Royce set his dishes in the sink. “Well, that’s unfortunate,” he chuckled wryly. “Could have been fun.” He checked his watch and grimaced. “I ought to head out. My students’ term papers won’t grade themselves, and my new TA is giving me hell.”
“TA?”
“Teacher’s Assistant,” he clarified with a little smirk. “It’s a…”
“I know what a TA is. You’re a teacher?” Sophie blurted out, then covered her mouth with a hand, embarrassed.
“College Professor at Hampstead University. It’s a small college, but I like it. I teach Paleontology.”
Sophie snorted. “Like Indiana Jones?” She giggled. The idea had merit. Royce was sexy, dominating, and funny. He’d give Harrison Ford a run for his money.
“Something like that. Only Indy is an archeologist. He handles artifacts from human cultures. I deal with dinosaurs.”
Sophie sat up straighter in her seat, completely fascinated. “Do you actually go on digs and stuff?”
“As much as possible.” Royce studied her with a new gleam in his eyes. “You want to come on a dig sometime?”
A low growl broke through their conversation. “She’s busy, Royce. Why don’t you go find Hans and have him get the case of bourbon?” Emery cut in as he came around the bar. He slid his arms around her hips and placed his chin on her shoulder to gaze at his friend warningly.
Royce’s lips twitched. “Well, I see how it is. Sophie, sweetheart, when you and he aren’t…shacking up anymore, you give me a call. We’ll godigging.” The way he said the word “digging” had her biting her lip and containing a breathless sigh. And with that, Royce smiled and left the kitchen.
Emery released her only after Royce was gone. Sophie attempted to get off the stool, but her ankle clanked sharply against the bar stool leg.
“Oh crap! He’s got the key. Go get him!” Sophie demanded. Emery only shook his head, grinning.
“I’ve got a spare key.” He retrieved it from a kitchen drawer. A fact that for some reason disturbed Sophie. Was handcuffing women to bar stools normal for him? She didn’t like the idea of Emery with other women—not that she had any right to be possessive about his past, and it wasn’t like they would be exclusive for long in this strange bargain they’d made. Once he found out her secrets, he’d kick her out immediately.
“Is there any special reason you have handcuff keys in your kitchen?”
“Sometimes I like a midnight snack, and I have to chain her to a counter.”
A wicked image of her restrained on the counter, spread wide like a feast, burst into bloom. Emery’s golden head between her thighs, his tongue thrusting in and out, his lips sucking on her clit…
“Now that looks like an interesting thought you just had. Care to share?”
“Nope, not sharing.” She was on fire, and he was just standing there putting dishes in the dishwasher. Ridiculous. This was all absolutely ridiculous. And yet, if he asked her to strip and get on the counter and spread her legs, she’d do it without a second thought.
He leaned back against the counter, arms crossed over his chest as he studied her. “Pity. It looked like it might have been fun to try whatever you were thinking.”
“Can you just uncuff me now?” The handcuff jangled andthunked against the wood leg of the stool when she jerked her ankle.
His eyes softened with amusement and the hard lines bracketing his mouth smoothed for a moment. “And let you break our bargain by running off? Not a chance.” Something buzzed and Emery dug into his pants pocket. He pulled out a sleek black smartphone and put it to his ear.
“Lockwood.” His tone was clipped.
Silence.
Sophie cocked her head, straining to listen.
“Brant, I told you that we are ready to issue the press release on the latest GPS locator…The kinks have been eliminated…You want me to go where? You know I don’t like Manhattan…No, if the board wants to meet, I’ll fly them out here…Being stubborn?” Emery laughed, but Sophie flinched at the edge of bitterness layered beneath the rich sound. “Of course I’m stubborn. Quit arguing with me. Tell the board I’ll have a jet waiting for them tomorrow morning. Eleven a.m. No sooner. I’ve got—” Emery paused, his eyes roving over Sophie’s body— “things that require my attention. Very important things and I cannot be bothered before then. See you tomorrow.” He returned the cellphone to his pocket and closed the dishwasher.
“Who’s Brant?” Sophie leaned forward, admiring the view of his backside as he bent to pick up a towel from the floor. The muscles of his thighs were large and beautiful outlined through the dark suit pants. He looked strong, and the thought of all of that power directed at the sensitive spot between her legs, straining, pounding…
“Brant is my cousin.” Emery straightened and was now viewing her with an amused expression. She realized she’d been daydreaming as she stared at his butt and legs. Sophie clamped her eyes shut, feeling like a total idiot.
“Older or younger than you?” She opened her eyes again, blushing when she caught a knowing smirk flitting across his sensual mouth.
“You really are a reporter. Got to have all the facts, huh?”
