Текст книги "S.O.B. "

Автор книги: J. C. Valentine

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

11

The motorcycle engine was so loud that we didn’t speak a word to each other on the way home. I prefer it that way because what Levi and I did was a huge mistake. I can’t even begin to justify it to myself. I know what I did was wrong. It never should have happened. All I can do is blame it on a moment of weakness.

Levi is my kryptonite. I’ve never shown good judgment where he was involved and I guess the saying that history repeats itself holds true here. Levi all but said that hooking up with each other was something he wanted and, perhaps now, expects to continue for the duration of my stay here.

That just can’t happen. Aside from the emotional hit I’ve put myself at risk for, I can only imagine how many hundreds of ways this would spell disaster. Maybe not for Levi, the stunningly sexy and ultra-charming bad boy rich kid, but for me? The average girl whose mom married the rich guy? The press would drag my name through the mud and ruin me and any hope I have of a career in the medical field before I set foot off the elevator in the morning.

The reality of this situation is simple: Levi and I can never happen again.

The knock on my bedroom door after arriving back at the penthouse isn’t surprising. The second we walked off the elevator, I made a beeline for the sanctuary of my room. Frankly, I’m surprised it took him this long.

“What is it?”

“Housekeeping.”

I roll my eyes and almost smile at the blatantly fake Spanish accent of an obviously male female. “Worst impression ever!” I shout “Now go away.”

I resume typing on my phone. Since the pond was a bust—no pun intended—I’ll have to find another option to include in Levi’s rehabilitation. Ideally, I’d like to work some type of water routine in to keep it fresh. So far, the only place I can come up with is the gym, and for someone like Levi, who seems to need a constant change in scenery to keep him entertained, I don’t know how effective that would be over the long-term. Plus, it obviously needs to be someplace public so we can avoid a repeat of today.

“Aw, come on. I thought it was pretty good.” Levi’s voice filters through the closed door. The sound of it instantly carries me back to his hiding spot and what we did there together.

I can’t believe I let myself have sex with him again. It’s so wrong, and yet, I can’t stop replaying it in my head. Every detail is burned in my memory and is now standing side-by-side with the one forged when I was a teenager. Instead of burning away the humiliation and hurt feelings, I’ve added more wood to the fire.

“Are you going to let me in or what?”

“Or what,” I toss back. I meant for the dismissal to be mean spirited enough that he’d get the picture and go away. Instead, it comes out on a laugh that completely destroys the gravity of the moment.

“Okay, I’m coming in.” I jerk my head up when the door whips open and he steps into the room. I know I locked that door. As if he hears my thought, Levi lifts his hand and in it I see a set of keys. “No door or window or walls or barriers can keep me away. I’ve come to rescue you, princess!” he shouts heroically.

A grin coupled with laughter bursts free. “Get out of my room, you dope!”

Crossing the floor, Levi drops onto his stomach beside me, making the bed bounce. The sheer volume of energy pouring off him is astounding. He’s practically vibrating with it. “What are you doing?”

I give my phone a shake. “Surfing the web.”

“Porn?”

“No!” Jabbing my elbow into his arm, I turn off my phone and push myself up to a sitting position. “I was looking for a pool or beach or something nearby where we can practice some of your exercises. Something public,” I say firmly. The last venture into the water ended up not going as planned. At all.

“There’s a pool at the gym.”

“It’s too...” I search for the right words.

“Stuffy? I agree. And the chlorine will ruin my highlights.”

“You don’t have highlights. Wait, do you?” I frown, studying his hair.

“Of course not,” he scoffs. “I’m naturally beautiful. But if I did, they would be ruined.” Rolling onto his back, Levi laces his fingers behind his head, causing his shirt to untuck from his waistband. My gaze immediately catches on the sliver of exposed skin and a small sweat breaks out under my arms as my heartbeat picks up.

“What about the pool downstairs? It’s new. Big. Nice if you’re into that sort of thing. Hey, are you eye fucking me?”

Jerking my eyes up to his, I find Levi staring at me. Oh my God. Where is a rock when you need one? Maybe if I pretend that I’m not completely humiliated, then he’ll let it drop. Clearing my throat I tell him, “The pool will work. And it’s close, so we won’t have to travel anywhere.”

“We don’t even have to get dressed if we don’t want to,” Levi suggests. “If it’s late enough, we’ll have the place to ourselves and can go skinny dipping.”

