Chapter 14 #2
“What are you thinking?”
I contemplate not telling her or fabricating some bullshit answer to satisfy her curiosity. But I’m fairly certain she’ll call me out on it, and we’ll end up at the truth anyway.
“I was thinking,” I begin, “how unusual it is to be enjoying someone’s company here.”
She looks confused. “Why? I mean, why would you have invited me here if you didn’t expect to somewhat enjoy my company?”
“I’ll be honest … I didn’t really think you being here all the way through before inviting you.”
The confusion turns to annoyance. “Gee, thanks. I have the warm and fuzzies about this now.”
“That’s not what I mean,” I say adamantly. “What I mean is that I just kind of asked you because it just came out of my mouth. That’s not something I usually do.”
She jams a thumb over her shoulder. “I can leave.”
“And I can chase you down and throw you over my shoulder and bring you back.”
The air between us shifts. And I don’t think it has anything to do with the open French doors on the other side of the house.
She faces me and gives me her very best undeterred look. But hiding just beneath that badassery is a thin layer of excitement that she doesn’t want to show.
I take a step toward her. “You like that, don’t you?”
“I like what?”
“The idea of being thrown over my shoulder.”
She scoffs. “I think we established the fact that I don’t love cavemen at our first dinner together.”
“I think what we established is that you don’t want to like the whole caveman thing because you think it makes you weak.”
“No. I think it makes men weak.”
I stand in front of her and peer down. She lifts her chin to see into my eyes. To offset the imbalance of power, she throws her shoulders back.
It doesn’t work.
“I bet,” I say, biting my bottom lip, “if I touched you right now, you’d be wet.”
Her lips twist as she scrambles for a response.
“And even though you don’t want to admit it,” I say slowly, “it’s because the idea of being dominated turns you the fuck on.”
I lay a finger against the side of her cheek. She fights her natural instinct to lean into my touch.
The pad of my finger draws a faint line down her jaw. Her chest rises and falls at a quickened pace, her pupils dilating.
“Would you be wet for me, Blaire?”
Her gaze smolders. “Depends on where you touch me.”
“I—” I begin but am interrupted by the sound of two ringing phones.
Blaire’s shoulders fall as a giggle escapes her mouth. “There have to be cameras around here. This is so unfair.”
I jerk my phone out of my back pocket. I’m not nearly as entertained by the disruption as she is.
Oliver’s name is printed across my screen. I’m ready to send him to voicemail when Blaire speaks.
“This is my nana,” she says. “I should answer it.”
I want to take her phone and throw it into the pool and make her forget it ever rang. But it’s her grandmother, so I’m sure I’d go to hell for that.
“Go ahead,” I say with as much neutrality as I can muster. “I’ll be in the den.”
She flashes me a grateful smile as I press the green button and turn on my heel.
“You are such a fucking cock block,” I tell him without saying hello.
He greets me with a full-bellied laugh. “I guess I can forgo asking how you are.”
“Fucker.”
“Nah, I don’t think you are fucking her, actually.”
I run a hand through my hair as I pass through by the foyer. “Did you call for a reason? Or just to piss me off?”
“I called for a reason. Pissing you off is just a bonus.”
“Well, shut up and get to the point. I’m about to shut this phone off for the night.”
I enter the den and stand next to the fireplace. The blanket I keep on the back of the chair that Blaire was sitting in is draped over the armrest. My immediate inclination is to pick it up and put it back where it goes. But before I touch the fabric, I pull back. I kind of like it there.
“I’m taking it Blaire is there,” Oliver says.
“If you wanna gossip, call Wade.”
He tsks me.
“Tell me why you called so I can get back to what I was doing,” I say, my gaze drifting toward the doorway.
“You mean who you were doing? Or about to do?”
“Ollie …” I warn.
“All right, all right.” He sucks in a breath. “We’re having lunch with Landry tomorrow at eleven thirty. Wade’s new drawings are spectacular. He outdid himself. Have you seen them?”
“Yes. Well, I saw them this afternoon. I don’t know what he changed.”
“They’re awesome. Anyway, we’re meeting Graham and Lincoln Landry at Picante. Keep your schedule open.”
“Will do.” I sigh. “Can I go now?”
“Yes, you can go now. Just get this out of your system so you can concentrate tomorrow. I’m getting tired of being the only one who can think around here today.”
I snort. “Phone is going off. Talk to you in the morning.”
“Goodbye.”
Blaire’s laughter filters through the house. I don’t know if it’s loud or if I’m just in tune with her.
I rub my hands down my face.
She laughs again.
My stomach twists. I tell myself it’s a case of blue balls, and I’m sure on some level, it is. I definitely wanted to fuck. But as I listen to her faint voice filter my direction, I wonder if it’s not something else too. Something less physical.
You just have a few days of this. Enjoy it for what it is, and then everything will go back to normal.
I’m not sure if knowing I have a few days of this left is a good thing or a bad thing. And that’s fucking scary.