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"No."
"Eh?" I blink. The gall of this man.
"You don’t have a choice in this. You’re taking the job."
"No, I’m not," I say through gritted teeth. My guts twist with anger, and I clench my fists. If he weren’t driving, I’d lean over and slap him.
"Don’t do it," he says simply.
"Don’t do what?"
"Whatever it is you were contemplating just then."
"So, you can read my mind now, is it?" I snap.
"You’re easy to read. Your every emotion is written clearly on your face."
I flush. Heat pumps through my blood.Oh, my god. Can this man get any more infuriating?
"If Iwereto work for you, we’d fight every second. I’d probably resort to bodily harm, and that wouldn’t help either of us."
"You’d be surprised." He eases the car to a stop at the signal. "You’ll find that I enjoy sparring. Also, the fact that you don’t hesitate to go toe-to-toe with me shows that you are perfect for this role."
I narrow my gaze. "Do you have to turn everything I say against me?"
“Where would the fun be if I didn’t?”
He turns to me, and when our gazes clash, I forget to breathe. Oh, god, those eyes of his with their two different colored irises are like a physical punch to my solar plexus. My throat dries. My stomach ties itself in knots. A strange excitement shudders down my spine. Being in his presence, with his attention directed completely on me is like being at the receiving edge of a blast of electricity. Or like being dropped into a vat filled with energy drinks. Or like having liquid adrenaline shot through my veins.
I try to breathe, and my lungs burn. It’s like he’s absorbed every last bit of oxygen in the space. Like he’s thrown an invisible lasso around me and is drawing me closer…closer. I lean forward, unable to resist the pull of his large body. I’m a satellite inexplicably drawn into his orbit. Unable to take my gaze off his gorgeous face. Unable to form a coherent thought as to why my behavior right now is so out of character. As to why I need to touch him, just for a second. Just to see if his freshly shaven cheek is smooth to the touch.
Then, one side of his lips twists. I recognize the smirk for what it is. An acknowledgement of the fact he knows how affected I am by being this close to him. And that he expected nothing less. That he knows I’ll accept this job with him. And god, do I want to wipe that smile off his face.
Without conscious thought, I swipe out my hand, knowing only that I need to show him, he can’t take me for granted. Only, he’s faster. He locks his fingers around my wrist, and pinpricks of heat zip up my arm. My nipples instantly harden, my thigh muscles shudder, and moisture pools between my legs.OMG! How can my body betray me like this?
"Let go of me," I snap.
"Only if you agree to work for me."
"I won’t."
"You will."
"Nothing you say will make me agree to this. Nothing you say will make me believe that Knight asked you to look after me. Not after you disappeared for eight months. And not after he never told me anything about you for all these years.”
“So, call and ask him.”
I stiffen. “You know I can’t do that. Firstly, he is on a mission and unreachable. And secondly, even if he were at base, I wouldn’t dream of bothering him with my problems and diverting his attention.”
"That’s one thing we can agree about. Knight needs to focus on his survival. It’s why he left me in charge of your well-being, so he could focus on the challenges he’s facing. The least you can do is support him in this.”
He’s right, and of course, I’m going to support Knight if that’s what he wants. But…why didn’t he mention this to me when we last spoke? He must have been too preoccupied. A tour of duty is nothing to joke about, and he’d explained he expected to be called up for a mission any day. He might have been too busy to email before he left. Still, he found the time to communicate with Cade. It’s always been like this. The two of them share a special bond that I’m not a part of.
I lock my fingers in my lap. Guess I have no choice but to fall in with Cade’s proposal.
Cade must sense I’m giving in, for his lips curl.
"Do we understand each other now?” he drawls.
