She pushes off from the wall and stands way too close to me. “Did you go to my father and ask to join our team, or was it the other way around?”
I pause and repeat the question in my head before ultimately giving in, since it’s not necessarily a secret. “I asked.”
Her gaze narrows. “Why?”
I give her the same answer I’ve been told to give the media. “I wanted to see how I’d do on my own, away from my father.”
She shakes her head. “That’s either a blatant lie, or it’s only half the truth. There’s more to it. I saw the way you acted when your father showed up at the press conference.”
I swallow. “So?”
“So, tell me,” she orders. “I think I deserve to know why you’re really here, since I’m your head engineer!"
I can’t argue that.
But I still can’t tell her.
“I can’t tell you.”
She fixes me with a confused look. “You can’t, or you won’t?”
“Can’t.”
She looks away, and for some reason, I want her eyes back on mine, so I give her a little more to chew on.
“It’s in the contract.”
Her posture stiffens. “What?”
I take a step away from her and rest against the elevator bar. The tension between us does nothing but amp me up. “The one your father had me sign.”
Tessa looks me up and down, clearly not believing me. “And what else does it say in that contract? Does it say you have to keep Vanstone’s Princess from getting laid?”
My mouth twitches. “It says I can’t lay a finger on your brothers.”
“And what does it say about me?” Tessa pops a hip, waiting for my answer.
On instinct, I rake my eyes down her body.I wish it said something about her.
I push off from the wall and erase the empty space between us. Tessa stands her ground, angling her chin to peer up at me. “It says nothing about you, so I guess that means I can touch you if I want.”
She’s calling my bluff, but she really shouldn’t.
My body is acting in a way it shouldn’t from having her in this tight space with no real exit. The tips of my fingers ache to grab a hold of her, and I can’t stop teetering the line that is very obviously drawn between us.
Her mouth opens, and I stare at her moving lips. “Then maybe you should finish what you interrupted.”
I think she’s messing with me, so I throw it back in her face. “Careful what you wish for, Princess.”
A look of uncertainty flashes across her face. “You wouldn’t.”
It’s almost like she doesn’t know me.
“It sounds like you’re challenging me.” I move quick. I snake my arm around her waist and pull her in close.
I can’t help but notice the way her breasts press against my chest with her sharp inhale. I also can’t help but notice that she isn’t necessarily pushing me away.
She does look at the emergency button, though, like it’s going to save her.
