“Well this is nice,” Margo pipes up from behind me.
I ignore her, biting back an insult for the room. This isn’t nice. This will be pure torture. Being respectful of Margo’s wishes has been testing every inch of restraint I’ve ever had. Now the anger sizzling between us and the knowledge that her warm body will be sleeping inches away from mine has my thoughts muddled with the lust. The large bed with rose petals scattered all over it don’t help the situation.
I’m mostly pissed at myself for not listening to her the first time she’d warned me about the snowstorm. I’d wanted to get to our final destination, to focus on work and be riddled with meetings where I wasn’t drowning in her presence.
A man can only hold back so much, and I’ve learned that keeping Margo by my side constantly wasn’t my best idea. It could’ve been until she put the stupid rule between us that we couldn’t kiss or touch or do anything behind the scenes because my prick of a brother didn’t treat her the way she deserves to be treated.
I haven’t been restraining myself around her because I’m a good man either. If she would’ve given me any other excuse other than the one she gave, I would’ve already found a way through her defenses. The walls she put up between us would be obliterated and we’d already have given in to the clear attraction between the two of us.
Margo says a few things but the words don’t register with me. I’d half hoped there’d be a couch or something for me to sleep on in here. I’m not granted that luxury.
“I really don’t understand why you’re the one acting all pissed off,” she blurts, finally catching my attention. “If anyone should be pissed, it’s me. You’ve been a dick to me when I was the one who warned you of the snow to begin with.”
I drop the bags from the gift shop on the table. I don’t give her any kind of response, knowing it’s better if I keep my mouth shut. Instead of saying something I’ll regret, I take angry steps to the bathroom. I immediately reach for the shower, turning the water to its hottest setting. It heats up quickly despite the cold weather outside, steam begins to build quickly in the room.
“Beck!” Margo stops in the opening to the bathroom, fire in her eyes once again. I get why she’s pissed at me. I’ve been a dick to her, but I’m still too riled up to apologize.
The sight of her still tinted blue lips, the soaking wet clumps of her hair that were at once frozen, make me hate myself with guilt. If I would’ve just listened to her about the snow, we wouldn’t be in this situation. We’d be warm in a luxury hotel, bickering about something completely mundane.
“Get in,” I demand, angling my head to the shower.
Her mouth pops open. “You ignore me and then think you can just boss me around?” She shakes her head in frustration, disappearing back into the room. “Not going to happen, Beck. You don’t control me.”
I follow hot on her heels. “Last time I checked, I’m your boss.”
An aggravated sound falls from deep in her chest. “I’m off the clock.”
I grab her elbow, turning her to face me before she sits down on the large king-sized bed.
My teeth grind against one another, threatening to break underneath the pressure. “Get. In. The. Shower.”
Her eyes flick to where I hold her. She shivers underneath my grip, just another nail in the coffin of the regrets I have for the day.
“No.”
“Yes.”
She attempts to rip her arm free, but I stop her, applying more pressure.
“Why the hell do you want me in the shower anyway? Is this your way of getting me naked?”
I roll my eyes at her preposterous reasoning. “If this was an attempt to get you naked, Violet, you’d already be naked and greedily taking my cock on that bed behind you.”
This stops whatever witty remark she was going to fire back at me. Her mouth snaps shut. Even with her silence, her anger is palpable by the defiant set of her shoulders and the look in her eye.
“Why does it matter if I take a shower or not?”
My fingers twitch against her wet sleeve. “Because your teeth are chattering and your body is trembling from the cold and if I have to watch you suffer for another minute because of the decisions I’ve made, I might lose my god damn mind.”
For a split second, I think she’s going to listen to me. My words appear to take her so off guard that she might actually do as she’s told. It was a nice thought while it lasted. Defiance sparks in her eyes moments later, her arms crossing her chest. “I’m fine.”
I sigh, running a hand down my face. There’s no way she’s fine. I’m fucking freezing and my clothing was thicker than hers. My coat on her provides her a bit more of a layer, but it still isn’t enough. She has to be cold, and her refusing to do something to warm up just to spite me is childish. I’m not in the fucking mood to deal with it.
“Just remember I tried to do this the nice way,” I growl.
Lines appear between her eyebrows. “What do you—”
Her words stop the moment I heave her over my shoulder. All of the water on her makes her heavier than normal, but she’s still light in comparison to other people.
She kicks her legs up and down as I step into the bathroom. “What the fuck, Beck!” she screams, hitting my back repeatedly. “You can’t just pick me up like a fucking caveman whenever you don’t get your way.”
Still carrying her, I step into the shower and let the steaming hot water cascade over both our clothed bodies. Her body slides down my front as I drop her, an angry look on her face when she looks up at me.
Water runs down both of our faces, steam billowing around our bodies. “You can’t just fucking freeze to death because you’re trying to prove a point to me,” I fire back.
Reaching between us, I yank on the zipper of the coat I loaned her. It falls to the ground, totally forgotten as I do the same thing with the thin coat she’d packed for herself.
Her hand smacks mine. “You’re not taking my clothes off.”
“You take them off, or I do, but keeping the frozen clothes on you does nothing to warm you up.”
She takes a step to the shower door, trying to retreat. I hook an arm around her middle, pulling her hard against my body. “For the love of god, Margo, stop fucking fighting.”
Her body is tense against mine. Layers of clothing separate our bodies from touching, yet I swear I can feel the heat of her skin against my fingertips. I hold her against me until I finally feel her body relax.
She takes a step away from me, turning around and moving the wet hair from her face.
“Fine. You win. But only because I’m cold.”
I let out a sigh of relief, waiting for her lips to turn back to their natural red color that drives me fucking wild. She stares at the ground, stripping one layer after the other until she’s wearing a lingerie set that’s way too fucking sexy for her to wear to a business trip.
“What the fuck is this?” I seethe, my eyes zeroing in on her hard nipples fighting against the black lace appliqués of the bra.
She steps deeper into the stream of the water, letting out a small moan as she’s engulfed in the heat.