wanting it, and who wants it as much as I do. Be honest with me again, Lena.â
âYouâre wrong,â she said firmly, her ice-chipped eyes unwavering. âNot all women play those kinds of games. I donât. I mean what I say.â
âBut a massive part of you doesnât want to say it.â Her toe curling was giving it away. He hoped.
âYou think?â She glared at him, her ice dissolving in anger. âYouâre actually a no-means-yes, take-it-willing-or-not brute?â
âYou can try to be as insulting as you like but it isnât going to work.â He grinned. âYou canât manipulate me into getting angry and walking away.â Heâd literally fought to learn to control his emotionsâit took a hell of a lot for him to give way to anger now. And he was miles off angry at the moment, more like amused. Her lashes lowered and he waited expectantly, eager to see her next move.
âItâs all about the game for you, isnât it?â She peeped a look back up.
He smiled because she couldnât resist that little look. And, yeah, she had his number, but heâd get hers, too. Heâd tease it out. âI donât think you can deny this, Lena. You were so hot the other day you exploded at first touch. How long had you been on the boil?â He angled his head, leaning closer, deliberately trying to bait her because it was working. âI donât actually think itâs me. Clearly working around all this testosterone gets you het up and after a while your safety valve blows. Best it blows with someone like me rather than one of those boys, though, right? You wouldnât want to get messy in the workplace, would you?â
She went pale. Sethâs radar zeroed in. Oh, that was interestingâwas that why she was so stand-offish with the team? Sheâd once had a messy office affair? His curiosityraged. Yeah, there was the thing. This wasnât just about getting her back into bed; he wanted to know all about her. Most of all he wanted to know what else would make her laugh.
Lena drew breath and forced history back to the past. Seth thought sheâd been horny from hanging with the rugby guys? He was crazy. Those boys were beautiful, but they didnât light her fire. It was all him. Something in him called to her, something she feared was more than skin deep. But she was happy to let him keep his wholly wrong idea. The sass only Seth sparked bubbled up and she leaned forward, reckless. âItâs a once-a-year thing,â she whispered. âCan you hang on that long?â
âOnce a year?â He laughed, predatory sharpness defining his features once more. âYou havenât a hope in lasting that this time. Youâre still thermonuclear.â
She pulled back, putting both feet down to stand her ground. âAnd youâre delusional.â
âNo.â He shook his head slowly. His lashes lifted and the azure-blue eyes gleamed at her thoughtfully. âWhat I am is honoured.â
âIâm sorry?â Heâd lost her totally now.
âAn annual event at most, â he said, utterly serious. âGiven you were worried youâd forgotten how, Iâm honoured that you picked me the other night. And as it was such a rare experience for you, I take it to be a real privilege. And a compliment.â
She ground her teeth. âThe other day you were making out like I was in here getting the entire team off.â
He nodded. âAmazing how wrong that first impression was, huh?â He sidled closer with a snaky smile. âWhat was your first impression of me?â
âThat youâre an arrogant jerk.â
âSee?â He beamed widely. â So wrong.â
She stared at him for a second and then couldnât help but laugh. Her chuckle deepened as the tension eased. It felt good. âYouâreâ¦youâreâ¦â
âReady when you are,â he
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