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He could see more than curiosity in her almond-shaped eyes. He glimpsed speculation as well.
“I’m sure you ladies have a lot to talk about,” he said, catching Emma’s hand and dropping a kiss into her palm. She quivered. “I’ll be going. Nice to meet you, Addison.”
Addison walked toward the kitchen, giving them some privacy. Emma followed Nathan to the door. Emotions whirled and churned through her as she tried to process what had almost happened again with him. How had he overridden her better judgment so easily?
Before she realized his intention, his hand slid along her hip, pulling her firmly against him. He dipped his head and claimed her lips, drowning her protests in a sensual assault. Her spine remained rigid for all of two heartbeats. Wrapped in the spicy scent of his cologne and the soothing warmth of his skin, she sagged against his chest.
With her surrender complete, Nathan eased his mouth from hers. While his hands spanned her back, thumbs moving rhythmically, he spent a long moment nuzzling her temple.
“I’m going to send movers for your stuff tomorrow.”
Despite his unsteady breathing, he sounded unaffected by the kiss. Humiliated that she’d fallen back into his arms so quickly, she applied pressure to his chest. He pulled back but was slow to release her. Her heart hammered against her ribs as his hands eased down her back and over her hips.
“I already told you I’m not going anywhere.” She flinched at the breathy, disturbed timbre of her voice. It was bad enough that she dropped her guard any time he touched her—did she have to broadcast it?
“You have mold in your bathroom. And who knows where else. It’s dangerous for you to stay here.”
“That might be true but—”
“I have a perfectly nice condo and you can have your very own room.” He smirked at her, undaunted by her temper or her refusal to cooperate with him. “Unless, of course, you’d like to share a bedroom with me.”
She clenched her teeth to suppress a sarcastic retort. Why rise to the bait when that seemed to be exactly what he wanted? “I’m not moving in with you.”
“She can stay with Paul and me,” Addison called from the kitchen, where she’d obviously been eavesdropping.
Emma heaved a sigh, disliking the way they were ganging up on her. “You don’t have room.”
“The boys can share for a couple weeks. It won’t kill them.”
“The way those two argue, it might. Besides, I need to get ready for the show and that means I have to be here to work, so moving out doesn’t make sense.” Her shoulders felt as if a thirty-pound weight had been draped across them. “I’ll be fine.”
“You can move your worktable and equipment into my spare room,” Nathan said.
Their combined logic beat her back like a phalanx of soldiers intent on conquering enemy territory. “Why don’t we wait and see what your contractor has to say about the mold?”
“And if he recommends that you move out?” Nathan prompted.
“Then I will.”
“That’s my girl.”
Setting his hand beneath her chin, Nathan tipped her head up. What she saw in his wolf-gray eyes set her heart to pounding. A slow, sly smile curved his sculpted lips.
She sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m not your girl.”
“Sure you are.” He kissed her on the nose. “You just don’t want to admit it yet.”
With that parting shot, he set her free and turned to go. His possessive declaration annoyed her. She didn’t belong to him. Not yet. Not as long as she kept him at arm’s length.
She leaned her hot cheek against the doorframe and watched his progress down the hall, appreciating the way his broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist and his worn jeans cupped his perfect butt. Unruly cravings surged anew. Her fingers tightened on the door. Addison’s arrival had been a lucky break. Convincing Nathan that she wasn’t going to fall for him would have been that much harder after he completely transformed her into a moaning, writhing hedonist.
Catching her watching him, he flashed a cocky grin before stepping onto the elevator. Furious with herself for staring after him like some infatuated idiot, Emma slammed the door shut.
“Well, I obviously interrupted something,” Addison said from the kitchen. She snagged a bottle of water from Emma’s refrigerator. “Sorry.”
Addison didn’t look anything of the sort. Emma made a face at her.
“You didn’t interrupt anything.”
“Nice try,” Addison said. “But he wasn’t wearing a shirt and your eyes are wearing that half-dreamy, half-hungry look you get when you talk about him.”
