Chapter 7
Cash
I knew she didn’t hate me.
What I didn’t know was how badly she wanted me. If I had, I would have skipped to the point at the paddock. I kiss her, sliding my fingers into her hair, savoring the sweet pressure of her lips, the subtle flavor of wine and desire mixed, and then lean in as she pulls me closer as if it’s possible.
With every swirl of her tongue . . .
Her body pushing against me . . .
And the taste of her has me deepening the connection.
It’s that first taste of this incredible woman that seals my fate. Kissing her will never be enough. I can rattle off ten reasons she’s a bad idea, and the bottom line will always be the same. Despite what we might want, we can’t fuck around together. That’s the hand we’ve been dealt.
Too much is at stake.
When I run my hand along the bare skin of her lower back, dipping my fingers under the edge of the dress that sits high on that incredible ass, she has me ready to throw everything away.
My dick strains against my pants, not giving a fucking care that I’d be her rebound. “We can’t do this, princess.”
I know it.
She knows it.
The whole fucking world knows nothing can happen between us. It would break too many rules and anger the owners. Pulling back, I cup her face and say it again to remind myself what’s on the line if I cross this one with her. “I can’t risk ruining my career.”
“For a woman,” she says with deprecation sneaking in.
“For anyone.”
Grabbing my wrists, she leans forward until our foreheads are pressed together, and closes her eyes. “We got carried away is all.”
I caress her cheek, then lean back to get a better look at her. When she opens her eyes, I whisper, “It’s easy to do with you.” There’s no fight in her, no snappy comments or rush to get away. She softens her shoulders and leans against my hand. “You make it hard to walk away, Marina.”
I’m gifted a smile. It’s small, but I’ll take everything she’s willing to give. “It’s the right thing to do,” she whispers, not sounding any more convincing than I do.
I grin so stupidly big and chuckle lightly. “Sure doesn’t feel like it.”
“In the moment. But once we forget how good that kiss was, it will be like it never happened.”
I push her hair back from her face. “I won’t forget.” A fire burns between us, but knowing better than to act on it, I take a breath, hoping to cool things down.
“Why does doing the right thing feel so wrong?” She reluctantly pulls away with a heavy sigh. “I’ve not acted like myself this weekend.”
“If this isn’t you, I can’t wait to see the other side, then.”
That lightens her mood, and she’s smiling when she gets up and crosses the room. Other than leaving, she can’t get much farther from me. “I have a feeling you’re one of the reasons I’m acting like this.” Her eyebrow peaks as she watches me.
Rubbing my thumb over my bottom lip, I chuckle again. “I’ll take the blame anytime for you.”
Her smile is the biggest I’ve seen since we met, but it fades with our laughter. Suddenly, even seconds feel like too much time, and space has been left between us, and questions rush in. “What are we doing, Cash?”
I think about it. I’m exhausted, yet nothing I can say will relieve the worries that have snuck into her tone. “You tell me.”
“I should have gone to my room instead of coming to yours. Why did you let me stay?”
I sit back in a chair, resting my arms on the tops of my legs as I rub my brow. I can’t answer carelessly. One thing leads to another with her, and my words could be used against me. It was okay in daylight when I was sharper, but the timing is off tonight. “You looked like you needed a friend.”
Walking to where she removed her shoes and left them earlier, she picks them back up, leaving the pair to dangle from two fingers. “We’re tired and—”
“Nothing good happens after two a.m.”
Something comes over her, tempering her smile but not making it any less potent. Pride maybe? “Exactly,” she replies.
She’s making moves, grabbing her purse from the dresser, and angling to leave. I walk over, catching her just before she reaches the door. Her hand is on the knob when I anchor mine above her head, keeping it closed just a moment longer.
Turning around, she tilts her head and smiles up at me. “Can I help you?” A giggle frequents her throat.
“Yeah.” I run my knuckle under her jaw, taking in her pretty face. “You all right?”
“You don’t need to worry about me, hotshot. I always land on my feet.” She’s an actress and a good one by how she has everyone else fooled, but I see through her, especially when her gaze falls to the wall beside us.
I lift her chin between my fingers until her eyes meet mine again. “I’m not talking about the song and dance you put on for the rest of the world, Marina. I’m talking about the inside, the part you hide from everyone else.”
“What makes you think I’m hiding?” She struggles to hold eye contact, and slow blinks give her the reprieve she needs. Her lips part as frustration creeps in, and she pulls away, only stopped by the closed door behind her. “I’m not hiding.”
