The Bad Boy Wants Me(9)

‘We’ll just have to tear that contract and have a new one drawn up.’

‘This is all a big joke to you, isn’t it?’

‘No,’ he says, waggling his pointer finger between us. ‘Don’t you think we’ve got a lot of sexual vibes going on here?’

‘No we don’t. First off you hit me with the worst pick up lines in the history of shitty lines, then you barge in here uninvited and tell me you’ve got a hard on. It’s downright insulting. You’ve got a hard-on. Go fuck yourself.’

If anything the expression in his eyes heats up. His eyes glint with interest. ‘I would if I didn’t suffer from Masturbator’s wrist.’

My mouth drops open. Did he really say what I think he said? ‘What?’

‘It’s from indulging in my other … er … hobby. Ya know, like tennis elbow, gamekeeper’s thumb, writer’s cramp. It’s a repetitive strain injury …’ he trails off, his voice full of barely suppressed laughter.

The thing is. He is funny and I am starting to really like our snarky back and forth. And that is a bad thing. A very bad thing. I definitely do not want to like anything about him. I squeeze my lips together in a bitter line.

‘Careful, you were about to crack a smile there.’

‘You know what? I’ve had enough of this bullshit. I know you’re my employer’s son and everything, but if you don’t get out right now I’m going to scream, and I can scream loud enough to wake the dead.’

He crosses his arms over his chest and grins. ‘Go ahead and scream. Dad and Britney are still out, and Cora is well used to hearing women screaming in my bedroom.’

‘What do you actually want, Hunter?’ I demand sternly.

‘One kiss.’

‘What? No.’

‘Come on. What’ve you got to lose? If you don’t like it, we’ll call it a day.’

‘No. Absolutely not,’ I say very, very firmly. I have a plan. I have it all figured out, and this is certainly not part of the plan. Who knows where one kiss could lead. Even the idea is already giving me goosebumps.

‘You chicken shit, Diamond?’ he taunts.

‘No,’ I deny, jutting my head and bobbing it the way kids do when they are trying to annoy you. ‘I’m not chicken shit. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I just don’t want to kiss you?’

‘No.’

I gasp at the arrogance. Unbelievable. ‘Well, I don’t.’

‘Prove it.’

I throw my hands up in exasperation. The action pops my breasts out of the water and his eyes immediately dip down to them. I slide back down and his eyes take the slow route back up to my face.

‘Nice tits,’ he says, his eyes doing a slow burn.

Suddenly he stands and takes a stride towards me. A totally Alpha move. I panic. Oh my god. I can’t let him kiss me. I just can’t.

I hold both my hands out, palms outstretched, as if I am in a horror movie and warding off Dracula or some other evil. ‘Let’s talk this out,’ I say urgently.

‘Let’s not,’ he says, and before I can do anything he is already bending over me. His hand claws into my hair, making my topknot loosen and my hair tumble all over his hand. He fists the hair at the back of my head and tugs downwards, pulling at my neck.

‘Tori,’ he whispers, and then his lips touch my exposed throat. His mouth sears my skin. My gut constricts and my sex starts to throb and crave something. Something called Cash. My hands come up to grip his shoulders and my back arches and pushes my chest out of the water.

Then his lips touch mine and, to my shock, I moan into his mouth. At any other time I would have cringed. I sound like an animal, but at that moment I don’t care. I open my mouth, our tongues touch and … Oh Lord, everything goes white. The whole world drops away. I fall into a huge vat of warm chocolate or toffee and I get sucked deeper and deeper into the thick sweet liquid. I feel myself melt. I could have stayed in that moment forever. The kiss going on and on …

But he snatches his mouth away from mine.

‘Wha—’

‘You can thank me later,’ he mutters, his voice so thick it is almost harsh. With dazed eyes I watch him stride to the door, open it, and walk out without looking back. For a few seconds I stare at the closed door blankly. What the hell just happened? Then I hear Britney’s laugh come from the top of the stairs. Cash says something indistinct and their voices move away.

Oh, sweet Jesus, I was so involved I did not hear them come in. I could have been killed by an axe murderer and I would not have known.

Yup. That’s me all over.

No sense of self-preservation.