Page 6 of Scandalous Contract

Maybe taken a wild guess at where Benson Hall was and wandered for another half hour. That would have been better than this. Better than walking beside Julian Cattaneo, trying not to notice the way his shirt stretched across his broad shoulders.

Trying not to let the scent of his cologne, spicy, clean, expensive, mess with my already-frazzled brain. I was hyperaware of this man in a way that made no rational sense. I blamed the sun. That had to be it. I was overheated. Dehydrated. That’s all.

My reactions to him weren’t signs of attraction. They were signs of a heat stroke. I needed a doctor, not dick.Stupid sun.I stared up at the sky and squinted as the sun beamed down on me, seeming to say,“Bitch don’t blame me. Blame your self-induced dick drought.”

Yup, sun. That’s probably what it was. The dick drought. My body was so starved for intimacy that it was ready to throw itself at the first man with ridable lips and a swag that screamed he was packing.

Ugh! Stop thinking like that, Stefanie! You’re a mom who is on your daughter’s college campus. Act like it.

Not paying attention to my steps, I nearly tripped when my high heel got caught in a crack on the sidewalk. I almost pitched forward. For a second, my life flashed before my eyes. It was a scary sight –dull, uneventful, with the only highlights being my career and my daughter.

Before I could plunge to the ground, Julian’s hands wrapped around my waist, preventing the fall. That was close! Heart racing, I clutched his arms for balance.Muscles on top of muscles. That’s what I felt.

My mouth went dry, all of the liquid in me racing to my panties.Gush!This man had me gushing. What the actual hell? I gave his muscles a light squeeze to see if they were real. They were!Gush.

Stefanie, unhand this young man before you embarrass yourself.I quickly moved away from him. Too embarrassed to meet his gaze, I straightened my dress on me and stared forward. My eyes widened.

There it was! Benson Hall. We were almost there, which meant I no longer needed his help. Turning away from his infuriating smirk, I tightened my grip on my purse and walked a little faster, hoping he’d get the hint.

Sure, we were heading the same way, but we didn’t have to walk together. Of course, he completely ignored my hints, matching my pace effortlessly. Why did he have such long legs? Did that mean he also had a long...Stefanie, stop it!My intrusive thoughts were going to be the death of me.

“Are you trying to run away from me?” Julian asked, breathing normally while I was almost out of breath from trying to out-walk him.

What the hell, lungs? I jog on the regular. Well, semi-regular. What more do you want from me?I glanced at him, gifting him my fiercest side-eye. He let out a deep chuckle like my irritation was his entertainment for the day.

“I just saved you from falling. You should be thanking me, not trying to run away from me,” he quipped. “You’re hurting my feelings, Ms. Adams.”

The way he said Ms. Adams was making me even more breathless. This was not like me. Over the years, I’d become a pro at ignoring advances. I was considered an Ice Queen at work.

Yet, this guy was melting my icebergs with a smirk. Just a smirk! I responded by walking faster. He easily matched my speed. I needed to work out more. Cross-fit training, here I come. Chocolate ice cream, you’re out.

“I hate to break it to you, Ms. Adams, but running from me won’t do you much good. I’m like a hound dog once I latch onto a scent I want. And I don’t let go until it’s mine.” He inhaled deeply. “You smell divine, by the way.”

Those words shouldn’t have done anything to me. They shouldn’t have sent a tiny shiver down my spine or made me wonder just how good it would feel to have this man’s lips latched onto my pussy.Damn you, dick drought!

Slowing down, I cleared my throat and asked, “Do you practice saying things that sound like red flags, or does it just come naturally?”

His smirk deepened. “Red flag means I’m bad for you, right?”

“Yup,” I agreed, glad that he was catching on.

“I must be a green flag then because everything I’m fantasizing about doing to you will make you feel good. And as long as it feels good, that means it’s not bad for you, right?”

Right!

Wrong!

So wrong.

The wrongest.

There was no need to try to explain why it was wrong to him because, clearly, there was no getting through to him. I rolled my eyes and faced forward again. The sooner I got to Benson Hall, the better. Julian, however, refused to continue the walk in silence.

“I’ve gotta say,” he started. “I didn’t think you’d actually let me help you.”

I gave him a pointed look. “I didn’t. You forced yourself into my business.”

“If I hadn’t, you’d still be walking in circles.”