Page 99 of Kiss Me Like You Mean It

His eyes are dark, his mouth set in a firm line. ‘I told you already, we’ll talk about this tomorrow.’

‘I want to talk about it now.’ I ease closer and he takes a step back like he’s scared of me.

‘Lee,’ he says firmly. ‘You’ve been drinking. I’m not touching you tonight.’

‘But…’ I frown, sorting through this. ‘I consent. I consent wholeheartedly. I am a fully consenting, very enthusiastic participant in this arrangement.’ I gesture between the two of us with my hand. And it’s true! I might have a little bit of a buzz, enough to give me some Dutch courage, but I’m not drunk… it’s a school night! I stopped drinking well over an hour ago.

I know my own mind and what I want. And what I want is Nico and his hands all over me. ‘I’m not drunk. It’s very nice of you to be concerned, but I’m really not!’

I wonder if I should stand on one leg or recite the alphabet backwards or something?

‘Not. Touching. You,’ he says again.

The confidence falls away and cold doubt crawls over me. Did I read it wrong after all? I’m offering myself up on a platter here and he’s turning me down.

‘I can’t believe this,’ I murmur, finally accepting the water from him and holding it in front of me.

‘If it makes you feel better, neither can I,’ Nico says, and he sounds grumpy.

My phone buzzes and I pull it out of the pocket of my microscopic miniskirt.

‘Who is it?’ Nico asks.

‘It’s Adrian again,’ I sigh, reading the message.

I’m in New York for work. Maybe we could meet up for the weekend somewhere? I’d love to take you for dinner. Xx

My heart sinks. Oh god, that definitely doesn’t feel like a friendly message, does it? Is he hoping we’ll get back together?

When I glance up from my phone, Nico is looking at me through narrowed eyes. ‘Who is Adrian?’ he asks and it probably makes me a bad person but I can’t help the thrill that runs through me when I detect a hint of jealousy in his voice.

‘He’s a man I was seeing, in London,’ I say casually, slipping the phone back into my pocket.

‘Was seeing,’ Nico repeats carefully.

‘Well, I wouldn’t be here doing my best to get you into bed if I was with someone, would I?’ I snap, and something like amusement lights Nico’s eyes.

‘No, I suppose not.’ He takes a step towards me. ‘But he’s still texting you?’

I frown down at my phone. ‘Yes, a bit. I should probably put a stop to it but I don’t want to be rude. What would I even say?’

Our gazes tangle for a long moment, then Nico steps even closer, towering over me, invading my space. My face is tipped back to look at him, and it feels like I’m exposing my throat to a predator. I swear I see a flash of hunger in his eyes as he lowers his head, as his mouth traces the line of my neck so lightly that I’m not sure if he’s actually touching me, or if the featherlike sensation is his breath skating over my skin. Finally, his lips are next to my ear.

‘Tell him you’re married,’ Nico says in a voice like velvet rubbed against the grain. ‘And that your husband doesn’t share.’

Oh.

I catch my breath, ready to swoon into his arms, ready to be ravished like some sort of historical romance heroine. I give in. Tara was right. I can’t even be mad about it.

Only instead of ravishing me, Nico wraps his fingers around the glass in my hand and drags it up until I’m holding it to my lips. ‘Now drink the fucking water, Daisy.’

I blink at him, my mouth hanging open. When he continues to frown at me, I sip from the glass, then I turn and head for the bedroom, shutting myself into the bathroom with a sulky click of the door.

‘You’ll be glad about this in the morning,’ Nico says from the other side. ‘You’ll know I was right.’

‘Not likely,’ I mumble, yanking off my cowgirl outfit and slipping into the pyjamas I also bought at Target today. I curse myself for not taking the opportunity to buy sexy nightwear, but in my defence I didn’t know Nico was going to force me to seduce him, and I have a weakness for cosy pyjamas. These ones are a soft cotton pair of shorts and a T-shirt, covered in tiny pumpkins.

In the bedroom, I can hear Nico moving around collecting his belongings and I brush my teeth with more vigour than usual. If I thought I was sexually frustrated before, it’s nothing compared to whatever this is. I’m currently too annoyed to feel embarrassed, but I know that it’s going to hit me later.