Summer "Oh?" All expression fades from his face. He schools his features into that emotionless mask I am coming to recognize and hate. "You sure about that?" I nod. "Okay." Huh? He pivots on his heels and stalks away. Hold on a second. He’s leaving? I chew on my lower lip. Why isn’t he stopping me? I’d thought he’d laugh at me, perhaps force me to stay... Instead I watch that tight butt of his recede. My mouth waters. My thighs clench. Stop it. Ogling his gorgeous frame is not going to get your job back. Damn him. Damn him for calling me on my bluff. He is aware of exactly how much I want this position... and how I’d do anything to have it back. Will you grovel to him though? No... No. Do I have a choice? He takes the path leading down the grassy slope of the hill. "Wait." He speeds up. Asshole. I break into a run. By the time I catch up, I am panting. My hair sticks to my cheeks. Oh, great. Add being shiny with sweat to my already bruised ego. Whatever. "Stop." He ke eps walking. "Hold on, Sinclair." He pauses. I draw abreast with him, then brush past him to plant myself in front of him. His big body blocks the sight of the rest of the space. I tilt my face back, all the way back. His face is in shadows. In the lengthening darkness of twilight, he seems formidable. He folds his arms and his bic eps stretch his shirt. I gulp. The heat of his body spools off of his chest, envelops me, reels me in closer, closer. I squeeze my fingers together in front of my body, as if that will be enough of a barrier. He could haul me up and march away, and there wouldn’t be a thing I could do about it. Moisture pools between my legs. Damn him, for the way my body responds to his every move. His presence, his scent, his every action has me attending to him. All of my senses zoom in on his face. I peer up, trying to discern the sharpness of his cheekbones, the hooked nose, the thin upper lip, that pouty lower lip that makes me want to reach up, draw his face down until it’s parallel to mine, then sink my teeth into that sensuous, fleshy part of him. And that’s not the only part that calls to me either. A chuckle ripples up my throat. His glare de epens. His mouth firms. "Are you going to apologize or what?" "What the—?" I dig my heels in my chucks into the muddy path. To be honest that’s exactly what I’d been hoping to do, or at least I thought that’s what I’d intended, when I’d set off after him. Now, with him watching me with
that superior smirk—okay, I concede that look of disdain is hot on him; it makes him unapproachable, yet so sexy... my nerve endings jangle—and that is the last straw. No way am I going to give him the satisfaction of winning this round. It’s not a game, oh stupid one, it’s your life. Yah. And it’s my prerogative to screw it up, so long as I ensure that Karma is taken care of. I jut out my chin, "No." His mouth opens, closes. He blinks once. Ha, guess Mr. Smirky Pants is at a loss for words. Stroke. In my book, that counts as a win. He closes the distance between us, until his big body brackets me in. I gulp. He lowers his chin, and our eyelashes almost kiss. "Say that again." My body trembles. I fight the urge to st ep away. Anger scrolls off of him. Nervousness thrums my skin. "No." I tilt my head further back, "No way am I apologizing for that." "I would have let you walk away, if you hadn’t stopped me. You made a mistake by coming after me." My throat closes. "What... what do you mean?" "You had your chance, and lost it." A nerve throbs at his temple. Oh, no, that... that’s not good, is it? I scuttle away from him and he doesn’t stop me. That’s not reassuring. His eyes gleam; his nostrils flare. Whatever that evil mind of his has conjured up, I am so not going to like it. "Run, little Bird." "Eh?" "You have until I count to five." The hairs on my nape rise. I angle my body away, ready to take off, anything to get away from this blackhole of a man, who attracts every part of me, even as his temperament r epels every cell in my body. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction... Who said that? Einstein? Strike that. Not the time for stupid trivia, not. "Explain." I clear my throat. "If I catch you, you do as I command for the next seven days." "And that’s different from now, how?" He raises an eyebrow, "Want me to spell it out for you?" "You mean..." I blanche, "you mean the deal—" "Extends from the meeting room to the bedroom." "Go fuck yourself." He smirks. "If I were egotistical, I’d say that you would enjoy that, but it’s not your physical surrender that I want."
"Th... then?" "It’s your emotional submission, your mental breakdown." "You’re raving mad." He raises his shoulder and then lets it fall. "My choice.’ "And if I don’t agree." "I don’t remember this being a negotiation." "Jerk." "You need a new vocabulary." "And you..." I drag my fingers through my hair. "... you need a new attitude." "I suppose you’re the one who’s going to change me?" No, what’s he talking about? "Many have tried and failed, Sweetheart. I am not the bad boy you can tame. Not the hero of a romance novel come to save you." "Th... then?" "Take your worst nightmare and multiply it by 1000... Then add another few zeroes." "Your wanker instincts are showing." He bares his teeth, "Your... fight or flight senses need sharpening." My heart begins to race. Adrenaline fills my blood. "I meant every word I said." He thrusts out his chest. The pulse thunders at my temples. His nostrils flare. Bastard senses my fear. Sweat beads the inside of my palms and I hold up a finger. "Hang on." His shoulders bunch, every part of him on edge, ready for the start of whatever insane race he has in mind. Darkness bleeds off of him. He’s excited. Damn him. This entire thing is a joke for him... and I stupidly came along for the ride. I have to take control, have to. "So, let me get this right." He angles his head. "If I evade you now, I can leave?" "I don’t r epeat myself." Icicles crawl up my back. "If... if you catch me?" "Then you’re mine to do with as I want." "For the next seven days, right?" He raises an eyebrow. "And you’ll pay off my debts and arrange for my sister to be treated by a specialist?"
He nods, "I’ll d eposit another million in your account, in good faith, so both of you are taken care of for the immediate future." I swallow. Why is he doing this? Something is not right. What is he not telling me? What choice do I have? I had upped the stakes. He’s made this deal impossible to resist... All the more reason to cut and run. I have to get away from him, before he ruins me completely. "Deal." I hold out a hand. He ignores it. He peels back his lips and his pearly white teeth shine in the first rays of the moonlight. My legs quiver; my thighs spasm. Get away, get away from him now. My body leans away from him, ready to bolt. Something primal inside of me insists that I stay, meet his gaze. Not look away as he bends in closer. His breath sears my cheek. "Run now. You have until I complete my countdown." "Five." I tense. Go, go. The hard edge of his glare bores into me. He can see my heart, my soul, my every desire lies unleashed in front of him. "Four." I take a trembling st ep back. What am I trying to prove? Why am I not taking the small advantage he’s offering me? Because it’s a trap, it’s a— "Two." "You cheated." I gasp, "You missed a count." He bares his teeth, "One." I turn and bolt.