Page 37 of Blindside Sinner

But I can see the emptiness beneath it. The anger.

After volleying a few of the reporters’ questions, Beck leans back in his chair and motions me forward. Pitching his voice loud so the whole room can hear, he says, “Hey, sweetheart. Can you be a peach and get me a water?”

The room quiets at once. I can feel everyone’s eyes on us. As if I’m not already annoyed, Beck snaps his fingers at me.

Snaps.

His.

Fingers.

“Do I look like a goddamn dog?” I snarl under my breath.

“Coulda fooled me. Quit barking and go fetch, Lassie.”

He snaps his goddamn fingers at me one more time and just like that, all my good intentions vanish beneath a haze of red.

I’m not really sure what happens after that. Maybe it’s a rage blackout or just an overabundance of stress hormones in my brain. I bet a lawyer could even successfully prove temporary insanity, since Beck’s personality is enough to single-handedly drive anyone to the brink of it and beyond.

But whatever demon it is that inhabits my brain doesn’t matter.

All I know is that one moment, I’m next to the coolers grabbing Beck’s water.

And the next, I’m pouring it into his lap while the cameras roll.

19

BECK

“Oops.”

Oops?My dick is wet—and not in the fun way—in front of half a dozen sports networks, and all she has to say is,Oops.

I should be pissed. I should be gritting my fucking teeth against the urge to put her in her place.

And I am. Totally.

But I’m also trying very hard not to laugh.

That wasn’t the normal pissed-off Sloan. That was brimstone and hellfire Sloan, who even now looks like she wants to set me ablaze and dance in the flames.

So why do I have the urge to do it all over again? To push and push and push, even when I know the outcome is going to end up coming straight back to me?

I don’t know, but the ice princess is thawing.

And I’m enjoying watching her melt.

My lips tip in a practiced lazy playboy smile. “Thanks, doll. I was getting a little overheated there anyway.”

For a second, I’m positive she’s going to blow. She’s going to cuss me out and scream obscenities until she’s escorted out of the building by security. But then she buries it under a mask of fake sweetness that makes my teeth ache.

We’re being watched, not only by the cameras, but also Vivian and the rest of the team. Sloan isn’t going to step out of line here. Well, not any more than she already has.

But I’m almost disappointed that she won’t. That, at best, she’s going to wait until we’re home to let loose on me.

What does it say about me that I can’t wait to see what happens? Our little war is only going to have one ending, but the journey has been so satisfying, I don’t think I’m ready for it to end yet.

Sloan grabs a rag from nearby and tosses it into my lap like she’s wishing it weighed a hundred pounds and had sharp edges. “Anytime,sugar.”

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