Page 9 of Tempted

Steph lifts a hand. “No, thanks.” Her eyes are still on me. Moira looks displeased, shaking her head, dismissing her cousin’s irrational behavior.

“I’ll take you, love.” Declan says.

“No, that’s fine. You’ve got work to do and my family will be there. That’s not exactly the most comfortable way that I want you to make their acquaintance.”

Steph’s eyes don’t leave mine. She’s ready to tear me a new one and I have no idea why. I did a favor last night, staying with her. I didn’t touch her, nor did I allude to any touching. Yet, she seems to be pissed off at me for that.

“Lock up for me, Malcolm.” Declan calls. He can arm his security remotely. Once I was too drunk to leave first thing in the morning. It was Caleb’s birthday. I stayed here until I sobered up and could make it to work. This isn’t our first rodeo. Both seem eager to leave us and yet I’m not eager to be left alone with this lass. She seems a little bipolar to me, at any rate, but I’ll get to the bottom of it soon enough.

The moment the door closes, she rounds on me. “I don’t need you to save my honor, Malcolm.”

“What about my own honor, lass.” I reason, albeit slightly snide. “You think I want to look like a chump in front of my family?”

“Oh, so you’re one of those.” Her voice is equally laced with snark.

“One of what?” My tone is icy.

“A suck up.”

“You think I’m a suck up, do you.” I chuckle mirthlessly.

“Now I do.”

“So, you’d rather I told them that I took advantage of a lass in mourning? Just fresh from the nursing home where her granny was smothered to death, huh.”

Her hands go over her ears. “Stop it!”

“Then what, Steph!” I shout. “One minute you’re calling me a coward and in the same breath you’re calling me an asshole!”

Her teeth grate together. “Youarean asshole!”

“And why am I an asshole, Stephanie! Huh! I left you this morning because I knew that if I didn’t, that you would feel like you owed me something! And you don’t, lass! I stayed with you because I wanted to! The same reason why I came looking for you last night! And the same reason why I came here this morning instead of staying at your place and making things awkward for you! Don’t you see that!”

My chest is heaving. Hers is, too. She’s beyond angry and I have no idea why. Her expression is a cross between pissed off and confused, but there’s something else there, that I can’t quite put my finger on. And before I can stop myself, as I watch her gaze briefly go to my lips, I pull her close to me. I expect her to push me away and slap me in the face. But she doesn’t. No silver-tongued insults come out of her mouth, either. I press my cock against the apex of her thighs, testing her. I’m not hard, but I’malso a Harris, and us Harris lads are no slouches south of the belt.

Again, I expect her to slug me for being a pig. Instead, she shoves her chest into mine, making my cock twitch. A small groan escapes from my throat, and she smirks. She likes that. I’d love nothing more than to take her right here, force her skirt down, unzip my dress pants, and fuck her from behind, as she leans over Declan’s cheap mahogany table. I can tell by her pupils that she’s wet. They’re dilated, and her cheeks are pink.

“Is this what you wanted? This whole time, Steph? You just wanted me to fuck you, so that you could tell everyone how much of an asshole I am, right? Just like every other lad that you’ve ever bedded.” My tone is cutting, accusatory. “That’s why you’re so pissed at me, isn’t it. It’s because you’re so fucking afraid. Afraid that because I stayed last night, to comfort you, not to fuck you, that I might actually be a decent guy. That I might actually be different. And that kills you, doesn’t it.”

I hit a nerve. Her nostrils flare. “Fuck you, Malcolm. I really hate you because you’re such a fucking suck up. You’re a pussy.”

As I graze her face with my lips, not close enough to touch her, but close enough to feel the heat from her skin, I murmur. “You keep telling yourself that, lass. But in the meantime, I’m not fucking you or fucking you over, Stephanie.”

Her eyes close, but then they open just as fast again, as she battles with herself on whether or not she’s going to give in. I’m not going to kiss her; I’m not going to do anything more to her. It’s pointless if she’s just going to turn around and bite me in the ass right after. I won’t give in. I won’t let her do this to herself or to us. I know that she’s vulnerable and I can feel it that she hates it that I saw her vulnerable side. That’s a side that likely no other man has ever seen before. I don’t discount that. Either that or she’s just a crazy bitch looking for fresh blood. I won’t give it to her.

My hold around her loosens. The gap between us grows. Her face falls. I know rejection is crushing to a lass, but it’s worth it to prove my point.

“You’re nothing but a cowardly tease, Malcolm.” She says on exhale, appalled.

“I may be that, but I’m not doing it to be an asshole. It’s like fucking a drunk lass, Stephanie. I won’t do it.”

She’s exasperated. “Are you saying I’m nuts? Or just an ugly bitch and you’ve got something better lined up?”

“I think you and I both know that both of those aren’t true.” I say, trying not to point out the fact that my bulge is twice its normal size. Normally, I wouldn’t ignore the throbbing behind my zipper, but I figure I’ve come this far to prove a point.

“Is it?” She asks, placing her hand on my bulge, eyes pinned to mine, searching them like the fucking temptress that she is. My dick is begging for her to add pressure, or better yet, to get down on her knees and suck it, but I hold fast and don’t give in.

I swallow and back away from her, not trusting myself. She seems pleased. “I think we should both go, Steph. Before this gets out of hand.”

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