“My name,” I clarify when she looks up at me in confusion like I’m crazy or something. Hell, maybe I am, but I don’t care. I can’t explain this need to hear my name coming from her lips again. “Say my name again.”
She takes a step back from me, eyeing me warily. Shit, I’m scaring the hell out of her.
I take a deep breath and run my hand through my hair, tearing my gaze away from her perfect form for just a moment to try to get ahold of myself before I do something really stupid—like sling her over my shoulder like a caveman and take her back to my house.
“Please?” I force the word from my lips. It’s not one I’m used to saying. I’m used to people jumping to obey my orders, but I’ll ask nicely for her.
“Nick,” she says softly. I close my eyes at the sound. God, I want to hear her screaming it while I eat her pussy until her legs shake. “I need to go home,” she continues.
“I’ll pick you up at seven,” I tell her.
She gives an incredulous laugh. “I thought I said no, Nick.” She says my name again, like now that she’s said it she can taunt me with it.
“Pity,” I say, willing to play hardball if she is. “I didn’t want to call the cops on my neighbors my first day in town.”
Her eyes widen before they narrow again as she spears me with her icy blue gaze, “You wouldn’t dare.”
I step up to her until there’s barely an inch of space between us and she has to crane her head up to look at me. I can smell the flowery scent wafting up from her damp hair. She smells like honeysuckle, and I wonder if it’s from whatever shampoo she uses or if that’s just her natural scent. My eyes rove over her hair that falls down to her waist. The curls are already tightening up into ringlets as they dry. I want to run my fingers through them, but I don’t.
“Try me,” I warn her.
Granted, I wouldn’t really call the cops on her, but if letting her believe I would is what gets her to agree to spend time with me, then I’m not above misleading her.
I didn’t get to where I am without being a bit of a cutthroat. Like a shark, I’d always been able to smell blood and know just how to get what I want, and I’m not above using whatever means necessary to do it. That’s what makes my business ventures so successful.
If I have to deploy those same skills with her, then so be it.
She huffs out a breath and looks away before she looks back up at me suspiciously. “Why are you doing this?”
I answer her honestly, “I’m used to getting what I want.”
She scoffs and asks, “And what do you want?”
I decide to lay all my cards on the table. “You, Daisy.”
Her eyes are as wide as saucers as she stares up at me. I’ve finally rendered her speechless. I reach out to trail a finger along her jawline, feeling how petal soft her skin is. I give in to the urge to finger one of her curls, taking it between my thumb and forefinger.
Her tongue darts out to lick her lips, drawing my attention to their plushness.
Christ…
I make myself take a step back from her before I act on what I really want and taste them. Something tells me my little hellcat won’t react well to that just yet.
“Tomorrow at seven,” I remind her tapping her lips with my finger as I draw my hand away.
“I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?” she smarts off, glaring at me, before she stalks off.
I watch her as she bends and slips seamlessly through the fence like a cat. I frown, knowing from my earlier inspection that fence is barbed wire. I’ll have to remedy that immediately. I don’t want her accidentally tearing her pretty skin on the barbs, though I’m sure she’s got plenty of experience slipping through the fence if the practiced way she’d flounced through it was any indication. Still, I won’t risk her safety.
I continue to watch her retreating form until I see her nearing the little house in the distance.
I don’t turn to walk back to my own house until she disappears behind the garage next door and out of my sight.
I’d been wondering how I was going to approach her. I’d been thinking I was going to have to really stalk her to find a way to run into her again. I’d known from the research I did as soon as I got to my new home that she was my neighbor, but finding her on my property had more than worked out to my advantage.
It’s like we’re fated to be and the universe is working to make it happen.
As if I need any more proof that she’s meant to be mine.