“Don’t youKitty Katme.” My finger was back in his face. “You told the social worker we’re engaged. What were you—”
A loud gasp replaced the rest of my sentence when Tristan grabbed my hand and, with the speed of freaking light, held my arm behind my back. The move put us so close, my chest grazed his with every furious breath I took.
Ignoring the way my skin buzzed and the heat flooding my veins, I tilted my head to look at him. I’d never felt so small in my life. At five-five, I was by no means short, but even in heels, this man towered over me.
“You done?”
Not trusting myself to speak, I glared some more.
“Engaged is better than dating. Things seem more serious, more permanent.” His face inched closerto mine, and my poor brain short-circuited. “I believe thatwhat were you thinkingshould really bethank you, Tristan. You’re so smart, Tristan.”
“Fuck you.”
I had no idea where that came from. The words slipped from my mouth completely unchecked. Rolling my lips over my teeth, I prepared to apologize.
He was faster.
Gripping my chin with his free hand, he invaded my space some more. Eyes turning a few shades darker, his gaze flicked to my mouth before rising up to meet mine again. “That can be arranged.”
With that, he pressed his lips against my cheek in a quick chaste kiss then strolled into the night, as if he hadn’t just upended my entire fucking world.
Chapter thirteen
Tristan
Ihad a damn brainworm that wouldn’t go away.
It’d started niggling when I’d told Kate’s social worker we were engaged, and now, a week later, all that niggling had snowballed into something else entirely.
Being engaged looked better than dating, but the problem was it wasn’t permanent. Being married, making a life-long commitment… Now, that would send the right message.
All it would take was one trip to the courthouse for both Kate and I to be a step closer to reaching our goals.
There was no way the board could throw my lifestyle in my face when I had a family waiting at home. And no way a judge would give custody to some wannabe mom when Millie had a stable homelife.
It could work. It would work.
I just had to convince Kate of it.
Reaching her desk, I tapped my knuckles against the wood. “My office.”
Shepaused mid-bite, her fury-filled gaze snapping to mine. I’d been on the receiving end of those death glares for the last couple of days and, holy shit, they shouldn’t have made my blood hum the way it did.
“I’m eating.” She made a show of biting into her bagel.
Which sent my brain into overdrive. Images of my fingers threaded through her hair while she wrapped those perfectly plump lips around me.
Shit.
Clearing my throat, I leaned over her desk—more to hide my growing erection than to intimidate. “It wasn’t a request.”
Her brow slowly quirked, sending a silent “really” my way
I raised one in return. “Yes, fucking really.”
With a huff, she dropped her bagel into the take-out container and shoved to her feet. “You know it wouldn’t hurt to ask nicely.”
I didn’t know what came over me. In a blink, I rounded her desk and dropped to my knees in front of her. Pressing my palms together, I rested my chin on the tips of my fingers.
