Page 21 of Kiss of Deceit
“Keep it closed, and it’ll smother out.” I straightened my spine as he halted only a couple feet in front of me. “The food was mine, and I bought the pan. Don’t worry, I didn’t ruin anything of yours.”
Breaking our stare, he glanced at the oven, and I couldn’t help but look too, seeing that the smoke wasn’t coming out anymore. He went into the living room, and stood on the couch, reaching above to push the button on the fire alarm. When the deafening beeping stopped, my ears rang from the sudden silence.
“Go get some clothes on.”
His gruff order had my eyes snapping back to his. He wasn’t staring at my body, but keeping his glare locked on mine. I bit my tongue, my heart hammering against my ribs. Obviously, I wanted to get clothes on. But his demand had me bristling. I’d been here nearly a week and other than a few small interactions,I’d been avoiding him. Making sure I didn’t bother him. But his constant grumpiness was grating on me.
“Why?” I countered, tilting my head. “Don’t like what you see? Do the lights have to be off for you to be attracted to me?”
If my words shocked him, he didn’t show it. He had an amazing poker face. His eyes bored into mine, swimming with emotions I couldn’t decipher, which only made me more curious. The psychologist in me wanted to know why he wore a mask all the time. The silence dragged on, making the tension thicken with each passing second. It was the first time I brought up the night we shared in his storage room at the bar.
“You’rethe one who wanted to keep the lights off,” he murmured, taking a step closer to me. “You think I don’t find you attractive?”
A rush shot down my spine at his question. There was no annoyance in his voice at how I nearly ruined his oven. No. While his face still held little emotion, his words gave his lust away. He took one more step, eliminating the space between us. I tipped my head back to keep his stare, refusing to back away even when his chest brushed the back of my hand as I continued to hold my towel in place.
“You’ve barely talked to me all week,” I pushed out, wanting to see his reaction. “It’s clear you don’t like me.”
“Or maybe…” He paused for a moment, his gaze finally dropping to my body. “I’ve just been giving you space. Do you want me to act on all the thoughts I’ve been having?”
I swallowed thickly, realizing this conversation was turning down a dangerous path that we should be avoiding. I was going to have to live with this man for the foreseeable future. Sexual tension would only make this situation worse. I was never going to vocally admit that the orgasm he gave me was one of the best I’d ever had.
I was going to be here for a year, and I had no intention of adding sex into my life. Sex was messy. There was too much riding on this internship, and I wouldn’t chance it.
Yet, as I looked at him, I couldn’t help but let a small grin tip up my lips. Knowing that he wanted me filled my veins with excitement. I wasn’t going to sleep with him, but I couldn’t help but wonder how much I was on his mind.
“Tell me what your thoughts have been.” My voice came out huskier than intended, and my heart skipped as I wondered if this was a mistake.
He arched an eyebrow, taking in my challenge. A gasp left me when he snaked his arm around my waist, crushing me against him. My arm was awkwardly squished between us, my fingers tightly holding my towel.
My pulse thudded as I tensed, not used to being so close to someone. My instincts screamed at me to fight, and for a moment panic engulfed me when his hold tightened a fraction. I resisted, sucking in a large breath to calm myself. In the past, his move would have sent me into a full-fledged panic attack. Years of therapy and self-defense training helped me cope.
Surprise hit me when I noticed a flash of concern in his eyes for a second before it disappeared. I quickly schooled my face, silently scolding myself. I learned years ago to keep my scars hidden—the physical and the emotional ones.
“No thoughts?” I taunted, directing his attention away from my reaction to him grabbing me.
He chuckled. “Dani, don’t push me unless you want an honest answer.”
“Well, I don’t want you to lie to me.”
His fingers teased my hip bone over my towel, and my lower stomach heated. The taste of his kiss flooded my memory. The way his tongue felt against me. It didn’t help that he was gorgeous to look at.
“I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the night at the bar,” he said, sounding almost resigned. “I want to strip you naked and take you on this counter. Let my tongue touch every inch of you before I bury my face between your legs. I haven’t been able to get the taste of you out of my fucking head.”
My face flushed, and I squirmed slightly in his hold, remembering how good that felt.
“But I’ve kept my distance because you’ve made it perfectly clear that you want nothing to do with me,” he continued, searching my eyes as if waiting for me to argue that point. “I’ve been a good roommate by leaving you alone. And I’ll keep doing that until you tell me otherwise. But since you want the truth, here it is. If you ever change your mind, I’ll drop to my knees and prove that I find you much more than attractive.”
My heart leapt into my throat. For someone who studied human behavior, I completely missed Kole’s true intentions.Ifhis words were true. I thought he hated me since I was stuck in his house. But maybe he really was avoiding me because he wanted me.
“I’m not changing my mind,” I choked out, clawing to keep a shred of my sanity. “Once Fiona finds me a new place to live, I’m gone.”
Did I think he would be great in bed? Absolutely. But I couldn’t do it. He’d see my scars, and that was something I never planned to explain to him. Not only that—but sleeping with him or anyone else made me vulnerable. Something I worked so hard against. He was still in my head from our last naked interaction, and if we did it again, it would only get worse.
He dropped his arm from me, and backed away, his usual frown on his face. “Then don’t go walking around in a towel.”
“Why?” I snapped out before I could help myself. “Can’t control yourself?”
The lingering sexual tension faded as I glared at him. It was the reminder that I needed to be wary. Like I should have been doing this entire time. Kole was a stranger to me. A possible threat. Even if I wanted him, I should have never even entertained this conversation.
