The warm effects of the whiskey fled, and I was stone-cold sober. "You think I'm using you for sex?"
"Oh, are you going to try to tell me it was just the magic of the solstice or the influence of the starlight?" Corsica slammed the soda can down on the counter. "I thought it was really something. I thought we were done pretending. Then we got back here, and you've been jumping on every little thing I do and accusing me of things like using you, of all people, for your money."
"I'm not accusing you-"
"Then I am," Corsica snapped.
I held onto the counter and shook my head to clear it. I marched around the kitchen island and grabbed Corsica by the shoulders. "I wasn't using you for sex. I was trying to get you out of my system. You're all I can think about. This is all I can think about."
I crushed her angry retort under a kiss and held tight as she tried to push me away. The struggle sparked the passion between us. Corsica growled under her breath, but stood on her tiptoes to give me every bit of the kiss right back.
"See?" I ground out against her lips. "It doesn't work. I can't get enough of you, and it's driving me crazy."
"Then this might help," Corsica said. She slapped me hard across the cheek and stormed away. At the stairs, she flashed me an angry look. "Pull yourself together; we're having dinner guests over. Ginny's coming fr
om Santa Cruz, and your father will be here soon."
She disappeared down the stairs, but I still felt her vibrating against me. I still tasted her lips on mine. And I couldn't deny that I deserved the stinging handprint on my cheek.
All I could do was swear, one long, vicious string of all the curse words I could muster. Then I took the soda can she'd left and pressed its coolness to my cheek.
"Pull yourself together, Penn," I mimicked her, but the advice was sound, and I ended up laughing at myself. I needed to get a grip before Corsica made me lose my mind, or worse, my heart.
It was a relief to see Ginny at the front door a few hours later. Her smile was direct and guileless, and then impish when she saw her friend.
"So, how are the lessons in spontaneity going?" Ginny asked.
Corsica rolled her eyes. "Not well. Ask Penn."
I slipped an arm around Corsica's waist. "She's resistant, but I'm willing to keep working with her."
Corsica looked relieved that I was still talking to her, but she still retorted. "You were the one who turned down paddle boarding in favor of happy hour."
Ginny smiled. "I like seeing you two together. This is a strange deal, no doubt, but you're making the best of it."
Corsica and I watched as Ginny took in the highlights of the impressive shoreline mansion. Then, her eyes flitted back to her friend, and Ginny grinned. "Did you seriously dress up to greet me? I'd be impressed, but I know exactly what little hole-in-the-wall thrift store you got that skirt from."
I chuckled as I realized that treasure-seeker was a more fitting title for Corsica than gold-digger. "Please, come on in and make yourself at home. The guest suite is just down there, first door on your left."
"That's my room," Corsica hissed to me.
"Xavier will be here tonight, maybe late. Better that Ginny stay there and you stay with me."
Her expression darkened to stormy, but Ginny just laughed. "I'm good with an old-fashioned sleepover, but we can decide all of that later. First, make sure I brought the right stuff. I didn't have another suitcase. Sorry."
My heart sank as I saw that Ginny had arrived with more of Corsica's wardrobe and accessories. The ladies hefted the laundry basket and hauled it to the guest suite. Corsica glanced back at me from the doorway, but my phone rang at that exact moment.
I took the call, and she took the hint to spend some time with her friend.
"Jason, I swear to God if this is something you can handle without me, I'm going to break this phone," I snarled at my assistant.
Jason's voice was cool, as always. "Then perhaps the first thing we should discuss is the details of your work delegation. I have some suggestions."
"Thank fucking God," I muttered.
"New product searches would best be handled by Roberston, since he organizes all the product testing."
I rubbed my forehead. "He had a good run last year with finding new carabiners. Fine. What else are you subtly implying that I'm neglecting?"