Page 33 of Worth Every Penny
I’m crossing so many lines, I’ve burnt them all to fucking ash. I need to pull it back, and fast.
I let the waistband of her shorts snap back in place. I should stop touching her, but my hand lingers, my thumb gently stroking her hip. She hasn’t acknowledged it, but tiny jerks of her body continue to echo my touch. I want to tell her how beautiful she is, how perfect. But a husky rasp comes out. “I don’t want anyone else seeing you like this.”
Laughter bubbles up in her throat, an almost hysterical sound that breaks me out of my stupor as she draws back just far enough that I would have to stretch to reach her again.
“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m going out,” she states, her defensive mask back in place. I’m impressed by the speed of her recovery. “A lot of people are going to see me like this.” She gestures at her almost naked body—the body that until seconds ago was about to dance to my fucking tune—and a salacious look ripples over her face, that all but screams, ‘I’m hot and I know it, and you can’t have me’.
My shoulders tighten. The suggestion that others are going to see her this way, maybe even touch her, makes me want to burn the whole fucking world to the ground.
“A lot of men are going to see me like this,” she teases, seemingly encouraged by whatever reaction she’s noticed in me.
Fuck that.If she wants to play, I’m game.
“And here I thought you were getting dressed up for me.” I cross my arms and lean back against the doorframe, smiling. “You cut me deep, Kate.”
She flinches at the use of her full name. “Why you…” She shuts her mouth, like she’s decided against whatever she was about to say. Then she stares me down until I finally shift out of her way, giving her just enough space to edge past me. Our bodies brush and the contact is electrifying, but Kate reveals no sign it affects her as it does me.
She slides on her shoes, grabs her belongings, and stuffs everything into a tiny backpack. Her shorts reveal the curved half-moons of her butt cheeks, and when she bends over, it’s fucking delicious.
She paces towards the door, but just before she reaches it, she glimpses herself in the full-length mirror and slows.
She bends to fix her shoe, sliding her finger in the heel.
I slow down so we don’t collide and at the same moment the main door to the bathroom swings open.
“Kate,” I yell, closing the distance between us so fast I’m surprised my shoes aren’t smoking. I lurch across the curve of her back, sticking my hand out so the door crashes against my palm instead of her head and bounces back towards its closed position.
I’m off balance and my momentum throws me forward. I smash into Kate, who’s frozen in her half-crouched position, and I grab her with both hands.
I stumble, clinging to her, trying to find my feet so we don’t collapse in a heap. I’d fucking crush her.
She swipes at me. Grabs and clings. We’re a mess of tangled limbs; for a second I don’t know which way is up and I’m bracing to thud against the tile floor.
Somehow, I stay upright and drag Kate up to standing beside me. Her skin is hot beneath my hands, but the alarm in her dark eyes is so beguiling that I want to scoop her up and take her home.
A silent beat passes, the two of us locked together, our noses only inches apart. The look in Kate’s eyes softens, and warmth spills through my insides.
A cleaner appears on the other side of the door, all wide eyes and frizzy dark hair. Her gaze runs over our haphazard embrace and her eyebrows rise. “Oh dear. Sorry. I'll come back later, okay?”
Without waiting for a reply, she disappears. The door closes and the intimacy of the moment shatters as Kate’s palms slam against my chest, pushing me away with unnecessary force.
“What are you doing? Get your hands off me.”
I release her, and she trips back a few steps before righting herself. Her breaths come fast, the green sequins of her top shimmering with each shudder of her breasts. She places one steadying hand between them.
I mock-frown. “I think what you mean is ‘thank you’.”
“For what? Groping me in the office bathroom?”
“No. Saving you from a head injury.”
She huffs out an exasperated breath. “You’re an arsehole.”
Frustration coils in my gut. I can’t believe I came down here to invite her to drinks when all she does is swear in my face. No matter how attractive this woman is, I don’t need this crap in my life.
I run a hand over my forehead and then point towards the cubicle she was stuck in. “Should’ve left you locked in there all night. At least then I wouldn’t have to deal with your bullshit.”
That harsh, dismissive laugh erupts from her mouth again. “My bullshit? You’re the one quizzing me on where I’m going and what I’m wearing when it’s none of your business. I’mleaving. And before you ask, I’m going to get my coat, so you don’t need to worry about me getting cold. Or my near-nudity degrading the reputation of your company when I leave the building, or whatever bothers you about this outfit.”