Page 20 of Heartless Game

That made me laugh.

“We’ll see about that,” I said. Her nipples were hard, and it wasn’t cold in the bar. Tovah Kaufman—no, Tovah Lewis—wanted me, badly.

She started to argue with me, when the door to the bar swung open.

Without even thinking about it, I turned around, shoving her behind my back like I was her shield from whatever harm might be coming our way.

But it was only the bar’s bouncer, Alec or Alex or something.

Fuck.There wasn’t even a real threat and the first thing I’d done was protect her. Which was bullshit, since she wanted to destroy me.

The giant bouncer filled the doorway, his concerned eyes on Tovah.

“Everything okay?” he asked her, before looking at me and doing a confused double take.

“Jones? What’s up, man? Great game last night.” To Tovah, he said, “I thought something was wrong.”

Why would he …

…she was clutching her phone in her hand.

The clever journalist must have texted for reinforcements when I’d threatened her. I couldn’t help admiring her for her fast thinking, even if part of me wanted to throttle her for getting someone to interrupt us just as things were getting good.

Fortunately, Alec/Alex knew Isaac Jones, Good Guy, and had no reason to think I would hurt Tovah, even if she had asked the bouncer to come.

“We’re good,” I said, flashing him an easy grin. “Tovah wanted to see if you could cover for her so she could ditch work and leave with me.”

“He’s never going to believe you,” Tovah hissed from behind me. “There’s no way I’d ditch work, much less to spend time withyou.”

Ouch.“He will if you sell it,” I murmured back. “And it’s in your best interest to sell it, Tovah. Even better if you sellus.”

“You want to ditch work and go hang out with Jones? I thought you two hated each other…” Alec/Alex trailed off, looked confused and a little suspicious.

Tovah stepped out from behind me, her voice high and bright. “Yeah, we’re good now! No more hate.” She flipped her pink hair.

“So what, y’all are,” he gestured between us. “Hooking up?”

I didn’t have to see her face to know she was blushing. “Just…talking,” she said.

Talking. Like she was embarrassed that anything else could be happening between us. Overwhelmed by a ridiculous urge, I slowly sat back down in my chair, pulling her onto my lap. I rested my chin on her head, wrapping my arms around her waist. It was supposed to look tender, but it was so she couldn’t get away.

“We’re calling it talking now, baby?” I asked, hugging her close to me, and staring straight at Alec/Alex, daring him to interject.

I expected her to drop the acting, to fight me, to tell him she needed his help, to rat me out, anything. Yeah, I’d threatened her and told her she had to sell us getting along, even implied it was better if she sold us as “together,” but I didn’t expect her to actually listen to me and follow my lead.

So I was shocked when she leaned into me, sighing sweetly—so sweetly it made me harden under her delectable ass, even though I knew the sound was fake.

Her giggle was even faker. “We can call it whatever you want,baby.”

Nicely played.

She surprised me further when she twisted around on my lap, wrapping a hand around the back of my neck.

And kissed me.

It didn’t matter that it was fake, or simple, or close-mouthed. Just the feel of her soft lips pressed firmly against mine made my blood roar, my heart pound, the floor beneath my feet rumble. That lock in my chest shattered, releasing something feral and terrifying. In that moment, as I tasted her lips, lost in a cloud of pink hair and citrus scent, my entire world shifted in ways beyond my understanding or control.

And then I was taking over the kiss, overher. One of my hands cupped her cheek, the other wrapped around the back of her hair, fisting it, as I tilted her head to an angle that satisfied me, dominating her mouth with mine and demanding shelet me in.

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