Page 55 of I'm Looking for a Man in Finance
“Peachy,” I murmured back as I caught the smirk on James’s face.
That smug asshole.
Now it was Sebastian and Roxie’s turn to share a look.
Careful not to attract attention, I subtly slipped my hand beneath the tablecloth, my fingers brushing against James’s leg and his spine straightened instantly, his muscles tensing.
“You okay, James?” Sebastian asked.
“Just got a cramp,” James replied through clenched teeth.
I pressed my lips together to keep the laugh bubbling inside of me from escaping. Two can play at that game.
When the waiter came over to take our orders, James leaned over. “You’re going to regret that later.”
A hand swept up my leg, going much further than I had dared to. His fingertips dancing dangerously close to the hem of my summer dress. Heat, like a sudden, burning brand, ignited between my legs, eliciting a sharp gasp. I only hoped the lights were low enough to hide the blush that was spreading from my chest up to my cheeks. His chuckle, a deep resonant sound, vibrated through my chest.
Back at the house after dinner, Sebastian began searching the liquor cabinet, which was stocked with alcohol older than me. “I think I’m going to have a night cap. Roxie, would you care to join me?”
I half expected my best friend to give Sebastian the finger and head to bed, but to my surprise she shrugged one shoulder. “Sure.”
James and I watched the two of them wander out by the pool with a couple of beers.
“What do you think is going on between those two?”
“You know Sebastian better than me. But with Roxie, it’s hard to tell. I’m not sure if she hates his guts or likes him.”
James snorted. “I think that’s fair to say for both of them.”
“Do you—”
“I think I’m—”
“You first,” James said.
“I think I’m going to take a shower and head to bed,” I told him. Really, I was hoping a shower would wash away this overwhelming need growing inside of me to climb him like a tree. “It’s been a long day between work and traveling here.”
James shoved his hands deep in his pockets. A curt nod accompanied the sideways twist of his mouth. “Sure, yeah. I’ll see you in the morning?”
“You can count on it.”
I gave him an awkward wave and hightailed it toward the primary. What the fuck was I doing? I remained disoriented after dinner. Just the tickle of his breath against the shell of my ear had sent me into a tailspin. The private smiles he shared with me over dinner as he watched me eat one of the best meals I’d ever had were like a match to kerosene.
I wanted James Rossi, and I wasn’t sure I could control myself around him tonight if it was just the two of us alone.
As I pulled my toiletries out of my bag, a knock sounded on the door. Roxie must be done with her drink by the pool with Sebastian. That lasted longer than I thought. Sebastian probably pissed her off before he could even pour her a drink. “It’s unlocked!”
The door opened and when the silence stretched on for longer than I knew Roxie could manage, I turned.
James stood in the doorway, still not having crossed the threshold into the room. A flicker of something unreadable, a hint of desire perhaps, or maybe conflict, shone in his eyes.
“Did you forget something?”
James shook his head, taking one small step into the room. “No, I didn’t forget anything.” His voice was barely above a whisper. But it was his eyes, their piercing gaze sending shivers down my spine. So intense and locked on me.
“Then what is it?” My voice trembled, a shaky whisper barely audible, as James took another step closer.
I could see the war raging within him, his thoughts a battlefield of conflicting desires, pulling him this way and that. He was weighing his options. A furious spark ignited within me the moment I watched his resolve crack.
