Page 15 of Last First Kiss
Annie gave him the finger.
“I don’t have a chip on my shoulder. Go challenge someone else. I’m not that kind of girl.”
“What kind of girl is that?”
“The kind whose panties melt right off at the mere sight of Rocco Monroe.” She batted her eyelashes and puckered her lips in jest. “And speaking of that, I hope you know I’m not sleeping with you. I’m here to do a job. When we’re in public I can tone it down, give the impression we’re dating, but in here, you’re just my client.”
“First, I would never expect you to sleep with me for your job or for any sort of pretending.” He crossed his arms, looking annoyed. “I like my women actually interested.”
“Good to know. And I’m not, by the way. Interested, I mean.” Ugh . . . she rambled when she was nervous. It was a bad habit and she needed to stop doing it. The damn man was making her a wreck. “So, no sleeping together. Or kissing.”
He moved closer, an eyebrow cocked high on his forehead. “No, that won’t work. People will see right through this if we never kiss. We don’t have to make out, but you can’t just rule out kissing altogether.”
Ugh!
“Fine. If the moment presents itself.”
He smiled wide. “We’re negotiating. It’s like we’re a real couple already.”
She rolled her eyes. The man was freakin’ charming.
This was going to be a very difficult four months if the center of every conversation was going to be how to get into her pants. “Whatever, man. The point is, I’m here to work.”
“And part of that work entails that you pretend we’re dating.”
“That’s outside this house. In here, I’m just your bodyguard.”
He stepped closer, his breath too close to her ear. “But out there, you’re mine,” he said, in a tone she hadn’t heard come out of him before. Not the day he’d met him, not during all the interviews she’d seen on him on television, not even in the different roles he’d played. It wasn’t humorously said. It was . . . a statement. A threat. A promise, even.
She’d never been anyone’s. She’d never wanted to be anyone’s. But the idea of being Rocco Monroe’s felt . . . exhilarating.
CHAPTER FOUR
Rumors of a sex tape featuring Rocco Monroe have Colombians up in arms. Mendoza, who is a demigod to many . . .
She’d been here for three hours, Joey had long ago left, and Rocco hadn’t heard a peep from her. He knocked on her door softly. “Annie?”
“Yeah. Come in.” He opened the door to find her sprawled on the bed with a book in her hand.
“What are you reading?”
She turned the book to show him the cover: The Art of War by Sun Tzu. He couldn’t help but smile. How could he expect anything less from her? “Some light reading, I see.”
She smiled and sat up. “Well, it’s not as juicy as reading all about your sex tape scandal, but it’ll do.” It was the first time he’d seen her smile. Her eyes crinkled at the corners and her nose scrunched up just a tiny bit, making her look younger.
“Don’t believe everything you read. It’s bullshit.”
“None of my business.” She shrugged. “Technically, I don’t start until tomorrow. But I wanted to get settled in so that I’d be ready to start in the morning. I didn’t want to get in your way.”
“You’re not in the way. We have to stick together for the next few months, we better get all the awkwardness out of the way soon. Don’t you think?”
“Yeah, you’re right. I should probably start by apologizing for the other day. I shouldn’t have flipped you off. I probably should have said that earlier today. Although you were a sexist asshole, so . . . there’s that.”
“So you’re not apologizing? I’m not following.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I am apologizing. About the finger. I shouldn’t have done that.”
She was cute. “And you’re right. I was being an asshole. I’m sorry about that. I misjudged you. And well . . . you kicked my ass and made your point. Let’s call it even?”
