Page 17 of Take the Blame (Seaside Mergers #3)

“You know,” he started slowly, his eyes meandering up and down my face like he was memorizing something about it.

My pulse jumped and his finger landed there next.

That rising heat from when he’d pulled me back here started its way up my back again, swirling around until it met my belly.

The soft murmur of his voice plummeted that feeling to my thighs.

What in the world? “You’ve been so stressed out lately. It’s like anything will set you off.”

“So?” I asked, my palms pressing against the surface of his office door as I stepped back.

“So it’s not good to hold it all in like that,” he said, stepping with me.

“I’m alright,” I breathed, my spine pressing backward next.

He cocked his head. “If ‘alright’ is five seconds away from exploding, then yeah. You’re doing great, Boss.”

I hated that he was right. It was irritating that he could read me so easily. “Well, what do you suppose I do? I just told you about my… issues.”

A corner of his mouth lifted, and he lowered his voice. “How about you let me help you?”

“Help me?”

“Yeah. I think I can help with your…” his eyes trailed along my features, visibly lingering on my lips. “Issues.”

My mouth went dry as my own eyes slipped down to his lips, a long second passing by in heated silence. My brain was starting to get fuzzy from his proximity and his strange offers. I shook my head to clear my jumbled thoughts. “How could you help me?”

He shrugged. “I’m a pretty nice guy.”

“Okay…” I said.

“But you don’t see me letting people walk all over me,” he continued. I could hear the silent addition to that statement. Like you do.

“I don’t—” I started indignantly, but I trailed off at the look he gave me. I pouted. “What’s your point?”

“My point is, I could show you how to stand up for yourself,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because I owe you,” he said. “And I can tell you’re really struggling with this. ”

I frowned, ignoring the ache in my chest at his concern. “So?”

“So, you once walked in here and saw us struggling and decided to help. Now look at us. Running the internet,” he said.

My heart flipped, the admission that I actually helped him pleasing me way more than it should. Pride slicked through me in a delicious shiver. I narrowed my eyes to cover up the slip, challenging his suspicious offer. “How would I even do that? Work on being tougher?”

“Well for starters, instead of kindly asking me to wait inside earlier, you should have told me to fuck off,” he said.

My eyes widened, not at his language—my baby sister swore like a sailor, but at the insinuation that I could do that.

His eyes danced with amusement at my response.

But he sobered quickly, adding, “I was the asshole in that situation, and I’m sorry. ”

I waved him off, my interest in his proposition suddenly spiking as the thought settled in my mind. “And you’ll teach me how to…be like that? How to be strong, and brave, and bossy.”

His eyes lighted on my features and his expression softened. “You’re already strong and brave and damn bossy, Alta. You just need to grow some balls.”

I wrinkled my nose at the expression and he chuckled, the sound puffing his chest up and down in a not totally unwelcome image.

“What’s the catch?” I asked.

“Hmm?”

“The catch. Your payment. What do you want in return for showing me how to grow some balls.”

He looked at me, and for a second it felt like he was peeling back my skin.

Surveying me in a way I’m sure no one had ever done before.

I fidgeted but resolved myself to hold his gaze.

When he spoke, he lost that joking tone again, seriousness taking over.

“I want you to take me up on my other offer. From before.”

“Your offer?” I asked, not sure what he was referring to .

“Yeah,” he said. “When I told you to use me the other day. To take your frustration out. Remember?”

For a second I didn’t remember, and then all of a sudden it was coming back to me in stomach curling clarity. Him telling me to ‘take it out on him’ and assuring me that ‘he could take it.’

I flamed.

Had he truly been serious? Had he really asked me to use him to get off— out my frustration?

I blinked. “Use you?”

He laughed, the sound bubbling out both amused and exasperated. “Jesus Alta, stop repeating whatever I say. You’re making me feel crazy.”

“That’s because you are crazy!” I said. “First you want to give me ball growing lessons and then you want me to, like, strangle you when I have a bad day or something?”

Harper’s head bowed, his forehead leaning against both my shoulder and the wall behind me. And he laughed. Full, body shaking laughs in a low, almost silent rumble.

