Page 95 of To Tango, with Desire

“Your ego is astounding.”

I pulled up my shirt, offering her a glimpse. “Tell me the truth, sweetheart. They didn’t offer this, huh?”

“I shouldn’t have told you anything.” The pillow came sailing through the air, landing smack against my face.

“Game on, wife.”

She barely had time to scramble back before I pounced. Trapping her legs between mine, I found the spot beneath her rib cage, working my way up to her armpit. I continued the torment until she was gasping with laughter.

She jerked, trying to wriggle away.

“Say I have the sexiest body you’ve ever seen.”

She squealed, tears rolling down her face now. “No!”

“Say I’m a god amongst men!”

“Never!” She gasped, doing her best to try to tickle me back.

Her fingers dived beneath my armpit, and I shifted, giving her just enough room to wiggle back. But as I launched forward again, she drove her knee up, slamming it into my nose.

The world went momentarily black and I fell back against the sofa, absorbing the pain.

“Fuck!”

“Oh my god, Zane!”

I blinked, looking at the blood smeared on my hand. It began to drip down my shirt. Whipping it off, I sat forward, using it to staunch the flow. I’d been in enough fights growing up to know what to do when someone busted my nose.

“Holy shit, Zane, I’m so sorry. What—peas! I’ll get some peas. Do we have peas?”

“Amira . . .” But she’d already fled the room.

It didn’t take her long to come back with a bag of frozen peas and a dishcloth.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine. Totally my fault for pinning you down.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Not exactly a walk in the park. But I’ve had worse.”

“You and Kade—”

“Kade? That’s the funniest shit I’ve heard. No, Kade was never one to use his fists. But growing up in a rough neighborhood, you had to learn how to fight. How to defend yourself.”

“Shit, I’m so—”

“Stop apologizing.”

She bit her lip, gingerly sitting beside me.

“Tell me the truth,” I said once the bleeding had subsided. “You just wanted to see me without my shirt on.”

“Funny.”

I grabbed the bag of peas, placing it carefully on my face. “So you wanted to maim me so no other woman would look twice? I get it. Playing dirty.”