Page 6 of Hold On Me

“I’m not apologising. You acted like a jerk.” The words float over her shoulder to me as I approach her.

A small chuckle falls from my lips as she stops and turns to face me, her hands on her hips in defiance. “How did I act like a jerk exactly? You were struggling to even breathe up there and I helped you. Normal people say thank you. Not accuse others of being arrogant and egotistical before stomping off like a petulant child.”

As I speak, I take a few steps toward her. Her mask of anger and distaste slips a little as she dips her tongue out to wet her lips and lets her eyes rove over my body. I like her looking at me, almost as much as I like looking at her. Her long dark hair is loose and frames her heart shaped face. Little freckles dance across her cheeks and her hazel eyes burn with anger, whether it’s still aimed at our situation or the fact I caught her checking me out is unknown.

She folds her arms across her chest, defensive and standoffish. “I didn’t ask anyone to speak for me. Didn’t needrescuing. I told you I’m not a damsel in distress. Save your gallant Prince Charming duties for the slew of wannabes you usually date.”

My grin gets wider. I don’t know why I’m doing this but I am. “So that’s your issue. You’re pissed off that I dared to help the great and powerful Penelope Richards and you’re jealous of my dates.”

She shoots me a look that I’ve no doubt would wither a lesser man but does nothing but make me chuckle. “I couldn't give a rat’s ass who you date. In fact, I feel sorry for anyone who has to be anywhere near you.”

She spits the words through gritted teeth and I have to fight the urge to step closer to her just to see what she’d do. But I quite like my balls intact, so I stay where I am.

“It’s okay, Penelope. You don’t need to apologise. It’s fine.” I’ve surprised her and I chuckle softly at her gasp. “You seemed shocked. What did you expect a gallant Prince Charming to do? Put you over his knee and spank you like a naughty girl or something?”

I watch her closely and I’m pleasantly surprised when her pupils dilate and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. She likes the idea of that, just like she liked the idea of me biting her. I liked that too, a little too much, but we’re not here for that. Not yet anyway.

“No, not at all. How demeaning.”

Her words say one thing but her reactions tell me a different story. Her nipples have tightened under her silk top and her breathing is deeper. And while I’d love to explore more, keep talking and see what her body's reaction would be to my words, she is Hank's daughter. Plus, she’s linked so intricately to people who work for me, I can’t. My tastes aren’t for everyone, and I never thought I’d be considering spanking Penelope Richards,but her reactions are definitely giving me food for thought. Even if that’s all it’ll ever be, thoughts.

“Hmmm quite. Anyway, for Hank’s sake, can we at least be civil with each other? I care a lot for your father and would hate to upset him. We also have mutual friends in Jenson and Angie, so less flouncing off after you’ve insulted me would be for the best. Don’t you agree?”

“Oh now you want to be civil? After years of ignoring me, pretending I don’t exist, you want me to smile and be nice to you. All because you’ve entangled yourself withmyfamily and don’t want it to be awkward. Screw you!”

She frowns at me again, but I refuse to give her the reaction she wants so she can carry on this argument. After a short pause, I hit her with a smile so wide my cheeks hurt. “Wonderful. Until next time, Buttercup.”

I dip my head, take her hand and place my lips on her skin. She takes a sharp intake of breath and snatches her hand away, cradling it as if my lips burned her, and I leave without a second glance.

Believe me when I say you would be the last man I’d ever depend on.

Her words float into my mind and stop my thought process for what must be the millionth time this hour. Throwing my pen on top of the spreadsheet, I lean back in my chair. My desk is a mess. My normal organisational skills have skipped out on me today. I’ve got papers and cold cups of tea littering the wooden surface. My hair looks like I’ve just been dragged out of bed. And it’s all because I can’t concentrate on anything for longer than ten minutes without Penelope Richards invading my thoughts.

She’s so fucking frustrating. Devastatingly beautiful, but bloody infuriating. She went from desperate and flighty to flirty banter to cut throat bitch in front of her friends and family in a split second. And I’m still dealing with the whiplash.

I know what I saw. The panic in her eyes. The catch of her breath as she attempted to walk the steps up to the stage. I knew she wasn’t comfortable up there, and I couldn’t just leave her to the lions, I tried to help. Rescue the damsel in distress.

A smirk twitches on my lips. She’s definitely not a damsel in distress, she told me that enough times, but I like the idea of her needing me. Like I have this hold on her. Even if it isn’t appreciated after.

I haven’t had that many interactions with Penelope, which is strange seeing as our town is small and our social circle is so intricately linked. But flirting with her at the party, even though I'd told myself I wouldn’t, was an interaction I didn’t see coming. Her not wanting to react but not being able to hold herself back was definitely interesting as well. It’s a strange game, but I don’t want to stop playing. Not now that I know I can get her all riled up by just standing next to her.

She accused me of ignoring her. And while I most definitely did try, I could never escape her. Not really. I’ve heard stories about her ever since I came to America, but even more so since the carnival. And not just from Hank, who surprisingly has told me less about her than the Bradys have. They all seem to want to talk tomeabouther,and I could never refuse, even before our little spat.

After spending game nights with the brothers, I’ve learnt how fiercely she loves her friends and family. How much she loves teaching. And that if it wasn’t for her, the Brady boys probably would have died of alcohol poisoning more than once through their teen years. Hearing about her night after night made mefeel like we’ve been friends for years, but in reality we’ve barely spoken.

She calls me arrogant, thinks I’m egotistical, says it like it’s a bad thing. But I see it as confidence. I know how good I am at what I do. I know what my qualities are. I’m even man enough to accept my flaws. And she thinks I care only about myself. That’s simply not true. I care about the Spartans, Hank, my family and friends.

And I really care when I know she’s out on a date. The idea of another man making her smile, bringing that flush to her cheeks, owning her mouth with his makes my blood boil.

So Penelope may think I’ve ignored her, but she’s always been on my radar.

Frowning at my own thoughts, I grab my phone to check out my social media. Maybe that will take my mind off her.

“What the…?”

Why am I splashed all over Insta, standing on stage with Penelope while Hank is walking up to the stage? It was supposed to be a private party for a reason.

I quickly check who posted it and roll my eyes when I clock Jenson fucking Brady’s handle. Checking the caption, I realise it’s just another part of Jenson’s ‘community outreach’, a way to get his reputation back to squeaky clean. He’s already achieved it, it’s what the bloody carnival was for, but he’s still doing little things to overcompensate for the next time his mouth runs away with itself.

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