“Um, no. That defeats the purpose of using the pool.”

“Actually, I think that is the purpose of using the pool. We evolved from the water, dear sister. Clothes are a modern form of decoration and a means to stifle our sexuality. We’re meant to be naked.”

Leaving the bed, I cross the room to the bureau and begin searching the top drawer for a pair of fresh socks. “You’re missing the point. You need to exercise, and it’s my job to make sure that you do.”

“All fun and no play makes Levi a dull boy.”

“And all play makes David Black a very angry man. Come on, Levi. Your dad is going to have my ass if you’re not back on the field at the end of the month.”

Sitting up, Levi props his elbows on his knees and leans into them. “Would it be such a bad thing if I stopped playing?”

Brows knitting together, I ask, “What do you mean? You don’t want to play soccer anymore?”

His shoulders lift. Staring down at his hands, Levi talks to the floor. “I’ve been playing the game for almost as long as I could walk, and I love it. I do. I can’t remember a time when soccer wasn’t a part of my life, but...”

“But what?” I prompt. He said it himself. Levi’s whole life has been soccer. It’s all anyone ever talks about. It’s his career, and a lot of people are depending on him. Including me. If he doesn’t get back out there, what happens to me? Will I still have a job lined up at the end of this?

“Do you know how many bones I’ve broken?” He waits a beat and then answers. “Yeah, me either. I lost count back in high school, but let me tell you, it’s not fun.”

“Yeah, but you’re young and strong. You always bounce back. I’ve seen you.”

“I used to bounce back,” he corrects me. “I’m still young, I know that, but try telling my body that. Every day is a challenge to get out of bed. Have you seen my medicine cabinet?” I shake my head, but he’s not looking at me. “I have to take a cocktail of pills just to function most days because sometimes the pain is just too damn much.”

With my socks in hand, I walk back and sit down beside him. “I had no idea.”

“No one does. My dad makes sure of it,” Levi replies with a bitter edge.

“If you’re so miserable, why don’t you talk to him about it? I’m sure he’d help you find something else to do. With all your experience, you could go back to school and become a trainer or a coach. Something to keep you close to the game without having to be in it.”

“I’ve already talked to him and he doesn’t give a shit. I’m David Black’s cash cow. Do you have any idea how much money we make off endorsements alone? It doesn’t matter if I want out or not. The only way he’s going to let me walk is if it’s in a wheelchair.”

I can’t process what he’s just told me. I don’t know my stepfather well, but I know enough to say that he loves his son. “He’s your dad, Levi. I’m sure if you explained it to him like you just did to me, he’d help you. I doubt he’d be happy knowing you’re not.”

“Then you don’t know my father. You know how he is with your mother. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine living under his thumb your whole life.”

I can’t imagine something I’ve never experienced. David may not be a good husband, but he’s always been kind to me. “Levi—”

“You know what I want to do today?” Popping off the bed, Levi rounds on me, excitement flashing in his eyes.

I frown at the sudden change in his demeanor, but it’s clear that he’s done talking. “What?”

“Something fun. Something that will get our blood pumping.”

“Sounds dangerous,” I muse. Anything that gets Levi Black this amped up is definitely a cause for concern.

“Would you rather sit around here all day and be bored?”

Parting my socks, I gather one up and slide it over my toes. “How about you tell me where you’re going and I’ll have the ambulance meet you there.”

“Don’t be such a drama queen,” Levi chastises. Reaching out, he takes my hands and lifts me to my feet. “If you’re going to live with me, then you have to learn to live.”

“I already lived enough for one day when I agreed to go for a ride on your motorcycle.”

His eyes twinkle with mirth. “Tell me you didn’t enjoy riding on my hog,” he purrs as he loops his arm around my back and pulls me up against his chest.

I ignore the blatant innuendo, but I can’t deny the truth because I definitely enjoyed myself. Being that close to Levi, having the excuse to wrap myself around him and feel every inch of his hard body against mine was the stuff of dreams. The power of that machine combined with his command and confidence behind the wheel still gets me hot under the collar just thinking about it.

If whatever he has up his sleeve is even half as arousing as that, then maybe I should stop struggling and do what he said—live. Relenting, I ask, “What did you have in mind?”

“Oh, princess. If I told you that, it’d ruin the surprise.” Releasing me, he slaps my behind and pushes me toward the bed. “Get ready and meet me downstairs in ten.” He heads for the door, but pauses before passing through it. “Oh, and don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to use those magic fingers today. Just make sure you wear something comfortable. This is going to be the best day ever!”

