Page 13 of Behind the Lyrics
Fucking cat.Now, if Marky had been a dog, he and I would’ve gotten along splendidly.
Attention back on the closed door of Angela’s bedroom, I conjured up an image of her stripping out of the bathrobe, and shifted my feet. How I’d love to get my hands on her naked skin to find out if it was as smooth and soft as I’d imagined.If things go well tonight…who knows?
I rubbed my hands together and grinned. What a delight this little town was turning out to be.
Chapter 13
Angela Morales
I’m out of my damn mind.Was I really going to go on a…adinnerdate with Viktor? Had I become so lonely and desperate I’d let one of the most irritating men in the world take me out for a bite to eat?
I rifled through my closet, finally opting for a gray hoodie and a distressed pair of jeans. If he thought I’d dress up for his ass like all those bimbos he normally hung around with, he had another think coming. After slipping on the ugliest pair of sneakers I owned, I ran a brush through my hair, deciding to leave it down, then spritzed a squirt of my favorite perfume. I might’ve appeared as a reject of society, but that didn’t mean I had to smell like one.
Or maybe you want to make sure Viktor enjoys your scent.I grabbed that subconscious voice around the throat, shoved her into a filing cabinet in my mind, and slammed it shut.No, I just don’t want to stink. Nothing wrong with that, right?She didn’t answer.
Knock, knock.
“Angel, I don’t want to alarm you, but it seems there’s a rather large crowd gathering outside your door.” There was smugness in his voice, as if he were trying to hide his pleasure and doing a poor job of it. “I’ve texted my driver and bodyguard for reinforcements, but if we want to get out of here in one piece, I’d suggest you hurry before the wankers decide to take matters into their own hands—specifically,me.”
“What?” I threw the hoodie over my head, shimmied it on then yanked the knob.
Standing in the doorway, he gave me a quick once-over. His lips turned downward then he met my gaze. “You really outdid yourself, eh?” He fingered the bright-red tie hanging down his chest then worked at the knot. “Well, you know what they say…” A small line formed between his eyebrows.
“Whatwhosays?” Seeing the slight annoyance on his face tickled me for some odd reason.
“If you can’t beat them”—the silky material slid from around his neck, and he looped it around the nape of mine and tugged me closer—“join them.” His amber eyes smoldered as he fixated on my lips.
I didn’t fight his pull. Instead, I leaned into it, my curiosity and desire becoming a solar flare shooting into space.
His breath caressed my chin as his mouth lowered until only half an inch of space separated his lips from mine. I was drowning in his essence, unable to take a deep breath or move away.
Being this close to him didn’t cause me anxiety, but Iwasconflicted. On one hand, I wanted to run screaming because there was no way I should find him attractive, but on the other, my feminine side perked up and enjoyed the way he looked at me, like I was the most precious thing in the world.
Even though Viktor Farrow confused the hell out of me, therewassomething about him—a charisma or larger-than-life presence—tempting me with ideas and daydreams of what it would be like to feel his hands and tongue on my naked skin.
His eyelids dropped lower as he angled his head to the side, stopping just shy of brushing the corner of my mouth with his. Warm breath and a hint of minty sweetness floated into my nose.
My heartbeat hammered through my blood, curled in my chest, and pulsed between my ears. The saliva in my mouth dried, and to my horror, I set my hand on his shirt’s satiny material and slid my palm across his tight pecs, craving contact with him.
“Perhaps I was hasty in my assumption you were made of ice,” he whispered.
The ice queen reminder, a slap in the face, snuffed out whatever the hell I’d been feeling. “You’re an ass.” I jerked from him and clenched my jaw.
His gaze widened, and he slowly straightened. “Was it something I said?” Though his tone was light, there was an undercurrent or edge just underneath. He ran a hand through his beard and drew a deep breath.
Had I seriously been entertaining the idea of hanging out with this jerk?Giving in to him would’ve been no different than calling up Jeff and falling into that rut again.No thanks.I enjoyed my independence, evenifI was dirt poor and lonely sometimes.
“You know, it’s really late. I’ve changed my mind about tonight.” I rubbed my arms through the hoodie’s soft sleeves. In the evening, the desert cooled rapidly, and my heated blood chilled with the temperature drop.
Marky stalked into the bedroom and weaved around my legs, letting out a soft meow. His big, orange eyes glanced at Viktor. With a sniff to one of his shiny, expensive-looking boots, Marky shook his tail, backed up, and sprayed Viktor’s shoe.
“Oh my God.” I swatted the cat. “No, Marky, no.” I’d been meaning to get him neutered over the next couple of weeks, but I’d been so busy…
“Motherfucker.” Viktor stumbled backward into the hallway, a sneer marring his otherwise handsome features. Shaking his foot and putting a hand against the wall to steady himself, thunder crossed his face, turning those gentle brown eyes cold and hard. “That little bastard just took a bloody piss on me.” The outrage sent his voice to a higher octave.
A laugh bubbled out of me, and he glared, compressing his lips, and giving angry twists with his ankle as if to shake off the pee.
I snatched Marky into my arms before the angry rock god decided to murder my little buddy, and ran to the living room, holding in my giggles as much as possible.
