M. Leighton

“And most of the wreckage revolves around two guys. Two guys that, for totally different reasons, are tearing me up inside. Two guys I want. Two guys I can’t have. Two guys I can’t stop thinking about.”

“She really is breathtaking, even first thing in the morning.Before I even realize what I’m doing, I rub my fingertips down her smooth cheek. Her eyelids flutter shut, making me want to kiss them.”

“There’s just no denying that we’re attracted to each other. Very, very attracted to each other.”

“If Olivia wanted me to feel guilty, mission accomplished!”

“I need to be gone before she gets up. Seeing her will only make it harder to stay away from her. A man can only be pushed so far before he gives in, regardless of the consequences.”

“He’s hard. And he’s huge. I can feel him against my belly. Warmth gushes through me, pooling between my legs. It’s been so long and I know instinctively that any sexual time spent with Cash would be earth-shattering, soul-screaming, body-rocking time.”

“The fingers of his free hand work their way into my hair and tilt my head to the side as he deepens the kiss. He gets more aggressive, like he wants to gobble me up. And I want him to. God, I want him to.”

“But you kissed her. I saw you.”“No, you saw her kiss me. You saw me not cause a scene in the middle of the club.”“Well, you didn’t look like you hated it.”“But I did. The whole time, all I could think about was kissing you instead.” He starts to bend his head toward mine.”

“Well, first of all she’s gorgeous and—”“You’re gorgeous,” he says softly.My stomach flips over, but I continue. “And she flirts very openly with you.”“I wish you would flirt very openly with me.”

“I look up and meet his eyes. I want to scratch them out. And then spit in his face. And then curse him for being exactly what I thought he was.A bad boy.A playboy.A heartbreaker.But I also want to kiss him. And let him carry me up to the private room above us and put an end to the dull ache of desire that’s been plaguing me since the first night we met when I pulled his shirt over his head.Dammit!”

“Cash smiles at them and then turns to face me, leaning forward a little on the bar. His eyes meet mine and one brow rises in that holy mother of hell-sexy way, then he mutters, “You’ve got one chance to make my mouth water.”I suck in a breath. And chills break out down my arms.Damn, he’s good!”

“What I’m not confident in is my ability to resist what Cash isn’t even trying to hide.He’s interested in me. And not just as an employee. Maybe very little as an employee, in fact. Every time my eyes meet his, I feel like he’s undressing me. And, God help me, I love it. Those sexy, velvety eyes are like a touch. I can almost feel them, like hands on my body and lips on my mouth.Admittedly, I have a thing for bad boys, but Cash is…I don’t know. He’s different. I daresay he’s even more dangerous than my usual disastrous finds.”

“And I admire that. A lot. The more I’m around her, the more obvious it becomes that there’s a lot more to her than a shy smile and a pretty face.”

“I’ve never really found it hard to stay away from a chick before. Hell, I’ve never had reason to try. But this time I do. There’s something different about Olivia. I want her in my bed. Like, now. But she’s…I don’t know. I get the feeling she requires a gentler, more careful touch. She’s a challenge.And damn, if I don’t love a challenge!”

“That’s pretty bad when my hormones can block out a homicide.”

“Goodnight, Nash.”His lips twist into a wry smile. I wonder what he was expecting. “Good night, beautiful Olivia.”

“Nash leans forward and cups my cheek with his hand. He cocks his head slightly as he considers me. “Don’t do that. Don’t ever make it out like you’re less. Because you’d be gravely mistaken.”

“I think back to my banter with Cash about sexual harassment. I don’t doubt he pushes the boundaries, but never once did I get the impression he might force himself on me or make unwanted advances. I just hope to God he doesn’t know that his advances aren’t unwanted. I just wish they were.”

“Ohmigod, you are a head case! A whore and a head case!”

“If I ever stood a chance of resisting her, it evaporates the instant she leans into me. So does every last ounce of finesse that I’m normally capable of. The kiss that should’ve started out slow starts out like a forest fire. The first taste of her tongue consumes me.And I’m lost.And I’m lost.My hands are in her hair and my mouth is devouring hers. I give no thought to where I am or the girlfriend whose father I work for. I can’t think past how badly I want to be inside the tight, hot body of the girl in my arms.But why? Why do I want her so bad?”

“Dark and dirty things come to mind, things like how much pleasure I’d get from putting her in misery. But not the bad kind of misery. No, I want Olivia in the kind of misery that makes her sweat and writhe, and then beg me to come inside her.”

“I think I see her chest rise as she catches her breath. Maybe she’ll be the one to throw on the brakes. God knows I’m not going to. I might regret it later, but right now I’m not thinking about anything but what it would be like to see Olivia without that red dress.”

“Although she seems sweet and innocent and shy, at times she seems ready to participate in a much more intimate and dangerous game. I know I shouldn’t be thinking about games or misery or anything else concerning Olivia Townsend.But damn if I’m not!”

“Perceptive. She’s as smart as she is beautiful. And probably doesn’t think she’s either one.”

“Now I want to kiss her even more.Damn you! You just get more and more appealing.”

“I don’t know why I feel so compelled to tell Olivia all my dirty little secrets, but I do”

“But the thing I notice most isn’t what’s in them—surprise, disbelief, curiosity, maybe a little pity—it’s what’s not. Judgment. Disdain. Horror. None of the things I’ve so often seen in people’s eyes when I’ve had to tell them my story.Now I want to kiss her even more.”