I found myself smiling too as I looked at his neck. “ What ?”

“The insanity that just left your mouth right now,” he said, voice still laced with amusement. “It’s baffling.”

“Me!” I giggled. Braving up a bit, I pressed gentle hands into the plains of his stomach. “I’m not the crazy one here. You want me to hurt you and that’s scary.”

“Damn you’re sweet,” he said wistfully, almost as if it were just a passing thought. He lifted his head to meet my eyes. “But so violent, I’m learning.”

“What! How?” I squeaked.

He shook his head. “Like I said before, I don’t want you to hurt me, I want you to use me.”

“Use you how ?”

He raised an eyebrow, his stare so dry that suddenly I knew.

Oh… oh ! He meant? —

I squirmed.

“That wouldn’t work,” I dismissed quickly, cheeks flaming.

“You’d be surprised how much it would,” he said, voice dark.

“Harper.” I shook my head. “I don’t even know how I’d do that.”

“No?” he asked, taking a step toward me. “So you’re requesting my wisdom already?”

“Yes.”

He smiled. “That was rhetorical, Alta.”

“Oh,” I said, blinking. Why was he joking at a time like this? “I still don’t…”

“What? Believe me? Try it out then.”

“Try it?”

“You’re repeating my words again.”

“You’re talking crazy again.”

“ Try it , Alta.”

My eyes fluttered along with my stomach, my mind reeling with all that he was presenting me. My fingers tingled with the excitement of touching him, even though my hands were still pressed into the muscles of his abs.

I looked up at him, my voice coming out in a hesitant whisper. “How?”

“Kiss me.”

“Kiss you?”

“That’s what I said.”

“What’s that going to do?” I asked, my eyes jumping to his lips again. O ther than drive me crazy , my brain added.

“It might help you let out some of that aggression. On something other than plants, I mean. Someone. Me .”

I blinked at him, taking in his face. He was much more relaxed than when we were outside earlier, easy going as always. Yet I could tell he was being serious.

I felt my body heat, suddenly hyper aware of how close he was to me—how close he had been ever since he pulled me in here.

And the crazy part about it was, the feeling of his body hovering near mine, of his hands on me, was not unwelcome.

And his sudden proposition was propelling my mind back just a couple minutes to when he grabbed me and my first thought was to get turned on…

if that was the case, what in the world would I feel if he kissed me?

I shook my head.

“I can’t kiss you, Harper,” I whispered. “Not without a reason.”

“Okay…” he said, voice trailing. “Kiss me and I’ll participate in that party.”

“I thought you said you’d do it if I asked,” I said.

“Conditions can change,” he answered.

Nervousness aside, I chuckled. “That’s sexual extortion.”

His smile was lazy as he said, “Sounds like fun to me.”

I giggled, then caught myself doing it, and rolled my lips into my mouth. “Why do you want to?”

“Truthfully?”

I nodded.

“ Other than the way you look right now? Like you want me to kiss you.”

I swallowed. “Other than that, yeah.”

“Cause I would rather you take it out on me than play that sweet shit,” he said.

“For whatever reason, you can’t let it out with other people.

You were this close to snapping out there with your brother, but you didn’t.

You waited until you found me. You’ve never had a problem letting it out on me. And I don’t mind when you do.”

“You don’t?”

“No.”

“And you want me to kiss you because…”

“I want you to kiss me so I can feel that sweet, violent little mouth on mine,” he said. “I wanted it as soon as you blew in here, Boss.”

My stomach curled up, a million little flutters taking flight in my body.

Distantly, I wondered if he meant today or before, but my immediate attention was caught on him taking another step closer, his body near hovering over my own.

It was almost criminal, the teasing amount of space left between us now.

For the life of me I wanted that distance to close, just to put this aching need to know what it was like to rest.

“I’m supposed to be mad at you right now.”

“Frustration and anger are two different things,” he said, throwing my earlier words back at me. “I can help with frustration. And I don’t want to make you mad.”

“Instead, you want to make me, what?”

“Moan. Scream. Say my name?” A devilish grin crossed his face. “All of the above if that’s what works for you.”

“Harper,” I breathed, exasperated.

