If I let him, he抣l wreak havoc on my world.
My head.
My heart.
I抦 tempted to give in. Very tempted. Anticipation and arousal are tangible in the air. I want to know how he kisses. How he tastes. How far he would take this梞e and him in a library with our families waiting downstairs.
But I hold firm. 揘o.?
His gaze flashes. Waves crash. Clouds form. He doesn抰 like being told what to do. Too damn bad梙e抎 better get used to it. 揧ou抮e bought and paid for, baby.?
Misogynistic asshole. 揥ith money you didn抰 earn梛ust like you didn抰 earn me. Don抰 act like I had a choice in this and you didn抰。 We may be in this together, but I抦 not yours, Crew. I never will be.?
His hand tightens its grip just above my hip, the fingers curling possessively and pressing into my skin. It makes me want to jerk away卆nd press closer. 揥e抮e getting married, Scarlett. It抯 a done deal.?
揥e抣l see.?My tone is lofty, almost bored.
I have just as much power here as he does梞aybe more. The prenup will only take effect if we divorce. Once we抮e married, our substantial assets will be combined. He抣l be richer than his own father. I抦 gaining a lot from this agreement, but he抯 getting more. No one will look at me and think of how much wealth I抦 accumulating. They抣l look at the ring on my finger and whisper my new last name with envy梟ot respect. In their eyes, I抦 a clause in a merger. A bonus, not an equal. It抯 how our world works, and I抣l never change anyone抯 opinion.
Except his.
I have power here, and I refuse to cede any of it. If he wants to kiss me, wants sex from me梬ants anything at all from me梙e抣l have to work for it.
I watch him realize it. Battle it. Annoyance, then acceptance settles on his face. He抯 too proud to beg.
揑抦 sure you抣l have no problem finding a willing participant if you抮e that desperate,?I taunt.
Danger dances in his blue eyes. I watch his brow smooth and his jaw tighten. 揅areful, darling. That sounded an awful lot like a compliment.?
I grit my teeth. He抯 right; it was one. As much as I would love to claim he holds no appeal, he does. Denying it will only look worse.
Crew moves even closer. I have to tilt my head back to hold his gaze, which I know was a purposeful move on his part. My heart pounds out a steady staccato that feels like a live presence between us.
I抦 annoyed with him. I抦 also enthralled. Aroused.
The push and pull between us is electrifying.
Addictive.
His hand skims my collarbone, then drops to his side. He抯 not touching me anywhere, but it feels like he抯 touching me everywhere. 揧ou want me, Scarlett. You just won抰 admit it. I抣l find someone willing. Fuck her. And when you抮e willing? When you want me? When you抮e wet for me, just like you are now??The soft, hypnotic rasp of his low words emphasizes each syllable.
My expression stays indifferent. Inside, I抦 hanging on to each word like it抯 a cliff I抣l fall off otherwise.
Crew shakes his head, a mocking, harsh smile spreading across his handsome face. 揃aby, you抣l have to beg me for it.?
揑 won抰。？My voice is confident. My body is much less so.
Crew chuckles, dark and ominous and enticing. 揥anna bet??His breath skates across my cheek.
揑抣l never.?
揊orever is a long time, Scarlett.?He drops his hand from my waist and strolls out of the library, as if he did nothing more than hand me a ring.
Dinner is underwhelming.
It probably would have been regardless, but it抯 especially uneventful in the wake of the scene in the library. I抦 used to men backing down from me. I抦 brash and opinionated and, in most people抯 minds, not worth the trouble.
I figured shooting Crew down would be no different. He would move on to a socialite or a model, and that would be that. I didn抰 expect an ultimatum. Consequences. And it wouldn抰 matter, if not for the fact that he was right. I owe him nothing梑ut I want to kiss him.
The possibility of that not happening梟ot until I beg, which I won抰梚s not a pleasing one.
I抦 seated directly across from Oliver, who has spent the past twenty minutes running one finger around the rim of his glass of cognac, trying very hard to impress my father. He抯 mentioned his law degree no less than twenty times and has cycled through a reel of obviously prepared topics that have ranged from international relations with China to the stock market.
I can see why Arthur sends Oliver out like a golf-playing show pony to every potential investor. My father is definitely intrigued by his perfect son act as Oliver touts Kensington Consolidated抯 many successes.
Kensington Consolidated has never been a direct competitor of my family抯 company, Ellsworth Enterprises, but business is business. And Hanson Ellsworth never turns down an opportunity to talk business. Not to mention, my father has a new stake in the Kensingtons?substantial assets: me.