My fingers slid down to my neck. “Okay, but seriously what kind of supplements is he taking, huh?”
Nolan snorted.
My heart tripped. “Oh, hey. Was that a laugh?”
“No.”
“I think it was.” I dipped down to pick up my sketchbook and damn...
He was definitely not immune. And just as impressive as I remembered from our roll in the grass the other day.
I glanced up and from the jaw tick he had going on, he’d definitely seen where my attention had strayed.
Straightening up, my breast grazed his chest. He took a healthy step back from me and there was a little demon inside of me that enjoyed the fact that he was uncomfortable.
Did I make him nervous?
If anyone had asked me an hour ago, I’d have said I pretty much just pissed him off.
I stepped forward and he took another back until he bumped into my desk. I reached around him to fix a pin on my board, making sure to crowd him until we were touching from thigh to chest. His sharp cinnamon scent ramped up the buzz under my skin. My shirt was thin, and I’d worn a more decorative than supportive bra thanks to the heat. Right now, there was a lot of heat pumping off his muscular chest and stomach. I knew my attributes were more of a curvy bottom half, but my boobs weren’t half bad.
His gaze stayed on my face—admirable, but I was pretty sure that was sheer stubbornness on his part.
Was this my smartest idea?
Nope.
I wanted him to hire me on my talents, not because I was offering him a bonus tip.
Speaking of tips, my nipples were not cooperating in the least. No padding in this bra to hide them, either.
And he definitely noticed. Every muscle seemed locked against my touch.
Maybe he wouldn’t think I was worth the trouble. I annoyed him every chance I got. And this girl was definitely out of practice of the naked variety. Especially the part where there was a lot of sweating and—
“Holy crap.”
The guttural groan from beneath us practically vibrated the room. Or was that him?
Nolan’s chest heaved, flight or fight warring in his deep blue eyes.
A better woman would let him go.
A smarter woman would take this as a sign to end the night.
My hand rested on his rock-hard stomach as my heart rate tripled. The shout that came through the floor left me rattled and hot. God, I missed that kind of shouting. I wasn’t a quiet girl when it came to the naked times. If it was good naked times, anyway. Plenty had been silent before.
Something inside me said there’d be no silent with this man.
At least not on my end.
Was he the kind to groan? Or was all this stoic silence a precursor to the bedroom, as well? All those cords in his throat...
“Hellcat.”
My gaze zeroed on his mouth as I touched his lower lip, biting my own in response to the softness where so much of him was rough and resistant. “Tell me you haven’t wondered.” Would he taste like cinnamon? Would he burn my tongue with whatever it was he chewed or sucked on? “No harm, no foul. I’ll make an appointment right now and show you to the door.” I tore my attention away from his mouth to his eyes, which were currently trying to burn me alive. “Hopefully, you’ll still give me a chance to—”
“I don’t fucking care about the house right at this second.”
I slid my knee between his legs as I rested my other hand on his chest. “Ever since that day I’ve wondered…” My fingertip teased his lip, the tip of my nail finding his lower teeth. “You always smell like cinnamon.”
He swallowed—hard—as his hands gripped the edge of the desk.
Was it wrong to want to break him? To make him touch me?
I’d never been so insanely attracted to such a contrary man.
I rose onto my toes, dragging the rayon material of my shirt against his ancient cotton. The slight friction made my nipples pulse, and his cinnamon scent urged me even closer. I nuzzled my cheek against his jaw and lifted my hand to his other cheek.
He flinched and I stilled as my thumb coasted over the jagged scar that cut down his cheek to his jaw.
“Just want to see what it’s like to touch a monster?” He gritted out.
Startled, I cupped his cheek and brought my other hand up to frame his face. “The only monster in this room is your shitty attitude most of the time.”
He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away from the scarred side of his face. “This isn’t a good idea.”
“I have lots of bad ideas. At least five of them include you, me, and lots of sweat. If you’re not into that part, then I’ll stop. But if it’s because of some complex—”
