Page 118 of Positively Pricked

He shook his head. "Forget that."

It seemed an odd thing to say. "Forget what? That I work for you?"

"That's right."

Now, I was really confused. "Why?"

"Because I want the truth."

Was that an insult? I wasn't sure. "Hey, I'm always honest."

"Maybe," he said. "But honest and unfiltered aren't the same thing."

"So?"

"So, I want to know what you're really thinking."

I almost laughed. "No, you don't."

"Why?" He leaned toward me across the table and said in a low, compelling voice, "Because you think I'm an asshole?"

Talk about a loaded question.

Instinctively, I reached for my glass, but Zane snagged it first. He pulled the glass away and said, "First, answer the question."

I eyed the glass with a surprising amount of longing. I couldn’t decide if I was annoyed or amused by his cunning move. "Or what?" I asked. "You won't give it back?"

As an answer, he gave my glass a slow, hypnotic turn, making the liquid swirl enticingly as I watched in stupid fascination.

It wasn't just the wine that had captured my attention. It was his fingers, long and firm around the stem of the glass. I recalled all those salacious rumors. It wasn't just that he was physically gifted. It was that he made very good use of his gifts – one gift in particular.

Against all logic, I felt my tongue dart out between my lips, even as I tried to form some sort of protest. He was holding my drink for ransom. I should be irritated. Instead, I was utterly hypnotized.

In hopes of breaking the spell, I looked up to meet his eyes.

Big mistake.

He wasn't watching the wine at all. He was watching me. And, if I didn't know any better, I might've believed, if only for an instant, that he found me incredibly fascinating, and maybe even beautiful.

It was official. I was going insane.

Distracted, I heard myself murmur, "You're notalwaysan asshole." As soon as the words left my lips, I wanted to take them back – not because they were untrue, but rather, because just then, he did something I never would've expected.

He laughed.

And just like that, his whole face changed. Gone was the jerk who'd been making my life miserable. And, in his place sat a guy I'd never met. His gaze was warm, and his mouth looked so kissable that I could hardly think.

On my own lips, I felt the tug of a traitorous grin. "What's so funny?"

He stopped laughing and leaned forward to say, "If I've gotta explain…" He let his words trail off and once again, leaned back to study me from his side of the table.

In the process, he'd set down my glass, and I took the opportunity to snatch it up and take a long, desperate drink.

I needed something to calm my nerves, and for once, it wasn't because he was doing something awful. It was because, in his own personal way, he was drawing me in, making me see him as something more than a jerk, something more than my billionaire boss, and yes, simply,something more.

And it scared me half to death.

After all, I'd seen how coldly he treated the women in his life. Even if I hadn't known this all along, my firsthand view of him kicking What's-Her-Name off his private jet would've told me everything that I needed to know.