“I think that’s a bad idea.”
“Because I’m not looking for anything serious?” Will asked. “Does everything have to be serious? Do you go into every relationship looking to get married?”
“No. I don’t think about getting married much.” Her parents’ marriage was so bad she often couldn’t stomach the idea. “But I’m getting too old to do the one-night stand thing.”
He moved in closer and she nearly forgot to breathe. He smelled so good. Clean and masculine. Sandalwood. He’d likely washed with it. All over. A vision of him soaping that body made her mouth water. “I didn’t say anything about one-night stands. I said maybe you shouldn’t take every relationship so seriously. Bridget, I want to spend time with you.”
And her nipples were hard. Yeah, they wanted to spend time with him, but her brain was still in charge. “My sister’s getting married in Hawaii.”
Oh, her brain was a traitor, too.
He loomed over her, his body inches away. His lips curled up in the sexiest grin. “Really? That sounds like fun. When is that happening?”
He was going to kiss her. His lips were going to touch hers and she had the sudden and deep fear that she wouldn’t be the same afterward. Still, she couldn’t quite seem to move, couldn’t get the will worked up to step back. She only managed to run her tongue across her lips to make sure they weren’t bone dry. “Soon. Next week.”
He sighed, his hands finding her shoulders. “Oh, I guess you’re going to be out of town then. I was hoping to see you while I was on vacation next week.”
She was mesmerized by his eyes. This close, she could see how green they were. His hands moved to her neck. “You could come with me. I need a date.”
Now she was kind of happy everyone else had turned her down. It seemed right to ask him, good to be here with him.
There was the sound of a phone ringing.
He shook his head as his hands sank into her hair. The way he was taking his time did something for her. The men she’d been with before had all just gone for it and would likely have already been pawing her boobs by now, but Will was moving with languid seduction. It was like a dance. “You need a date?”
The only thing pulling her out of the sensual haze was that stupid phone. Who had a landline these days? “I do. Shouldn’t you get that?”
His nose touched hers as his fingers ran along her scalp, sending pleasurable shivers through her body. “Don’t worry about it. The hospital requires I keep a house phone. And a pager. And a cell. If it’s really important, they’ll page me. This is more fun than answering the phone, don’t you think? Bridget, you know I won’t be able to keep my hands off you if we go to Hawaii together.”
She didn’t want him to. She was fairly certain she was going to fall into bed with him in the next ten minutes. Maybe he was right. Maybe she took everything too seriously and she should have some fun for once in her life. Maybe she could handle it. “Will?”
His mouth hovered right over hers, and there was no way to mistake the satisfaction coming off him. He wanted her. God, he really wanted her. “Yes, Bridget?”
“Do you want to come to Hawaii with me? We could have fun.” She would understand that it was temporary. Or maybe it was a way to get to know each other. Maybe to find out if they were compatible.
“Hey, Will. It’s Mitch. I couldn’t get you on your cell. I wanted to let you know that I talked to Jace and he has agreed to be conveniently unable to travel for the next couple of weeks. That’s the last of them and it should be smooth sailing for you. If Bratty Bridget wants a date, she’s going to have to come to you. According to the report my investigator did on her, there’s no one else she can go to unless she wants to call her loser ex-boyfriend.”
He reached over and picked up the phone and slammed the receiver back down.
Bridget froze, the words pouring over her like icy rain.
She’d spent days going hat in hand to the Doms of Sanctum and she’d never stood a chance. Not with any of them.
“All right. I’m hoping you view this as something kind of flattering. I mean, I did go to a lot of trouble to make sure I was the last guy standing.” He tried to move back in.
Bridget stepped away, putting her hands up. “Somehow I don’t see it as flattering. And Bratty Bridget? Is that what everyone calls me behind my back?”
“You can’t argue with it. Everyone’s come up against that mouth of yours.”
“Is that what this is about? You want to show everyone that you can take me down a peg?” She was not going to cry. She didn’t fucking cry. She’d learned it didn’t buy her anything, not even peace since her father would “give her something to cry about” when she did. “Fuck you, Daley.”
She turned and started for the door.
* * * *
He was going to kill Mitch. The bastard had the worst timing ever and he was so fucking impatient. If the son of a bitch had left a message on his cell like the rest of the world, he would be kissing Bridget right now. He’d been so close. He would have gone slow, made her feel comfortable. All the while he would have been maneuvering her straight to bed. He would have wined and dined her and woken up beside her the next day.
Now he had to make sure she didn’t murder him in his sleep.
“Hey, we’re not done.” He tried his most authoritative voice on her.
She reached the door. “Oh, we’re done. You can bite my ass, Doc.”
She slammed the door open and began storming out, proving she really did know how to make an exit. Dramatic. That was one way to describe it.
He reached her in three strides, taking her elbow in his hand and turning her around. “I’m sorry you heard that.”
Her face was flushed to an embarrassed pink, but she’d shoved a wall up the minute she’d heard that message and now he couldn’t read her emotions. When he’d been close, he’d watched as desire and something like longing had played across her pretty face. She’d started to open to him and now the castle defenses were firmly back in place.
“I’m sorry I ever met you.” Yes. Bratty Bridget was back.
“Come on. What was I supposed to do? You wouldn’t give me the time of day.” He had very few places to go since he really was the dick in this scenario. He’d done the crime and gotten caught. He had to find a way to plead his case because now that he’d been so close to her, he knew he couldn’t let it go. If she hadn’t responded to him, hadn’t opened up, he would have admired her from afar. But that wasn’t what happened.