Page 43 of After-Party Consequences

How had she managed to turn the tables on him so neatly? Because no one did that. Not any more...

Then again, everything about her was a turn-on.

Of course, he wasn’t about to tell her that, because she had too much power already.

He wasn’t sure how she had sneaked under his guard. But this fierce need would pass, once they’d finally got the chemical reaction they shared out of their systems. So the no sex rule was a problem. Then again, no way would they be able to keep their hands off each other for a whole five weeks while they were living in the same apartment.

‘You’re damn sneaky, too, when you want to be,’ he said, unable to keep the admiration out of his voice.

He hated to be beaten,ever. But who would have guessed this poor little rich girl would have the backbone of a Trojan and the tactical smarts of a five-star general...or that he would find the challenge she represented not just infuriating, but also compelling?

She sent him a quick grin, full of relief and no small amount of triumph. The pleasure she derived from her victory turned her green eyes to a rich emerald.

‘I’m going to take that as a compliment,’ she said.

He hadn’t intended it as one. But even so, he found himself smiling back.

‘Do we have a deal?’ she asked.

‘I guess,’ he said, forced to concede she had won this round.Mostly.

But as she walked by him, he yanked his hand out of his pants pocket. ‘How about we shake on it?’

Her gaze darted to his. But she took his hand—because she was way too overconfident.

Big mistake.

He felt her tremble of reaction as his fingers closed around hers and his thumb caressed the rabbiting pulse in her wrist.

She yanked her hand free—sent him a quelling look, telling him she knew exactly what he had been up to with that wrist stroke. Then marched off to check out the guest rooms.

But his smile spread as he watched her go.

Yeah, you can run again, sugar, but you can’t hide—not from me and sure as heck not from this chemistry. Not for long anyhow.

CHAPTER TWELVE

One week later

‘CADE,YOU’REHERE!’ Charley stared at the man standing with his back to her in the huge open-plan kitchen area of the equally massive penthouse apartment they had been sharing for seven days. The man she had been managing to avoid for all seven of those days by getting back before him each evening from the workshop she was establishing a block away, and heading straight to her bedroom—because she was way too exhausted to socialise. Or eat a meal with him.

Dressed in a simple white T-shirt—which stretched distractingly over broad shoulders, a muscular back and a lean waist and dropped just shy of his equally impressive butt showcased in faded jeans—he looked relaxed and at home... The casual clothing reminded her uncomfortably of the jeans and tee combo he had looked so delicious in at the Broussards’ party.

So delicious, they’d ended up creating a baby.

He turned slowly, and she spotted the meat mallet in his hand.

‘Are you cooking?’ she asked, stunned.

It was barely six, and the man was a workaholic. She hadn’t even realised he knew where the kitchen was, because the steel-and-marble space had remained spotless and unused—despite the groceries he’d had his assistant stock the fridge with the day after they arrived.

That would be the day when they had had their last proper conversation. Or rather their last disagreement. Because he had wanted to accompany her to the ob-gyn appointment that morning, and she had point-blank refused.

He had been annoyed, but to her surprise, he’d backed off without much of a protest. And she’d hardly seen or spoken to him since, because he left before she woke each morning and didn’t return until nightfall.

Truth be told, she had been beyond grateful to be left to her own devices for the past week. Her life—and their relationship—were confusing enough without dealing with the simmering sexual tension which was always there when she was in the same room with Cade.

He had texted her each day, usually a curt line to ask her if there had been any nausea. But luckily that one episode in New York seemed to be the worst of her morning sickness over with, after her new ob-gyn, Dr Chen, had given her lots of tips on how to avoid a recurrence—as well as a ton of different vitamins to take.

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