Moreau felt Anna’s gaze on him and pressed his lips together. He didn’t need painkillers! When he felt his knee flaring up in the evening, he put ice on it and that was it.
“Thanks,” he replied harshly and grabbed the bottle.
The doctor snorted and shook his head before pushing past him and following the other players out.
Moreau wanted to turn and leave too – he didn’t want to be alone with Anna – but soft, warm fingers wrapped around his and held him back.
Goosebumps climbed up his arm just like every time she touched him. It was, however, the first time he hadn’t welcomed the desire that her mere touch unleashed.
He pulled his hand away. He folded his arms behind his back and peered down at her coolly, even as a quiet anger rose in him. He looked into her innocently widened, light blue eyes. She had lied to his face, after all. She had risked the press attacking Melody.
“You ignored my message,” she whispered, looking nervously past him toward the door.
He said nothing. Why would he give an answer she already knew?
“Why did you ignore my message?”
Because he hadn’t felt the need to talk to her. Okay, he never felt the need to talk to anyone – except maybe Melody – but in his experience, words didn’t solve problems, they made more problems happen.
“I was hoping we could have one more adult conversation before I started today,” she murmured, looking up at him uncertainly and biting her lip.
Moreau’s gaze landed unerringly on the spot where her incisors dug into the soft flesh of her bottom lip. Was she doing it on purpose? Was she angry because he had ended things between them and was now deliberately trying to turn him on? Because if so, she could forget about it. It wouldn’t work.
She let out a small sigh.
He almost got hard.
Okay, italmostdidn’t work.
His jaw clenched as he forced himself to look at her eyes, and her eyes only.
It was strange. He didn’t know this woman. He didn’t know when her birthday was, what her favorite TV show was, or what she did with her free time. But he knew her smell. Knew every sound that came from her lips. Knew how she felt under his body and how she looked when her eyes glazed over with desire. Now, he wanted to wipe that innocent expression from her face.Wanted to punish her for lying. He knew exactly how to stall her, how to torment her…
“I know conversations aren’t your strong suit,” Anna continued undeterred, tucking her hair behind her ears, “but we didn’t have a proper ending. You never let me explain.” She frowned. “I didn’t mean to lie. I’m sorry. It was just complicated. Dax and Jack wanted to keep it to themselves… Can’t we just forget about it? I mean, it’s good that we both ended it. I’m not stressed anymore. The exams are over. So I don’t need you to…” She cleared her throat. “Well, I take my job seriously, and I have worked toward this position for ten years. I don’t want to do anything that makes my job more difficult. It doesn’t have to be awkward between us at all. It was just sex, we both know that, and now…can’t we just be friends?”
She looked at him expectantly while he waited. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds.
Then he asked abrasively, “Are you done?”
She blinked. “Um…yes.”
“Good.”
The next moment, he turned and left.
He had absolutely nothing to say to Anna. He didn’t want to be alone with her. He didn’t want to be friends with her. He didn’t want to talk about what had happened. He didn’t want an apology and he never wanted to hear the wordsexcome out of her mouth again because it gave him dirty ideas that had no place in his head anymore.
She was right about one thing: It didn’t have to be awkward. As long as they both stayed away from each other, they wouldn’t have a problem.
Chapter Four
Fourth encounter
“Where do you live? So far, we’ve only ever been at my place.”
He dug his fingers into her hips and pulled her hard against his erection, making her gasp.
“Lucas, you haven’t answered me!”
