“I have never done such a thing.”
“You’re doing it right now!”
I snort and tilt my head to face her, my mouth curling into a mocking grin.
“What a ridiculous accusation, Natalia”
She pauses, her eyes widening in surprise and rage, but quickly regains her composure and averts her gaze while securing her seatbelt.
“It’s Ms. Quinn, we’re at work,” she corrects.
“You’re in my car. This isn’t work,” I point out smugly, feeling impatient.
“Please–"
I swoop toward her, planting a small kiss on the corner of her mouth just so she’ll shut up. Her breath is warm, and it smells a little like her favorite orange juice in the morning. The familiar rosy essence of her shampoo is gentle, yet the scent takes wild punches at my gut, and I find it hard to contain my longing to indulge in those soft, supple lips.
Her sinfully sweet, silky, tender lips…
She sits frozen as a pink blush creeps to her cheeks and up to the tips of her ears.
“I told you to behave, didn’t I?” I whisper.
She opens her mouth to respond, but no sound comes out; she stares at me, baffled. I want to pull her in and kiss her ravenously, but before I can make a move, her eyes swell, and tears start streaming down her cheeks again.
Does this woman have a hidden well in those beautiful blue-green orbs?
I frown. What have I done now?!
Chapter 13
NATALIE
“S hhh…don’t cry,” Derik hums, hushing me. His voice is gentle, but the
frown on his face remains. “Come on,” he goes on, wiping the tears off
my cheeks with his thumb, his other hand tucking stray hairs behind my left ear.
I want to stop the tears, but they don’t seem to be responding, as if my nerves have lost connection to my brain. His gestures are overwhelming, and I can’t help but feel confused, angry, and comforted all at once. The tenderness and anxiety are evident in his eyes, as if he’s afraid he’ll injure me if he does something rash or raises his voice one decibel.
The cold, detached, and calculated Derik Lewis actually doesn’t know what to do for once!
“Don’t cry, hmm?” he coaxes.
Pursing my lips, I blink and sniff my nose.
Where did all these tears come from?
Why won’t they stop?
“I’m trying,” I sob, my voice cracking. “Do you think this is funny? You do what you want, whenever you want. You treat me like an object that you can
pick up whenever you feel like it and toss aside when you lose interest. I am not a fool, Derik. Don’t touch me.”
I tilt my head, avoiding his gaze when his mouth curls into an amused smile.
He looks so handsome, despite my blurry vision. And here I am, crying like an idiot, looking pitifully ugly.
“You’re not an object,” he mumbles.
He inches closer, his lips brushing against the corner of my left eye. My heart flutters as if my nerves are jolted with tiny bolts of electricity. “You never were.”
He presses his lips on the lid of my right eye.
I shiver, feeling a river of warmth flood my center.
“I just lost my cool…that’s all. I’m not mad.”
I sob on, still unconvinced.
“Lost your cool? What the heck? Does that give you the right to invade my workplace and shove me into your car like I’m a sack of rice?”
He chuckles and then pinches my cheek.
“First of all, I am not invading. This project is under Lewis Corporation. So, technically I am your boss, correct? Secondly, you are indeed like a sack of rice.
You’re really quite heavy. Have you been pigging out? And, last but not least, I’m irritable because I haven’t had enough sleep the past few days. Hence, my lack of patience and composure.”
