The scent of her shampoo drifted again between us as she hesitated, overwhelmingly sweet as I watched her body fight with the struggle of being cornered and not quite ready to surrender.
“Is there a problem, Violet?”
The question hung loaded between us like a cocked weapon, our turbulent history ever so clear as we eyed each other. In that moment, I was offering her a choice: back down or step up. Walk away or push back. And as always, she was ready to show me who she really was beneath all that privilege and polish.
“You’re insufferable, Rowan.”
“That is a big word for you,princess.I am overjoyed to see that college is paying off for you.” I glanced down at the small space between us. “Do you mind? You are standing uncomfortably close.” I shifted slightly towards her, letting her torn denim brush against mine.
She did not disappoint, meeting me with fire. “Yeah? You plan on moving your ass out of the way then?”
“Not when you ask so nicely.”
“You know, Rowan, sometimes I cannot stand you.” She spoke my name with a hint of dissatisfaction, those pearly teeth biting down on her lip to the point I thought she would bleed. Her heart jumped.
Such a feisty little thing.“That feeling is mutual. Although I believe common courtesy is not too much to expect from you. You simply have to ask nicely, Violet. Say, ‘Will you step to the side, please?’”
I was pushing her, waiting for her to snap, but she held steady—iron against stone, cold and reserved. Our game of chicken stretched between us, neither willing to yield.
“If you will not move, Rowan, then I will just get it my own way.”
“Suit yourself,princess.”
She drew a breath that lifted her chest, then stepped closer until her body pressed against mine in ways that sent heat spiraling through me. Both arms reached around me, putting her dangerously close as sheopened the cabinet door. It swung wide and cracked me hard across the back of my skull, forcing me to duck with a sharp curse.
Our faces ended up inches apart.
Time slowed to an asphyxiated silence. Her eyes were not the simple hazel hue I had always thought—they were flecked with amber and gold, like honey-dewed grass caught in the light of sunrise. With her eyes so close, I realized how pale she was. Dark circles carved shadows beneath her lashes.She hasn’t been sleeping well, either.
My gaze drifted down, noting how her lips gleamed wet and full as her tongue darted out to trace her perfect cupid’s bow.
My jeans grew uncomfortably tight.
“You’re staring,” she said, her voice oddly hoarse.
I was not one to back down. By all the gods, I let my mouth curve into an inviting smirk and watched heat creep up her throat to stain her cheeks. In my other life, I had been a rugged and scarred man with weathered lines. In this life, I used my attractive youth when necessary to play a little dirty.
Why waste something gifted by the gods?
“So are you,princess.” I kept my voice low, deliberately rough.
I watched her struggle to form words, pupils dilating as she grabbed a glass and stepped away, clutching it to her chest like armor. I crossed my arms, trying to put distance between us and the heat radiating off her skin.
Just biology, I told myself. Just two bodies responding to proximity and adrenaline. I ignored the fact that I wanted to put that smart mouth of hers to better use.
Violet kept her eyes locked on mine as she filled the glass. She took several gulps, then pressed the glass back to her chest and began backing towards the door, refusing to give me her back.
What a fucking brat.I arched a brow. “You do not have eyes in the back of your head. Turn around and watch where you are going before you hurt yourself,princess.” Her heart fluttered like a caged bird, panic threading through the rhythm.
Eyes narrowing, she struck out once more. “You are going to regret taunting me.”
I shrugged. “And one day you will regret challenging me.” I nodded towards the door leading back to her family. “But today is not that day, Violet. Walk like a normal person and get back outside. I will see you in a bit.”
She glared at me with enough heat to melt steel, then turned and walked briskly towards the patio. When the last shadow of her disappeared, I let out a held breath.
A spoiled little princess indeed.
Chapter 5