12

This is the worst day ever.

When Levi said he was going to surprise me, I should have known it’d be something crazy and death defying. He’s insane. A madman. I’m going to kick him in the nuts.

“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to do this,” I yell over the deafening roar of the engines.

We’re flying in a plane I don’t know how many feet up in the air, but it’s enough to see the top of the clouds and that’s not okay with me. My heart is pounding so hard it’s about to leap out of my chest and Levi has the nerve to laugh. I’m glad he finds my terror so amusing. I’ve decided to break his nose, too.

“There’s no turning back now!” he shouts back.

We’re inches apart, and we have to yell to hear one another. How awesome is that? I think I’m going to puke. Worse yet, the instructor claims that the only way to leave the plane is to jump. Ha! I’ll tell Levi what I told him.

“Go fuck yourself. I’m not jumping out of a plane!”

“Then why did you get on in the first place?” He’s still laughing, and I’m getting angrier by the second.

“It wasn’t my choice, asshole!”

When we arrived at the hangar, at few scenarios ran through my head. Maybe we were going to see an air show. Maybe he was learning to fix planes. Maybe he was taking flying lessons. I never minded flying. I just never dreamed Levi was planning to make me jump out of one. When I realized his plan, I spun on my heel with the intention of waiting in the car until he returned. If he returned. I was already planning a eulogy. Something heartfelt. Something a sister would say about her beloved asshole of a stepbrother. Now, all I’m planning is how I’m going to murder him.

As soon as Levi realized where I was going, he chased me down—literally—and threw me over his shoulder. Of all the indignities, being carried off with your underwear exposed for all the world to see has to top the list—he could have at least warned me that a dress was not appropriate attire.

Despite kicking and screaming, no one batted an eyelash. No one offered to rescue me. I guess being the son of a rich and powerful man and being a national heartthrob means you can kidnap people and get away with it.

“Come on, princess, you’re gonna love it,” Levi swears.

I don’t trust a damn word that comes out of his mouth. I’ve heard those words before, and look how things turned out.

“Fuck you, Levi! If you want to be an idiot and risk your life, then go for it. But leave me out of it!” One of the attendants or whatever the hell he is comes up behind me and loops a backpack onto my shoulders. When I look over my shoulder at him, he shouts, “Safety precaution!”

Well, you can’t have too much of that this high off the ground.

Lifting my arms so he can fasten the thing on me, I turn my attention back to Levi, ready to tear into him. “Does your father know you’re doing this?” He’s going to kill him, and I plan to be there handing him the weapon.

“What?” Levi motions to his ears.

Great, he can’t hear me.

I lean in, raising my voice until I can hear myself speaking in my own ears. “Does your father know—ahhh!”

That son of a bitch! Levi snatches me up by the straps on my shoulders and my body pitches off balance as he yanks me up hard against his chest. Then...

We’re plummeting through the air. Racing toward the clouds...through them...Seeing the ground rushing up to meet us, I scream and grapple for Levi. I’m fighting the force of gravity as I struggle to climb his body, to wrap myself around him. My heart is in my throat, beating like a drum. Chaos is racing through my head, my life flashing before my eyes as I clutch Levi’s shoulders and bury my face in the side of his neck.

He certainly hadn’t lied when he said I’d be using my fingers a lot today. They’re currently embedded in his shoulders. If I had it my way, they’d be clawing his eyes out, but I’m too busy hanging on for my life.

“I’ve got you!” Levi yells.

Surprisingly, that does make me feel better, but only marginally. I can feel my breakfast climbing higher up my throat. It’ll serve him right if I throw up on him.

The wind whips around us, flattening our bodies together as we hurdle through the air. I hate him. I hate him so much right now. I want to punch him. I want to cry. I want to wake up and find that I never left Chicago. That I’m still in my bed, safe and warm, miles away from this madness.

Just when I think I might actually have a heart attack, we’re jerked backward violently and then...everything grows calmer. We’re still in the air, wind whipping around us, but we’re no longer speeding like a bullet to our deaths. We’re sailing, coasting along on the air currents. That’s when I realize Levi’s pulled the cord on his pack, releasing his parachute.

“Look, Vista,” Levi says softly into my ear. “You don’t want to miss this.”