“Are you cold?” he asks, turning toward me to run the backs of his fingers up and down my upper arm, as if testing the temperature of my skin. “Here,” he says, taking off his jacket and draping it over my shoulders. The jacket is warm and heavy and smells just like Nash, like whatever cologne or soap he uses. I figure it must be called delicious, maybe by Armani or some other fancy designer. It almost makes my mouth water. “Is that better?” He wraps his arm around me, too, as if to ensure I won’t be cold. Of course, I won’t complain. Even if I was sweating, I wouldn’t complain.“That’s much better, thank you.”

“Up here, people like that don’t exist,” Nash says quietly as he comes to stand beside me. He’s so close his shoulder is brushing mine. I fight the urge to lean against him.”

“I stop dead in my tracks when I see Nash leaning against the wall right outside the ladies’ room. His legs are crossed casually at the ankle, as his arms are crossed casually over his chest. His smile is faint. And sad.Finally, he straightens and steps toward me. He doesn’t stop until he is mere inches from me, forcing me to tilt my face up just to maintain eye contact.He brushes his thumb over the ridge of my cheekbone at the corner of my eye. I wonder briefly if I missed a streak of mascara.“I’m so sorry,” he whispers, closing his eyes as if in pain. His face is etched with regret and it tugs at my heart.“Don’t be. You can’t control other people. I just hope I haven’t embarrassed you too badly, or ruined any important business connections you were hoping to make.”“I don’t care about business connections. Not at this cost.”

“And the girl? I’m pretty sure he got her from a movie set where the music sounds like bow chicka bow wow. That or she’s inflatable.”

“As I’m debating running for the exit, Nash leans down to whisper at my ear.“Is something wrong?”“I feel like the only splash of color in an abstract painting.”“You are the splash of color. But there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Note to self: Do not expect coherent thought to be possible when staring at Nash. Motor skills may be impaired as well. Take necessary precautions.”

“I turn my head to look at him again. Immediately it gets all fuzzy with hormones.“Um, I was, uh, I was thinking about being shaken and stirred.” He looks over at me and quirks one brow. “I mean I was thinking how well you could probably shake and stir something.”Ohmigod, somebody stop me!”

“I’m a little disappointed when we reach the car. I could really just walk and talk and tease her all night long.”

“She bursts into laughter. I can tell she wasn’t expecting me to say that. But I’m so glad I did. Hearing her laugh is like listening to the best kind of symphony.”

“Really?”“Really.”“Really really?”“Really really. Just remember, tonight you’re mine.”It worries how much I like the sound of that, the thought of that.Her grin fully forms and she releases my wrist to salute me. “Sir, yes sir.”

“Please don’t say another word. You look beautiful. In Marissa’s wildest dreams, she could never fill out that dress the way you do. I’ll be the envy of every guy in the whole damn place.”

“And this girl—this tiny, curvaceous, engaging, walking, talking contradiction—is working her way up to Libby Fields’s position very, very quickly, which is really saying something since I’m twenty-five, not fourteen.”

“I’m both surprised and irritated that I feel my tuxedo pants shrink a size in the crotch. I’ll have to be extra careful with this girl. I can’t remember the last time someone so thoroughly tested my restraint.”

“I reach out and take her spastic hand, pressing the forefinger of my free hand to her lips. “Shhh.” She stops talking immediately. Yes, I could’ve shut her up a hundred different ways without touching her, but I figure this is better than kissing her, which is what I really want to do.Good God, how I want to kiss her!”

“She glides to a stop in front of me, all grace and luscious skin. Her bare chest and shoulders glow in the low light. I want to touch her, caress her, so much so that I ball my fingers into tight fists to keep them to myself.“You look beautiful.” My voice sounds strained, even to my own ears.”

“I shake off the thought, knowing I can’t go forward tonight thinking things like that.Think with the big head, man! Think with the big head!”

“The door closes and then there’s a long pause before it swings all the way open. What I see takes my breath.Marissa is taller than Olivia. Thinner, too. But Olivia is curvier. Much curvier. And every single one is displayed to absolute perfection in the dress she’s wearing.I think I’ve seen Marissa in it before, and she looked great. But not great like this.The material is some kind of thin, almost sheer stuff in dark red. It flutters in the air that stirs as the door comes to a rest against the stopper with a muffled thump. Olivia stands still and lets me appraise her before she starts toward me. I clench my jaw to keep my mouth from dropping open as I watch her. The wispy cloth clings to her body as she walks, outlining her form perfectly. She might as well be nude.Holy mother, I wish she was.I shake off the thought, knowing I can’t go forward tonight thinking things like that.Think with the big head, man! Think with the big head!”

“She’s stubborn? Huh. I wouldn’t have guessed that. But actually, I kinda like it.”

“he’s stubborn? Huh. I wouldn’t have guessed that. But actually, I kinda like it.”

“I can’t help but wonder if I could get away with stabbing her cold, cold heart with an ice pick.For that, I might win the Nobel Peace Prize. Or, bare minimum, a call from the Vatican, thanking me.”

“It’s just like Marissa to jump right in with the heavy artillery, like guilt and extortion.I’m so proud to be related to the devil’s mistress.”

“There’s a long pause filled with enough tension for me to perceive it through a mostly-closed door.Back up, Nash! She’s about to blow!”

“The raised voice that surprises me, however, belongs to Nash. I creep to the door and crack it the tiniest bit, turning my head and pressing my ear to it.You are a shameless, creepy eavesdropping hussy.”