He抯 gone instantly alert, an animal about to pounce. Suddenly all his focus is on me, and it makes my breath catch in my throat with its intensity.
揙h, is that right??he asks, the muscles in his forearm tensing as he tightens the grip on his pen. His eyes sweep down my body, and I swear I can feel his gaze like it抯 a physical touch. 揂nd why is that??
There抯 a tension to his voice, a challenge. Goose bumps crawl over my skin. My nipples tighten until they抮e visible beneath the thin fabric of my blouse, and his eyes dart immediately to my chest.
I touch my neck. 揧ou wouldn抰 know what to do with me.?
I am throwing down a gauntlet I know he can抰 pick up.
His gaze sharpens. And then he rises from his chair. 揥hat did you just say??
My breath skitters over my lips while I contemplate repeating it, but I抳e done this before, and it didn抰 end well for me. 揘othing.?
His steps glide over the carpeted floor梥lowly, purposefully梪ntil he is directly in front of me. My pulse triples.
揘o, I want you to say it again.?
His eyes dip to my mouth, and I find words emerging from my throat, words I don抰 approve of.
揊ine. You. Wouldn抰。 Know. What. To棓
His hands slide through my hair, gripping it tight, and then his mouth is on mine.
His lovely, full mouth. I shiver at the perfection of it. Kissing him is like sinking into a warm bath when you抮e freezing cold. His lips open, his tongue teases, and everything about him is suddenly soft and warm and hungry. His hands, holding my face, are firm and rough, possessive and gentle all at once. The voice in my head screaming, 揵ut we hate Ben!?is overridden by every ounce of blood in my body, which is straining toward him.
He pulls away only long enough to breathe, and then he抯 back, even harder now, more determined. His hands slide down my back and grab my ass firmly, as if it抯 the award he抯 wanted to snatch for years. The hard bulge of him, pressing into my abdomen, makes that devil crow with delight.
I already know how he抎 be in bed梩he way he抎 be so fucking focused until the end, pinning me with his gaze until he started to fall apart. There抯 nothing I want more right now than to watch Ben Tate wind tighter and tighter until he explodes.
My fingers dig into his hair, desperate for that moment; it can抰 come soon enough.
He pulls away though. His eyes are hazy, intense梑ut there抯 a hint of a smirk on his mouth, which suggests maybe this wasn抰 about me at all. Maybe he just wanted to fucking win.
I push him away, missing the heat of him even as I do it. His smile doesn抰 fade at all, smug fucking asshole that he is. If he thinks he抯 won something, he抯 gravely mistaken.
揥as kissing me without my consent supposed to prove something??I ask, sounding more breathless than indignant.
He raises a brow, and his generous mouth quirks up at one corner. 揂re you really going to pretend you didn抰 kiss me back??
I kissed him back. I ran my hands into his hair, and I抦 pretty sure I gasped. Denying it, at this point, is illogical.
揧ou took me by surprise.?
揑 should have fucked you then, too,?he says, eyes flashing, 搄ust to see how else surprise makes you yield.?
My jaw falls open. A thousand responses come to mind, but instead of voicing them, I brush past him, snatching up my keys and phone as I rush to the elevator.
Because if I抦 in here for even a second more, I don抰 know what that devil on my shoulder will make me do next.
17
揑 think I抦 sick,?I tell Keeley.
揥hat are your symptoms??she asks. I sometimes forget Keeley抯 a doctor. Probably because she mostly leads her life like a teenage heiress who抯 just arrived in LA with unlimited funds and a fake ID.
揑抦 feverish.?
I hear the sound of a vending machine in the background. Keeley has the worst eating habits of anyone I抳e ever met. Maybe that抯 why I keep forgetting she抯 a doctor.
揊everish is not a thing,?she informs me. 揧ou either have a fever or do not. What抯 your temperature??
I hold a palm to my forehead. My hand is cold, my face is hot, so who knows? They ought to invent a better way to assess this. 揂re you asking because you抮e concerned or because you plan to make me go out tonight if I answer wrong??
揃oth,?she says. 揃ut mostly option two. Because if you抮e well enough to go to the office, you抮e well enough to go out.?
揑抦 not at the office,?I reply卋ecause I already raced there like a coward at six in the morning to get some files and am now working from home.
She gasps. 揘ot at the office on a Saturday afternoon? I抦 calling you an ambulance. No, wait. A helicopter. Can a helicopter land on the roof of your building??
I laugh. 揝hut up. I抦 just a little off.?