Again.
Her eyes widened. “You were the one that wrote me up? Yesterday? You do realize I can’t see dust, right?”
Outwardly he did nothing; on the inside, his chest pinched, just enough to remind himself that his heart was there and it still hurt whenever he was reminded about her blindness—and his part in causing it.
Fuck, at least now he knew why Nadine was so cheerfully ready to give him a job. He’d sent back the auction bid money. So she’d sent in the next best thing.
Him.
Son of a bitch!
Nikki snapped her mouth shut and glared at the table, her cheeks tinged a deep red. “I’m sure it’s escaped your notice, since most important things typically do—but I’m legally blind, Brant, it’s not like I can actually see your ass. Though I’m sure it’s nice, and I do full body massages.”
“You know it’s nice.” He just had to go there.
“Do I?” She smirked. “Because by the feel of you, you’ve let yourself go.”
“Boss.” The minute he said it, her smirk fell and her expression went pale. “Don’t forget.”
“You know what?” She licked her lips and backed away, one step, two. “I think maybe it’s best if we cut this short.”
“No.” The word was out before he could stop himself. What the hell was he doing? He didn’t want to be near her any more than she wanted to be near him.
Liar.
He lay back down and pretended a comfortable air he sure as hell didn’t feel. “Think of this as your official employee assessment. Make it good—or you’re fired.”
Brant closed his eyes. He knew he was being a jackass but he was just so….angry.
And his anger at himself had a very irritating habit of projecting onto everyone and everything in his path.
He was going to have a serious conversation with Nadine Titus when he got out of this room. And then he was going to get a drink.
Guilt nagged at him. He shoved it away.
A drink and a woman. A woman whose touch wouldn’t affect him like hers did, a woman who could see exactly what she was missing out on—a woman who didn’t blame him for the death of her child.
Or for the fact that she would never see.
All his fault.
I have everything.
I have everything.
I’ve lost everything.
“Well?” he snapped.
Her hands were on him once again. He should have known she wouldn’t be soft, tender.
Elbows. So many elbows dug into his chest. He hated elbows. Elbows should go to hell right along with women who managed to look sexy with bright red lipstick and little to no makeup.
It wasn’t natural.
He gritted his teeth when she silently worked out another knot with her right elbow while pressing her left hand on his shoulder, basically holding him on the table with what little weight she had so he wouldn’t jump and run.
His eyes flashed open when her breast came into contact with his chin.
“You’re doing this on purpose,” he rasped.
She frowned and pushed harder, causing his legs to jerk. “You asked for the rest of your massage.” She paused and looked in his general direction, her clear blue eyes unfocused. “So I’m letting you have it.”
A very sick part of him was so turned on he couldn’t see straight. Then she pushed down again, and every thought of slamming his mouth against hers and tossing her against the table flew out the window, right along with his dignity, when he muttered a curse and said, “Fine! Stop!”
“Fine?” She kept pushing. “Stop?”
With a curse, he pushed her hands away and stood, completely forgetting that he was naked.
Until the white sheet floated softly to the floor, pooling at his feet.
* * *
“Have you had all you can take?” Nikki asked sweetly, loving the fact that she’d made him sweat after his hurtful words. Who was she kidding? Brant hadn’t changed. She refused to look down. The sheet might as well have been a homing beacon, though. Her eyes betrayed her at least twice before she was able to focus again. Even though she couldn’t see him, she knew his body, knew what it felt like, and her fingers itched to reach out, even though she knew it was a horrible idea.
He’d stayed bitter. While she’d allowed herself to live, to move past the past. Past the pain.
This man, the one in front of her, wasn’t the one she’d fallen in love with, the one she at one point saw herself spending the rest of her life with. Having kids with.
She choked back a cry. With a sigh, she crossed her arms and gazed in his general direction. He was one giant, muscular blur, and then her eyes lowered. “I’ve never been so thankful to be blind.”
“Thankful,” he spat. “You’re thankful?”