Her jaw clenches. “Maybe, I’m just not in the mood to celebrate.”
“No,” I say quietly, my gaze dropping to her lips for a half second before meeting hers again. “Apparently not.” Silence stretches between us for a second before as we stare into each other’s eyes. “You look like someone who just lost something instead.” Her breath hitches, barely noticeable but I catch it anyway. She hates that I can tell how hurt she is. It’s written all over her face. The crack that my words just tore up more.
“You don’t know anything about me,” she says weakly, her voice laced with vulnerability.
“I know enough,” I reply, taking another step closer to her. She doesn’t move an inch. Doesn’t lean back. Doesn’t try to run.
“Enlighten me then,” she says, sharper than any time she’s spoken to me before. She straightens. A silent challenge no doubt. A dangerous game to play, but my favorite, nonetheless. I take another step closer to her, leaning down where we are face to face.
“Challenge accepted,” I whisper into her ear. A slight shiver, followed by goosebumps break out along her skin. “You walked into a room tonight hoping for one thing…” Her eyes don’t leave mine. “And walked out of it with something else entirely.” Her fingers dig into the palm of her hand.
“You’re pissed,” I continue, my voice barely above a whisper. “But that’s not what you’re really angry about.” I shift closer, placing my arms on the chair, caging her in. I’m close enough now to see every shift in her, every breath she takes. “You’re not upset that he betrayed you,” I pause, letting it sink in that I know. “You’re upset because a part of you already knew.” That does it.
“Stop,” she snaps, her eyes turning glassy with unshed tears.
“Why?” I ask. “Am I wrong?”
She tilts her head up, our mouths only centimeters apart. I can taste her breath. “You don’t get to stand there and act like you have me all figured out,” she says. I don’t step back. I don’t move away. The fire in her stare just pulls me closer. There’s my forbidden ace.
“Then prove me wrong,” I whisper against her lips, my gaze never leaving hers. “Tell me I’m wrong.” But she doesn’t, and that silence…it’s louder than any words she could have spoken at this moment. She wants to feel anything, but what she does. It’s in every breath she takes, every shift of her expression, every word she speaks. My chest tightens as the tension between us becomes almost too much. I could take her. Right here, rightnow, and I doubt she would stop me. Instead, I straighten slowly, giving her room to breathe, but not enough where she can’t feel the heat of my skin anymore.
“Careful, Miss Reith,” I say, my voice smooth and controlled again. “People always come in here thinking they are in control…. but that’s never the case.” I let that hang there between us, expecting it to hit her the way my threats usually do. But it doesn’t. And that surprises me. She exhales slowly, like she’s containing herself. Her eyes find mine again, and the fire is there, but now she’s calmer. Too calm.
“Is that supposed to impress me?” She questions. I don’t answer right away.
She uncrosses her legs, slowly, intentionally brushing one of mine in the process. I inhale sharply. “You think because you can read me,” she continues, tilting her head as she looks up to me. “Like you have everything figured out because you watched me for god knows how long out those windows.” There’s no hesitation, no softness anymore, just defiance. “Maybe I did know,” she adds, shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe I knew exactly what he was doing.” That stops me. There is no way she knew. Not with how she responded. She leans in further, brushing my lips with hers as she speaks. “And maybe I decided to stay anyway, because it’s the only thing in my life that actually felt like mine.”
She leans back, creating space between us again. “Ever think of that…Mr. Hartley.” I study her for a long minute. Longer than I should be, than I need to be, because that is not what I expected her to say. “So, tell me,” she adds, her eyes flicking over me once…twice…before settling back on mine. “Since you’re the one who is always in control of everything,” she pauses, stands, coming chest to chest with me now. “What happens when something doesn’t go your way?”
My control nearly snaps. Most don’t challenge me. They fold the minute they are in the same room, but she doesn’t. And I can’t decide if that’s a problem, or the most captivating thing I have ever seen. “Careful,” I murmur, a silent warning in my voice, but she doesn’t flinch.
“Or what?” The corner of my mouth almost lifts in a smirk. Almost.
“Or you might just find out what happens to those who challenge me,” I reply under my breath. She inhales sharply as she holds my gaze, like she’s daring me to make the next move. And for the first time, I don’t take control of this moment. I let her have it. Because it isn’t just mine anymore.
CHAPTER 21
Payson
I feellike I can’t breathe. The way he stares into my soul…Every nerve in my body is telling me to break this connection. To look away. Because standing this close to him feels like I’m stepping into something I don’t fully understand. Something I know I won’t be able to walk away from if I cross that line. And damn do I want to. He smells so good. Citrusy, with a hint of vanilla and the bourbon he was drinking. The perfect combination that has my senses on alert. The feel of his body this close to mine is causing goosebumps up my arms and a feeling in my stomach I don’t recognize.“Or you might just find out.”His words linger in the air between us. Like it’s a threat he hasn’t decided if he was going to enforce yet. The worst part? I want him to.
Those words alone should be enough to make me want to turn and run before he regains control. But I don’t. I can’t. Instead, I take it a step further, pressing myself into him. My heart betraying me as it nearly jumps from my chest. “Is that supposed to scare me?” I challenge, acting braver than I feel. Something crosses through his eyes, telling me I shouldbe afraid. But I feel anything but, and that is more terrifying than the way he is making me feel right now. “Should it?” he questions.
“No,” I lie. His expression morphs into a dangerous one. Shit. My chest continues to constrict in ways I don’t like.
“Good,” he answers.
The air between us has changed, and neither of us is willing to acknowledge it. I need to leave. I need to walk out of here fast, find my friend, and pretend this whole ordeal never happened, but my feet won’t move. Not because they can’t but because my body is telling me it won’t be that easy. Not after standing this close to him, our near almost kiss…. I wish he would have. I practically threw myself against him, literally. “What is this?” I ask, breaking the silence between us before it swallows us whole. He reaches out and pushes my hair behind my ear. His gaze rakes over me like I am his prey.
“What do you want it to be?”
I let out a small breath, shaking my head. “Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“That,” I answer, gesturing between us. “Don’t answer a question with a question like you are trying to stay in control here.” A flicker of emotion crosses his face. I can’t read it. I can’t read him. Am I getting to him? Or does he find me amusing?
“Maybe I am,” he says.
