AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He swore he saw steam coming from her ears. He had apparently touched a nerve. It was time to calm her down.
He motioned to one of his line cooks who had shown up with a few glasses of wine to pair with the food. “Ensure that my brother and Sterling taste the rest of the menu. For the next course, two of each canapé on the platter.” And then he turned and strolled away.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Finn O’Reilly!”
She did exactly as he’d expected. She followed him out of the dining room, past the kitchen, and into the small hallway at the back of the restaurant. On either side of the hall was a door—the entrance to the two restrooms—and at the very end was another door marked private, which was the door to the storage facility and Finn’s makeshift office.
He turned the knob and stepped inside.
All the while she nattered behind him. “I know you still don’t see me as an adult, but you need to get over it.”
Oh, she was an adult, all right. All grown woman. She had proven that in spades when he’d had her tied to the bed two nights ago.
She continued to rant as she followed him inside. “This is my profession, and I do it well. You have to trust I know what I’m doing.”
He honestly did. But that didn’t mean he would put up with a tantrum.
“This wedding day is in my hands,” she continued in exasperation, “and despite your brilliance in the kitchen, I need you to acknowledge I’m in charge.”
He laughed. “In charge?”
She narrowed her eyes, then nodded. “Yes.”
He reached forward and grabbed the door. She jumped when it slammed shut behind her.
“Well. I guess we both like being in charge.” He stepped closer to her, towering over her petite body. “The question is, who’s going to win this time?”
“Me,” she squeaked. He had to give her credit. She wasn’t backing down. But she was getting worried. Or…was it anticipation shining in her eyes?
He shook his head. “We both know who’s in charge here, little one.”
“Stop calling me that,” she growled. But her retort, the one usually spoken with indignation, came out a little breathy.
He couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped. “And what are you going to do about it if I don’t?”
Her face softened, but only a little. He knew she was too stubborn to let him win outright. Her chin lifted. “Maybe I won’t let you get in my pants again.”
He pushed a few strands of wet hair off her cheek and leaned in. “I think we proved more than once over the past weekend that you want nothing more than to get in my pants, little one.”
“Stop calling me little one!” With a huff, she turned and gave him her back. “And what happened on the weekend was a onetime thing.”
His stomach tightened. What had happened between the time she’d dropped him off this morning and now? She was pulling away again. Maybe he’d been the only one to think their time away together had been perfect.
Aligning his body with hers, he played with the ends of her hair. “You didn’t have a good time?”
She didn’t answer.
“I don’t recall ending
our little game, do you?” He grasped her arms and turned her around to face him, but she didn’t give him any clues. Which meant he only had one game plan in his arsenal to coax out what he needed to hear.
“I love these suits you wear. So sophisticated. So uptight. But now I know exactly what you look like with those nerdy glasses off, and your hair all tangled, like it gets when I press you good and hard against a mattress.” Never had any other woman revved up his desire without provocation. “I know you have a beauty mark right…there.” He touched her chest, just above her breast. “And it’s fully visible when you don’t have your shirt buttoned up so primly.” He popped open one button, then another, exposing the soft swell of her breasts so he could see the slopes of them in the gap.
Her breath became labored and her body shivered. He grabbed the lapels of her blazer and pulled it over her shoulders and down but only as far as her elbows, preventing her upper body from moving.
“Finn—”
There was never such a beautiful sight as her, right now. Disheveled, angry, and fighting her instinct to give him control over her.
