Page 13 of Hostile Cravings
“Go to hell, Tyson.”
I let hergo, remembering how the cry had come after I’d hit her foot. I grabbed her leg and pulled her foot into my lap, her yelp confirming I’d found the culprit. Gingerly, I ran my fingers over her ankle, which was puffy.
“Why didn’t you say something?” I asked, looking back up at her.
“You would have laughed at me,” she said, trying to pull her leg from my hold.
“Did you do this when you fell?”
She looked away, and I realized she had. And I’d been the reason, making her fall when I’d been rough with her. My anger had caused this, and a wave of guilt pummeled through me.
“We’ve got the okay to move, boss,” Finch said, peeking his head in.
“Do you still have that first-aid kit on board?” I asked him.
“Sure do.” He made some noise as he shuffled through things to find it, but I didn’t take my eyes from Angie, who was questioning me with hers.
“It’s fine, Tyson,” she said.
“No, it’s not. It’s swollen.” I took her shoe off, trying to ignore how soft and delicate her skin was. Delicate. That’s what I’d called her while I’d insulted her, right after I’d basically called her a whore who men used for her body and her father’s money. She was right, I was an ass.
Finch handed me a bandage, and I wrapped it around Angie’s foot, ignoring her protests. When her ankle was secure, I picked her other leg up and pulled her heel off, handing it and the other to Finch. Gingerly lowering her feet, I stood, grabbing her arm as she tried to stand.
“I don’t think so, little viper.” Not giving her time to reply, I scooped her up and carried her from the plane. She was so light it barely seemed like she was in my arms, but having her there felt oddly right.
“Tyson, put me down. This is ridiculous. Do you do this to allyour women? You drop them on their ass as an excuse to carry them to your room? Or maybe you just have to carry them there to force them to have sex with you?” Her attempt to insult me was half-hearted, so I let it go.
“Are you saying you’re one of my women?” I asked, raising my brow as I lowered her into the waiting car.
Her eyes searched mine, and for just that moment, I had the urge to kiss her. It was a crazy thought, one that had to be from the situation, or maybe the island air.
“I am yourwife,” she teased, giving me a flirty smile, one that erased all the harsh insults that had floated on the air between us.
“So you are,” I responded, brushing my thumb over her cheek and wishing her freckles were still present. “No more heels. And no more make-up, for that matter.”
“But—”
I put my finger to her lips, slowly letting it slide over her bottom lip, her mouth parting with a sexy exhale. I needed to stop because a strange craving was building in me, one that was at war with how I normally felt about her. It was a hostile craving that was fighting for dominance, fighting to forget that I despised the brat who was too young, too conceited, too self-obsessed for me to even consider touching.
She narrowed her eyes, turning her face from me. Taking my seat, I leaned my head back, trying to clear my mind. The car ride was brief, the island small, so the silence that sat between us didn’t fester.
“We’ve got the room next door and one of us will be just outside at all times,” Finch said, when I exited the car.
I buttoned my jacket, glancing around the resort and noting the massive security presence already in place. We didn’t take chances; the clientele was too important, and the resort was a solid revenue source we didn’t want to risk losing.
“This is more like it,” Angie said, causing me to turn to her.
She had left the car and was trying to walk around withoutletting me see she was still in pain. My jaw tightened, and I quirked a brow at her. “And what do you think you’re doing?”
“Walking into the resort so I can have a strong drink and flirt with some hot staff member.”
The tick in my jaw was sharp. She was back to her old self, that strange moment between us gone, just like always, as if neither of us could deal with what a moment like that might mean.
“Not gonna happen, wife.” A slight shudder went through her when I said the word.
Moving to her, I scooped her up in one quick sweep, ignoring her protests.
“I am not some object you own and can just toss around whenever you want,” she griped, pressing her hand against my chest.
