“Wh … what won’t work?” she gasped as his lips made contact with her neck. She really hoped he didn’t notice her leaping pulse.
“Spouting random facts, trying to bore me. I can bring out the naughty girl in no time at all. You want me. You can deny it all you want, deny it to yourself and me, but I’ve got your number, if I may be a little trite.”
Before she could respond, he took hold of the back of her neck and kissed her, not in a quick meeting of the mouths, but in a kiss that was full of possession and passion.
When he pulled back, her body was on fire and she was glad she was sitting down, because her legs had turned to jelly. She wasn’t going to survive this — certainly not for months, if she had to work for him that long. She didn’t think she could even survive more than today.
She had no defenses against this man.
And he knew it.
Chapter Eighteen
Insufferable …”
“… jackass …”
“… low-down … dirty rotten …”
Elena had been storming around her tiny living room for the past hour, ranting and raving while her best friend and roommate sat on the couch and occupied herself, now and then, by munching on tortilla chips. Each time her friend smiled, Elena shot her a dirty look, which wiped the smile away, but only briefly. Piper clearly didn’t understand how serious this situation was.
“Aren’t you going to say anything? I’ve been talking forever and I’m looking for advice,” Elena said, hands on her hips.
“Oh, is it my turn to speak now?” Piper asked.
“I’ve given you plenty of time to talk. You’ve just been sitting there with your junk food, not a care in the world.”
“You’ve been ranting nonstop, darling. I think it’s great, but, no, you haven’t let me speak yet.” Piper laughed.
“Well, I’m giving you a chance now.”
“Do you want my honest opinion?”
“Maybe I don’t,” Elena replied. “The way you asked that question isn’t exactly inspiring me.”
“Too bad. I’m your best friend and sometimes that calls for tough love,” Piper told her.
“Fine. Give it to me.” Elena was suddenly tired as her rage dimmed. She sat down on the far end of the couch from Piper, though the couch wasn’t all that big.
“I think you like this guy — really, really like this guy.”
Elena waited for more, but Piper was silent after saying the stupidest thing ever.
“That’s ridiculous, Piper. I’ve just been going off — in great detail, I might add — on what I despise about him.”
“Yeah, sure. But I have a minor remark about that. We don’t usually get so passionate about people who don’t interest us.”
“This isn’t passion. This is fury. Fury that he’s forcing me to work with him,” Elena said.
“You could always tell your boss there’s a conflict of interest with this client … because he’s had your legs wide open on his kitchen counter while he was doing naughty, naughty things to you with his evil tongue.”
Elena hit her head violently with one hand. “I knew I never should have told you about that. But I don’t throw your mistakes into your face, Piper.”
“That’s a lie and we both know it. If we can’t mock the ones we love, then who in the hell can we have fun with?”
“Ugh! This has just gotten so dang complicated.” Elena sagged down and threw her arm over her face.
“Of course it’s complicated, you drama queen. You tried to punish your old best friend from a million years ago who also happened to take your virginity. That same man also comes from a wickedly bad family, and he’s now become a very wealthy man who is sexy as hell. It was complicated the second you decided to carry out a revenge plot after having a little too much to drink.”
“Okay, so I’m impulsive, and I have a temper. Once I decide on something, I have to see it through, though. You know that.”
“Yeah, that’s called stubborn, darling, no matter how you sugar-coat it. Revenge isn’t so sweet after all, is it?”
“You could at least pretend that you’re on my side,” Elena said.
“I’m always on your side. You know that. If you kill this man, I’m your gal. I will help you hide the body and give you an alibi.”
Elena finally smiled for the first time in hours, ever since that long and awkward dinner with Tyler. “I would do the same for you,” she said.
“Good, that’s the Elena I want to hear from, not the crazy girl,” Piper said. “What are we going to do about this situation?”
“I’m going to quit my job.”
“We both know that’s not going to happen, so what are you really going to do?”
“I don’t know. Avoid the hell out of him. Maybe if I’m careful to stay at least three feet away from him at all times, my boneheaded hormones won’t take over.”
“Boneheaded? How Freudian of you. I see where your thoughts really are. You know, you could just get it over with and stay in bed for forty-eight hours straight. Maybe that would get him out of your system. In and out of your system, so to speak.”
“Don’t put thoughts like that in my head,” Elena said. “I hate the man.”
“Are you sure about that? I’m not. I think you want his body so badly that you’re melting down. I’ve wanted a few guys that much. Too damn bad I did nothing about it. Now it’s Friday night and I’m stuck home with you instead of getting down and dirty with some hot stud.”