Текст книги "Rock Me Two Times"
Автор книги: Dawn Ryder
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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 16 страниц)
Her jaw dropped, and he chuckled at the look on her face.
“I think I like scandalizing you, Kate.”
She snapped her mouth shut and tried not to think about how much she wanted to come too. “I’ve noticed.”
He pointed to the driver’s cockpit. “Kenny is driving. He’ll switch out in four hours. This coach is the office. A couple of bunks are in the back. Normally Kenny’s relief driver beds down there, but he switched over to one of the other RVs so this can be female only. Make yourself at home. There’s TV, Internet, shower works while we’re moving, pretty much everything. For the price, it better be outfitted right. I’ll be in the music coach if you need me. We’ve got a show in Oakland in two days. It takes a day to build the stage and set up. The crew will have your shop set up by tomorrow morning so you can work while we’re rehearsing.”
“What’s a music coach?” she asked.
“A traveling music room. Costs a bloody fortune, but it’s worth it. Gives us the chance to work on new songs while we’re moving or parked in back of a convention center.”
Ramsey banged his fist on the door again. Syon flashed her a grin before disappearing. The door closed, and she heard the engine start.
“We’re going to start moving, Ms. Napier.”
She jumped when the driver’s voice came over the sound system.
Well hell. Everyone knew who she was and what she was doing.
Except for her.
The coach shuddered as the powerful engine started up. Kate sat down on the sofa, realizing Syon had somehow managed to turn her into his personal pet.
She had her very own luxury pet carrier to prove it.
* * *
“She’s hard to please,” Ramsey fired off the moment Syon climbed into the music room coach.
The rest of the band members were fiddling with their instruments as the drivers began the task of moving Toxsin to its next concert location. Engines turned over, filling the area with a dull roar.
“Having a chick along is going to kill the mood,” Taz added as he tuned his guitar.
“She’ll have her own space,” Syon insisted. “We got another three months on the road. Without her, we’re going to look like shit and be reduced to buying off the rack at a Harley Davidson store, because you’re all just as hard on your gear as I am. None of you has more than two pairs of pants left either.”
There were several reluctant “all rights.”
“Why did you have to kiss her?” Ramsey accentuated his question with a squeal from his guitar. “You’re a total prick when you’re stuck on a girl.”
Syon flipped Ramsey the bird as he picked up his guitar and began to tune it.
Kate was making him crazy, but he’d be a liar if he said he wasn’t enjoying it. The spark of excitement stirring up his insides made him realize how bored he’d been. Easy pussy was like junk food, cheap and unsatisfying in the long run.
“She’s like a breath of fresh air,” he argued.
Drake and Taz groaned.
“I thought the last one cured you of your tender-heart issues,” Drake said from behind a set of drums positioned at the back end of the motor home.
“We did get ‘Insatiable Craving’ out of it,” Taz mused.
“Yeah, but we had to restrain ourselves from putting the poor bastard out of his misery,” Ramsey added. “My trigger finger is already itching.”
Syon pulled on a few of his strings, filling the coach with noise. “I’ll remember all that love coming from you, Drake, the next time I have to bribe a bouncer to turn a blind eye when you get too shitfaced to keep your hands off the strippers, and he wants to have your ass hauled off to jail.”
“All right…I guess we need to look good. But I wish we could have brought the guy along, even if he has a taste for sausage,” Taz grumbled before putting his energy into the music. He was the only member of the band without long hair. Instead, he had short spikes that accentuated his Asian features.
People looked up when they drove past—there was no way to contain all the sound inside the coach. The rest of the band was in good form, but Syon caught Ramsey watching him a few times.
Ramsey knew him too well.
When they broke off, it was Ramsey who put his guitar on its stand and moved over to sit beside Syon. Ramsey began nursing a beer. The silence grew between them while the other members of the band waited to see what Syon would say.
“The rule is ‘no drugs,’ not ‘no drug addicts,’” Syon clarified. “She’s got some good business sense in that pretty head. Can’t really blame her for not wanting to lose a chunk of her holdings because the dude was packing a rock of meth.”
Ramsey tipped the long neck back before answering. “I guess I can live with that.”
Taz and Drake were taking silent notes at the other end of the coach. Syon shared a look with each of them before he drew in a deep breath.
“We need a leather artist, and there aren’t a whole lot of choices if we want a good one,” Syon continued.
