Billionaire Bodyguard 1 : Billionaire Bodyguard(20)

"Something that shouldn't have."

He clenched his teeth. "Sorry, sugar, we already went there. Remember?"

"Not again. I can't do this."

Don't-touch-me vibes battered his libido into submission. His sexual high screeched to a halt. "Why?"

"It isn't right."

"What's not right about this?"

"Everything. I don't know. I can't explain."

"You can sure as hell try."

"I promise it has nothing to do with you."

He spread his arms to state the obvious. "I'm the one bursting at the seams. So don't tell me it's got nothing to do with me."

She went silent.

He glared at the ceiling. "Unbelievable." He scraped his hands through his hair, horny and pissed off. "I should've known this was coming. You fire me up and then leave me high and dry. I'm done with this game."

Her eyes snapped. "I'm a game to you?"

"You're the one making up the rules as you go along. You tell me." His strangled tone of accusation and sexual frustration made her shut down even more.

"Accept it, Logan. I can't give you what you need."

He wasn't convinced. Especially with afterglow bright in her cheeks even as she crossed her arms like a shield over her heart. "Did you bother consulting me on the subject?" he demanded. "Because I can guarantee you're exactly what I need."

"I'm not talking sexually." Misery coated her voice. "In every other way."

The copout infuriated him. "I'll decide what you can or can't do for me."

Her head snapped up as if he'd slapped her. When she looked at him, her gaze burned with disgust. "Thanks for deciding my worth. At least I know where I stand."

Too late, he realized how his half-cocked statement sounded. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Isn't it?"

Between her biting allegation and his own remorse, he felt like he was handcuffed and getting his mug shot taken. Nothing he did now would change the situation. "Fan-freaking-tastic."

The statement hung empty in the air because she'd already gone to the closet to turn on the lights. Brightness roared to life like an incinerator.

She didn't even look at him as she grabbed her coat. "I need my car for tomorrow."

"I figured." Resentment coated his tone, although longing hounded him. Twenty cold showers wouldn't douse the need still raging in his blood.

"Then let's go," she said tightly.

Dismal silence filled his SUV as he drove her back to the office. This wasn't how he'd planned tonight.

As his sexual fever wore off and the savage hunger died down, he saw the mistake he'd made. He should've given the invitation and let her come to him-the way he had the night they'd slept together. Now he understood on that night she'd still felt in control, she'd made the choice instead of him initiating the seduction.

Then again, he'd been dishing out hints left and right since she started working for him. In the past six weeks she'd made every excuse to sidestep the obvious.

Despite their crazy mutual attraction, she'd kept herself in check and he hadn't. Could that have been a bigger clue?




 



Then, there was his suspicion about her unmentioned past. She had her own demons to face, issues she didn't want his help solving. Even though that was his nature. He was the guy who stepped in, fixed what was broken, and got the job done.

Damn. Rick was right. Logan had a type-the unattainable woman. A pattern he ought to break. Tonight.

If only it was any other woman but Allison. Then he'd walk away without a scratch, without looking back and wondering what could've been …

Maybe Allison was right, he considered ruefully, careening through the ice-covered streets of downtown Denver. Gasoline and fire only mixed once, before you discovered the result could become an uncontrollable inferno. Maybe their volatile attraction was more than either of them could handle.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't .

He didn't like being backed into that corner. Maybe that's how she'd felt tonight. Hell, he didn't know. And she sure wasn't in the frame of mind to tell him.

Either way, she'd leave in six weeks-apparently this was what she always did, from what he'd seen in her apartment.

He turned a sharp right into the Stone Security parking garage and steered toward her lone car in the lot. "Here you are, safe and sound." Lingering frustration darkened his tone. "Uncompromised."

"So you think." She reached for the door handle.

"Allison-"

She paused. He slapped his palm against the steering wheel, wrapped his fingers around the curve, knuckles white. He looked away.

There was nothing left to say. The dead silence cued her to open the passenger door. She slid out and slammed the door shut.