed at the door. "Leave!"

He considered taunting her some more. God knew she deserved it after torturing him for five long years. But he noticed her hand was trembling and her eyes glimmered with unshed tears.

Now he felt like a dog. He'd only wanted to turn the tables on her and give her a taste of her own "harmless flirtation." He hadn't meant to hurt her.

He trudged toward the door, where he paused with his hand on the doorknob. "You've always intrigued me, Vanda. From the moment I met you. I could never figure out why a free-spirited woman would confine herself to a harem. What were you hiding from? And why would a rebellious, beautiful woman flirt with the one man she considered safe?"

She folded her arms and gave him a wary look. "So now you want to analyze me, Doctor Phil?"

He smiled slowly. "I want to do a lot of things to you, Vanda. You see, with me, you made one big mistake. I was never safe."