Page 51 of Gluttony
He slid a plate with the last remaining croissant her way.
She shook her head.
“Coffee?” He pointed at the percolator.
Say no. Tell me to take you to bed.
“I have my protein shakes at home. I should be going. I have work today and shouldn’t you be preparing for this press thing you have?”
He couldn’t help the sag of his shoulders. “It’s fine. I’ll just turn up and smile and all will be forgiven.”
He winced. That was a stupid thing to say. Now she was going to think he was entitled.
“I wish we all had that luxury,” she said.
“What do you mean? Something wrong at Nightingale?”
“Forget it.” Her eyebrows flicked up, and she shuffled awkwardly. “So, I guess I’ll see you.”
“Wait.” He hopped up from the stool. “You’re leaving?”
She ruffled her hair in an attempt to style it. “Yes.”
“But... don’t you want to talk about it—us?”
For a long hard minute, she looked at him carefully. He thought she would turn tail and run, but she folded her arms, cocked her hip and gave him pursed lips. Immediately, Tony went hot and flush all over.
Being one of the “beautiful people,” he got used to things. He would smile, people would stutter and stumble over themselves to get to him or acquiesce. He would walk in a room, and people stopped breathing. But this proud, independent woman gave him an unprecedented thrill every time she looked at him with those spirited eyes, those I’ll-talk-about-it-when-I’m-good-and-ready eyes. This was his woman. She would keep him satisfied, thrilled, for days, weeks, months. An eternity. He just had to convince her to stay.
“I need you,” he said, eyes lazily drifting down to her lips. The unmistakable lift of her brows brought a deeper smile to his face. “I need you to be my bodyguard at the junket,” he continued, enjoying the way he made her squirm.
“Gluttony doesn’t need a bodyguard.”
“But Tony Lazarus does.”
“I guess that’s Max’s prerogative. I’ve not heard from him yet, and since I’m hole-ridden, I need to get home, showered and dressed. There may be other jobs for me.”
Right on cue, her cell phone rang, and she fixed him with a curious look before answering, knowing full well who would be on the other end of the line. “Yes?” she said into her handset, still glaring at Tony. “Yes, boss. I understand. I’ll take him to the press junket. Bye.”
When she cut the call, a grin split Tony’s face. “There’s no way you’re the embodiment of temperance. I don’t know what my biology was thinking, picking you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
His voice lowered seductively, and he closed the gap between them. “It means that I love your fire. I love your attitude. It makes me hard when I think of you.” He lifted his fingers to trail down her chin, watching as she responded to his touch. “I can’t stop thinking about the way you tasted last night. I need more.”
“Careful,” she warned breathily. “Too much of a good thing can be bad.”
“I don’t have to worry about that now. Not with you.” He leaned in and rubbed his nose along her cheek. Feminine musk hit his system and his lashes fluttered. A low rumble cleared his throat as desire began to build.
“I still need to go home,” she whispered.
“I can go with you. Or you can shower here.”
“No!” she responded, a little too fast and too loud. She pressed her palms to his chest. She looked down at his half naked body and immediately lifted her gaze back to his. “I mean, I need a moment to myself, Tony. This is all a bit much. You understand, right?”
He blinked. Shut down like that.
A bit much.
