Page 28 of Worth the Trouble

Rome

WhenIleftAdrianand Eloise’s house, I didn’t plan on showing up at Lili’s doorstep. And even when I did, I didn’t intend on coming inside or standing here with her pinned against the wall tempting me with her presence.

But here I am. Playing with fire when I know all it does is leave more ashes.

Ashes that are blowing around at the moment and clouding my judgment. Because no matter how wrong Lili feels, she’s the closest thing I’ve felt torightin a long time, and I can’t figure out why.

So why haven’t I leaned in? Why haven’t I closed the gap? What the fuck is wrong with me?

I blame her eyes. While her body is barely clothed and she’s leaning in like she’s begging to be unraveled, her eyes hold her innocence. A hint of fear mixed with determination. She wants to play the game to see how far she can push me, and while I’d love to prove she’s not prepared for it, I’m more curious as to why.

Fuck.

I step back, and Lili melts against the wall with an exhale.

“Is that a challenge?”

“What if it is?” Lili says, out of breath.

For being as uptight as she is, there’s a sassy tongue hiding beneath her perfectly polished exterior, and I don’t know why she’s wasting her time giving me an invitation.

“Why?”

It doesn’t make sense. There’s no doubt in my mind Lili can get any guy she wants, and she doesn’t seem the type to screw around. But here she is throwing herself at me when she’s spent every other interaction pushing me away.

“Isn’t this what you do?” She waves her hand between us, seeming flustered all of a sudden. “Or are the tabloids wrong?”

“They aren’t.”

She winces at my statement, but there’s no point beating around the bush. I’ve banged my way through women around the world a few times and made no apologies for it.

Except, my words feel like a half-truth becausethisisn’t what I do at all. Usually, I use them and walk away. I don’t think about them when they aren’t around and show up at their houses. Whatever has me circling Lili like a buzzard is fucking with my head.

Lili stands with her arms at her sides. Frustration written all over her face. Her skin is flushed pink and on display in her itty-bitty outfit. She’s so damn tempting, and yet, I can’t seem to disconnect my dick’s desire to drive into her with the nagging warnings going off in my head.

Lili is trouble.

She’ll want more from me.

I’ll just mess her up.

“Your reputation is no secret.” She looks hurt by her own statement, but I don’t know why. “You’ve been with lots of women.”

“What’s your point?”

“So, it’s just me you aren’t interested in then?”

She tries to brush past me, and I realize she thinks I haven’t made a move on her because I’m not attracted to her, or don’t want her, which isn’t the case. I turn and grab onto her arms, pulling her back to my front, and loving how she takes in the sharpest breath at the feel of my body.

I drift my fingers up her arm and find the base of her throat to feel her pulse racing.

“Don’t. Say. That,” I warn her.

She turns her face to the side and looks up at me over her shoulder, tipping her chin up in defiance. “Why? Not like you’ll do anything about it.”

A taunt and she knows it.

Snaking my other hand up her side, I draw my palm along her smooth skin, up her body, and over her perfect tits, not missing that she presses her ass against me at my touch. But I don’t encourage her by squeezing them or playing with her tight nipples, I move all the way up to her neck, wrapping a hand around her throat and pulling her tighter against my body.

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