“Oh, does he now?” Shaking her head, Harlow swings the door wider. “He isnotthe boss of this place, Sunny.” Her smile is devoid of humor. Deadly. Like she snacks on mediocre white men before dinner and picks the gristle out of her teeth. “Tell His Royal Highness that you’re my guest.” She nudges her head toward the open door, so certain of herself that she practically makes the decision for me.
As if I need help breaking the rules.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Grant
I’M DOWNSTAIRS AND HALFWAYthrough the inner door when Rae calls my name.
“Hey, Gran… General!”
Goddamn it.
I turn and wait as she stomps her heart-shaped ass all the way to where I’m standing, all thick and gorgeous in high-waisted jeans and little sneakers and a sweater that hugs every curve. I make the mistake of letting my eyes linger too long on her cleavage, and when I look up again, she’s gone from angry to downright livid.
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
She’s somehow backed me up against the lobby wall.
“I’m the guy who’s making sure you don’t lose your job.”
“My job?” Oh, she’s pissed now. “You think this is about my job, you jerk? You’re the one who disobeyed the rules at work. I didn’t do that by myself.”
“Not coming here is a rule. Or did you forget?”
She lowers her voice. “Sure. But making a colleague come at work is just fine, huh?”
“We discussed that. I was proving a point.”
“Oh, such bullshit. You wanted to pretend it never happened because you knew you broke your own damn rules.”
“Yeah?” I allow myself the luxury of a long, slow, top-to-bottom look. “Then I take it you’re here for another taste.”
Her eyes narrow to slits. “Oh, you sanctimonious pr—”
Something gives inside me, a dam breaking. I can’t wait another second. I dip my head and stop her with my mouth. My hands slide into all that hair as I drag her close.
After a fraction of a second’s surprise, she kisses me back, all teeth and tongue and disgruntled little sounds, between which she manages to mutter, “You’re an asshole, Bowman.”
I growl, apparently less skilled at talking and kissing than she is.
But also my brain’s shorted out and my body’s on autopilot, and its destination is set for all the way. There’s no request for consent, no communication between us. Just this wild, snapping beast that is the sum of our parts. The burn of my scalp where she tugs my hair, twisting my face left so she can nibble at my jaw, but fuck that. We’re doing this my way.
“Get your ass over here.” I scoop her up, spin, and pin her to the wall in one move. Rae’s legs wrap around my waist, and what started off as a joint struggle suddenly morphs into a partnership. “I’ll make you come again,” I warn, pumping my hips to show her just how ready I am to take this further. “I’ve seen how you lose it.”
She bites my lip. I lick into her mouth. She groans, and I eat that too.
This kiss… it’s nothing like what I’ve done before. It’s not a stepping stone on the way to something. Not part of some accepted agenda. It’s not even like the big, open-mouthed kisses I’ve done in scenes, which are more about physically dominatinga partner than intimacy. I’m out of control, wild, and I resent her for it. For the way I can’t think straight, see straight, can only twist and bite… and want.
“Oh god, Grant,” she sighs, and I feel huge. Bigger than the goddamn world. I kiss her deeper, harder, tighten my hold, and—
Someone interrupts. “Geesh, you two. Get a room.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Rae
WAIT. WAS THATSAM?
