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‘I can’t decide if I’m honoured or offended.’
‘You’re honoured. We both know that. We also both know you’re going to agree.’ And she was crossing both fingers behind her back and hoping like crazy she was right.
‘I am?’
‘You can’t resist a game.’
‘Is that what this is?’
‘You can consider it a challenge if you like.’ Her temperature soared but she pushed on lightly. ‘For me this is a learning journey.’
‘A learning journey?’ He started to laugh. ‘Wow, that’s so HR of you. Will you want to set some goals? Get a performance appraisal afterwards?’
‘That’s really not a bad idea—’
‘Flow chart? Bonus points for creativity?’
‘For all sorts of things.’ She nodded.
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘No, no, no.’
She died inside. ‘You’re declining my offer?’
‘I’m declining the flow chart and bullet points.’ He stepped right into her space and put his hand gently on her shoulder. ‘This can’t be business between us. This is play.’
‘Surely you like a game to have rules?’ She instinctively knew she needed them.
‘Don’t you realise how much I hate rules?’
‘There have to besomeboundaries.’ For safety—to protect her heart, right?
‘Tell me something.’ He ran his thumb gently back and forth across her lower lip in the softest, most sensual of touches. ‘Why are you suddenly willing to make the effort?’
Her legs barely held her up as relief then arousal slammed into her. ‘There’s not much effort required for this.’ The truth just spilled from her.
His eyebrows shot up. ‘Why, Skylar, how you flatter me.’
She closed her eyes briefly and summoned the shell of strength she was going to need. ‘There’s no effort because this isn’t arelationship. It’s anarrangement.’ She opened her eyes and gazed right into his. ‘And to be frank, it’s all about me.’
His lips twitched. ‘What you want. And I get nothing?’
‘You need for nothing, you’ve already made that clear,’ she pointed out with a tiny shrug. ‘But you enjoy a release every now and then and right now you can’t because of that bet.’
‘Every now and then...’
‘Do you always repeat what people say to you?’
‘Only when it’s weird.’
Crushed, she flinched.
He put his other hand on her other shoulder, holding her firmly in place. ‘No. Don’t back out now. Tell me how you want this to work.’
He’d inched closer, and when he was closer, everything was easier.
‘It’s very straightforward,’ she muttered. ‘On your public date nights, we sleep together before I go home.’
His fingers tightened fractionally. ‘So you’re revising our original agreement.’