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“It smells awful.” Drake couldn’t help but smile when he said it, and I mirrored with my own grin. “I said that the last time you had that stuff burning.” I pressed my legs together slightly, thinking about the night he’d helped me study.
Frowning at him, I huffed. “That was white sage. This is desert sage.”
“Oh good lord,” he groaned. “How many kinds are there?”
I put the sage out, then rested my hands on my hips. “There are a lot of them, actually. Desert sage is good for cleansing and promoting grounding and protection.” I nodded, already feeling more relaxed than I had when I’d gotten home.
“Burning that does nothing but make my eyes water.” He rolled his eyes so his whole head followed. Was he judging me? I knew he was.
“I’m being serious, Drake!” When my voice cracked on his name, he stopped laughing.
Drake closed the distance between us, putting his hand on my hip and guiding me closer to him. “Do you feel like you need grounding and protection?” he asked, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“A little bit.” I nodded, looking away from him briefly. “I have been wracking my brain all day. I know I had that sale in the bag.”
I blinked back the tears that threatened to form along my bottom eyelids. Losing was never my strong point, and I was so sure that the offer would be accepted. Drake chuckled. “I know you did, angel. You’ll get the next one.”
I looked at him, my mouth opening and closing. “That’s what I’m trying to do.” I waved my hand at the sage no longer smoking in the tray.
“Burning this sage isn’t going to do a damn thing.” Drake sounded frustrated. When he scowled, the lines in his face were more pronounced. He looked older, more intimidating.
I sucked my lip into my mouth, biting down and looking away nervously. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting good luck,” I said in a half whisper.
He hooked his finger under my chin and lifted my gaze to his. “Hey, look at me,” he said so gently I almost didn’t hear him. I locked my eyes with his, letting his striking blue orbs hold me captive. “Burning all of the sage in the world isn’t going to make you a better real estate agent.”
I couldn’t hold back the pout that caused my lip to curl out, but I didn’t look away from him. “That’s not what I said.”
“Amanda, you already have more potential than most of the real estate agents I’ve met in the past decade. This was your first offer. Give yourself a little bit of credit here.” He brushed my hair over my shoulder, smiling gently.
The competitive side of me fought to the surface, desperate to tell him that if I wasn’t winning, I was losing. I didn’t like losing. I kept my mouth shut though and nodded, gritting my teeth. Drake let go of my chin and traced his fingers over my neck and shoulder, then down my arm, causing goose bumps to rise in his path.
“You’re so cute when you’re frustrated,” he said. His voice was husky, and I swallowed. Drake’s eyes followed the movement in my throat, and when his eyebrow twitched, warm arousal pooled between my legs. How could this man already have this effect on me so easily?
“Don’t tell me I’m cute. I’m mad.” I stomped my foot to emphasize my point, but Drake only laughed.
He closed his hand around my wrist, lifting it to his lips and kissing the soft underside. “Are you mad at me?”
“Well, no,” I stumbled. “I’m just—”
When I huffed, Drake chuckled. “So cute.”
I grumbled at him, but I struggled to think past the arousal fogging my mind. “I’m not cute!” I shrieked, tugging my wrist from his grasp and missing it when I did.
“You’re so cute,” he said. Drake’s eyes bounced between my lips and my eyes, and my mouth dried out.
“I don’t want to be cute,” I whispered.
Drake tilted his head. “What do you want to be, angel?”
I narrowed my eyes. What did I want to be? Powerful, successful, the best? “Fierce.”
“Show me how fierce you can be.” He lifted his eyebrows in a quick challenge.
Placing my hands on his chest, I forced him backwards, guiding him until his back met the wall. His signature move. He had let me control him, and when I took both of his hands in mine and lifted them above his head, he didn’t fight back. I stretched onto my toes, pinning his hands against the wall and hovering my lips over his.
When I kissed him, it was desperate—eager. His lips tasted sweet, and I inhaled his quick breaths. I needed him as badly as it seemed he needed me, and every inch of my body ached to feel his hands on it again. He gasped when I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth and bit down. It was like I had awakened the beast in him.
In one swift movement, he pulled his arms from the wall, wrapping them around me and lifting me. I squealed when he carried me to the kitchen table and dropped me on the wooden surface. “Fuck, you’re fierce,” he groaned, smirking and wiggling his brow.
