Cocky bastard.
Steeling myself against the totally unexpected way my breath catches and my stomach flips, I thrust the rest of the fliers I’m holding up into his face.
“You think you’re going to get away with this?” I demand.
He arches a brow, cool and calm and oh-so-arrogant. I want to wipe the smugness right off his perfect face. Almost as much as I want to kiss it.
What the hell? I shove that aside, not sure where it came from. This man in his fancy designer suit and over-priced haircut, flashing perfect white teeth at me, is not going to deter me.
“You’re not,” I seethe. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Finn chuckles, a low rumble working its way through me in a way I don’t like in the least. He takes a flier from me and studies it, then his eyes meet mine, suddenly full of anger as he jabs his finger at the words. “You’re responsible for this?”
I smile humorlessly, glad that I have, in fact, wiped that smirk right off his lips. Lips that are now curved in a sneer. “Yep. That campaign right there is headed by yours truly.”
“Avery Samuels,” he says, and I don’t like the way my name rolls off his tongue at all. As if he loathes me. Well, buddy, the feeling is mutual.
I jut my chin out. “That’s me.”
His voice drops, so low and menacing. “You need to keep your nose out of my business if you know what’s good for you.”
Is he freaking kidding me? I bite out a laugh. “Threatening me, Mr. Turner? Sorry, but it’s not going to work. There is no way in hell you’re going to get away with shutting down the entire MTA.”
He smirks again, but I see the anger in his eyes. “Just try to stop me.”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” I retort, snatching the flier back from him. “And I will succeed.”
“You have no idea who you’re messing with, baby.” His voice is still low. Strained. That’s when I realize I’ve been yelling and everyone on the train is casting curious glances our way.
I raise my voice, looking around. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, Mr. Finn Turner. The very man who wants to shut down the MTA and bring New York as you know it to a grinding halt.”
Dramatic? Maybe. But it’s effective because now everyone is staring at us, anger in many of the eyes I see.
Finn grabs me by the shoulders, leaning down until I can feel his breath mingling with mine. “Don’t do this, Avery.”
Again that flutter in my stomach. A race of chills down my spine. And not from fear. From the pure power of this man’s overwhelming presence, his voice and touch inciting a battle of conflicting feelings within me.
I gasp. How is he making me feel this way? I hate him. Like, really, truly hate him. He wants to singlehandedly destroy the infrastructure that makes my city thrive. Yet I can’t deny it. The pull I feel toward him is powerful and unexpected.
As if he could totally turn my world upside down in the very best way.
It infuriates me. “Oh, I’m going to do it. I’ll stop you, Mr. Turner if it’s the last thing I do.”
Like I said, dramatic. I may have a flair for it.
He clenches his jaw, the muscle jumping as he continues to hold my arms. The train screeches to a stop, and he releases me abruptly, leaving me feeling strangely lost when he whirls and strides toward the door, bumping into a couple standing near it and sloshing the woman’s coffee all over her companion.
A frustrated grunt rips from my throat as he just waltzes off the train like he doesn’t have a care in the world. No consideration for the destruction he leaves in his wake.
“Asshole,” I mutter, folding my arms over my chest, not liking the way it tightens one little bit.
41
Finn
I drag my fingers through my hair, making it stand on end, and push back from my desk to pace in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that line the entire back wall of my office. The view is amazing, but I don’t see any of it as I stop and press my palms against the cool glass and stare out.
All I see is her.
Those flashing brown eyes. The long blonde waves streaked with purple. They swim in my vision until I’m grinding my teeth so hard it hurts. I haven’t been able to get her out of my head for two days. Two fucking days.
All that fiery fervor and fury. A temper that flares so high. I’m willing to bet she’s just as passionate with every feeling that goes through her.
Avery.
I spin around with a growl. I’d give anything to extinguish her from my mind. The way she felt as I gripped her close. The way she smelled as I leaned in, breathing her own air.
And that’s a serious problem. Because out of every person in the greater tri-state area, she is the last one I need to be thinking about. Unless it’s to shut her down. To get her to stop this grassroots campaign that’s taken on a life of its own.