Finally, a full smile broke out on his face. He stood and moved toward her like a cougar sneaking up on its prey, ready for the kill. Her heartbeat hammered frantically, but she breathed through it, silently telling herself that he wasn’t anyone important... just another man who was trying to make her bend to his will. She couldn’t do that. Not with him.
She wanted to move away, but she challenged him with her stare. There was no way she’d back down.
He stopped in front of her – very close in front of her, in fact. As she took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, she breathed in his manly scent of spice. Dang, he smelled good.
“Oh, I definitely want something from you.” He nodded slowly. “So, what do you say we compromise?”
Nicole tilted her head. “What do you have in mind?”
“You give me those pictures your friend took of us the other night, and I’ll help you stop the takeover.”
Once again, confusion filled her head. What was he talking about? “Stop the takeover? Are you telling me that you’ll back down from tearing apart Adkins Dev-Tech?”
“Oh, sweetheart,” his voice dipped low as he stroked her cheek, “I was never going to tear apart James’ company.”
Excitement built inside of her – not because his warm fingers were caressing her face (well, maybe it was a little of that), but because he wasn’t going to destroy her grandfather’s company. She also felt a little embarrassed to think she’d jumped to conclusions about why he was in town. If he wasn’t here to take over the company, why was he here?
“You... weren’t?”
He shook his head. “No. I came to Maple Springs tohelpyour grandfather.”
Warning bells blasted through her head. He was lying... or leading her to believe something when he would do the exact opposite. Men like the Remington men would say anything to get what they wanted. Nicole couldn’t trust Mick.
She felt suffocated. She had to either open a window – which wasn’t manually possible – or move away from him. Their closeness was making it hard for her to breathe.
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe you,” she said, pushing him aside as she stepped past him. “Why should I believe a Remington? Although I haven’t worked with you before, I’ve heard stories, and they aren’t good.”
She stopped at her desk, bent over the inbox, and pretended to look through the stacked files. He followed her and stopped behind her. If she tried to turn around, she’d bump right into him. Of course, he knew that. Mick Remington knew how to play with women’s feelings just to take control.
“Nicole, look at me.”
His voice was too soft, and the warmth from his breath on her neck caused shivers to trickle over her body. Curse his rugged manliness and good looks.
This position was similar to how they’d been when she tried to leave his room the other night. Once she turned and faced him, he’d taken over. That would not be the outcome today.
She straightened, clenching her jaw. Her back bumped against his chest, and immediately, his hand rested on her hip.I don’t think so...Using the spiked high heel of her ankle boot, she stomped on his foot.
He released a yelp and limped away from her, giving her a chance to walk to her desk and sit on her chair. She always did feel more powerful behind a desk.
The accusing glare he gave her left a hint of sadness in his perfect grayish-blue eyes. For a moment, her heart twisted. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been so cruel.
“I’m assuming,” he said in a tight voice, “that the injury you sustained at the lounge the other night, has healed nicely.”
“Actually, I have the ugly bruised foot wrapped with a bandage, and it still hurts.”
“So, you wanted me to share your pain?” He limped back to the chair he’d been sitting in a few minutes ago.
Guilt filled her, even though she tried pushing it away. She shouldn’t have been violent. She’d never been that way before. She’d been raised differently, but it seemed that since the threat of her grandfather’s company being taken away, she’d pushed all of her pastor father’s teachings aside.
She sighed. “I’m sorry for stepping on your foot.”
“Stepping?No, Nicole, that wasn’t stepping. That wascrushingon purpose.”
Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose. What had he reduced her to?
She moved out of her chair, around to him as she bent to get a better look at his foot. “I’m sorry, again. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that.” She reached toward his shoe. “Let me see—”
He grasped her around the waist and brought her to his lap. She gripped the front of his suit, trying not to fall. The wide grin on his face let her know he’d planned this whole thing.