I shake my head, trying to catch my breath, to calm my frantic pulse, but I’m curious. I’m also freaked the hell out. I like my feet on the ground, and we’re so far from it.

“Come on, princess. The hard part is over. Don’t puss out on me now. Just look.”

I sneer at his remark. I’m not a chicken, and I’m entitled to have fears. It’s natural. Everyone has at least one and this is mine. Still...

I find myself following his command. Lifting my head, I catch his blue eyes first, my stomach finally beginning to calm as I hold onto his gaze. The skin around his eyes crinkles, giving me silent encouragement, and I take it. Peering cautiously over my shoulder, I can’t help but to gasp at the sight surrounding us.

Blue conifers. Rolling green hills. Houses that resemble Monopoly pieces, they’re so small. Farther out, I see a group of horses grazing and a thin stream cutting a winding path through the landscape. It’s so picturesque. I never knew nature could be like this.

“Levi,” I breathe, struggling to take it all in.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

I nod, because I can’t find words eloquent enough to express what I’m feeling. Beautiful doesn’t begin to cover it.

Shifting my weight, I twist my head around to take in every angle of the view. Levi’s strong arms cinch tighter around my waist, holding me securely against him, reminding me that he’s got me and he’s not letting go. And that’s when I realize...I trust him.

Why? I don’t know, but for some reason, way up here, I feel safer than I ever have with anyone else. Levi’s hold on me is powerful, and I don’t just mean that in the physical sense. He’s held me since day one, and despite the time and distance that’s passed between us, here we are again.

I can’t believe it took jumping out of an airplane to finally see it, but I do now, and I know I can’t go back. I can’t pretend that this month doesn’t mean something. I can’t continue pretending that Levi doesn’t matter. Because he does. Maybe too much.

Of course, all of this is inappropriate. Our parents are married, which means there’s no hope for us. Even if Levi returned the feelings, we could never work. But this arrangement? It has to. Like it or not, my mother has given me an opportunity to excel. If I walk away now, it would be disrespectful, not to mention embarrassing. No doubt, Levi would think it was because I can’t handle being with him, and I’m not about to give him the satisfaction of proving him right. I’ll do what I have to do and stick this month out, but Levi was right. I might as well live while I’m here. So, I’ll take what I want from Levi, and when time is up, I’ll go. I buried these feelings before, and I can damn well do it again.

As Levi brings us safely back to earth, his smile is so wide and filled with joy that I can’t help feeling it, too. He has this infectious quality about him that makes it impossible not to empathize with his moods.

“So, what did you think?”

“I think you’re crazy and I never want to do that again,” I tell him as I peel my fingers from his shoulders and feel the solid ground beneath my feet again. “But I’m also glad I went. I can cross skydiving off my bucket list.”

“You have a bucket list?”

“Yep. I made it when I was a kid.” I used to be a dreamer before I became an adult and realized that everything takes money and time, neither of which I have much of.

Escorting me back to the hangar where we started this crazy journey, Levi asks, “How much of it have you checked off?”

“This is the first.”

Stopping in his tracks, Levi stares at me like I’ve sprouted a second head. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, why?”

Shaking his head, he continues on. “I just figured with someone as ambitious as you, you would have at least half of it done. I had mine almost done, but with all the traveling, I’ve been adding to it.”

“You have a list?” I ask, looking up at him.

“Doesn’t everybody?”

I don’t know, but we do, and I feel strangely happy knowing that we share that common thread. Having something in common with Levi gives me a warm feeling in my chest that isn’t entirely uncomfortable but is completely worrisome.

I can tell by the way he avoids eye contact that Levi can sense something has changed, too. Thankfully, he doesn’t look any more eager than I feel to talk about it. He helps me strip out of my pack, letting his hands linger a little longer than necessary before removing his own, and then we’re back in the car, speeding back to his penthouse.

13

“Dig in deep, princess. Oh, yeah, right there.”

I’m laid out on the chaise lounge in the middle of the living room receiving the best massage of my life. Vista’s fingers are magic. They press down in all the right places, like they know exactly where the aches have formed and are on a mission to eliminate them. Ever since the skydiving stunt I pulled, she’s been quiet. Stiff. Reserved in a way that makes me want to draw out some of that fire I know she has inside of her.

She thinks I didn’t notice the change in her, but I did. Something happened up there among the clouds. Something that makes her even more uncomfortable to be around me than she was when she first arrived, and I know exactly what it is.

