Her Enemy With Benefits. Nicola Marsh
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her smile had been dazzling before, she notched it up a level now. What red-blooded guy stood a chance?
Patrick mentally counted to ten, slowly, waiting until Serge had left the room.
‘Don’t flirt with Serge. It only encourages him,’ he said, trying to sound casual and failing miserably if her inverted eyebrow and smirk were any indication.
‘I was being polite, not flirting, but thanks for the advice.’
She slid onto a seat and patted the one next to him. ‘Now, why don’t you sit so we can talk business?’
Fan-frigging-tastic. He’d been mulling over how to approach this first meeting post-bathroom and she’d waltzed in here as if nothing had happened, gaining the upper hand and commandeering the conversation.
Patrick didn’t like losing control. Bad things happened. Things he’d never risk happening again.
‘Talking business is fine,’ he said, sitting next to her and deliberately leaning into her personal space. ‘For now.’
The faintest stain of pink on her cheeks was the only indication that he’d scored a hit. She didn’t respond, taking her sweet time slipping a slimline laptop out of her satchel and setting it up, laying a blank notepad and pen next to it.
Only then did she swivel in her seat to face him, her imperious mask firmly in place. ‘Don’t you think it’s a tad unprofessional, bringing up our social activities in the workplace?’
Her directness impressed him. But the resumption of her haughtiness, not so much. Hadn’t she learned by now that the snootier she acted, the harder he worked to rile her?
‘Social activities?’ He lowered his voice to barely above a whisper, his lips almost brushing her ear. ‘Why don’t we call it what it is? Good old-fashioned f—’
‘Keep that up and there won’t be any socialising of any kind,’ she said, shoving him away, her tone frosty.
‘You haven’t changed a bit,’ he said, chuckling at her rigid shoulders and ramrod spine as she determinedly stared at her laptop screen. ‘You always needed to have the last word during our Biology assignments too.’
‘I did not.’ She shot him a death glare.
‘Yeah, you did. And it’s just as cute now.’ He smiled, waiting for her to glance his way.
He didn’t have to wait long. She blew out an exasperated breath before angling her chair towards him.
‘Okay, the thing is this: I’m confident in the business arena. Invincible. But what happened last night threw me, and focussing on work is the only way I can handle this without…’
‘What?’
‘Without losing it,’ she said softly, her wide-eyed baby-blues imploring him to listen. ‘Aren’t you just the tiniest bit uncomfortable?’
He shrugged. ‘Sure, but honestly? That ice princess act you had down pat in Biology only made me want to taunt you more. And when I first rocked up in Melbourne it looked like nothing had changed. Then last night…’ He shook his head, still blown away by the erotic memories that had filtered across his consciousness ever since. ‘I got a glimpse of how hot you are beneath the ice and it’s a major turn-on. Last night was great. Stupendous, in fact. And a great prelude to going the whole way. So I’m not going to make excuses for it or apologise or act recalcitrant.’ He pinned her with a direct stare. ‘For the fact is I’d do it again right now, right here.’
Her frosty façade melted a little as her mouth curved at the corners. ‘I’ve always wanted to do it on a desk.’
‘Duly noted.’ He trailed a fingertip across the back of her hand where it rested on her lap. ‘For the record, mine’s padded.’
‘No, it’s not. It’s bevelled glass.’
He winked. ‘I’ll make sure to bring a blanket next time we meet in my office.’
She waggled her finger at him. ‘Didn’t I just say we should keep business and social stuff separate?’
‘Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it.’
She huffed out an exasperated breath—something she’d done often when they’d been studying. ‘You know we have to talk about what happened last night, right?’
They did? From where he was sitting, he’d rather be doing much more than talking. Like finishing what they’d started last night, with him deep within her this time around.
‘Talk is overrated.’
‘Spoken like a true male,’ she said drily, jabbing him in the chest. ‘We need boundaries, that sort of thing.’
‘We need a desk with our name written all over it,’ he said, sotto voce, earning a delightfully unassuming, tempting pout for his trouble.
‘You’re the same infuriating, annoying, over-confident—’
‘And you’re the same subtly sexy, smart, amazing woman,’ he said, meaning it.
He’d met some incredible women around the world, had enjoyed every moment of his bachelor life, but it hadn’t been until he’d arrived back in Melbourne and strutted into Sea-borns that he’d remembered Sapphire had a certain something that elevated her among other females.
He couldn’t explain what it was, but the hint of vulnerability underlying her usual toughness appealed on a deeper level he rarely acknowledged.
And that meant he had to focus on one thing only. Sex. No time or inclination to discover where her newfound softness had come from or to delve beyond the obvious: they were two people with a serious sexual attraction that would combust if last night’s prelude was any indication.
And he couldn’t wait for the main event.
Her mouth opened, closed. Her loss of words was cute. A rarity. He took full advantage.
‘I meant what I said.’ He snagged her hand beneath the table and she let him. ‘I had no idea you were so hot in high school—’ She pursed her lips in disapproval and he rushed on ‘—which is probably a good thing, as I would’ve made you fail Biology. But seeing how into it you were last night, us hooking up, major turn-on. Fantasy stuff.’
He must have said the right thing, because she turned her hand over and intertwined her fingers with his. ‘You drove me nuts in high school, teasing me and mucking around with your slackass attitude.’
‘Surely that kiss on graduation night redeemed me slightly?
She winced. ‘Another thing I’d rather not talk about.’
‘Yeah, I kinda got that impression when you didn’t return my calls.’
Her fingers convulsed for a second. ‘I was mortified.’
‘Why? Because your date was a drunken dumbass?’
She shook her head, dislodging a few strands from her slicked back do. Mussing the severity of that product-drenched hair added to her vulnerability.
‘No, I was embarrassed because I’d treated you badly yet you didn’t hesitate in stepping in to help me out of a rough spot.’
He saw genuine regret in the reluctant gaze that met his, and he didn’t like his answering zap of emotion.
Who cared what her motivations had been back then? He wanted her in his bed now. That was all that mattered. No room for emotions whatsoever.
‘Hey, I liked the putdowns and the cutting remarks. It spurred me on to tease you harder.’
‘That’s what the kiss was about, wasn’t it?’
She’d lost him.
‘Huh?’
‘I thought you kissed