Page 22 of Nothing to You (Nothing to… #7)

“YOU SAY YOU want sushi and then don’t turn up for dinner,” Rourke said, striding into her apartment like he had every right.

Like she did at his.

“You took my car away.”

The open-plan kitchen and living space presented a balcony beyond. A little skinny one, but a balcony all the same. The bedroom, bathroom, and closet were grouped through the door just next to the couch.

She was on the floor, paper spread out on the coffee table above her outstretched legs.

“You can’t walk ten feet or pick up a phone? And I didn’t take it away. It’s still in the parking lot wherever you left it.”

“You’re here now. What’s the problem?” she asked, finishing the last of her wine. “Did you bring wine?”

“Did I bring wine?” he asked, fake offended, and went back to the bag he’d dumped on the breakfast bar while taking off his jacket. He produced two bottles, showed both, and then brought them to the table. “I want to get laid later.”

“So you brought the panty loosening stuff?”

“Cheap and potent, just like you.”

“You and I have different opinions on what’s cheap.”

“Us?” He feigned surprise. “Opposing opinions? That’ll be a first.”

And she wasn’t going to laugh despite the joke.

“Open one. Now. Please.” Her sickly smile was totally false and didn’t pretend not to be.

His snit lifted to a snicker when she batted her eyes too.

He went off into the kitchen. “We have an appointment for a tour with a residential facility tomorrow. For my mom.”

“Okay.”

“And Roxie thinks we should have our Hope party in LA.”

Opening drawers, he sought something. A corkscrew, no doubt.

“You don’t like LA?”

“I know very little about LA other than it’s full of pretty, rich people, but will that be a problem for Mosaic?”

“Will pretty, rich people be a problem for Mosaic?” he asked and gave up, slamming a drawer. “Where the fuck is your corkscrew?” Sliding aside a file, she picked it up from the table beside her. “You couldn’t have told me you had it?”

“You didn’t ask.”

“If you had it, why do I need to open it?”

Although he asked, he came to take it from her to twist it into the cork.

“Why have a dog and bark myself?” she asked, showing his glare another manufactured smile. “It amuses me to make you feel needed. Though, my ex-boyfriend had one of those utility knife things. Carried it everywhere.”

The cork popped from the bottle.

He opened his arms wide, bottle in one hand, corkscrew in the other. “Look around, beautiful. I own absolutely every single thing you can see. You want that or a utility knife?”

Taking her focus back to the files, she raised her brow and inhaled. “Things I don’t care about,” she muttered under her breath. “Your dick is way bigger than his; that was the choice I made. Screw ownership, I know where to get mine.”

He filled her glass. “Good girl.”

Her eyes slunk up to his. Not another muscle moved, but their exchange told him plenty.

As he retreated into the kitchen, she shifted onto her knees. “Roxie said we can use the club. Crimson.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”

“You ever heard sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?”

“Must be why you’re so good at it,” he said.

She wasn’t going to smile. Nope. “Is Crimson respectable? Can we invite rich people?”

“I’ll be there. Zairn, Knox, if Jane is there, Kintyre for sure. We’ve got a few bucks between us. How many rich people do you need?”

“If we could get away with just the four of you, we’d fuck it out of you. Why go to the expense of hiring caterers and stockpiling champagne when we could just lay you down on your backs?”

“You could fuck the money out of us,” he said, putting food on plates.

“Except you gave us limitless credit cards. Bad move. Now we don’t need to break a sweat.”

“True. Shame this is about exposure, not money.”

“Money helps.”

“Money always helps, and money attracts money. With the four of us there, you won’t get a single no…

” He paused. “Actually, with the Kyst-meister involved, you won’t get a single no.

She doesn’t accept no as an answer. If people say no, she visits them.

To get rid of her, they agree to whatever she wants.

” He returned to the plating. “Maybe she’s a distant Collier. ”

Whatever that meant.

“Franco’s excited. Myles, Helena, I think even Johann’s looking forward to it.”

“That we own the club helps,” he said, bringing over food and flatware. “Makes scheduling easy. You can do it whenever you want. We had Roxie’s birthday party there last month.”

He sat with her on the floor, putting the plates on top of her papers. “I thought Zairn owned the club.”

“We don’t care about that shit in our group,” he said, taking the wine from her.

“You know what I own?”

The glass only just left his lips. “A sweet, tight pussy.”

“And…?”

“Surprise me.”

So she pushed aside the glass and grabbed a handful of his shirt to pull him into a kiss. So not where she’d been going, but it was no hardship.

“Mmm,” he murmured as she pulled back. “You read my mind.”

“Damn, and you asked to be surprised. Better luck next time.” Laying a hand on her paperwork, she scanned what lay before her. “I have SIT stuff to get through and pitches to approve.”

“Pitches for what?” He pulled the collar of her shirt away from the back of her neck to kiss her there. “I thought we were past that for SIT.”

Her palm found his thigh beneath the table. “Everyone got into it with ideas about themes and concepts for the fundraiser. I told them to write everything down. I’ll see what I can make of it.”

“Efficient,” he said, tracing his lips toward her shoulder.

A laugh escaped. “If you keep kissing me like that, I won’t get anything done.”

The wineglass appeared on the table, freeing up his hand. “Then don’t get anything done.”

His fingers skimmed across her cheek to draw her head around. “Xavie…”

He kissed her. “Mm?”

“Did you approve Hope like you did because we’re friends?”

“No,” he said and kissed her again.

“Was that a lie?”

“Was it the right answer?”

“Yes,” she said, feeling his lips curl against hers.

“Then who gives a fuck?” He guided her hand down to the bulge in his pants. “I’ll help you if you take the edge off.”

“You brought me sushi,” she whispered.

He kind of nodded. Their mouths stayed open, bonded in a semi-kiss.

“Got an even better source of protein for you right here.”

Her laugh burst out and she pushed him down onto his back. “Okay, don’t overexert the innuendo.”

“Is there such a thing?”

Out of her shirt and bra, he was loosening his belt before she got through with his shirt buttons. Work was waiting. Food plated. But, shit, there was only one thing either of them needed.