She hasn’t been able to take her eyes off me. I know, because I haven’t been able to take my eyes off her. Having sex with her wasn’t my brightest idea. Instead of working out years’ long frustrations, it’s only complicated things further. I can’t stop thinking about how it felt to be inside her and, God help me, once wasn’t enough. So, to distract myself from throwing her down on the floor and crawling back inside her, I’ve decided to put her to work doing exactly what she came here to do: keep my muscles loose. I don’t know if it’s due to the talk we had or that she’s looking for any excuse to touch me, but I’ve somehow managed to talk her into a full-body massage, citing the aches and pains that require medicinal intervention most days. And it’s not a lie. My body is sore, just maybe not as much as I claimed.

Best. Decision. Ever.

“You can move the towel, you know,” I inform her as she reaches the base of my spine. For a split second, she freezes, and then sets back to work, grinding the pads of her fingers in deeper. “I’m not wearing any underwear, in case you were wondering,” I continue. I probably shouldn’t, but I can’t stop goading her. Reading her reaction is more entertaining than watching television.

“I wasn’t,” she snaps then, much to my disappointment, she removes her hands and steps away. “You’re done.”

I’m done. I hear the truth behind her words and it bothers me because I’m not even close to being finished here. Pressing my hands into the table, I sit up, allowing the towel around my hips to split open before closing the gap. Accident? Maybe. Maybe not. Vista’s eyes flare and dart away and I smirk, knowing she caught a glimpse of my package.

“What’s wrong, princess?” I ask innocently as I set my feet on the floor. “You’re looking a little flushed.”

“It’s hot in here,” she says with a dismissive flick of her hand. She works fast, shoving her oils back into the designated pockets of the bag before retreating toward the kitchen. “How are you feeling?” she asks distractedly as she pours herself a glass of water from the sink and gulps it down.

Rolling my shoulders, I don’t feel the usual pinches and aches I’ve grown used to, which is impressive. Being active takes a toll on the body. “Like a fool for not hiring you sooner,” I say honestly. “Where’d you learn to use your hands like that?” It’s a rhetorical question, but she snorts in amusement.

“I went to college, remember?”

“Physical therapy, right?” I seem to recall my father mentioning something about it over the phone, but I wasn’t really listening. I am now, though. For some reason, I want to learn more about the woman standing in front of me.

“That’s right.”

Entering the kitchen, I close the distance, taking satisfaction in the way her body stiffens. Drawing back her curtain of copper colored hair, I intend to get a rise out of her, but the way my own body reacts to the slender slope of her exposed neck distracts me. My body hums as I lean in to inhale the soft, sweet scent of her perfume. “Does that mean you’re well versed in anatomy?”

“Stop it, Levi. I know what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing, princess?” She smells so sweet, the delicate rose scent calling me, and I can’t resist. Skimming my nose along her smooth, creamy skin, I take her into my lungs at the same time I press my growing erection into her back.

“You’re trying to get a rise out of me.” Her chest lifts and falls heavily, and even though I think she meant her words to be an accusation, they float off her tongue almost breathlessly.

“It’s only fair,” I drawl, lightly running a finger down the length of her spine. “Considering you’ve been giving me a rise since you got here.”

Sucking in a scandalized breath, Vista jerks away from me. Her angry eyes shoot daggers as she stares me down. “I’m not doing this again, Levi. That’s not appropriate. I don’t want you talking to me that way anymore.”

Leaning back against the countertop, I fold my arms across my chest and feel a smirk slide into place. “What way, princess?”

“Like that! Telling me I give you erections. It’s sick.”

I laugh, because it can’t be helped. “If it’s so ‘sick,’ then why does it turn you on? I’m only speaking the truth. It’s not my problem if you’re too uptight to own it.”

“Own it?” she shouts, throwing her arms out to her sides. “Our parents are married, Levi. Married. What part of your ‘truth’ makes it okay to do...this?” Her hand waves frantically back and forth between us.

She’s right. I know she is, because I was the one that ended “this” four years ago. The problem is, every minute I’m around her, I’m questioning the wisdom of that decision. Because you weren’t the one who made it. Instantly, memories of the past come rushing back.

I pull on my shoes, buttoning my pants as I sneak toward the door, careful not to wake her. I can’t risk anyone finding out we’ve been together. It would ruin my father’s business. Ruin the family name he’s worked his whole life to build. The Blacks run this city. If word got out what happened here tonight...

