Page 41 of Reputation (Tempt)

“Well, yeah.” I smiled, leaning my hip against the hospital bed. “She is my daughter.”

“That she is.” She grinned. “You’re a good dad. I should tell you that more often. Because you are.”

I smiled, touched by her comment and relieved that she seemed relatively okay. “Thank you.”

She crooked her finger, and I was lured to her despite my better judgment. “What are we doing here?” she whispered, spinning her finger around.

“At the hospital?” I asked.

“Yes,” she hissed, gripping my lapels, pulling me closer. “Don’t talk so loud, or they’ll hear you.”

“Who?” I wondered aloud.The paparazzi?

“You know who,” she said with a meaningful look and an ominous tone. I wasn’t sure I did.

By this point, our noses were practically touching. Our breath mingling. And despite her swollen face, she was captivating.

Her expression changed again, just as suddenly as her mood. “Hi.” She giggled.

“Hi,” I said, amused despite my concern. I had no idea what they’d given her, but it was clearly having an effect.

“You’re cute.” She bopped me on the nose.

“Cute?” I shuddered playfully, enjoying this unrestricted, unfiltered access to her thoughts. “Sothat’swhat you really think of me?”

“You want to know what I really think of you?”

I nodded, completely captivated by this woman. I rarely allowed myself to get this close to her, and her eyes were striking. Denim blue but with these white lines that went out from the center, like when Brooklyn had touched a Van de Graaff generator at a science museum. Her hair had gone out in all directions, and she’d laughed and laughed. I imagined Emerson having a similar reaction and smiled.

“That smile.” She shook her head.

“What about it?” I asked.

“Devastating.”

“Devastating, huh?” I smirked.

“You always have been.”

I knew I shouldn’t take advantage of her current state, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. “I thought you couldn’t stand me.”

“Maybe in the beginning.” She’d loosened her grip on my lapels, but she’d pinned me in place with her stare.

“And now.”

“Meh. You’re okay.”

“Okay?” My tone darkened, and I took a step back. “Justokay?”

“Yeah. Well, you can be aggressive and overbearing at times.”

“Is that so?”

“But then you’re surprisingly present, especially in your interactions with Brooklyn. And you are hot, which helps.”

“How so?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“It helps to counteract the assholeness. You know, like those companies that offset their carbon footprint by planting trees. You do that with your face and—” She scanned my body, and it sparked something deep within me. This desire to take her and claim her. And show her just how controlling I could be. “Yeah.” She shivered.

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