Page 46 of Perfume Girl
“How do you mean?”
“You don’t trust anyone, either.”
He waved that off. “Those who cross me regret it for the rest of their lives.”
A shiver of uncertainty scurried up my spine.
He towered over me. “Do you want to know the kind of man I am?”
“It’s obvious.”
“Ah, but what you have observed is merely the surface.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I could revel in the slow burn of torturing you.”
“Quite the confession.” This man didn’t scare me. “Is this how you chase away the competition?”
“You are the competition.”
“My store is about to close. I’m hardly a threat.”
“And yet…”
Outside the window came a burst of laughter from a crowd passing by, but it didn’t ease the tension between us. Outside another world awaited, but I wasn’t meant to see it.
“You’re a cautious businessman,” I said. “I respect that.”
“I think you underestimate me, Raquel.”
These were the same words I’d used on Damien back at his restaurant, and it made me flinch. “You want to test me? Observe my resolve?”
He stepped closer. “Beg for mercy.”
“I really don’t think I will.”
“You crash into my world flaunting your beauty, using it as a weapon, and I intend to find out your motives one way or another.”
A swoon hit me hard. The scent of rum on his breath was sweet and enticing.
“You think you can scare me off?” I said softly.
“The rum has given you false courage.” He reached up and curled a finger around a lock of my hair. A moment later, he seemed to realize what he’d done and let go.
“You’re the most conceited man I’ve ever met.”
My gaze slid to his lips. His mouth was full and parted and seductive.
“Raquel, you are maddening.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I was close to blurting out an accusation…but something stopped me. Maybe it was the way he seemed to be covering up something himself. Maybe it was because I knew he would deny it and I would lose my chance to find my perfume.
Or maybe it was because he was so close to me I couldn’t think straight, and I no longer cared about the danger he posed. My mouth parted and I wondered what his kiss would be like, the one I never got to experience back at Bridgestone. A rush of arousal sparked deep inside me, causing me to shudder.
He saw my reaction. “Tempted?”
“By what?”
“The promise of blinding pleasure.”
“I’m not like that.”
