Chapter Five #2
"What makes you think I want to put you to work?" I ask, trying not to focus on just how much homework he's done on me. I don't think he's actually dangerous, but it's not like I trust my judgment when it comes to men, either.
Been there, done that, have the trauma to prove it.
"The students," he says with a shrug. "You care about them more than you care about avoiding me."
The fact that he has me pegged so well is worrisome. He's also right, dammit. If working with him means an influx of cash to provide for the kids who need it…can I really say no?
"I'll be on my best behavior," he says, holding up three fingers in a salute. But if he's a Boy Scout, I'm Mother Teresa. There's not a chance in hell he's going to be on his best behavior.
Oh, I have no doubts that he means exactly what he's saying. I also have no doubt there's an entire soul-binding contract worth of fine print he's not saying—like precisely how he defines "best behavior." I doubt it's the same way the rest of the world defines it.
"I'm not dating you, Briggs."
"Good to know."
"I'm not sleeping with you, either." That ship sailed at the wedding during a moment of weakness. It is not returning to port.
His lips turn up at the corners. "You'd be disappointed in Dream You then, baby. She's a naughty girl."
"That's it!" I cry, leaping to my feet. "We're done here."
His deep chuckle rumbles across the room, his hands in the air in a show of surrender. "Easy, Tia. I'm just teasing."
"Yes, and that's precisely the problem," I growl, pacing a tight, frustrated circle in the tiny space behind my desk.
"You tease. You text. You twist. You're playing some game, and I don't know the rules.
Whatever you're really after here, it isn't happening.
You don't get to involve my job in your games. "
The humor in his eyes fades, his expression sobering. "You think I'd risk your job for some game?"
"Yes."
He shakes his head like he's disappointed in me. "Then you don't know me nearly well enough. I'd never do some shit like that. Ever. I'm not here to fuck with your job. I'm here to help."
I'd like to believe him, really, I would. Except…he's lying. Maybe not about the risking my job part, but he's not here solely to help, either. He's here for…what? Me. He's here for me.
But unlike in college, I know what's happening here. I know he's up to something. And maybe that's precisely what I need to protect myself and put him to work at the same time.
"Fine," I say, narrowing my eyes at him. "You want to be the face of Hearthstone? I'll play along. But I meant what I said. We aren't dating. This is a business-only relationship."
He grins like he just won something important, rising to his feet. "We'll see," he says. I don't think he means it to be ominous, but it certainly feels that way.
"No, we won't. I said what I said."
"And I heard you." His gaze rakes up and down my body, his denim eyes heating the same way they did when he kissed me. "I just don't think you mean it."
"I do." I hate the way my voice shakes. And I really hate that I'm not sure if it's because I mean it, or because I don't mean it nearly enough.
Working with him is going to be a disaster.
"When can you be in Chicago?"
"When can I…what?" I blink at him.
"Chicago," he says. "You know, the place where I live?"
"Uh, that is not part of the deal."
If the devil smiled, it'd look exactly like the one Briggs is wearing right now. "Oh, but it is," he murmurs. "I already cleared it with Lacy. We'll be working from my home base, not yours."
"That is not happening."
"It is. But feel free to keep arguing." His grin widens. "You can do it over dinner tonight. Mina's, seven o'clock?"
"We are not goi—"
Before I can even finish the sentence, he's on my side of the desk, crowding me up against the wall.
There's nowhere for me to go except into him.
I don't know why I surge against his body, pushing up against his chest. I don't know how my hands end up tangled in his hair or why I bite his lip, either. But all of that happens.
He grunts, one hand sliding to the back of my neck, the other around my waist. He attacks my mouth like he's going to snap if he isn't tasting me right now, his kiss wild and demanding. Fire ignites in my veins, the same way it did at the wedding.
I want this man. God help me, but I do. And that's as terrifying as it is exhilarating.
It's as overwhelming as it is electrifying.
He's the most dangerous thing in the world, simply because I'm not sure I know how to resist the way he manages to set me on fire.
I want him, and I want him far away at the same time. And I've never had much self-control.
I prove it now, kissing him back like it's the only thing I want.
I kiss him until we're both gasping for breath, and my whole body trembles.
Until I ache so badly, I feel like I'm going to explode.
I try to convince myself that this is just a physical reaction to frustration, that I'm not in control here, but it's a lie.
My body didn't betray me. I think I betrayed myself.
He's far more dangerous to me than Daniel ever was.
Because at least back then, I wasn't breaking promises to myself, and I didn't know I was being duped.
But right now, right here? I'm not sure what Briggs really wants from me…
and I'm still dangerously close to giving in anyway. I'm so close to slipping.
"We're having dinner," he rasps against my lips before sucking the bottom one into his mouth. "Say yes."
"Go to—" I break off with a moan when he bites my lip, sending a sharp pulse straight to my clit.
"Say yes, beautiful."
"Fine. Dinner."
His lips curve against mine, and I know I'm fucked.
I can tell myself all I want that this is just business, just like I can tell myself that I don't like him.
At the end of the day, neither changes reality.
And reality is this: I like this man. Regardless of what he's after here or what game he's playing… I like him.