I lower my arm, straightening my back. “Okay, you keep telling yourself that lie, and you might start believing it.”
I’m poked in the chest before I can stop her, and then she pokes me again. “You don’t know me any more than I know you.” She turns away, tugging open the heavy door. “I don’t know why I trusted you—”
“Because you couldn’t trust your family.”
“I can trust my family,” she snaps with her voice rising and whips back after slipping into the hallway.
I lean against the doorframe, watching her heavy step her way down the hall, sulking. “Okay.”
She stops again because now she’s really fired up, and from what I’ve witnessed of her personality, she doesn’t give up. “Stop saying that. You don’t know anything about me or my family.”
“On a personal level, I know a little.” I dip my head and watch as she crosses her arms in protest, her shoes in one hand and her bag in the other.
“Oh yeah, what do you know?”
“I know there’s an expectation put on your shoulders. You’re the star of the family, the baby that got all the attention, and you don’t want to let them down now that you’re all grown up.”
“Isn’t that everyone? No one wants to let their family down. Try again.”
Flipping the slider to keep the door from locking behind me, I walk a little closer cautiously, not wanting to send her running toward the elevator. “I saw you at dinner. I heard you tonight. You pretend for them.” I stop with two feet left between us and say, “But you open up to me.”
“That was clearly a mistake I won’t be making again.”
“That’s too bad. I quite like that side of you, the more vulnerable, real part of you. The one who doesn’t wear a crown on her perfect head parading around the place like she’s the queen.”
“Don’t you mean princess?” she snarks, pursing her lips.
The hour doesn’t call for controlling every emotion, and I start laughing. “Yes, princess.”
Her arms lower, and she releases a sigh that sounds like it’s been held for years waiting for this moment.
“Why do you have to be such a jerk?” The defensiveness is gone as teasing weaves through her words.
Coming closer, she grins up at me. “You’re a powerful man, one of twenty on the racing grid, but you’re standing here making sure I’m okay. Why is that?”
“Because you have a great ass.”
I’m whacked on the chest with her bag. “You’re the worst, Cash!”
I catch her by the hips before she slips out of reach again. Leaning down, I whisper in her ear, “Trust me, babe, I’m the best you’ll ever have.”
The warmth of her breath hits my neck, and when she turns, her cheek slides against mine. Her lips reach my ear, and she waves the green flag with two whispered words, “Prove it.”
I kiss her, cupping her face and holding her steady. I’m pushed, shoved toward the room with more strength than I expected her to possess. Grabbing her waist, I lean back with a laugh. “How long did you say it’s been?”
She fists the front of my shirt. “Are we going to do this or not, Ryatt?”
“Well, since you asked so nicely . . .” I scoop her up and put her over my shoulder because I’ll happily get us back in the room much faster.
A hard smack to my ass accompanies her laugh. “Cash!”
“Shh. People are sleeping.” Using my foot, I push the door back open and lock it once we’re inside.
After a huff, she snarks, “Any day now.”
“Safety first. Women have been known to sneak into my room to seduce me.”
“To seduce you? You mean groupies?”
“Women who call you at all hours or show up at your work—”
“Wait.” Her body stills over my shoulder, and she lifts her head up. The woman’s got great abs. “Are you insinuating that I’m a groupie?”
“Those are your words, not mine.”
“For the record . . .” She holds a finger in front of my face, the middle to be precise. I rub my palm over the round of her ass because the beads, and let’s face it, her fucking insanely sexy body has me wanting to grab a handful.
“What are you doing?”
“Nice beads.”
“Uh-huh . . . ”
I carry her into the bedroom and stand at the end of the mattress.
Just after she lands on the mussed-up bed, she says, “I didn’t sneak.
I was invited the first time and forcibly transported the second.
” She takes a breath and says, “And if this is your idea of seduction, you’re hanging out with the wrong women. ”
“How would you do it if you can’t get a word in edgewise?”
Lifting up on her elbows, she asks, “Seduce you?” Falling back in a fit of laughter, she flails her arms around the crumpled sheets before relaxing and looking back at me.
“I don’t have to seduce men, so it’s not a skill set I’ve developed, but if I had to pick one thing, at the moment, I’d have the bed made to make it more enticing to stay. ”
I toe off my shoes. Whether she decides to stay or go, I’m getting in that bed. What happens after that is her decision. “I was sleeping when you called to have me rescue your ass.”
She slips off the edge and turns her backside to me. With a pat, she asks, “This ass? The ass you’re obsessed with?”