"Julia, yes." He mocks me as he steps into the bedroom.
"Don’t you dare," I snarl.
"Ooh, I am so afraid." He laughs.
Anger ripples up my spine. My belly twists, moisture leaks between my legs. Jesus, this is wrong. I shouldn’t be so turned on. I shouldn’t. He bypasses the bedroom and heads for the sliding doors that lead out onto a deck I hadn’t noticed before. What the hell? I stare as he reaches out to flick on lights. An infinity pool? I gasp. What the hell is a pool doing here on the 68thfloor? And it stretches out as if reaching out to the city. "Wow!"
"Like it?"
"I didn’t say that."
"Oh, you’ll be saying more than that in a second. I hope you know how to swim, Flower."
He marches toward the edge of the pool and I begin to squirm in earnest, "Don’t you dare, Rockstar, don’t you fucking—"
The water comes up to embrace me, then pours over me, envelops me as I scream and swallow several mouthfuls of chlorinated water as the shock of being dunked smashes through me. What the hell? I come up choking, my hair sticking to my forehead, covering my eyes. "I hate you," I sputter.
"Finally," he sneers. "You’re being honest. How’s the water by the way?"
I right myself, and my feet touch bottom. At least, he didn’t throw me in at the deep end, and the water isn’t all that cold… A heated pool. Of course, it is. I swim toward him, hold onto the rim of the pool and scowl up at him. "Asshole."
"Cooled off yet?" He smirks.
"No, but I will, as soon as—" I hold out my hand and he takes it. I tug and he stumbles forward. I yank more; he tumbles over and into the pool. Water splashes over me, over the edge.
He comes up for air, his hair plastered to his scalp, and outlining the shape of his beautiful face. "You’ve done it now." His voice is hushed.
My nerve-endings crackle.
"Umm…" I push back and away from him. "I… I didn’t mean it."
"Of course, you did." He peels back his lips, showing off those sharp, white teeth. I gulp. Hadn’t meant to bring out the predator in him. I should have known I’d never be able to outwit him… Doesn’t mean I can’t try to outrun him… I clamber over the side of the pool; my feet slip, I cry out, then right myself.
"Come back, Flower."
"No." I take off for the sliding doors, hear a thud, glance over my shoulder, then gasp when I find he’s in hot pursuit. His leather jacket drips water, and what I can see of his shirt outlines those sculpted abs, his jeans molded to every muscle of his powerful thighs. My throat closes. I reach the doors, dive through, then grab the handle, and slide the door closed, only to encounter an obstruction. "No, no, no." I glance down to find he’s planted his leg in the opening between the door and the frame. Shit, I tug on the door and he grabs it from the other side. Hell, I am no match for his strength. I release the door, then pivot and race around the bed, only he grabs me around the waist.
I shriek as he hauls me up and over his shoulder again. I yell, swing my fists and brush his side; my hair falls over my eyes, I brush it aside, find he’s entering the bathroom. He kicks the door shut, lowers me to the ground.
"Strip," he orders.
I glower at him even as I squeeze my thighs together. "I will, if you will," I retort.
"Oh?" He smirks. “If you don’t remove your clothes, I’ll have to do it for you."
"Whatever," I snort.
"And I won’t stop there."
"No?" My voice trembles and I purse my lips. Why the hell am I so nervous and excited at the same time?
"No." He looks me up and down. "I’ll tie you up, blindfold you, and then I’ll fuck you so hard, you won’t have any choice but to obey me after."
Goosebumps flare over my skin and it’s not only because I am wearing wet clothes. His filthy promises… It’s decadent and completely wrong.
I tip up my chin, grab the bottom of my blouse and peel it off. His gaze drags to my breasts, down my navel, to my thighs. I toe off my sneakers. I unbutton my jeans, lower the zipper, then drag them down my legs to my ankles. I step out of them, along with my socks, then kick them aside. Goosebumps race across my skin. I straighten to meet that hot, hungry gaze of his. My throat closes and warmth suffuses my chest.
Shit, the way he’s looking at me, like I am his favorite rock song and most hated melody, all rolled together.