Page 24 of Wicked Takeover
She glanced at it. “Uh-uh.”
Tell him something he didn’t know.
Her attention drifted to the front door. “You locked up?”
“Yeah.”
She lifted her face to the ceiling. Romantic strains from guitars flowed from the speakers. Lauren swayed to the sounds and stopped. Dismay flooded her face.
Because she’d enjoyed something for a change?
She pointed upward. “The music’s still on.”
The sparkles on her tee reflected the overhead light and drizzled faint blue color onto her neck. The bluish tint matched the delicate veins on her throat, causing her skin to seem even paler, more fragile. It wouldn’t take much for a kiss to leave a stain there and for a man to mark her with his passion.
Dante inhaled deeply. Lauren’s scent swirled around him, the fragrance pronounced in the narrow hall. His pulse throbbed.
For once, she held his gaze. Longing, and something else, played across her sweet features.
His shaft stiffened, and his balls hurt from frustrated need.
She didn’t say anything.
Dante wasn’t certain he should. She might shut down and take off as she had earlier. Unfortunately, that was a chance he had to take. “What?”
Lauren sucked her lower lip.
Delectable didn’t begin to describe her. Her hesitation said she was going to ask him out. That had to be what Jasmina alluded to when she’d acted so weird about him having a very nice night. He smiled inwardly.
Lauren cleared her throat. “I…”
He leaned in and waited for more.
She didn’t give it.
Poor baby was experiencing what guys did when they had to approach a girl and risk rejection. No damn way would she get that from him. He smiled softly to put her at ease. “You what?”
She mumbled, then waved her hands. “I don’t know how to say this.”
Something shifted within him, her uncertainty touching him deeply. He had an overwhelming urge to protect her, to hold her close and tell her everything would be all right. Hell, he was onboard with whatever she wanted. Not that his sentimental feelings made him less mischievous. “Want me to help?”
She gave him an odd look.
He hadn’t expected that. As a rule, he was damn good at reading women. Not tonight. He coaxed, “Just tell me what you want to say. I’ll listen.”
She looked doubtful.
He gave her his best smile.
Color stained her cheeks and throat.
“Come on… Say what you have to. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” Lauren blew out a breath. “I don’t want you dating our customers.”
Dante’s grin felt stupid. He killed it. “Excuse me?”
She backed up, then stepped forward, on the offense again. “I hate to have to say this, but you’re getting too friendly with the clients. The female ones. There’s too much horsing around. All that laughing and those giggles.” She made a pained sound. “None of them are dressed, or at least fully dressed as they should be. You have to understand. This isn’t a brothel. It’s a legitimate business.”
