Oh, no. She is not going to be mad at me for this. I move close to her and grip her arms above the elbows. Her eyes widen. She sucks in a quick breath and holds it. I lean in close and inhale her scent. It’s sweet like honey and vanilla.
Mine.
She swallows, releasing her breath. I bring my lips to her ear and exhale softly.
“Hello, sweet girl,” I whisper and skim my lips along her jaw. I touch my nose to hers and gaze into her beautiful amber-colored eyes, probing her. She turns her head, knowing her eyes will be truthful. “I thought I made it clear that I would prove you don’t have to be alone. I’m not giving up. I want you.”
She struggles and tries to pull away, but I hold tight.
“I don’t want you paying for a nurse,” she says, trying to sound adamant.
“I want to.”
“Call the agency and cancel it, right now.”
“No!”
I move my hands to her waist and latch my hands together behind her back. She looks at me with burning intensity. The fire in her eyes isn’t anger, and she knows it.
“I mean it! I don’t need your fucking help.” Her palms slap against my chest, and she yells, “I can take care of my grandfather!”
I lock her arms underneath mine at her sides so she can’t slap me again. My lips graze over hers, and I trace the seam of her mouth with my tongue. She turns her head, refusing to let me kiss her.
“I don’t doubt you can take care of him, but I want to help. A full-time nurse will make room on your plate for a new friend.”
Her posture stiffens as she attempts to pull away. I hold tight and try not laugh. She makes a strangled sound and glares at me.
“That’s why you did it? So I would spend time with you?”
I smile and tilt my head to the side. “Maybe I was hoping.”
Her jaw shifts, and she frowns. “Thank you for making me feel like a prostitute yet again.”
She wants me to get angry and give up. While she succeeds in pissing me off, I’m not about to give up. “What did you say?” I ask calmly. I know exactly what came out of her mouth, but I’m curious if she’s brave enough to say it again.
“You heard me!”
“I didn’t ask you to fuck me in exchange for my gift! My doing something nice for you makes me happy.”
“As long as I spend time with you?”
I hear how insulted she is by her tone, but her body cues her willingness to forgive me. “You want to spend time with me.”
“I do not!” She scoffs. “I don’t even like you.”
“I don’t like you, either.” I grin.
“You’re so arrogant. Get this through your thick head — I don’t want to be friends with you.”
I reach up and brush the pad of my thumb over her lips, pushing sideways until they part. “Oh, sweet girl, I don’t want to be friends with you, either.”
Her eyes narrow. “Perfect, we aren’t friends. Now let go of me.”
The chemistry between us is charged to the point of exploding. The glint of desire in her eyes confirms her mouth is lying. “Can you feel that?”
“No.”
I tilt my head back and laugh. “You’re a terrible liar. I know you feel it. I can see your hard nipples through your shirt.”