Wilde Heart (Wilde Women Book 2) by Suzanne Halliday Page A

that. She wasn’t playing any more games with him. From now on, he gets silence or one-word answers.
    “Yep.”
    At the elevator, he leaned in and beat her hand to the call button. Stabbing at it, he told her, “Watch your coffee.”
    Oh, right. She had coffee that was seconds away from spilling down her front. Lifting the large covered cup to her lips, she took a hearty gulp and instantly regretted it when nuclear heat hit her throat. Choking on a sputter, Rhi’s eyes watered and she tried to cool the burn with a quick inhale that earned a concerned look from the man at her side.
    “Give me that,” he scolded as he took the coffee from her hand and patted her on the back as she gasped like a fish out of water.
    The doors to the elevator slid open and he guided her in, quickly punching the CLOSE DOOR button and giving everyone nearby a fierce glare. Yeah, right. Like that was necessary? No one in his or her right mind would voluntarily get into a small, enclosed space with Chief Scowling Face.
    Oh crap. What did that make her? Either out of her mind or . . .
    Just as the doors began the slow slide shut, Rhiann caught a glimpse of Kim Walsh storming down the hallway and if the caustic, angry glare she directed at Rhi was any indication—the lady was none too happy about finding her alone in an elevator with Liam. Fuck my life.
    “You know,” her elevator companion muttered with what might have been an attempt at humor as he held up the coffee cup and gestured, “it says right here . . . Caution. Hot. ”
    Don’t bite the bait, her mind screamed. Say nothing. A couple of heartbeats thumped out and then her mouth took off and started running. Aaarrgghh.
    “You’re, uh . . . Mrs. Walsh was trying to get your attention just now.”
    “I know. I saw.”
    Was he kidding? She got that he didn’t owe her or anyone else an explanation, but he wasn’t even trying. Suddenly, she didn’t give rat’s ass that he wanted to speak to her. Really. They had nothing to say. She wasn’t sure she even liked him at this point.
    Liar! screamed the voice in her heart.
    Letting her smart ass off its tether, Rhi doubled down and went for the gold just before the elevator floated to a stop at her floor.
    “What’s that called?” she asked frostily. “Tycoon with benefits?”
    This time when he looked at her, she didn’t glance away. He seemed clueless. How the hell, exactly, did he do that?
    “I don’t understand. What’s what called?”
    Shaking her head in disbelief, she fled the elevator when the doors opened and walked rapidly down the long hallway to her office.
    He was hot on her heels, entering immediately after and quietly shutting the door. Oh, no. Maybe coming in here wasn’t a bright idea.
    “Do you want any more of this?” he asked, hoisting the coffee. “Or was it just a prop to keep from smacking me?”
    With a black glare, she took the cup and dropped it in a trashcan with a bratty grunt.
    Moving behind her desk, hoping the barrier would keep him at bay, she churlishly asked, “What do you want to speak with me about.”
    Crossing her arms defensively in front of her chest, Rhi tried for a stern, no-nonsense expression.
    “Yes, yes—I do have something to discuss but first tell me what you meant.”
    She arched an eyebrow at him and gave him a blank look that read, Huh? What?
    He came around the desk at her with the speed and agility of a jungle cat. No surprise there. Where his birthday fell made him a Leo. Didn’t that make him king of the jungle? Might also explain why she had such a hard time hanging on to her confidence when he got close. In addition to the lion-sized ego, he exuded a captivating masculinity that fucked with her head.
    “Don’t even, Rhiann. You know perfectly well what I’m referring to. Tycoon benefits? Explain, please.”
    The grumble she heard in his voice let her know she’d ticked him off. Yeah. Whatever. He can be as ticked off as he wants. She got there first, which meant