Ramsey’s eyes narrowed. “Do you hear how many excuses you’re making? We’re not playing in piss holes anymore. We get whatever the fuck we want, when we want it, and you sure as shit don’t have to put up with a woman playing hard to get.”
“She’s not playing,” Syon shot back.
Ramsey snorted.
“Maybe I like the fact that she doesn’t just jump my bones the second she’s hot.”
“I bet she likes it too, because you’re already showering her with stuff. We’re stuffed into two coaches so she can have her girly privacy.” Ramsey tossed the empty bottle across the coach where a trash can sat.
“What the hell is your problem?” Syon demanded.
“You!” Ramsey yelled. “You’re messing up what was working just fine.”
“I’m solving our fucking wardrobe problem.”
Drake started hammering on the drums, drowning out everything. He kept at it until Ramsey got up and retrieved another beer from the fridge. Syon lifted his leg and laid it across the sofa, making it clear he didn’t want company. Taz joined Drake, driving home how much the rest of the band didn’t want to hear him and Ramsey going at it.
So Syon got up off the sofa and started playing. Music was the one thing he and Ramsey always agreed on. Fame had been good to them all, but there was still one thing it couldn’t deliver: happiness. Ramsey was pissed at the world because he was the same man he’d been before they became megastars. Fame didn’t drive their demons away.
As for himself?
Syon wasn’t sure. Even with all the fame, he still craved acceptance. And Kate had been so goddamned hot in his arms. His cock hardened just thinking about it.
But she was holding back. Struggling against the tide of desire trying to drag them both out to sea. On one hand, he admired her. But on the other, maybe Ramsey was right. She might just be working him over, holding out just long enough to get the leash around his neck.
He wished to fuck he knew, because he’d spent too much time working to be where he was. It was gonna suck if he ended up like Ramsey: so pissed he couldn’t enjoy the success he’d earned.
But Kate didn’t want him because of that success. Which made it just a little bit funny.
If he’d had a taste for irony.
* * *
The coach was a marvel.
Kate spent a good hour just exploring it. There was a kitchen that someone had stocked with the basics in miniature. Kate lifted the tiny Tabasco bottle, enjoying the fact that it was still made of glass. Beyond the kitchen was a full-size shower. The bathroom was across the hall and had a nice vanity with a marble top. If she hadn’t been able to feel the vibration from the road, she would have thought she was in a hotel room. A really nice one. Once they parked, there were sections that would slide out to make it feel very roomy.
Farther back were the two bunks Syon had told her about. Each one had a privacy curtain, flat screen TV, and even an Xbox.
There were also mirrored ceilings, and condoms discreetly stored by the pillow.
She suppressed a giggle. Well, at least they weren’t shattering her fantasies of how rock stars lived.
The back of the coach was a large office. It contained a full-size desk, computer, and printer all latched down. On all three sides of the office were cleverly designed windows with little half arches on the top to make it feel like an office building.
Kate felt a slight shift as the caravan of coaches began to climb the mountainous stretch of highway in the middle of the state known as the Grapevine, the motor coaches taking surprisingly well to the steep incline of the road. They must have gotten crap for gas mileage though. Once they made it to the other side, the interstate became a straight shot up the state of California. The coach settled into a steady gait as the miles passed.
And boredom set in.
Kate tinkered with her tablet, browsing Toxsin’s website to discover where she was going. Oakland, Portland, and on to Seattle. She’d be a bold-faced liar if she didn’t admit that the European stops excited her.
A phone buzzed in the kitchen, but she was too comfortable in the bunk, so she let it ring. It probably wasn’t for her anyway.
A few moments later, another phone started buzzing in the bunk. She jumped and looked around for it. The inconspicuous wall mount held a phone so slim, she hadn’t seen it until she was lying down in the bunk.
“Hello?”
“What are you wearing?” Syon drawled on the other end of the line.
She laughed. “What are you wearing, pretty ginger lady?” he rasped out again before she could answer. The space between them suddenly empowered her, because he was too far away to overwhelm her.
“A silk corset and a short, flared skirt with a garter belt and hose.”
“Hmmm…panties?” He sounded like he was smacking his lips.
Danger…danger…
The warning went unheeded. Syon was sucking her back into that vortex of insanity.
“No panties, ’cause it’s an all-girl zone.”
There was a groan on the other end of the line. “I guess I started it,” Syon came back at her after a long pause. “We’re stopping for fuel and grub, if you go for fast food.”
“No thanks. I want to live past fifty.”
“There’s fresh stuff in the fridge.” Syon stopped for a moment, and she got the feeling there was something else on his mind.
