Down to You(32)

Cash grabs my shoulders and turns me toward him. “What is your deal?”

And I snap.

“Get your hands off me,” I demand, wrenching away from him. He looks stricken, which only makes me madder. “You don’t get to touch me. I’m not Taryn.”

“What?” He looks genuinely confused. Then he rolls his eyes. And I see red. “Is this about that kiss?”

I ball my hands into fists. It’s all I can do not to physically lash out at him. “No, it’s not just about the kiss. It’s about kisses and body shots and late night booty calls in your office and an assortment of things that shouldn’t be going on here!”

I’m getting loud and I know it. I’ve also taken a step forward that puts me right up next to Cash’s chest, which is where my index finger is currently buried. I look at it as if I have no idea how it got there, mainly because I don’t.

I look up at Cash, but he’s looking at my finger, too. Slowly, deliberately he wraps his long fingers around my hand then straightens his arm, pulling it out to his side. He tugs sharply, nearly causing me to fall into him.

“Is that what this is about? You think I’m sleeping with Taryn?”

“Of course I do! I’m sure it’s no secret.”

“Why do you say that?”

He’s so calm. Curious almost. It’s disconcerting.

“Well, first of all she’s gorgeous and—”

“You’re gorgeous,” he says softly.

My stomach flips over, but I continue. “And she flirts very openly with you.”

“I wish you would flirt very openly with me.” His eyes flicker to my lips and they throb like he’s touching them.

“Stop doing that. Don’t act like there’s nothing going on.”

“I’m not acting. Taryn and I have a history, but that was before she started working for me. I have few rules, but one is that I don’t get social with my employees. And now she works for me. That’s it. Nothing more.”

“But you kissed her. I saw you.”

“No, you saw her kiss me. You saw me not cause a scene in the middle of the club.”

“Well, you didn’t look like you hated it.”

“But I did. The whole time, all I could think about was kissing you instead.” He starts to bend his head toward mine.

Blood is roaring in my ears. “But you don’t get social with your employees,” I remind him quietly.

“I’d make an exception for you.” His face is getting close and closer. Slowly. A centimeter at a time.

“But it’s your rule.”

“I’ll break it for you,” he whispers.

“No, don’t do that,” I say breathlessly.

“Fine, then you’re fired,” he says just as his lips meet mine.

They are warm and the pressure is light. At first. As much as I want to resist, my resolve goes out the window when I feel his tongue run along the crease of my lips. Without thinking, I part them.

And that’s all it takes.

The taste of Cash is like a perfectly aged Scotch—rich and delicious. His tongue slides along mine, stroking it, teasing it, as he uses his grip on my hand to pull me tighter to him. I do the only thing I can. I melt into him.

The fingers of his free hand work their way into my hair and tilt my head to the side as he deepens the kiss. He gets more aggressive, like he wants to gobble me up. And I want him to. God, I want him to.

He releases my hand and I feel his palm at the base of my spine. He splays his fingers and presses me into him.

He’s hard. And he’s huge. I can feel him against my belly. Warmth gushes through me, pooling between my legs. It’s been so long and I know instinctively that any sexual time spent with Cash would be earth-shattering, soul-screaming, body-rocking time.

Time that I’d probably live to regret when I got too close and he got too bored.

The reality of what I’m doing slaps me in the face and I pull back. My hands are in his hair, my body is glued to his and I ache for him from head to toe. But still, I pull back.

“What’s the matter?” he asks, his eyes dark with passion and peppered with confusion.

“We can’t do this.”

“I was just kidding about firing you.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean?”

He steps back to give me room, but he grabs my hands to keep me from completely retreating. I don’t know why I let him hold them. Probably because I really don’t want him to let go. I just know that I should.

“Cash, all my life I’ve picked the wrong guy. The bad boy, the wild child, the rebel without a cause. I bet you didn’t even graduate high school, did you?” Cash doesn’t correct me, doesn’t deny it. “See? That’s the kind of guy I’m attracted to. You’re the kind of guy I’m attracted to. I won’t even pretend I’m not. But you’re the worst thing in the world for me. I’ve had my heart broken one too many times and I’m done. I’m done trying to tame the guys like you.”