like pizza all that much.”
“But…”
“You asked me to leave?” He cocked a brow. “That’s not going to happen, Mags.” She bristled at his use of her nickname. “And why not?”
“Because you like me. And I happen to like you.”
“I also like Joe the hot dog vendor. Doesn’t mean I’m going to let him move in with me and turn my life upside down.”
“Who said anything about moving in with you?” He flopped down on the couch, set the bag down on the coffee table and shot her a look that said you don’t understand me at all .
Well, she didn’t understand him. He was Ben Barrett, for God’s sake. After watching that two-minute segment on him, she was pretty sure he could walk out of there and have five phone numbers in his pocket before he even left the building. So why was he sticking around?
“All I want to do is spend a little time with you,” he added. “And if you’re honest, you’ll admit you want to spend time with me.”
“Ben—”
He silenced her by raising his hand, and like an obedient third-grader, her mouth slammed shut.
“I have a proposition for you,” he announced.
Wariness circled her insides like a pack of turkey vultures. “What kind of proposition?”
“I’ll have sex with you if you let me stay here a while.” With a pleasant smile, he began removing items from the take-out bag. He carefully placed each cardboard container on the table, and then reached into the bag for the napkins and cutlery.
She just stared at him. Obviously she’d misheard him, because no way had he just offered to sleep with her in exchange for room and board. Deciding to chalk it up to hallucination, she focused instead on the food he was laying out on the table, wondering what the hell he was doing. She’d told him to check into a hotel, for God’s sake, and instead he’d come back with that cocky attitude and a bag of Chinese food that smelled too damn good and made her empty stomach growl in anticipation.
“Gimme that,” she sighed, grabbing the carton of egg rolls from his hands.
“That’s all you’ve got to say?” He watched as she munched on a roll, his eyes bewildered. “You’re not going to respond to my proposition?”
Damn. She hadn’t hallucinated it after all.
But that didn’t mean she wanted to discuss it either, so she spared him a withering glance and said,
“No.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Because it’s so ridiculous it doesn’t merit a response.”
“It’s not ridiculous and you know it.”
“What I know,” she said, swallowing before reaching for another egg roll, “is that you’re nuts. I’m not giving you a place to stay in exchange for sex.”
“Why not? We both know you really need the sex.”
Her nostrils flared. Deciding it was best to ignore this entire absurd exchange, she reached for a carton of chicken fried rice, grabbed a fork and ate a mouthful of rice. Her silence seemed to work, as Ben closed his mouth, but he continued to watch her, so intently, so knowingly, that it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore that flicker of heat in her belly.
Fine, so maybe his proposition wasn’t totally ridiculous. Maybe the thought of having sex with Ben was even more delicious than this food. Maybe giving him a blow job in the shower had been the most erotic experience of her life and maybe she wanted to do it again.
Didn’t mean she’d give in.
“How long is your roommate away for?” Ben finally asked.
“Eight days.” She chewed slowly. “Not that it should matter to you. You’re not staying here.” He leaned back against the sofa cushions and said, “You don’t find my offer the least bit tempting?”
“Nope.”
“Liar.”
She ignored him and dug into a plate of vegetables, hoping that sooner or later he’d see she was serious and go away.
It was, of course, hoping for too much.
Before she could blink, he’d swiped the fork from her hands and tossed it on the table. Then, without giving her time to
“But…”
“You asked me to leave?” He cocked a brow. “That’s not going to happen, Mags.” She bristled at his use of her nickname. “And why not?”
“Because you like me. And I happen to like you.”
“I also like Joe the hot dog vendor. Doesn’t mean I’m going to let him move in with me and turn my life upside down.”
“Who said anything about moving in with you?” He flopped down on the couch, set the bag down on the coffee table and shot her a look that said you don’t understand me at all .
Well, she didn’t understand him. He was Ben Barrett, for God’s sake. After watching that two-minute segment on him, she was pretty sure he could walk out of there and have five phone numbers in his pocket before he even left the building. So why was he sticking around?
“All I want to do is spend a little time with you,” he added. “And if you’re honest, you’ll admit you want to spend time with me.”
“Ben—”
He silenced her by raising his hand, and like an obedient third-grader, her mouth slammed shut.
“I have a proposition for you,” he announced.
Wariness circled her insides like a pack of turkey vultures. “What kind of proposition?”
“I’ll have sex with you if you let me stay here a while.” With a pleasant smile, he began removing items from the take-out bag. He carefully placed each cardboard container on the table, and then reached into the bag for the napkins and cutlery.
She just stared at him. Obviously she’d misheard him, because no way had he just offered to sleep with her in exchange for room and board. Deciding to chalk it up to hallucination, she focused instead on the food he was laying out on the table, wondering what the hell he was doing. She’d told him to check into a hotel, for God’s sake, and instead he’d come back with that cocky attitude and a bag of Chinese food that smelled too damn good and made her empty stomach growl in anticipation.
“Gimme that,” she sighed, grabbing the carton of egg rolls from his hands.
“That’s all you’ve got to say?” He watched as she munched on a roll, his eyes bewildered. “You’re not going to respond to my proposition?”
Damn. She hadn’t hallucinated it after all.
But that didn’t mean she wanted to discuss it either, so she spared him a withering glance and said,
“No.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Because it’s so ridiculous it doesn’t merit a response.”
“It’s not ridiculous and you know it.”
“What I know,” she said, swallowing before reaching for another egg roll, “is that you’re nuts. I’m not giving you a place to stay in exchange for sex.”
“Why not? We both know you really need the sex.”
Her nostrils flared. Deciding it was best to ignore this entire absurd exchange, she reached for a carton of chicken fried rice, grabbed a fork and ate a mouthful of rice. Her silence seemed to work, as Ben closed his mouth, but he continued to watch her, so intently, so knowingly, that it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore that flicker of heat in her belly.
Fine, so maybe his proposition wasn’t totally ridiculous. Maybe the thought of having sex with Ben was even more delicious than this food. Maybe giving him a blow job in the shower had been the most erotic experience of her life and maybe she wanted to do it again.
Didn’t mean she’d give in.
“How long is your roommate away for?” Ben finally asked.
“Eight days.” She chewed slowly. “Not that it should matter to you. You’re not staying here.” He leaned back against the sofa cushions and said, “You don’t find my offer the least bit tempting?”
“Nope.”
“Liar.”
She ignored him and dug into a plate of vegetables, hoping that sooner or later he’d see she was serious and go away.
It was, of course, hoping for too much.
Before she could blink, he’d swiped the fork from her hands and tossed it on the table. Then, without giving her time to
Similar Books