“And?” she pressed.
“There’s going to be a couple of the crew guys standing by the door. Fans can get a little crazy. The guys are there to protect you, but they’re packing heat, legally. So don’t flip out if you see a piece.”
“Worried I might jump a Greyhound bus back to Los Angeles?” she asked.
“Are you thinking you might regret it if you did?” Syon countered.
Her mind froze for a moment, heat licking at her insides. His tone had dropped to that husky one he used when he was burying his head in her hair. A tingle went across her skin at just the memory.
“Touché,” she muttered, feeling awkward.
“We’ll roll into the Bay Area around ten. Want to go for a ride with me?”
“Are you asking me on a date?” She toyed with a lock of her hair, feeling as breathless and awkward as a seventeen-year-old.
“Are you surprised?”
She clicked her tongue at him. “You keep answering questions with questions.”
“You’re the one with a rule about dating rock stars,” he answered smoothly. “I’m searching for a loophole. Is a ride on the back of my Harley a date?”
Oh hell, she’d forgotten about the Harley.
“Okay, I’m feeling mildly guilty about telling you rule number two. It might also be—only a slight possibility, mind you—discriminatory.”
“And totally fucking unfair to me,” he hammered home. “You’re rock star–phobic.”
“In my defense, rule number two was made after dealings with several of your colleagues who thought fittings included bedside service,” Kate said.
“I waited until I was down to my last pair of pants before calling a costumer in, because I’m sick of getting my package grabbed during fittings,” he responded.
Touché, again.
And she was starting to like the guy.
“You don’t back off, do you?”
There was a very male sounding grunt on the other end of the line. “You don’t want me to, Kate.”
“You’re arrogant,” she said, stating the obvious. “Presumptuous.”
“I’m taking command of the situation,” he countered. “Don’t worry, I’ve been trained.”
“I notice you aren’t arguing with the arrogant charge.”
“You’re as turned on as I am.”
“That might not be a good thing.” As in epic crash and burn on the horizon.
He took a moment to reply. “It might be an explosive thing. Only one way to find out. Take a ride with me.”
He was arrogant, but there was something sexy about it. They had more in common than she’d realized.
She felt the coach slowing down as it exited the interstate. “You’re on.”
You’re a lunatic…
“Cool.”
Kate replaced the slim phone on the wall mount and worried her lower lip for a moment.
A date.
She was so screwed.
And too damned giddy about it.
* * *
Showering while rolling down the freeway was going to take a little practice.
Kate yelped as she cut herself with the razor because she’d lost her balance and twisted it.
She knocked her head on the upper bunk when she laid her suitcase out in the lower one and tried to find a matching outfit. Everything was a huge mess, because she’d just thrown things indiscriminately into the case. By the time she got dressed, she was flustered and growling.
At that point they were pulling into the city of Oakland, winding their way through industrial sections of town. Kate saw the concert center in the distance and hurried back to flip her case closed and zip it up. The driver of Kate’s coach rolled up behind the semis into the loading area of the Oracle Arena. Air brakes hissed, echoing off the concrete. A loud whoop came from behind Kate as the band spilled out of their mobile music coach, like kids hearing a recess bell.
The sun had set several hours ago, but huge floodlights illuminated the loading docks. Even at ten at night, teams of dockworkers converged on the semis. Up on the docks, there were supervisors with tablets, holding black radios up to their ears. The backs of the trucks were opened, and cases marked with “Toxsin” were being wheeled inside as team leaders barked orders.
“You really had the corset on?” Kate turned to see Syon coming up behind her.
Syon was staring at her cleavage. There was only a small slice of it on display, because she’d put on a summer cotton top beneath her blouse to act as a chemise. The low, rounded, country girl neckline hugged the tops of her breasts.
“I prefer a corset over a bra any day.”
“Your rules suck, but that look rocks,” Ramsey hollered on his way over to one of the semis that wasn’t backed into the loading docks.
The rest of the band members glanced over at her, curious. A few low whistles came her way, and Syon flipped off the lot of them.
Taz hopped up on a loading ramp attached to the rear of one of the semis. When the lift reached the top, he stepped into the truck and rolled out a shiny mass of black paint and chrome before hitting the button to lower the lift to the ground.
“You guys carry your bikes?”
“Yeah. Beats paying someone else to run up the mileage on them.” Syon stepped up closer. “Besides, a wise man never goes on tour without an escape plan.”
