Page 97 of The Unplanned Wedding

"Yes!" The girl who spoke earlier jumps to her feet. "You won’t regret this, Mr. Davenport." They begin to file out, their steps hurried. They can’t wait to get away from me. My wife turns to follow in their wake.

I call out, "Not you, Kelly Assistant."

41

June

I spin around and scowl at him. "Did you call me—" I notice the smirk on his features and bite the inside of my cheek. "That wasn’t funny."

"Neither were you, challenging me in front of the team."

"'But I had to do it. You were in the wrong; you know that."

"Doesn’t change the fact that you questioned my capabilities in front of others."

I curl my fingers into fists. "But I had to do it. If I hadn't, you’d have fired him and never forgiven yourself for it."

He inclines his head. "That might be true."

"You know itistrue."

"It is," he concedes, "but what you did needs to be punished."

Excitement pinches at my nerve-endings. My belly flutters. Yes, I want to be punished. I need to be punished by him. But I don’t say that aloud. Instead, I toss my head. "So, I prevented you from committing an error, and you’re going to punish me for that."

He nods slowly. "You defied me. I can’t let you get away withthat." He looks me up and down. "I’ll wager, you raced in here and confronted me because you wanted my attention."

Yes, I did,is what I think to myself. But outwardly, I scoff.

"Don’t deny it. You were angry that I haven’t spoken to you all day. And you were upset that I didn’t spend last night in our bed."

He called itourbed. I shiver.I really like the sound of that.It means, he acknowledges that his place is by my side at night. And yes, I missed him, but I’m not going to admit to that. When I stay silent, he takes a step forward. "You were looking out for my emails all day, weren’t you?"

"I was not." I tip up my chin.

"And you kept checking your phone to see if I’d messaged you,” he says in that silky voice that feels like he’s trailing a scarf across my skin. I shiver.

"What are you talking about?" I try to keep my voice noncommittal, but it comes out in a squeak.

"You could barely concentrate on your work because you kept looking at my office door, hoping to catch a glimpse of me.”

Yes. It’s true.I shake my head. "Your sense of importance is even more bloated than I thought."

His lips twist. Oh my god, that smile on his face is like that of a shark. It’s mean and full of intent to punish. And so, so hot.Why do I like this sadistic side of him? Why does it excite me so much that he’s going to make me repent for what I did, no matter that I was in the right?I take a step back, and his eyes gleam.

"You going to run, little July?" he asks in a silky voice that sparks a fountain of heat in my lower belly. "Are you?" He moves toward me, and I know I can’t let him catch me. Yet, I want him to catch me. But not without a chase.

Without giving myself time to think, I spin around and race for the door. When I reach it, there’s a click, and I realize he’s locked it. I turn around to find he’s prowling toward me at a leisurely pace. He has his phone in his hand. "I have access to the app that controls the security on this floor." He slides the device into the pocket of his slacks and continues to head in my direction.

"You’re an asshole," I spit out, mainly to goad him further, and am rewarded by the flash of lust in his eyes.Ooh, he knows I’m pushing him and isplaying along.He knows, at some point, I’m going to goad him over the edge and then... Then, I’m going to see that side of him he’s been trying to hide since we got back from Paris. I sidle along the wall, away from him. He merely corrects his trajectory and continues walking toward me.

"How dare you try to punish me, when you’re the one who’s in the wrong?”

"Thought we established that doesn’t matter. You go against me, you pay the price," he rumbles.

"And what about the fact that you didn’t even speak to me on the way home from Paris."

"So, you did feel neglected." He smirks.

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