Page 51 of Wild For You

Chapter Fourteen

Erin

Cash is Cash.

I wish I had believed Shannon when she claimed that you couldn’t win a fight with him.

I stare at my image in the bathroom mirror as I prepare myself for what I’m pretty sure will be yet another day without seeing Cash or making the kind of progress I know he’s capable of.

Our make-out session happened more than a week ago, and yet I can still feel Cash’s mouth on mine. I can feel his gaze on me whenever we’re going through the set of exercises I’ve put together for him. His hands feel hot on my skin as he holds on to me for support. It’s those little moments I’ve secretly come to look forward to.

We’ve come such a long way, and now he’s halting again. He pushes himself, only to give up an hour later. He declares his readiness to participate in physical therapy, only not to turn up.

I begin each day with the same thoughts—will he or won’t he let me do my job?

Today is no different.

I shake my head grimly as I regard myself.

Only a few weeks into this job and the dark shadows I used to sport back home are gone from under my eyes. My skin has turned a light golden shade from all the walks I’ve been taking thanks to Cash’s unwillingness to actually let me work hard for my money. I thought we had come to an agreement. I thought Cash meant it when he proclaimed his willingness to work with me, albeit on his terms. I was sure a kiss would suffice to get him motivated.

I was wrong.

Thank goodness I didn’t give in and sleep with him on the spot. I wanted to, and maybe, under different circumstances, my decision would have been a different one.

But as things stand, he’s too full of himself and in dire need of my help.

And help is the only thing he’s getting from me…for the time being.

At eight a.m. sharp, I tried knocking—or rather banging—on his bedroom door…to no avail. I tried calling his name, left a note on the kitchen counter.

Begging, pleading, demanding—nothing seems to do the trick.

All I can do now is wait—again—give him more time.

Minutes. Hours.

Time he doesn’t have.

I don’t want to say it, but his refusal to work with me is slowly making me frustrated. He’s still being difficult even though I’ve offered him the kind of reward that could make me lose my license.

I want him, but more than that I want him to succeed because I know he can. Unfortunately, Cash doesn’t share my confidence in his abilities.

“Maybe I’m approaching this the wrong way,” I mutter to my mirror image.

Maybe he’s wallowing in self-pity because too many people care, and he enjoys the attention.

A kiss seemed to motivate him for a little while. Maybe I could give him more as we go along until—

My breath hitches and heat rushes through my abdomen, gathering in that private spot that begs for his touch.

The thought of sleeping with him, just for the sake of it, is both scary and exciting. I don’t know if I should be shocked or appalled at the fact that I want him to the extent of putting professionalism aside, even though I should know better than that.

Clearly, I need to straighten my head before this job turns into a disaster.

As I change from my usual work attire into tight shorts and a tank top, I devise a new battle plan, one that involves calling Shannon.

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