Syon moved off toward the gate of the semi. As soon as Drake pulled up with his bike, Kate watched Syon jump onto the tailgate ramp.
Leather on that man should have been outlawed. His ass looked damn good in a pair of leather pants.
He’d put on a dark green T-shirt that complemented his eyes. When he came out of the truck, he was rolling another black-and-chrome creation that made her heart race.
On cue, one of the crew members rolled a large black case over to Syon and flipped up the lid. Syon reached down, pulled a leather jacket from it, and shrugged into it. He pulled another one up and whistled at Kate before tossing it to her.
She caught it, the scent of leather filling her nose. Another whistle and a pair of gloves came her way. Kate flexed her fingers into the gloves and noticed there was now a row of Harleys, parked in a neat line as the band members slipped into jackets, gloves, and helmets.
Syon brought her a helmet.
“You weren’t kidding me about EOD.” She took the helmet from him.
“What brought that comment up?” he asked.
She nodded toward the bikes. “I never would have thought a heavy metal rock band could be capable of such a precision exercise.”
“Still can’t imagine me with any sort of self-discipline?”
Kate locked gazes with him. “That’s a little harsh. I’m not that judgmental.”
He looked down at the cleavage peeking through the open front of her leather jacket. “With you, it might just be an accurate account. I’m guilty of losing my perspective due to distractions.” His gaze lingered on her cleavage for a long moment.
He reached down and fitted the bottom stop of her zipper into the slider, holding it firmly as he slowly pulled it up. When he passed the area where her breasts were being lifted onto display, he let his knuckles brush her bare skin.
“Really accurate.” She tugged the zipper up the rest of the way, and he gave her a disappointed look.
“Damned shame to cover that view,” Drake said as he rolled his bike past them and offered her a wink.
The moment for Kate’s retort was taken up by the sound of three beefy engines roaring to life, and Syon’s eyes filled with excitement. For just a moment, she got a glimpse of the boy he must have been.
The naughty one.
He pulled her over to his bike, lifting one of his legs to mount it.
“Come on, baby…” He patted the seat behind him. “I’ve been looking forward to telling you to hold on tight, because this ride might just get a little rough.”
“Ha…ha…” she responded, but there was still a hint of heat teasing her cheeks. He pointed to his head and then to the helmet in her hand.
She slipped it on before climbing onto the bike, and he captured her wrist and pulled her arm all the way around him. He’d always been the aggressor, but now she was the one scooting up behind him and holding tight to his lean waist.
Geez… The man smelled good.
He felt good too.
The hint of leather from his clothing only intensified the rawness of the moment. Her insides were liquefying again, her thoughts descending into the gutter so fast, she wasn’t sure she’d ever left it since the moment she met him.
She realized this “date” setup was just him using a different method of commanding her. The guy was dominant to the core. It pissed her off a little, but at the same time, she couldn’t deny the rush of anticipation it fueled inside her.
Syon peeled out first, with Ramsey falling in beside him. The bikes roared, cutting through the night like razor blades. They sped past the entrance to the stadium before spilling out onto the streets. The local nightlife was in full swing, and people dressed in going-out clothes looked up as they passed, some flashing them thumbs-up.
The vibration from the bike turned Kate on, but the feel of clinging to Syon’s hard body made her crazy. They drove across the Golden Gate Bridge before pulling into a scenic overlook to take a break.
Kate’s legs felt like jelly when she dismounted, but the experience was worth it. She left the helmet on the back of the bike. The wind coming off the ocean whipped her hair about as she climbed up onto a concrete picnic table to get a good view of the bay. Syon wandered over and offered her a beer.
“Where’d you get that?” she asked, taking the bottle and scrunching her eyebrows.
“Drake keeps them in his saddlebag.” Syon climbed up beside her with another beer in hand. “His daddy was a Brit, taught him never to drink water.”
Kate lifted the beer in a salute to the dark-haired drummer. He wiggled his tongue at her, then turned around to talk with Taz farther out on the overlook. Syon took a swig from his bottle before casually setting it aside and fixing her with a look that sent her heart pounding.
“Now, where were we?”
“Excuse me?” she asked, wincing when she heard her own sultry tone. What was it about the man that instantly reduced her to a cinder?
He reached right over and effortlessly scooped her up. One moment she was sitting on rock-hard concrete, and the next she was straddling his rock-hard cock.
“Just about here,” he muttered with his hands full of her bottom and his face buried in the tangle of her hair. “Except…” He straightened up and released her ass. A second later, a finger of night air touched her cleavage as he opened the zipper on the jacket.
