He smirked and leaned out, tracing a finger over her tense arm. “Want to know how I knew you were bluffing?”
God, his finger on her bare skin was torturous. It made her want to jump him. “I have a feeling you’ll tell me anyway, so go for it.”
His hand dipped lower, skimming over her wrist. “Right here? Your pulse leaped, but not in an excited way, judging from the way you bit down on your lip.” So much for looking sexy. “You looked away for just a second when you spoke, and you also fidgeted while shifting your weight on the stool. Put them all together and it means you are bluffing.” The force of those green eyes made her want to fidget or twitch or something, but what would he read into it if she did? “You may be able to read people, but I can read you.”
“I’m seeing that.” She picked up her martini and took a healthy sip. She’d need it if he planned on talking to her much longer. “Congratulations on being so observant. Should I get you a card or a cake? Maybe a cookie?”
He chuckled. “Were you always this snarky?”
“I don’t know.” She stared down at her phone again, unable to look at him right now. She flipped through another email, trying to stare at her phone instead of him. Anything was safer than looking into those green eyes. “Were you always this condescending?”
“There you go answering questions with questions again. Ever the professional journalist.” He snatched her phone out of her hand and slipped it into the breast pocket of his suit jacket. “You’re off the clock, Red. Relax a little bit.”
She frowned and held her hand out. “Give me back my phone. I have work to do.”
And a brother to answer.
“Not happening.” The bartender came over, but Tyler didn’t take his eyes off Christine. “I’ll have a whiskey, please. She’ll have another of whatever fruity drink she’s having.”
The pretty blond bartender nodded and walked off, but not before Christine saw her give Tyler a flirty smile. Tyler, on the other hand, didn’t notice it. He was too busy watching her. Her pulse raced. He needed to stop looking at her like he wanted to see her naked again. It was doing weird things to her psyche.
She gave him a small smile. “You don’t need to tell me to relax. I was fine until you came in here and started flirting.”
“Who says I’m flirting with you?” he asked with not so much as a grin on his stupidly perfect face. God, it wasn’t fair. “We’re just talking.”
“Please,” she said, turning back to her martini. She hoped she looked cool and calm in the face of his interest—but she was far from it. At best, she was a hot mess.
He shrugged. “You know, I thought about leaving you alone tonight. Not flirting with you for the rest of the week, even, after I got that text.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Right. I came in and saw you sitting over here, looking drop-dead fucking gorgeous, and I realized something.” He reached out and tugged on a curl, sending tingles across her scalp and desire coursing through her blood. “It would be pointless to even try to avoid you. In the end, we won’t be able to stay away from each other. Last night proved that.”
Her jaw dropped and she yanked her hair free. A mixture of rage and desire warred within her, making for a deadly cocktail. “It’s been eight years since we last talked, if you ignore the awkward ‘hi’ we shared at graduation. I’d say we’re pretty freaking good at staying away from each other.”
“That was only because we weren’t in the same zip code all that time.” He pressed his fingers against his mouth and inhaled deeply. Why did something so simple turn her on and make her palms get all sweaty? Why did she want to rip his fingers away and kiss him properly? Damn him. “But when we get too close…sparks fly. Inevitably, you end up pressed against a wall with me in between your legs. Mexico. Last night. Tonight…”
God, he was so freaking cocky. Of course, he totally pulled off the sexy confidence that seemed to come so easy to him, but she wasn’t about to admit it. It would only go to his head. “You sound like a Taylor Swift song,” she said, laughing uneasily. “‘Sparks fly?’ Really?”
“What can I say? You make me poetic.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Sure I do.”
“Want proof?”
“You gonna write me a poem now?”
“Nope. I’m going to sing you a song.”
Her eyes widened. “No, you’re not.” When he opened his mouth, she covered it again. “Don’t you dare.”
He pulled free and belted out a few lines of the Taylor Swift song. She punched his arm and looked over her shoulder, making sure no one noticed. Everyone nearby looked over, in various shades of interest, trying to figure out who was singing Taylor Swift.
“Stop it,” she whispered.
He ignored her, and she buried her face in her hands. But when he held a note so long that even the bartender stared…she couldn’t help it. She burst into laughter and waved her hand frantically. “Oh my God, you win. Please. Stop singing to me.”
He cut off instantly. “Are you sure? I could keep going. I know the whole album by heart thanks to a teen I once took care of in Europe.”
She dropped her forehead into her palm. “Please no.”
“Fine. Want me to stop?” He shifted his weight and leaned on his knee. “Tell me about your list.”
He was awfully interested in her little sex list. She grinned and shook her head. “Nope. Not happening.”
“Fine…for now.” His lips twitched and he tugged on her hair again. “I heard a rumor you girls all picked groomsmen to seduce.”
She studied her drink, not sure where he was going with this line of questioning. “Who told you that?”
“Kady, of course.”
“She never could keep a secret,” Christine muttered.
He pressed a hand against her lower back and moved closer. Her stomach tightened at the innocent touch. Tiny little electrical sparks seemed to shoot from her scalp straight down to her belly, setting her on fire. Damn Taylor Swift and her songs. “Did you pick one?”
She didn’t even attempt to pretend not to understand his question. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
His gaze darkened. “Did you? Tell me, or I’ll force it out of you with another kiss, or even worse? A song.”
God, yes. She’d love another kiss. Wait. No, she wouldn’t. He was garbling all her thoughts with those eyes of his, and those soft touches he kept torturing her with. Swallowing hard, she shook her head slightly. “No.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, his voice low and deadly sounding. “No, you didn’t pick one? Or no, you don’t want a kiss or a song?”
“Both,” she said, her throat parched.
“Why not?” He curled her hair around his finger, urging her closer. She didn’t mo
ve, even though the pressure hurt a tiny bit. He could tug on her all he wanted. She wasn’t getting any closer. Not until she knew she could handle the close proximity, thank you very much. Which would be…never. “Do you have a man waiting back home?”
Not for over a year, much to her friends’ dismay. They were always pushing her to take more chances romantically. To be more like she was in her job in her personal life…but it just didn’t work that way. It wasn’t as if she could just push a button and fix herself with a flick of her thumb. Hence the sex list. “Why do you care?”
“Because I don’t like the idea of you having another guy in your life. Not after what happened between us last night. Also, if you have a man, I couldn’t do all the things to you I plan to do tonight, either.” He tugged harder on her hair, and she bit down on her lip, still refusing to budge. “Why are you fighting me so damn much?”
She gave him what she hoped was a challenging look. “Why are you pulling me closer?”
“Because I don’t want to fight this anymore.” His mouth curved upward into a small smile. She couldn’t help but watch, fascinated by how damn kissable his lips were. “I want to be friends, and more importantly? I want you in every possible way. I’m not talking about one time. I have a feeling once wouldn’t be enough for us.”
Heat rushed through her, centering on the wetness between her legs. Really? Was that all it took for her to get turned on by him? Him telling her he wanted her? Pathetic.
Well, too bad he couldn’t have her. How cocky of him to think he could, after a single kiss in a hotel foyer. She wasn’t that easy to get. She needed to remember this moment the next time he turned those bright-green eyes her way, instead of turning into a puddle of need. Leaning close, she bit down on her lip, watching as he stared at her mouth. “You want me more than once? Really?”