He held it up, out of her grasp. She may have been tall, but he was still taller. She made an appalled sound, coming closer to reach for it again. He craned his arm back, and she reached over him, her chest brushing against his.
Amused, he wrapped his free arm around her waist, holding her in place against him.
Hissing, she stomped on his foot, and he grimaced, though he still held onto her, keeping the file out of reach.
“I was thinking of giving it to you,” he said as his foot throbbed. “But that wasn’t very nice.”
“I’m not a nice girl,” she told him, flashing her teeth. “Now give it to me before I do something worse.”
For some reason, her threatening him made his pulse race. This is what he had been expecting when he got her to agree to coming to the bookshop at the same time as him. It was the most excitement he’d had all week, and the hurt he’d felt earlier faded away, replaced with adrenaline.
Luke cocked his head to the side, considering her. His arm was still locked around her waist, her body pressed against his as she reached in vain. Heat spread through him.
“Alright,” he conceded. “I’ll give it to you—on one condition.”
She made an impatient sound. “What?”
He paused, thinking. “Forget it,” he said, pretending to change his mind. “You won’t accept it anyway.”
“What. Is it.” She gritted the words out. Her cheeks were pink. He shouldn’t have enjoyed bothering her so much, but he did. “You don’t know the lengths I’m willing to go.”
Her voice was a dare, and so, he dared her back.
“A kiss,” he said.
Her lips parted, eyes widening. She stopped moving. His hold on her waist loosened. She could have stepped away then if she wanted, but she was standing entirely still.
“Come on,” he said, voice lowering. “It’s not anything we haven’t done before.”
He wanted to remind her of their past, to torture her with it the way he was tortured. She may have pretended she didn’t think of that time, but her sharp intake of breath at his words made him think that maybe she did.
It couldn’t have meant so little to her—not when it meant so much to him. Perhaps she truly did need a reminder.
He knew she would never agree, but he could tease her. His gaze dropped to her lips, and her cheeks flushed. She bit her lower lip, flustered.
Shedidthink about it.
It was enough for him to know that it wasn’t all in his head. The past and the present. She felt it, too, she was just better at hiding it, at resisting. It was probably the clever thing to do, truly, but when could he ever be trusted to be clever around beautiful women?
Especially not Emmeline Sterling.
It was why he was about to hand over the file without his condition being met when she surprised him by meeting his gaze dead-on, a determined glint in her eyes.
“Alright,” she said.
He froze, blood roaring through his ears.
“What?” he asked stupidly. Luke hadn’t considered that she’d actually agree. His pulse quickened just at the thought, and then she inched closer.
“What?” she repeated, voice sultry. “Nervous?” Shebatted her lashes, and any feeling of superiority he felt vanished.
He was no longer in control of the situation, not at all.
Trying to stay cool, Luke swallowed the lump in his throat, but it was hard to deny the effect she was having on his body.
“Like you said,” she continued, putting a hand on his chest. “It isn’t anything we haven’t done before.” His heart pounded as she drew nearer. She leaned forward, voice dropping to a whisper. “Do you remember?”
He started short-circuiting, the situation entirely out of hand as her fingers played with his necklaces, long nails scratching the skin of his chest. The sweet scent of jasmine invaded his senses, making him dizzy.
