Page 52 of Beautiful Enemy

And the man who owns it, the one I spent months hating, is one I would have run from once but now I want to lean into.

Every time he pushes me, I push back.

I don’t break, only bend.

The newfound confidence makes me brave.

It makes me bold.

“Come on, Harry, don’t be shy.” I’m close enough to see the tiny dots in his shirt print. His body blocks most of the room, and I can only see one of the envious women eyeing us from the corner. “You can admit that what you want most after coming home from a long, hard work trip is a pair of my underwear to jerk off with.”

His nostrils flare.

The hit of triumph twines with attraction surging through my veins, a cocktail more potent than the one I’m drinking.

I take the cherry from the bottom of my glass and suck on it.

If I didn’t already know I’d raised the stakes, it’s evident in the pulse in his neck. The way his gaze darkens with intent as he leans in, resting a hand lightly on my hip.

“Then give them to me.”

His rough whisper in my ear, his firm lips tickling my skin, makes me forget basic functions.

Like how to chew.

The cherry gets stuck in my throat, and a second later, he’s hitting me on the back. I spit the thing out on the woman crossing the floor to interrupt us. She squeals, flicking the fruit off her dress.

The other occupants of the VIP room fall silent as they stare at us.

Whoops.

Harrison turns to block me from the rest of the room as if I need protection.

Maybe I do.

“Fuck, you’re savage.” But his mouth twitches.

That’s what I get for trying to out-cool this man. Choking is the least sexy thing a woman can do.

“I can raid my drawer when I get back tonight if you still want a pair of my panties,” I joke, my voice hoarse.

“No.”

“That’s what I fig—“

“They don’t taste like you.”

Desire slams into me, the creep of attraction overtaken by a tsunami of need.

“You can flirt with me, Raegan,” he drawls. “I’ll even enjoy it. But if you want me to treat you like my equal, you’d better be ready for all that comes with it.”

Every part of me tingles, from the tips of my breasts to between my thighs. My panties are wet, and as I squeeze my legs together, his jaw flexes as if he knows exactly why I’m doing it.

A throat clearing has Harrison wrenching back to look over his shoulder at Leni. “Boss. We need to talk.”

He shifts out of his stool, but I swear it’s reluctantly. Before he walks away, he says to me, “We’re going out tomorrow night.”

“Calling in another favor?”

---