Page 24 of Worth Every Penny
As if he reads my thoughts, dark eyes flash at me, causing a ripple of warmth to pool at the apex of my thighs.
Nope. There is nothing physically repulsive about Nico Hawkston whatsoever. He’s appealing in totality.
I imagine him pushing me back down on the lounger and ripping off my robe, and fucking me like I’ve never been fucked before.I’m screaming, begging for more, more, more…
The scene is so compelling that every sane thought vanishes from my mind.
This cannot be happening.Shit.
Sweat pearls down my back.
I strive to control my subconscious, focusing on the real, present moment Nico, still standing calmly over by the door, one hand in his pocket. Effortlessly sexy.
He runs his other hand through his hair. What would it feel like to be touched like that? To have him run his fingers over my skin… my shoulders… my breasts… my—
Get it together.
“What the hell is this, Nico?” I speak quickly in a desperate attempt to keep my mind on track, gesturing around the spa. The irritation in my voice contrasts harshly with the calming music floating from the speakers in the ceiling.
He eyes me with amusement. “So direct, Little K. No time for pleasantries?”
I stiffen. “Stop calling me that. I don’t like it.” His mouth fixes into a line and his chin shifts almost imperceptibly, as if he might be listening to me this time. I tighten the belt around my robe and stand. “I was freaking out in the car over here. The driver wouldn’t tell me where I was going. That was cruel. Manipulative.”
He appears contrite, his gaze dipping to the ground for a moment before flicking back up to me. “I’m sorry you see it that way. I wanted to clear the air after our interaction at Jack’s party. It appeared to cause you significant distress.”
This stuns me. “So you booked me a massage and closed the spa for me?”
Nico tilts his head in agreement. “As you see. An apology for our last interaction.”
Should I thank him for this?I recall the wonderful massage and have to admit that this is the best morning I’ve had in ages. “You should have asked me first. Who knows I’m here? Does Jack know?”
Nico presses his lips together, and a beat passes before he says, “No.”
My heart squeezes at his confession. He didn’t even tell Jack he’d done this for me. Why not? Did he want to keep it secret, just between the two of us? The idea thrills me. But then I remind myself it was all arranged behind my back, just like the deal to buy our family company, and I’m annoyed again. “You can’t sweep me off to a spa without telling anyone. Without tellingme. It’s insane.”
He frowns. “Is it? You’re running a spa project, aren’t you? Consider it market research.”
I cross my arms and glare at him. “There was no need for any of this.”
Nico strokes his jaw. The low rasp of stubble on skin scrapes through the room. What would it feel like against my inner thighs?
Stop.
“Here’s the deal, Little K. Any unresolved emotional situation puts me off my game. I’m a busy man. I can’t have”—his gaze runs up and down my body. A feather-light touch that’s almost physical—“distractions in the office.”I’m a distraction?That I could affect him at all blows my mind. “It’s an energetic trickle down effect. The successful operation of this company originates here.” He taps his chest. “I have to maintain focus.”
What a pompous ass.
“Then I should go. I wouldn’t want to impede yourperformance.”
Shit. I just hammered the last word with sexual innuendo and I didn’t even mean to. Is this how every conversation we have is going to go? How am I supposed to handle the daily onslaught of this loathsome man’s sex appeal?
The muscles around Nico’s mouth tighten like he’s constraining the urge to smile. “We’re not done clearing the air.”
As much as I hate it, his commanding tone fixes my feet to the floor, but years of suppressed anger blaze beneath my skin enabling me to speak my mind. “You can’t clear this, Nico. There’s too much. And you know what annoys me the most? That you did the deal without my knowledge because you knew I wouldn’t like it. It was underhand, and it was unfair.”
“That’s not what we did.”
His denial has my rage escalating and my voice is scratchy. “Don’t lie! It’s exactly what you did. You and Jack kept secrets from me. You treated me like a kid who can’t handle the big business. I’m not a child anymore. I know I didn’t own the company, but Lansen was my father’s legacy. I deserved to knowwhat you were planning for it. Jack ought to have told me, but you… fuck, Nico…” I break off, covering my face with my hands.