"I hope I didn't ruin your plans," I said, knowing there was no way she'd miss the snark in my tone.
She turned to look at me. "What's wrong with you?"
I rolled my shoulders and looked out the window trying to be nonchalant. "There's nothing wrong. But you're not here to be wined and dined by a billionaire in Hong Kong."
When she didn't say anything, I turned to look at her.
She was staring at me like I'd grown a horn on my head. "I like you better when you're a slacker in San Diego."
"I always got the impression you didn't like me at all," I said.
Tension built between us as she glared at me.
"You are at least mildly amusing back home. You're certainly much nicer there."
I realized it was the defiant jut of her chin and her strong dark eyes that had always been the pull for me. I knew it because even now, when she looked like she couldn’t hate me more, I was moving toward her, lured in by the fierceness in her expression.
"You want me to be nice to you?" Even as the words came out, I understood how provocative they were. But I couldn't take them back now.
There was a flash of uncertainty in her eyes as I moved even closer to her. She was wondering what I was doing. Hell, I was wondering what I was doing as I brought my face up close to hers. Her exotic scent wrapped around me, intoxicated me.
Her gaze held mine for a minute and I realized she hadn't pulled away. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't repulsed. Maybe she was intrigued.
"I can be nice, Andi," I said softly, as my fingers reached up and pushed back a tendril of her hair behind her ear. God it was soft, just like I thought.
"I'm not sure I believe you."
I smiled because I liked the banter that belied the quiver in her voice.
I'd come this far, so I might as well go all the way, especially when she licked those sweet looking red lips. I had no choice. I slipped my hand behind her neck and pulled her to me, closing the few inches between us, fusing my lips to hers.
I waited for her to pull back and resist, but instead she sank into the kiss, turning her head slightly, and parting her lips. A whoosh of an inferno blasted through me and I groaned as her kiss ignited me. I pulled her into my lap, my hands wrapping around her, roaming her body as if they couldn't decide what they wanted to touch first.
Her dress didn't hide her curves, but it did prevent me from touching the softness of her skin and it was frustrating. I was about ready to tip her over and lay her in the seat when the car stopped. Like a bucket of cold water tossed on me, I froze. I set her back in the seat and moved away. What the fuck was I doing?
The door of the car opened, and I stepped out. I waited for Andi to join me, but I didn't make eye contact with her as we walked into the hotel. As we neared the elevator, I realized I was going to be in another small contained space with her and I knew I wouldn't be able to resist her. By the time we arrived in the suite I would have no chance of stopping myself if she showed the same interest as she had in the car.
"You go on up. I’m going to get a drink," I said to her.
I couldn't read her expression as she looked at me. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she nodded and got into the elevator. Only when the doors closed, and I could see the lights indicating that the car was moving up was I able to let out a long breath.
I walked into the bar and ordered a double whiskey. Jesus I couldn’t believe I kissed her. It was hard to regret it because it was so fucking amazing. Better than I thought it would be. Her kiss was like her, a mixture of sweet, spicy, soft and sharp.
If I knew I could get away with just one night with her, I would do it in a minute, but I couldn't. Even if I was able to convince her to have a little fling on this trip that would end when we got home, there was still the fact that she worked for my grandmother and while I was a contractor on this trip, to a certain extent, she was working for me.
My brothers had been able to talk themselves into hav
ing some sort of fling with their women, but I couldn't do that with Andi. For one, as it turned out, my brothers were actually in love with the women they had affairs with. As much as I wanted Andi, she didn't seem to be the type for a short-term affair. I was a man who is still trying to figure out his life, and having a relationship entanglement with a woman just didn't factor into it. It was better to leave Andi alone and not complicate our lives, or my grandmother's life by mucking things up with an affair with her assistant.
I was just ordering another drink, when my phone began to ring in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Carter’s name.
“Hey Carter." I checked my watch, noting it was nearly 11 PM. "You're up early," I said, knowing it had to be before seven back in San Diego.
"Yeah, well, Tanner likes to get up before the crack of dawn, so I've actually been up for a bit and thought I would call and check in."
I smiled thinking of Carter and his son, Tanner. A son, he didn't even know about until recently. Of all of us brothers, Carter was the only one I would've pegged being the marrying and settling down type. And now that he was, I could see that he was happier than he’d ever been. My other two brothers seemed pretty happy about their marriages, as well, and I didn't begrudge them that, but it definitely wasn't something I was pursuing.
"Well, the hack is a little bit more complicated than just one person getting in and mucking a few things up. We also had dinner with Marcus Chen. He seemed to know what was going on, which makes me a bit suspicious."