He chuckled, his voice lowering. “I want to help you out. I fucked things up for you earlier. Let me make it up to you.”

This was a bad idea, right?

I bit my lip, contemplating. He was crazy. But he did say he would do the party if I kissed him. And it was only one kiss.

I tried to tell myself that, yes, kissing one of my clients, especially one that exasperated me so much was a terrible idea. But the smell of his clean body and the feel of his proximity was causing my thoughts to bottleneck to one thing.

I wanted to know what it would be like.

If I was honest with myself, it felt good to be around Harper.

It felt freeing to not have to be so nice.

Not have to worry about hurting his feelings.

To let go... And he was right about one thing.

I’d never had a problem letting him have it.

He let me have it right back in his own smart-aleck way, too.

Yeah, he said annoying stuff, that made me wonder what he thought of me, but he didn’t really treat me like the “princess” he claimed I was.

He’d always given it to me straight, even that first time when he misread me.

Even this most recent time when he said he didn’t want to do my party.

He wasn’t out to spare my feelings. And I think that’s why his opinion actually meant something to me.

“You can turn me down, you know,” he said, cutting into my thoughts. “That’s lesson one. Only take what you want, and don’t worry about me. My feelings don’t hurt too easy.”

I blinked rapidly, clearing my throat. “One kiss?”

His eyebrows pulled together for the briefest moment, before he pulled himself together.

“For the party, yes,” he said, eyes trailing down my face to land on my lips. He licked his. “For the rest, negotiable.”

“Okay,” I said. “Hold still.”

I ignored all logical firing in my brain and told myself to stop thinking.

Harper said to use him to let my feelings out.

Harper said kiss him and he’d participate in my party.

Harper was out of this world attractive.

A girl could do wonders with those offers alone.

I didn’t need wonders, I just needed to curb this curiosity he’d sparked in me.

Getting my party was just killing two birds with one stone.

One kiss…

So closing my eyes and counting to three, I did what I always did.

I struck first. So when someone asked me what I did when my big, tattooed client asked me to kiss him to blow off some steam, I could tell them that I stepped closer to him, touching cautious hands to his shoulders and I pressed up to my toes so my mouth was right under his.

In reaction to my nearness, Gus moved, spreading big hands on either side of my waist and holding me to him. The sigh I let out was way too close to a moan, feeling his front hard and solid against my front, and his hands were warm and steady as they tucked into the dips of my body.

“I said no moving,” I ordered in a breathy whisper .

“Sorry, Boss,” he said. And it was the sudden realization that his voice had gone breathy too, the scratchy sound of his baritone deep in his throat, that gave me confidence.

I could feel his heart beating, a lot more unsteady than he probably would have liked me to believe. I was actually in control here.

And that’s why I chose then to stretch up the remaining distance and slant my mouth under his. Not because I liked Harper or something. Because he’d propositioned me and I was a businesswoman. I knew a good deal when I saw one. And because I was in control.

His pillowy lips were just as soft as they looked when I pressed mine under them. And even though it was only a peck—a slow peck that lingered maybe a second too long with the heavy pressure of something hungrier on the horizon—a low growly hum escaped his throat almost immediately upon contact.

The sound went straight to my core, turning everything from my waist down molten. I felt my nerves spark to life, causing my skin to tingle and everything in me telling me to press further. Kiss deeper. Take more.

What the heck?

Instead of listening to my crazy body I stepped back, my back pressing against the wall, my eyes wide as I looked at him. His eyes looked…different as he set them upon me. Heavier. Hungrier.

I cleared my throat, but my words still came out raspy. “Good?”

“Great,” he said.

We looked at each other, our eyes glued. “You’ll do the party now?”

“I’ll do whatever you tell me to do now.”

My stomach flipped as thoughts of what I’d like to tell him to do came dancing across my mind with zero hesitation. Seriously, what was wrong with me?

It was the stress. I had to be going crazy from the stress.

Sliding my hand around the doorknob, I said. “Just the party is fine, thank you. I-I have to go now. ”

And I did. I bolted out of there as fast as my legs could take me, before I did something else stupid, like take Gus Harper up on his insane proposition to use him.