Page 32 of Worth the Risk

‘You always this intractable?’

‘No, Leonora. Anyone else would’ve been fired on the spot.’

‘Why?’

‘Because you asked me not to let business interfere with what we did in the blackjack room. This is me not letting it interfere. Shame you can’t get out of your own way to make this business opportunity happen for you, too.’

His censure smarted but I knew I’d left myself wide open for that.

‘Was there anything else you want to discuss?’

I shook my head, my thoughts scattered and irritated.

‘Good,’ he replied before dropping back against the headrest and closing his eyes.

I would’ve thought he’d gone to sleep had it not been for the muscle ticcing in this jaw, and the rod of his erection, still very visible behind his fly. The thickness of it, the memory of it in my hand wouldn’t go away.

Again I puzzled over why he’d called a stop. The thought that even now he could’ve been buried deep inside me, riding us both to bliss, wouldn’t let me go.

My pussy pulsed hard and fast back to life, my blood firing up as my clit reawakened to clamour for another experience of what Gideon had given me.

‘Please do us both a favour and stop staring at me, darling,’ Gideon growled with his eyes still shut. ‘I’m hanging on by the barest fucking thread.’

I jerked my gaze away from his cock, but not before I saw his hands bunch on top of his thighs.

‘If it’s this hard for you, why did you stop? And why the hell did you offer to take me home?’

For tense moments I thought he wouldn’t answer. Then his fists slowly unfurled and he lowered his head to spear me with an intense gaze.

‘Because I’m lucky enough to have been born into a family who think it’s great fun to stab me in the back just when I’m about to pull off the biggest deal in the company’s history. And I—’ he gave a self-deprecating laugh ‘—not only agreed to play by their idiotic rules, I went one better and swore I’d remain squeaky clean for thirty days.’

I was aware my jaw had dropped, that questions were darting all over my face. Questions he could read and half amused him if that tilt of his lips was an indication.

‘Squeaky clean means what, exactly?’

‘It means being a good boy and not begging you to let me fuck you this morning in my bathroom. It means resisting the urge to bury myself in that tight pussy on top of that blackjack table when you asked me to. It means not punching that asshole in the face when he slobbered all over you in the casino. Do you want me to go on?’ he demanded tightly.

‘So...you can’t have sex for thirty days?’

‘No, I can’t. But when we fuck—and trust me, we will—it’ll be filthy and noisy and without a deal I’ve worked on for over a year hanging over my head. It’ll be messy in a way that’ll probably make my family ashamed of me all over again, and I won’t even care. I have another two weeks on the clock for those damned thirty days and I intend to close the deal in that time. Guaranteed it’ll probably be the longest two weeks of my life but what the hell, no pain, no gain, right?’

I wasn’t even aware the car had stopped until he leaned close, bringing that hard, hot, delicious body into stinging proximity once again. ‘As for why I’m taking you home, damned if I was going to leave you in that casino for another bloody bastard to salivate over, especially with that just-come look lingering in your beautiful eyes.’

‘You do realise that with everything you’ve just told me, I have you in the palm of my hand, don’t you?’

He smiled. ‘Your integrity won’t make you use it against me. Hell, I’m even willing to bet you’ll help me bring this deal home.’

‘Are you?’

‘Oh, yes. If for nothing else, because you want to wield that power you have over me. You want to hear me beg to be inside you as badly as I want to feel your pussy milking my cock as you come.’

The very thought of it made me want to climb into his lap right now, tease him until he gave in. But that brutal honesty he’d laid bare to me was impossible not to respond to. And, dammit, calling me out on my integrity made me yearn to prove him right.

But he was stepping out, coming round to open my door. ‘Get out of my car, Leonora. Before both our good intentions turn to shit.’

I stepped out and watched him steel himself against the temptation to touch me. ‘You really think you’re a special snowflake, don’t you?’

He smirked. ‘Yes, but you’ll relish the chance to teach me otherwise, I’m sure.’

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