Page 38 of The Rancher's Rejected Bride

He was angry. That was obvious enough, and while I had a feeling I was the one who made him angry, I had no idea how that happened.

"Damian, please!"

He was only several steps away from the hotel elevators now while I still had a few meters to catch up to. I started to run...but ended up gasping out as I crashed into another hotel guest. The guy had just entered the lobby, and if not for his quick reflexes, I'd have completely fallen on my butt.

"Whoa."The stranger helped me regain my balance and I rubbed my temple, which seriously hurt. "Are you alright?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but it was Damian's icy voice that responded to him first.

"She's fine."

My head jerked up as long strong fingers curled around my wrist, and I only caught a glance of the other guy's bemused expression...just before Damian started dragging me towards the elevators.

"Where are we going?" I asked breathlessly as we stepped inside the first elevator that opened its doors.

Instead of answering, he asked sharply, "Are you alright?"

I beamed up at him. "Did I make you worry?"

"Just answer the question," he snarled.

"Youareworried!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

"And jeal—-oww!" I ended up yelping in pain when he suddenly pinched my cheeks. "That hurt!"

"Good."

"Good?" I was once again staring up at him, wide-eyed. "I'm hurt, and it's good?" I shook my head in wonderment. "Does that mean you're a sadist? Or does that make you a Dom?"

"What the hell?"

"I'm cool with either," I told him helpfully. "Whether you need me to be an M or a sub—-"

His hand covered my mouth, and as I blinked at him, he hissed, "Will you shut up? You're going to get me arrested if you keep talking like that."

"But there's no one around," I protested as soon as his hand left my mouth.

"You shouldn't get used to talking like that either way," he muttered.

"But I'm right, aren't I?"

He rolled his eyes.

"You like me."

"No, I—-"

Impatient at his stubborn refusal to acknowledge the burning truth between us, I decided to just do itala Michael Jordanand takeThe Shot.

So I stood on my toes and kissed him.

Two

AT FIRST HE WAS STIFFand unresponsive, his lips cold, hard, and unmoving under my mouth.

After that, he was furious, the force of his emotions burning through the fierce manner in which he gripped my shoulders as he tried to push me away with a hiss."Stop it."