Well, it won’t. That’s why I’m leaving, while everyone is still asleep.

Opening the bedroom door, I can’t help myself from looking back. After spending hours together, wrapped up in each other’s body, she’s passed out cold. I should feel ashamed for what’s happened between us, but I don’t. It’s been coming since the moment I laid eyes on her, and I can’t make myself feel guilty for something that doesn’t feel wrong.

What I do feel guilty about, however, is sneaking off without a word. I feel like a criminal in my own home, but I have to go, and I don’t have the heart to wake her up. Not when she looks so peaceful. Tomorrow, we’ll talk. This wedding? It can’t happen. I won’t let it.

What I feel for her means more than this farce of a marriage my father and her mother are entering into. We’ll tell them the truth, tell them everything, and they’ll see. My father will put me, his son, ahead of himself for once. In my heart, I know it’s a stretch. My father has never done an unselfish thing in his life, but I have to believe that this time will be different.

Crossing the hallway in total silence, I carefully turn the doorknob and push open the door to my bedroom...and freeze.

There, sitting on my bed, with his head hanging down on his shoulders and his hands clasped between his knees, is my father. He’s still dressed in the suit and tie he left for work in this morning, his dark hair slicked back off his forehead, and the smell of his Ralph Lauren cologne permeating the air.

At the sound of me entering the room, he lifts his head and the predatory look in his stark blue eyes causes my voice to lodge in my throat.

“You’ll end this now, and that’s the last I’ll hear of it.” He waits for me to nod my head before he pushes to his full height. Crossing the room, he pauses in front of me, staring me straight in the eyes with an eerie silence. At eighteen, I’m as tall as he is, for all intents and purposes a grown man, but the intensity in his eyes makes me shrink back.

A satisfied smile curls one side of his mouth up, and finally, without a word spoken, he moves around me and out the door. I exhale a shuddering breath, my legs trembling as I force myself to walk over to my bed, seating myself on blankets that still harbor my father’s body heat.

What the hell am I going to do?

“Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?” Vista’s hand waves in front of my face, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“I’m fine,” I croak. Jesus, I sound like I’ve been crying or some shit.

Her brows pull together in a frown and she tilts her head to the side, studying me. “Where did you go just now?”

Shaking my head clear, I force a smile onto my face and search my mind for something to distract her. “Nowhere, princess. I’ve been here the whole time.” My legs feel shaky, so I walk back into the living room and drop down on the couch.

“So, I’m assuming sex is off the table now?” I ask, striving to lighten the mood and create a distraction.

“Completely.” Cautiously, Vista joins me, seating herself in a chair opposite me.

I tip my head in acknowledgement. “For now, I’ll agree to disagree with you on that subject. In the meantime, you’re going to be servicing me,” I continue, relishing the sound of her aggravated growl. “So, we need to get you better acquainted with my work schedule.”

“That’s the second time you’ve used that word,” she muses as she relaxes back into the chair and curls her legs beneath her.

The position makes her appear small, fragile. It makes me want to go to her, pick her up, and carry her to my bed, caveman style. It takes all my self-control to curb the urge she inspires in me. “What, work?” I ask. Firing up my tablet, I pull up my schedule and shift it so she can see.

Leaning forward, she squints as she reads it over. “Yeah, I didn’t think it was part of your vernacular.”

Standing, she trades the chair for the couch, scooting closer to me so that her face is inches from mine as she looks over my shoulder and studies the screen more closely. She has an amazing profile. Long, black eyelashes fan out from her wide eyes, there’s a slight bump on the bridge of her downturned nose, leading to her full, rose petal lips and a stubborn little chin.

She’s gorgeous.

“I’m full of surprises, princess,” I say, hearing the dark rumble of my own voice. Her expressive eyes flicker up to mine, and I feel the heat of that look straight down to my cock. Before I grab her up and indulge in my fantasies, I turn back to the tablet and the schedule still showing on the screen.

“I’ll send this to your email so you have a copy of it. I can’t be your babysitter, so make sure you study it.”

She glares up at me—a reaction I’m waiting for. It stirs the desire in me even more and, still, I restrain myself. She thinks she’s done with me, but she’s only denying the inevitable. Growing up, I always got what I wanted. In that sense, I am my father’s son, and what I want now is her. All I have to do is bide my time and eventually, she’ll come.

In more ways than one.