Page 41 of Love is Fake

We’re silent on the ride home, Lennox doing his white-knuckled grip thing on the steering wheel, his anger a living thing, taking up space in the close quarters of the car. When we finally roll to a stop, my hand is already on the door, ready to get the hell out of dodge when Lennox stops me with a sigh.

“I’ve always had a skeezy feeling about Roger but…” He shakes his head. “You should’ve told me about him,” he says eventually, his tone a little more controlled than it had been back at the resort.

“Why? What would you have done if I had? Punched him?” I quirk an eyebrow at him.

“Probably.” Lennox shrugs as if it’s a completely reasonable answer.

“And someone would have filmed it. And then you’d have a whole lot of explaining to do and probably a lawsuit to deal with. For what?”

“For you,” he rumbles at me. “For treatingyoulike that.”

“It’s not the first time some guy has thought his money gives him a free pass at me. I could have handled him myself,” I tell him, grateful, but also a little frustrated that he thinks I’m some damsel in distress.

“It shouldn’t have been fuckingJackwho came to your rescue. It should have been me,” he shouts angrily, guiltily. And that’s when it hits me. He’s not mad at me, he’s mad at himself for not being there when I needed him. He’s mad that Jack was the one who showed up for me. But it’s not really about Jack. It could have been anyone else and Lennox would still be as pissed because he didn’t get there first.

His reaction is both dangerously endearing and frustrating beyond belief.

“First of all, don’t put what that pervert did on yourself, what he said isn’t your fault. And secondly, I didn’t need freakin’ rescuing, I’m not some fragile damn flower!” I yell back at him, staring him down.

“You don’t think I know that? You’re the woman who doesn’t want help from anyone!” He leans in closer as he barks at me. “You’re the most infuriating woman I’ve ever fucking met!”

Ouch.

“Well, I’m sorry I’m such a damn pain to be around! Next time you need a date, you can find someone more pleasing to your palate!” I move to open the door, but Lennox is faster, reaching across me and laying his warm hand over mine on the handle.

In the blink of an eye, our chests are flush against each other and our faces only inches away.

“I don’t wantsomeoneelse. I wantyou.” His lips trace my ear, the action combined with his words, making me melt all the way away.

His dark eyes are filled with naked fire. There’s no hiding what he’s going to do and – even though I know I should – I don’t stop him. Wrong as it might be, I want this just as much as he does.

Lennox trails his mouth from my ear down, moving along my jawline. Every move he makes causes my heart to beat like a jackhammer against my chest and when he reaches my lips that jackhammer just goes out of control. Lennox pauses for what feels like an eternity, his breath the only thing touching me right now. But even that is enough to light me on fire.

“Nox,” his name comes out as a needy moan, a voice I don’t even recognize as my own. Lennox slides right past the nervousness and focuses on the need in me, brushing his lips against mine as though testing the feeling. As light of a brush as it was, it doesn’t stop the heat between us from going straight to the ‘V’ between my thighs. Only a second later, as though deciding that I feel just right against his lips, Lennox devours me. His mouth opens, prying my own open with it. His tongue searches and finds just what it’s looking for as I respond hungrily, biting his full bottom lip, smiling against his mouth as he groans.

A moment later, he’s pulling me across the console so I’m steady in his lap, unable to avoid the hard ridge in his pants. I wriggle against him, grinding against his erection, wanting to feel him, wanting the clothes between us, off. His hands are running through my hair as I fist his shirt in my fingers, bringing his head down to mine. I’m plastered against his front, straining to get even closer while his hands begin to trail my neck, makingme shiver. And then lower, moving further down my back to my ass, rocking me against him, showing me how turned on he is. Knowing it’s because of me is the headiest of feelings in the whole damn world.

I can’t think of anything other than his mouth on mine, of how good he feels against me, of how much I want him. The tightness of my dress makes it hard for me to straddle him, to have him where I want him, where my body so desperately needs him.

God, I’m so ready for him and all we’ve done is kiss. I’m so lost in him it’s as if nothing exists outside of this moment, outside of how much Icravehim.

With a fistful of my hair, he pulls back, earning access to my neck. Without a breath or a pause, Lennox kisses his way down to the sensitive spot at the base of my throat, scraping his teeth there and making me squirm against him. When he groans, all the hairs on my arm stand tall and then even taller when he pulls me flush against him, his hands ripping my dress apart in the process. The sound causes a window to open back into reality.

And oh my God…what the hell am I doing?

What the hell arewedoing?

I blink down at him through the haze of lust that’s surrounded me. His hair is disheveled, his tie loose and there are scratch marks around his neck which I realize with horror must be mine. He looks so damn sexy and just as surprised by what’s just happened as I am.

I register the hardness underneath me and my blush could most likely be seen from space. I push away from his chest, but Lennox’s hands on my hips tighten for a second, before releasing me. I sheepishly wriggle my way back over the console, trying to shimmy my dress down as I go.

God, could this be any more awkward?

“That was…fuck!” Lennox rakes his fingers through his hair, leaning his head back against the seat.

I touch my swollen lips, knowing if I lick them, I’ll taste him and the thought doesn’t do anything for the brain-bending arousal still coursing through me.

Lennox turns to me and I meet his eyes even though I’d rather be looking anywhere but at him right now.

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