“Nice,” he muttered as he leaned down and kissed the creamy swell of her right breast. He trailed the tip of his tongue down its side and into the valley of her cleavage.
“Oh Christ!” she gasped. Her skin was ultrasensitive, but what was really driving her insane was the way her clit begged for the same treatment. It was pounding with the same insane tempo as her heart. She flung her head back, offering her cleavage to him.
But the position gave her a view of the rest of the table. Ramsey was settled beside Syon, only a foot away, his dark eyes on her. There was an unmistakable flare of lust in his gaze. It slammed into her, rocking her with a jolt of need before it brought clarity back to her and she scrambled off Syon’s lap.
“What?” Syon growled until he looked to his left and realized it was Ramsey. He gave a shrug and reached for her again.
“Not on your life,” she warned.
“The idea turned you on,” Ramsey accused. “I saw it.”
Kate scooted back and crossed her arms over her breasts, eliciting a grunt from Ramsey. “So is your big plan to show me I’m some kind of slut? Does that keep your ego stroked? What’s the big deal, Ramsey? Can’t you deal with a woman who has more to offer than lip service?”
His jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing. “You’re a bitch.”
“And you’re both being pricks who have one-track minds when it comes to what women are on this planet for.”
One corner of Ramsey’s mouth twitched. “You’ve got balls.”
It was exactly the sort of compliment that suited him.
“Even if they are pushed halfway to your chin.” He looked at her cleavage and smacked his lips before jumping down and wandering over to where Drake was standing near the edge of the overlook.
Syon was wearing a disgruntled look that irritated her. “Relax, Kate,” he drawled before tipping his beer back. “Ramsey is just messing with you because you’re the new guy.”
“Yeah? Well he can get the fuck over it.” She suddenly felt like she was missing an obvious fact, something she really should have considered. He and Ramsey were tight—really, really tight. “Are you bisexual?”
Syon watched her from beneath hooded eyes. His lips were pressed into a hard line that made her squirm. She’d put her foot in it now for sure.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that question to come out sounding like that,” she said, trying to lessen the blow. But an epic screwup was an epic screwup.
Syon suddenly cracked and started laughing. He ended up leaning all the way back on his elbows and tossing his head back so his hair teased the worn surface of the picnic table. The rest of the guys looked over but didn’t budge, turning back to look at the view after a moment.
“What?” she demanded. “It’s a fair enough question. You and Ramsey have been double-teaming me.”
Syon sat back up and smirked at her. “You should have seen your face…” He chuckled some more.
“You know, it’s wise to keep the seamstress happy. I just might forget to remove a pin or two when you go out on stage,” Kate warned him. “It’s cool if—”
“No,” he cut her off. “I’m not bisexual, and neither is Ramsey. We’ve both been drunk enough together to know for sure.”
“I’m not sure I want to know what you mean by that,” Kate said. And she was pretty sure she didn’t want to dwell on just why his answer pleased her so much.
Syon smirked at her, showing no mercy for her sensibilities. “It means we’ve had a few drunken orgies. If either of us had any desire for the other, it would have been satisfied. He wants to put his hands on you, not me.”
“And you’re cool with that?” she asked.
He moved faster than she’d thought possible. One moment he was stretched out beside her, and the next he was half over her, one hand pressed flat against the top of the picnic table beside her hip.
“I want to explore every type of pleasure we can experience, from the simple to the edge of whatever boundary you decide you can’t cross.”
He pressed a kiss against her lips, claiming her lower lip between his teeth and gently biting it.
“I want to make you scream for me,” he said when he released her lip. His eyes flickered with need so intense, she felt it scorching her skin. “And gasp, and shudder, and—”
“I get it,” she said.
“Do you, Kate?” he asked in a hoarse tone that unleashed a desire to let him do whatever he wished with her.
No holds barred.
He curled a hand around her nape, squeezing just enough to send a shiver down her spine. “Ramsey is the only man in this world I trust unconditionally. If you want a ménage—”
“I haven’t even decided if I’m having a relationship with you,” she said, feeling like she was trying to hold him off with a slingshot. The person she was kidding was herself.
She was such a liar. Her body was ready to jump right into hard, raw sex with him.
“Then allow me to add my thoughts to the decision-making process.”
He pressed his mouth down on top of hers. The kiss was every bit as hard as his body. There was no mercy, no tender playfulness this time. Only hard purpose. She was sure she was melting.
