Love at Stake (Entangled Covet)(27)
What a prize it would be to win her.
He listened to the were-lion with half an ear. The woman was charming but no match for Abbey’s quick wit. After ten minutes, he was ready to leap from his chair, but didn’t want to insult the sweet redhead before him.
One more insipid comment, however, and he’d pull out his own hair. Endless minutes marched past until he could make a decent getaway.
“My abject apologies,” he said to his doe-eyed date, “but something pressing has come up.”
“Work?” she asked.
He smiled instead of answering. No, he mused. Definitely not work.
Leaving the were to her dinner, he charted the swiftest course to the bar.
Abbey was waiting. Legs crossed, hair tousled, drink finished.
“I hope I’m not too late,” he said.
She lifted her thick lashes to look at him. “No.”
“Shall we go get another drink?” The evening would be interminable torture, but it beat returning to the redheaded were.
But she shook her head. “We need to talk. Can we use your apartment?”
His gaze sharpened. “Talking” didn’t bode well, but getting her near a bed was worth any risk.
“Of course.”
He led her outside, noting the nervous way she puffed at her bangs. What had gotten into her tonight?
The drive to his apartment was over swiftly and he all but raced her to the elevator. Her nerves seemed to increase with the passing of each floor.
Get her inside, he thought. And distract her from whatever she wishes to discuss.
Arriving at his floor, he swept her into the hall. She was silent as he slid his keys into the lock and opened the door.
“Thank you,” she said as she entered. The first words they’d exchanged since the restaurant.
“Would you like a—”
“No,” she said, cutting him off. Her hands twisted in her pink skirt and he smiled at the gesture.
“We have to talk,” she said. “This is the last time I can wait for thirty minutes.”
“Too long?” he asked, deliberately misunderstanding her.
“The opposite. We shouldn’t be doing this. You need to concentrate on your dates and I need to do my job.”
He strolled toward her. “My dates.”
“You made a deal with Fated Match. I can’t be part of the reason we fail when you’re not putting your full effort into it.”
“The women I’ve been matched up with aren’t right,” he said with a shrug. “You are far more enjoyable to spend my time with.”
“But I shouldn’t be. I’m human. Hell, we both know this is just a game to amuse you and it’s not fair. Stop flirting with me. Stop coming to meet me.”
“Stop kissing you?” he asked, moving to her side.
Abbey wouldn’t meet his eyes, and he wondered if he’d ever seen someone so adorable.
“Yes,” she said.
“No.”
Her head snapped up. “This isn’t open for debate.”
How human of her. “Darling, just because you declare it so, doesn’t mean I have to agree.”
“Yet when you say jump, I have to ask how high?”
He smiled at the bite in her words.
“You are playing with me,” she said. “And I don’t like it.”
“Liar.” He rested his hands on her waist.
She swallowed hard before trying again. “You are not going to end up with a human. We both know that. Pursuing this is ludicrous.”
“I disagree. We both need closure before moving on.”
“I came here to tell you this is the end. Now that I’ve said my piece, we’re done.”
She tried to push past him but he caught her before she could get far.
“No,” he said. “You didn’t come here for that.”
Abbey looked at him sharply.
“You could have told me this anywhere.”
“Could not,” she denied. “This isn’t a conversation for a public forum.”
“You could have told me over the phone. Or in your office. Hell, you could have told me in the car. But you didn’t.”
She watched him, her big eyes fixed on his face. Triumph flared through him.
“You came here, Abbey, because you want closure too. These six days have put you as much on edge as I am.”
He tugged her into his arms. “So stay. If you want this ended, then spend the night with me.” Lucian ran his lips over her cheek. “Have one last adventure and I promise to be the perfect client.”
Her luminous eyes drank him in.
“Stay,” he repeated, knowing very well there was only one outcome tonight.
…
Abbey felt trapped. Lucian caught her with words she had no power to fight. He was so close, offering her everything she desired. If she were smart, she’d march out of this apartment right now.