Page 18 of Keeping The Virgin

“We’ve been cooped up in a jet, then a car. I need some fresh air.”

Suddenly he sounds irritated. Did I do something wrong?

What now?

I think about his whiplash change in temperament on the jet after he gave me oral—from intense to removed. What’s with him?

But he’s gone, and I don’t waste time messing around. I strip, choose a cute pair of Valentino slide sandals to go with the dress, then jump into the bathroom to wash up.

I do get a little sidetracked there by all the sumptuous soaps, gels, and fragrances he ordered someone to stock for me—at least I think they were purchased for me and not someone else. But I manage to meet him in the foyer in ten minutes flat.

He’s still in his business suit as I sweep past him to the door with a you-didn’t-think-I-could-do-it-didja smile. He lifts a dark brow.

I lean back against the door. “You probably thought I was going to pamper myself too much and keep you stewing out here. I think those toiletries in my bathroom were actually a Venus Fly trap you set for me, but I was up to your ten-minute challenge.”

Now he’s back to looking amused. “I guess you’re onto me.”

If only.

He leads me into the elevator, and as we descend, he leans against the black-tiled wall. I catch him giving me an approving, lustful look, and I warm right up again.

“You wear that well, Karini,” he says.

“Not too much wrapping?”

“Oh, I like the wrapping. It only means I get to unwrap you again.”

Hoo-boy. I try not to flush under his compliment, to take it with grace, even though it’s always been hard for me to do that with anyone.

“Thank you, Cage,” I make myself say.

His raises both eyebrows now. “’Cage,’ is it?”

“Should I call you ‘Mr. Bryant’? Especially in public?” I’m not actually bantering. I mean it.

He seems to turn that over in his mind.

“Did you plan on taking me out in public?” I ask. “Or is this a whim?”

After all, he did hire me on impulse.

He stands away from the wall, his hands in his pockets. “I didn’t plan anything about this…except for that closet full of clothing.”

Huh. I think I threw him a curveball with my questions, and it makes me happy that I can play in his league—at least in this way. He probably doesn’t get many curveballs from people. In fact, I get the feeling it’s even refreshing for him.

He gives me a sidelong look, then graces me with a naughty smile. “You really do look gorgeous.”

My body is just beginning the familiar process of steaming up when the elevator dings and the doors slide open. Needing to cool it, I head out. I still don’t know how to react to all his compliments. I wish I’d learned how to do that even before today though. If I had, I might not be in such trouble back in the real world…

His long, slow strides allow him to catch him up to me as we emerge onto the city sidewalk. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you can’t take flattery, Karini. Surely I’m wrong.”

I don’t want to talk about the awkwardness I thought I’d grown out of before realizing I’d never left it behind. I’d rather trade light jokes with him, tease him a little so that he isn’t always so serious. Have him tease me.

Traffic rolls past us, the thin squeal of brakes echoing off the high buildings, the slight humidity surrounding me. Storefronts beckon with windows showcasing trendy clothing and high-end restaurants.

“So,” I say, changing the subject at breakneck speed. “Where’re we going?”

I know he knows that I’ve shifted gears, and he drops the topic. And why not? We’re hardly working on a relationship here.

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