Page 22 of Hostile Cravings
“Damn you, Tyson!”
“Sounds like it’s business as usual,” Mason said.
“Something like that.” I dropped her on the bed, ignoring her frustrated pout.
“Tirenti is up my ass about this thing with Angie. I’m heading to Armina in the morning, but that’s not good enough.”
That stopped me in my tracks. “Is it that bad?”
“Yeah, he’s still suspicious. That asshole Joey is in his ear, saying Angie was his first. He doesn’t believe you’re really married. He’s a scumbag, but he’s smart. I’m hoping to soothe some ruffled feathers, but I’m not sure that will satisfy him. Send me pics of the two of you so I can show them the happy couple as proof.”
“I’m not fucking her just for pictures,” I said, ducking the pillow Angie flung at me. I had to hand it to her, she had a good arm. She was always throwing things.
“I don’t care what you do with her, just send me something to show Tirenti.”
Giving Angie a scolding look, I agreed to Mason’s request and hung up. Angie was trying to get up again, and I shoved her back down.
“I need to get my glasses,” she griped, her bottom lip protruding in an adorable pout.
“I’ll get them.”
I cleared the suitcases from the bed and retrieved the glasses. “Did you take your pain medicine?”
“I had my wine,” she said, snatching them.
“That’s not medicine.”
“It is to me.”
I didn’t want to argue anymore. The day had been exhausting, so I let it go, grabbing the pillow from the floor and positioning it under her ankle. I wasn’t sure when I’d become the nice guy, but she wasn’t complaining. I imagined she was as tired of the fighting as I was.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, her eyes large and expectant. “Go to the resort bar and pick up women?”
“Nope.” I found the remote and hopped into bed with her, surprised at how natural it felt. “We’re stuck together.” Pulling my phone out, I scooted close to her. “We’re going to pretend like we’re a couple in love instead of one that hates each other. Now smile for Tirenti and try not to give Joey the bird.”
She let out a cute giggle, and I questioned when I started thinking her giggles were cute and not obnoxious. Dropping her head to the crook of my shoulder, she smiled into the camera. It was a beautiful smile, a natural one because she’d forgotten she didn’t have makeup on. She looked up at me and I turned my head instinctually, my lips brushing over hers. The phone fell, but I left it, my hand wrapping around her neck and deepening the kiss. There was nothing but desire behind it, and she leaned into me. Her lips were soft, and she parted them, my tongue meeting hers in a sensual dance. I didn’t want to stop kissing her, wanted to lose myself to the sensations that were coursing through my body and my chest.
But this wasn’t right. It wasn’t us, although I wasn’t sure what constituted ‘us’ anymore because it was morphing too quickly. She pushed gently against my chest, our lips separating as our eyes met. Confusion sat in hers, the same confusion that was pounding through me.
“We should probably forget that happened,” she said so softly it was hard to believe the words were what she really wanted. They weren’t the ones I wanted, but I understood why she’d spoken them. The dynamic between us was a steady, consistent one. A relationship built on hatred and annoyance. The only long-term relationship I had with a woman aside from my sister and Riley, who was like another sister to me. I didn’t have relationships and when a woman got close, I pushed her away, disentangling myself and turning to another.
But Angie had been in my life since Mason and I had first built an alliance with her father. She’d only been eighteen, too young for my attention to turn to her, but it had, as had the discontent between us, one that had grown into the comfortable relationship we now had seven years later. She was still young, eleven years my junior, but her age concealed her experience and the woman she’d become. One I’d continued to hate, afraid to admit there was anything other than that aggression between us.
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I said, not moving as my heart thudded beneath her hand.
“We can’t be anything more than what we are,” she murmured, a slight sadness to her voice.
“Two people who despise each other?” I asked, raising my brow.
“Exactly. I return to annoying the shit out of you and you return to throwing rude comments at me.”
I loosened my hold on her, letting my fingers drift over her neck and down her arm. “Is that what you want, Anj?”
She didn’t answer right away, her hand sliding down my chest, my stomach muscles tightening in response.
“I…” She stopped, her voice trembling. The trepidation that filled it was the same that was currently quaking through me. The thought that if we did this, it would change everything and neither of us knew if we wanted that change. She was scared, and I would never admit but I was terrified, hating how out of control I felt.
“I tell you what. We share this bed tonight as two people who don’t hate each other.” Her eyes grew wide, a mix of desire and fear within them. “We call a temporary truce, but that’s all.” I drew my hand from her and took hers from my chest, irritated that I liked how it felt in mine, how perfect it seemed to fit. Turning, I sat back and handed her the remote.
