Page 31

“Close the door,” he all but growled, arms crossed over his chest and feet far enough apart to make him look like he was getting into a boxing ring and not a conversation with his assistant.

“I don’t think I will.” I stayed where I was even as a wave of something undecipherable rolled off Bennett like a tidal wave. The force of his emotion, whatever it was, slammed into me so hard, so physically even though he was at least five feet away from me, I jerked backward. Sure, I was a bit sassy. A bit disrespectful, but I’d never been so blatantly rude to him before.

I didn’t feel the need to apologize either.

He stood in front of me, shooting daggers out of his sexy brown eyes, because damn it, I still noticed that, and every muscle in his shoulders bunched. I noticed those too. He was too beautiful to ignore.

Then he moved, and he did it quickly. Stalking toward me, he reached me, wrapped a hand around my biceps, and tugged me forward. I stumbled and jumped as the door slammed closed behind me.

“What the—”

“Quiet.” His voice was thick, losing the growl, and laden with desire. “I have something to say to you.”

Stunned by the richness in his voice, the closeness of his breath at my ear, I listened.

“You impressed the hell out of me today, Rebecca. I had no idea you knew or understood so much about the entirety of every step that goes into acquiring new land or new developments, and I’m standing here with my dick as hard as a rock, wanting to fuck you so bad I can’t think straight. And I’m not saying that because I know what you taste like, what you sound like right before you come, but because your intelligence and the way you took over is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.”

I swayed toward him. His praise was so unbelievably beautiful and naughty at the same time. “Bennett—”

“I said be quiet. Let me finish.” His grip on my arm loosened, trailed down my arm until he cupped my waist and held me to him. My chest to his side, my nipples hardened and tingled. Then it turned to a pulsing, distracting throb at the center of my thighs. “We’re good together. I learned that the other night. I knew it before then with all the work you’ve done since you became my assistant. No one has impressed me as much as you have today. And I mean that, Rebecca.”

His sweet, sweet words, his presence, the scent of him, all of it sent me spinning. My breath heaved and I pressed in closer. My lips were at his throat, his delicious, corded throat that bobbed as he swallowed and spoke. The rumble of his voice vibrated through me.

“Fuck,” he groaned, his lips moving to my forehead. “I broke my promise to you not to mention our night together until you begged me, but fucking hell, Rebecca. Beg me. Tell me you want this. Tell me you haven’t been able to stop thinking about our night or the way I feel inside of you, driving into you over, and over again.”

His fingers dug into my waist. Delicious, aroused sparks spread from his touch through my veins. “Bennett—”

“Mr. Ashby.”

Fuck, fuck, shit! A groan slipped from my throat. My hands went to his hips. This was the moment I’d wanted since he showed up the other day. I needed to hear he thought about me all while trying to deny it myself.

He’d shown me though, that I couldn’t trust him. The tailspin he’d put me in this week, rude to kindness, bossy to helpful, ignoring me to praising me.

My dad had been so mercurial my mom could never anticipate which version of him she’d find. It wasn’t fair or kind or good. Not to her. It wasn’t to me either.

I slid my hands from Bennett’s hips to his chest and pushed, stepping back as I put space between us.

“I can’t.” I took another step before he could reach for me. The distance didn’t help. I still felt his touch all over me, memories of the other night flashed in my mind. His scent enveloped me.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, Bennett. But I can’t. I can’t do this. Not with you. Not today.”

His head snapped toward me so fast it was a wonder it didn’t snap right off. “What do you mean?”

Panic swamped through me like a swarm of wasps, stinging my senses as I tried to back up and get away from him. He didn’t let me. Bennett prowled toward me, stalked me in large, slow steps until my ass hit the conference room table.

“Oh.” My hands went to the edges of the table. “Stop.”

His eyes gleamed and I recognized my mistake immediately. “Now, come on. You know that’s not a safe word. You want me to stop? Say them.”

The arrogant, arrogant prick.

“Bennett,” I seethed. “Back off. We’re not doing this.”

Whatever he saw in my eyes, hopefully it was the daggers I was trying to shoot from them, he listened and stepped back. “Talk to me.”

Talk? Talk!? He wanted to talk? Fine. A shudder rolled through me and I opened my mouth to speak, and when I did, all the frustration I’d had bottled up for weeks went flying. “You’re an asshole! You’re bossy and you’re rude and you demand too much of me without giving me any thanks. Not only that, but you’re mean. You knew what the other night meant to me, you knew how hard that was for me, and I thought when you left that you’d be nicer to me. Instead, you’ve been even ruder to me this week—”