“Dex…”
“See, here’s the thing. Selena has her version of events, and we have ours.”
“Ours?”
“You saw her bump into a door, didn’t you? Because that’s what I’ll say if I have to.”
She let that sink in. “You’d lie for me?”
“Maybe.” Pause. “For a price.”
“Damn it.” She tried to escape him and found herself spun and pressed none too gently against the wall. The breath knocked out of her, she blinked into Dex’s smoky gray eyes. “Nice way to treat a woman.”
“More like a wildcat.” He grinned. “Oh come on. You hit Selena a hell of a lot harder than I set you against this bulkhead.”
“The what?”
“The wall, Little Miss Civilian.” He winked, and she started to smile. Then, remembering exactly who was holding her prisoner, she scowled again.
He sighed. “Even sexier when you turn all mean. Okay. Let’s put our cards on the table.”
“Let’s, you bully. What do you want?”
His grin unnerved her, because there was something wild, sexy, and a bit cruel about it. “What did I want twelve years ago? A date, Maya.”
“What?”
“Yeah. You want to avoid jail time. I want you. You owe me…hmm…let’s say ten dates. Ten romantic evenings, and we’re even.”
“I’m not sleeping with you to avoid going to jail!” Kinky, but even for Maya that was taking things a little too far.
He tsked. “Who said anything about sleeping? Or sex,” he tacked on before she could argue semantics. “You agree to go out with me. We have fun, enjoy each other’s company, but nothing you couldn’t share with friends. Dinner, a movie, a walk in the park.Mychoice. But you have to try to have fun.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Looking like Dex did, he couldn’t have been hard up for women. He was crazy hot. Then again, if he got his dates this way, perhaps the crazy was literal.
“As a heart attack.” He smiled at her, and her heart started racing away.
“So you want to go out with me. Ten times. No sex.”
“Well, I won’t say no to sex if you ask nicely.”
She glared at him, and he laughed again.
“Ten dates and you don’t rat me out for belting Selena,” she said slowly. “Is that right?”
“Yes, it is,” he responded just as slowly. “Has anyone ever told you that you have the most beautiful face? I mean, I could drown in your eyes.”
She blushed, not sure how to handle him. Back in high school, she’d been confident. He’d been nerdy but cute. A really nice kid, except for him blackmailing her with an incriminating photograph. At the prom he’d forced her to go to, he’d surprised her by being fun too. Cute and fun. Not sexy. Not seriously hot. Not ripped like a motherfucker.
She swallowed hard and stared at the muscles of his chest, visible through his tight T-shirt.
“Well?” He moved closer, his breath whispering over her lips.
The word “Fine,” whooshed out of her just as he kissed her.
And holy mother of God, but she forgot how to breathe while he seduced her into giving some tongue before he ended the kiss.
Masterful, effortless and he had her panting and leaning in for more.
