Months of stored–up frustration swept through
Sadie, unexpected and powerful. "You're not the emperor,
Nick Saxon, and I'm not some concubine. So, stop treating
me like one."
Nick cursed and slammed his fist against the wall,
leaving a dent in the drywall. "Dammit," he
growled, "that's going to look great on camera. Christ,
Sadie, you're driving me nuts. Can't you see I'm doing this
for your own good?"
"My own good? No, all you care about are your damn
surveillance cameras," she shouted, furious that he would
blame her for his own lack of control."Well, you can take
your cameras straight to hell with you, Big Brother. It's
disgusting how you people invade everyone's privacy like
it's your God–given right. Honestly, I don't know how
you can stand working in a place like this. Do you actually
enjoy harassing people?"
The harsh planes of his face, so cold in the fluorescent
light of the concrete corridor, made her shiver. "Sadie, if
it's so rotten here, why don't you go play somewhere else?"
he said. "There are dozens of other casinos in Vegas. Give
one of them a try."
"You don't get it, do you?" she snapped. "I'm not going
to run away every time I have to face something that's
idiotic and unfair. Not anymore."
She drew herself up to her full height, even though that
barely brought her up past his chin. "Now, I'm returning to
my table, and I'd be grateful if you would leave me alone."
Her throat closed with pending tears at the thought of
walking away from him, but she couldn't let him intimidate
her like this.
"I can't do that, Sadie. You're obviously too naive to
realize what could happen if things got out of hand, so
it's up to me to protect you." His face was a hard mask,
but his big hands gently grasped her naked shoulders,
overwhelming her with an infuriating desire to give in to
his seductive, masculine strength. "Here's what we're going
to do. You're going to take the elevator to the fourth
floor of the parking garage and wait for me there. I'll be
two minutes behind you. Then we'll go to my house and talk
this through. For as long as it takes."
A few minutes ago, the prospect of returning to Nick's
house would have made her melt with excitement. Now, she
felt like running back to her hotel room to have a good,
hard cry. How had everything gone so wrong? Again.
She shook herself loose. "Go to hell, Nick."
His jaw dropped. Sadie felt a sliver of satisfaction
that she had stuck to her guns, but she knew she had to get
out of there fast. If he touched her again, she didn't know
what she would do. Despite his outrageous behavior, she
wanted to be with him so much it made her chest
ache—especially since this could very well be the
last time.
She pivoted on her left heel, only to feel the stiletto
spike start to slip out from under her. Damn it to hell!
What was it with her and high heels?
Flailing her arms, she fought desperately to regain her
balance. The next thing she knew, her back was pressed
tight against Nick's chest and his muscular arms were
wrapped tightly around her, right under her breasts. Her
heart pounded as he pulled her against him—and his
erection. The feel of it, a big, unyielding column of flesh
pushing against her bottom, sent an answering ripple of
heat up her spine.
Typical male. Sadie tried to convince herself he wasn't
turning her on, but his hot breath prickled her cheek and
his bristly stubble rasped against her ear. She couldn't
move, and she wasn't sure any more that she wanted to. When
he shifted his hands to cup her breasts, she gasped. As she
had feared, her body eagerly betrayed her and she couldn't
help melting against him.
"What do you think you're doing?" She wriggled in a
half–hearted attempt to free herself from his embrace.
"Exactly what you want me to do," he said, his voice
between a rumble and a purr as he massaged her suddenly
taut and aching nipples through the thin layers of silk and
lace that barely covered her.
Pure heat. Pure sex. He was right. It was exactly what
she wanted, but she'd die before admitting it. "Why, you
big—"
He spun her so she faced him. Before she had a chance to
utter another word of protest, he covered her mouth with
his own. His hot tongue claimed her, forcing its way past
her only slightly reluctant lips. She pushed her hands
against his shoulders, struggling to break free. But she
might as well have tried to move a mountain. She knew she
should tear her lips away from his and stomp on his toes,
or kick him in the shins, or even knee him someplace higher
up. She couldn't submit, couldn't forget his unbridled
arrogance. Couldn't let him just demand and take and order
her around like he owned her.
But a dark little voice whispered inside her head. Why
not?
She froze. Why not, indeed? This was Vegas and this was
the new Sadie, the one who could do whatever the hell she
pleased and deal with the consequences later.