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“We’d get along a hell of a lot better if you’d quit ogling my legs.”
Still lost in his reverie, Sloan only heard the words as an afterthought and he immediately hit the defensive.
“Then quit sitting like that.” He slid forward on the seat and slammed his mug down on the table, his hands clasped between the knees of his khaki shorts. He levelled her with a stare that he’d perfected when wanting to get a point across. “And while we’re at it, quit with the model-look. We’re laid back around here, regular folks who don’t appear as if we’ve just finished the last take of a scene in a movie. Dress in shorts and holiday clothes, look like you belong.”
As soon as she flinched, he realized his grouching had hurt her. And he’d have given anything to take back the rant. He was just being a cranky bastard.
Sure, sharing his house with a partner and her kid sucked, but when she had breasts that invoked fantasies, lips that made him squirm and legs that turned him into a jibbering idiot, well, that didn’t sit well either.
Now it was her turn to let him have it and she didn’t hold back. “Look, I never asked for this assignment. They forced me to take it because of my understanding of the Pakistani language and my knowledge of their customs. I lived with my uncle and aunt in that country through my teens, so I was the ideal choice and my agreement was taken for granted.”
Feeling like an idiot, he wanted to wriggle out of the pickle he’d started but didn’t know how.Dammit, Sloan!! You and your big mouth…
Unaware of his discomfort, Alia didn’t stop. Instead, she sat forward and kept talking. “My mandate is to insinuate myself with the family, try to understand their dynamics and learn what I can about each member. Getting along with you is secondary. But to keep the peace, I’m willing to tolerate and abide by your rules… to a point. If they get too crazy, we’ll be having this cozy little chat again.”
Her sarcasm hit him hard. The clenching in his guts, sharp and intense, clued his response. Rejection, not something he normally dealt with, especially with the opposite sex, confused him. He reached out to touch and apologize, except her instinctive pulling away had his seesawing temper rising once again.
Not at her, but at himself for being such an ass. He looked at her, his remorse openly visible.
Without flinching this time, she held his stare; her daring him to disagree was visible and understandable. The woman wouldn’t put up with his nonsense.
“I’m being a prick.”
“Yes, you are.”
He deserved her affirmation and she knew it.
Her voice softened. “Once we’d finalized the assignment, Don warned me you were compulsive about your house and your belongings. I wish I’d have known that beforehand. I’m not the neatest person and I’ll admit Ruby did most of the housework. In fact, she cleaned up after me and Kean a lot. We’ll try and keep things nice, but you’ll have to tell us how you like everything so we don’t screw up too badly, okay?”
Now he felt like a whiny little bitch. He slid closer. “It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you both feel at home. Look, we can do this.” He reached out and was relieved when, after hesitating, she slipped her hand into his.
The minute that happened, rockets went off…. the big guns. No warm fuzzies, no sweet breathlessness. More like, strong urges, instant arousal, steamy need, a craving as essential to his well-being as his next breath.