But he let her up, just about the time her thoughts had scattered enough to have her ready to do whatever he wished, wherever he decided he wanted it. She was a breath from surrender, and the glitter in his eyes told her he knew it.
“Come on,” he demanded gruffly.
He pulled her along behind him toward his bike. The vibration of the ride back into town, coupled with her struggling feelings, nearly drove her over the edge. She felt poised on a ledge. Her clit was begging for release, but she was battling with her rational side, trying to maintain some shred of self-control around this man.
Syon headed toward a high-rise hotel with mirrored glass siding. They roared up in front of the valet parking, practically causing a riot as all the valet attendants rushed to be the ones getting the keys to the Harleys. The losers looked glum when their gleeful comrades climbed aboard the sleek motorcycles and peeled out of the turnaround, making way for a flood of paparazzi.
Syon claimed Kate’s hand as the cameras started snapping pictures around them. She twisted her hand, trying to escape the press, but Syon held it tight. There were squeals as passersby recognized the rest of the band. Eager fans reached for their idols, and the hotel security tried to keep them out of the entryway. Ramsey was surveying the crop of adoring fans near him and selected one, offering his hand.
She shook with excitement and tugged her girlfriend through the throng with her. Ramsey grinned and draped an arm over each of their shoulders.
“It’s like when you get two prizes for the price of one at one of those carnival crane games,” he called over his shoulder before passing into the lobby of the hotel. Syon shook his head mirthfully and tugged Kate away from the fans who were perplexed—and crushed—to see Syon arrive with a woman already on his arm.
Inside, a man wearing a black polo with the Toxsin logo on it stepped up and handed Syon a key card.
“This is Cid, Toxsin’s road manager,” Syon introduced the man.
“You need it, I get it for you,” Cid said as he handed her a key card. He turned to hand keys to the other band members. “We’ll go over the ropes tomorrow.”
Syon punched the elevator call button and slid his key into the security slot. The door slid smoothly open, and he swept her inside. She expected the rest of the band to join them but when the elevator doors closed, they were alone. He wrapped his arms all the way around her.
“I can’t wait to see if you have ginger curls between your legs too…”
She’d passed the point of being in control enough to form a coherent response, so they rode up to Toxsin’s suite in silence. When they reached the top floor, the sound of the rest of the band with their fangirls broke through.
Syon had her out in the hallway before she managed to brace a hand against his chest. “Look, we’re working together,” Kate said, wondering if it was too late to try playing the professionalism card.
“You’re so wet, I can smell you,” Syon countered. He forced her back until he had both hands flattened on either side of her head on the wall behind her.
“You’re crowding me,” she said. “We just met.”
“And we hit it off.” He countered her argument in a smooth voice that made her nipples tighten. She wanted to be mad about it but honestly, it was a total rush to be turned on so completely. Part of her had to admit to enjoying the intensity. She ended up smiling in spite of every reason she should have been fuming at him. Chemistry was chemistry. And, oh boy, did they combine with a serious sort of reaction.
“You like to dominate,” she said with a half laugh.
One side of his mouth twitched up as a look of approval glittered in his eyes. “I’m not into slave play, but yes, I like to control…”
Her lungs were frozen for a moment, leaving her suspended between breaths. The idea of letting him take control captivated her brain. It would be…well, epic.
Mind-blowing.
Yeah, and you’ll wake up tomorrow morning knowing you are a pushover.
He reached for her wrist. “Let’s find a bed, Kate…”
“No,” she uttered, but honestly, she was talking to herself more than him. She tried to pull him to a stop and ended up skidding on the carpet for a few steps before he gave a frustrated grunt and turned back to face her.
There was a squeal and a burst of feminine laughter from around the corner. It hit her like a bucket of ice water—she wasn’t his fangirl; she was his costumer, damn it.
She was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she folded. Her dreams of being a serious designer demanded more self-discipline than that.
Kate closed her eyes and found the remnants of her composure. “Good night, Syon. It was a great date.”
Frustration needled her, but she opened her eyes and refused to bend.
Syon regarded her from behind narrowed eyes. “I don’t go in for games, Kate.”
Her temper heated, but she drew in a deep breath because she realized she was sending the guy mixed signals. She owed him an attempt at an explanation. “Look…I’ve known you for a whole forty-eight hours, Syon. Yes, you turn me on, but I don’t know you. It isn’t a game; it’s called forming a relationship. That’s the sort of thing I go for.”
