Page 149 of The Re-Proposal

Vargas chuckles nervously. “After you.”

Cody gives me a suspicious look, but he doesn’t say anything when he steps into the elevator.

I follow.

Vargas moves in last.

The moment the doors close, Cody twists toward me. His big body curls over mine, hands on either side of my head and eyes on my lips.

“What are you doing?” Alarmed, my gaze darts to Vargas who’s going red and staring at the numbers on the screen as if willing the elevator to move faster. “Cody.”

His green eyes collide with mine. It’s a long, studying sort of look and I feel this tingling sensation take over me. Like that time when I was teaching the kids in the shelter how to do a handstand and all the blood rushed to my head.

“Were you pleased with my performance, princess?”

“What performance?” I mutter, trying hard not to think about the way his body feels against mine. “You did the right thing.”

“The right thing would be to—”

“Fire everyone because you’re angry?” I cut him off. “Very humanitarian. They’ll build statues in your honor.”

Cody surveys me with an appreciative gleam in his eye. “How much did Vargas bet you?”

I choke. “V-Vargas? Who’s that? I don’t know a Vargas.”

“You’re cute when you lie.” Cody runs his tongue across his bottom lip. Not tearing his eyes off me, he barks, “How much, Vargas?”

“Fifty dollars, sir.”

“A pittance.”

I shudder.

No wonder everyone’s so scared of Cody. There’s some kind of twisted power in his smooth, dark words. His frigid stare drains all the blood from my body.

“Are you… angry?” I wince.

One corner of Cody’s lips inches higher than the other and, suddenly, I understand what a bunny must feel like in the claws of a hawk.

He takes out his phone and starts tapping. I hold my breath, staring up at him. What is he going to do now? A man with so much power… he could utterly destroy me.

I’ve been an idiot.

Today was the first time I saw Cody in his element. He was the picture of royalty in the boardroom with his blond hair, green eyes and designer suit. His muscles were covered under three layers—jacket, shirt, tie—but there was no hiding the power rolling in his shoulders. He most definitely looked like the CEO of a billion-dollar company.

I’d forgotten who he is.

Whathe is.

He’s been so attentive to me, so accommodating, that I grew too bold. I didn’t realize I was playing games with a war general in a suit. He’s a man who commands thousands. A man who can leave grown men quivering in fear, hanging on his every word, turning in any direction he points them.

With me, he’s just a man.

With them, he’s… more.

I can’t believe I had him installing glass windows, calling plumbers and planting trees at two in the morning.

Vargas’s phone pings.

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