He leaned in again, pressinghis lips against mine, hard and insistent. A closed-lip kiss like you’d give tosomeone who’d dropped by to say you’d won the lottery.
Sunshine-warmth crept up myspine as he smiled at me.
“Thank you,” he said, and Iwasn’t sure what he was thanking me for. “Do you think you could eat a reallunch?”
“No,” I admitted. I wasn’tused to eating lunch. “But I could watch you eat, if you’re hungry.”
Fox chuckled. “I’m never nothungry,” he said. “But I’ll live. If you’d rather a few more minutes of peace,take them.”
I opened my mouth to answerjust as the handle on the bathroom door turned. In a panic, I pushed Fox awaywith the hand still on his chest, heart leaping into my throat.
Shit.
Shit.
Not again. Not after lastnight. How many times could I push him away before he’d justgo?
The fact that he’d come back tome today was a goddamn miracle, and I couldn’t expect many more of those.
Someone I didn’t know and hadn’tseen before came in and ducked into a stall without even glancing at us, whichmeant it’d been pointless, too.
Looking back at Fox, Iexpected to see hurt on his face—I’d just pushed him away, after all. But all Isaw was compassion, understanding, and even the faintest trace of lust.
What had I done to deservethat?
Whatever it was, I wanted tokeep it up.
“Probably shouldn’t beloitering in the loos,” Fox said. “People might get entirely the wrong idea.”
I raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
“Wash up and come out whenyou’re ready,” he said. “I’ll just be on the other side of the door.”
I nodded, looking at myselfin the mirror again and turning the faucet on so I could splash some more coolwater in my face and force my hair into submission—or at least, a neater messthan it was. A more deliberate-looking mess.
I could do this.
Fox believed in me. Thethought flooded the pit of my stomach with warmth.
Foxbelievedin me.Andlikedme. And wanted me to do my best.
Just this once, I decided.Just this one time, I could be weak and needy and let Fox give me everything Iwanted, and I’dgive him up when the time came and keep the memory.
As long as no one ever foundout, it wouldn’tmatter to anyone but me.
TWELVE
FOX
I was so stupid. Sofantastically, phenomenally stupid.
First, I’d gone andgoaded a man who’d been threatening to tear up Quinn’s contract, my legendarytemper getting the better of me, claws coming out at the worst possible moment.
Defensive instinct or not, Icould have blown everything. John might’ve folded like a linenshirt, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t go back to the office, fuming, and workon getting his revenge.
But I hadn’t been done, hadI? No, I’d had to go andcompoundthe error by not onlykissing Quinn but convincing him to record a song he was supposed to beforgetting about.
Hadn’t this kind of shit gottenme in enough trouble in my life?
