His eyes flicker in my direction, that nerve in his jaw ever more pronounced.
‘I particularly loved the feel of you in my mouth.’
He sucks in a breath and damn if his cheeks don’t heat. The sight has my belly tripping out and the telltale warmth is quick to spread, killing off the sadness, the confusion, the anger. He’s like my on-and-off switch and I’m not ready to give up on him.
‘Coco, don’t do this.’
‘What?’ I say in mock innocence. I let my eyes drift over him, wetting my lips. ‘Or did you prefer sinking your fingers into me?’
‘Coco.’
He’s so tense, and I’m getting off on it now. Goading him, pushing him where I want him.
‘I’m not the man you think I am; you can’t play those games with me.’
‘Games?’ My smile is seductive, calm, the perfect front. ‘Who’s playing games? I’m being a straight shooter and telling you exactly what I want.’
His breath shudders out. ‘Go home, Coco. Before we do something we both regret.’
‘Regret?’ I frown. ‘How can we possibly have regrets? We’re just two strangers hooking up. What’s wrong with that?’
‘Everything’s wrong with it.’
‘Am I missing something? Do you have a girlfriend—or a wife?’
He’s shaking his head at me but I feel like I’m missing something huge and I can’t begin to imagine what.
‘Is that your car?’
His sudden change in tack has my frown deepening and I follow his gaze to where Derek waits for me.
‘Yes.’
‘Come on. I’ll walk you.’
Hell, no.
My laugh is harsh, almost manic. I glare back at him, confusion morphing into anger at his condescension.
‘Forget it. I’m not a child. I don’t need you to hold my hand. You don’t want me—that’s fair enough. But don’t patronise me while you reject me.’
I spin on my heel and force my stride to be steady as I head for the car. I won’t give him the satisfaction of racing off and letting him see how his words, his contradictory behaviour have hurt me. And I certainly won’t let him see the tears that come from nowhere.
Because they aren’t about him. They’re about everything else. His rejection has only served to trigger the whole damn lot.
‘Coco...’ he calls after me. ‘I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to upset you.’
And now he’s offering out pity? I shake my head. No fucking way.
I’ve heard enough. I don’t turn. I don’t break stride. I head to my car and get in. I don’t dare look back at him until I’m safely locked away behind the privacy glass and the car is moving. Then I look and I see him standing there, confusion in his eyes.
‘Where to, my lady?’ Derek asks.
The last thing I want is to go home like this. I spent the morning with Granny, chatting with her doctors, the nurses, trying to mask the pain, to be strong. This foolish seduction was to have been my solace, my hope. Now that has failed, and I’m even more messed-up than before. The tears were living proof.
‘Blacks...please.’
CHAPTER FOUR