Power and Possession(45)
Annoyed by his insolence, not to mention his long-legged stride that was obliterating the last of her self-control, she punched his arm hard. “Put me down, damn it! You think every woman wants you! I don’t!”
Rafe came to a screeching halt, dropped her on her feet, dipped his head until their eyes were level, and said very, very softly, “Fucking grow up. I’m not interested in your juvenile prick teasing. Who the hell are you kidding? You want to get off. We both know it.” He took a small sustaining breath because his dick was aching like a son of a bitch and he had to fight the urge to throw her down on the nearest flat surface and fuck her until he dropped.
“I brought my trusty vibrator, so getting off’s not a problem,” she said, pissy as hell. “And FYI, I decide who I want to fuck and when, not the other way around. I suppose you point and choose.” She smiled tightly, then lifted her chin and held his gaze. “Maybe I do too. Maybe that’s our problem—command and control, no begging.” She paused, wondering if she was letting her temper get out of hand and missing out on some fine ass, but decided a second later that, bottom line, she didn’t do submission. “So.” She stood, eyes blazing, beautiful and casually nude before him. “Regardless that you have a prize dick—and you do—it’s not the only dick in the world. I’ll live without it.”
“Are you done?” She was really magnificent, confident and forceful, hotter than hell; he began thinking, Indefinite stay.
“You find this amusing?”
“A little.” But he stifled his smile in the interest of future orgasms. “You’re naked. In my house. It’s a long walk into town, although you probably wouldn’t have any trouble getting a ride.” Since she looked like she was getting ready to strangle him, he quickly curtailed his litany of obstacles to her leaving. “Forgive me, that was rude.”
She snorted. “You think? And I have clothes.”
He bit back his first ten comments that had to do with his personal power and authority.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“I brought clothes with me.”
“Yes, I know.”
“And I could call a cab. I have my phone.”
“You’re very resourceful,” he said, in lieu of mentioning that none of that mattered.
“Fucking A, you arrogant prick.”
His eyes went flat and for a second he didn’t move for fear he’d do something uncivil. “Have you ever thought about bottling that in-your-face shit you specialize in? I’m sure there’s a market for it.”
“You don’t like women to talk, I suppose.”
“Usually not when I have a raging hard-on.”
“Why don’t I leave you to deal with it?” She turned away.
He grabbed her wrist and jerked her back. “Just a minute,” he said as politely as he could when the urge to explode was almost overwhelming.
She looked down at his fingers circling her wrist, then up at his face, one brow arched in derision. “Do I have a choice?”
Faced with salvaging a situation that would be personally satisfying in terms of sexual gratification, he didn’t question his venal self-interest; his belief system was rudimentary. Ignoring her sarcasm, he smiled. “I apologize if I offended you. I didn’t mean to. And since you’re the oldest of your siblings, you’re more familiar with giving orders.” He looked at her directly, bowed his head a little. “I should remember that.”
Her eyes widened a fraction, like one would on seeing a unicorn decked out in gold sequins. “Seriously? You’re apologizing?”
“I am.” He smiled warmly. “Tell me you forgive me.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know if I believe you. But fuck—it’s tempting.”
“How tempting?” He grinned. “Make sure you consider my prize dick before answering. He’s waiting to make you happy.”
She sighed. “You’re just too goddamn beautiful, if you must know. How’s that for stupid?”
He understood what was left unsaid—about the women, the unending women. And for the first time in his life he recognized the discomfort of need, of desire, of truly wanting someone. “You should talk. I’m ready to punch out any man who comes near you. And that’s really stupid.”
“Jesus, I don’t like to be this confused. I like to be able to say thanks and walk away.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, pussycat. But I suggest we put our past behavior aside for the next month, not let it get in the way, and enjoy our crazy new feelings. What do you say?”