“Madison.” My name was a command.

I jutted my chin out defiantly as he leaned against his desk, ankles crossed, hands shoved inside his pockets. “I would like to restart our fake relationship,” he said.

“Too bad it’s not a Windows PC.”

“If it were, I’d reformat it completely and backdate it to seven months ago,” he surprised me by saying. A waft of his scent made its way into my system. Pine and wood and male and richness that couldn’t be bought. He was the sun. Beautiful and blinding and capable of burning you alive. And I was a mere star in his constellation. Small and insignificant, utterly indistinguishable to the naked eye.

“You screwed up long before I caught you with her.”

But even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t the truth. Not entirely, anyway.

I’d been a watered-down version of myself to appease him, forever a martyr.

And he was an egomaniacal, self-centered playboy who’d regarded me carelessly and never bothered to get to know me. But the thing was . . . the old Maddie had let him treat her this way. The person I was now, however, wasn’t having it. Not at all.

My eyes dipped from his gaze to his mouth, determined not to show him what was behind my pupils. I wondered why he couldn’t show me a fraction of the sympathy I showed him and leave me alone. The very existence of him was tearing me apart.

“Madison,” he croaked.

“Chase.”

His fingers fanned across the side of my neck, his gaze holding mine, penetrating the thin wall of determination I’d put between us. I wanted to die. Die because Chase touching my neck felt more sexually maddening than being fully kissed and groped by Ethan.

“He doesn’t have long, and Julian will uncover our charade in less than a week if we stop seeing each other now.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“That we’ll start seeing each other for the time being.”

“No.” My stomach felt hollow, my voice bouncing inside it.

“Why?”

“Because I hate you.”

“Your body told me a different story when I leaned in to kiss you earlier.” He advanced toward me predatorily, his movements sleek and smooth. His hand clawed into the tender flesh of my neck, and my belly clenched deliciously, approving of his touch. He was right. He was everything dark and sinful. Impossible not to yield to.

“My body is a liar.” The words felt heavy on my tongue.

“Your mouth is, and hell if I don’t want to fuck the truth out of it.”

I looked away, watching him in my periphery leaning nearer and nearer. I took three steps back. He ate the distance between us with one stride. I walked backward. He followed me. Finally, my back hit the black blinds. Chase boxed me with his arms above my head, a menacing sneer on his lips.

No more barriers. Just us and that thick, almost tangible tension lingering in the air like sweet smoke.

“If you pretend to hate me . . .” His voice was silk and velvet, his hot breath fanning the side of my neck. “At least do it like you mean it.”

His knee poked between my thighs as his mouth descended in slow motion onto mine. His body molded into my frame. I stood there, eyes open, watching in gut-swirling horror as his mouth met mine. Yet I pulled him closer, my nails sinking into his shoulder blades. His lips were warm and soft. Softer than I remembered. They felt different. Like his soul was touching mine through this brief brush of our lips. It surprised and scared me, how charged it felt to be in his arms, to drink from the well of his scent and warmth and feel.

He tasted like a touch of whiskey and mint gum, exploring, probing, awaiting permission to plunge in with his tongue. I sighed into our kiss, feeling my muscles relaxing without my consent. I was a pool of desire when Chase put his hands on my cheeks, framing me with his strong fingers.

“This is a bad idea,” I heard myself whispering, but I still didn’t let go of him.

He groaned, the tip of his tongue touching mine. A current ran through both of us, and we shivered into each other.

“I wish you were someone else.” His lips spoke into mine. “Soulless, like me.”

The door flew open before I swallowed his words with a hungry kiss.

“Ronan is waiting on that growth report from quarter three . . .” Julian stopped on the threshold, a folder in his hands, his eyes on us. Chase’s mouth left mine swiftly, and my gaze dropped to the floor. I was horrified, but I wasn’t sure why. As far as Julian was concerned, we were an engaged couple fooling around in Chase’s office. If anything, getting caught was beneficial, so why did I feel like a fraud?

Tags: L.J. Shen Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net