Page 47 of I Love to Hate You
“We did it! We knocked it out of the park,” I bellow. “He’s going to use our pitch to try to win a real client. Can you believe it?”
Kendrick’s smile is full, showing all of his pearly white teeth and the adorable wrinkles around his eyes as he squeezes my hands.
“Of course I can believe it,” he says. “I knew it was going to be amazing the second I saw you putting it all together. As much as I hate to admit it, you're the one who made the whole thing happen.”
I scoff. “Me? It was your words and energy that made it sound so good.”
“Sure, but it was your idea to market a BDSM romance to men. I couldn't see the vision, remember? Plus, I’ve never read any of his books. This was all you.Youdid this, Maya, and you were incredible.”
“Yeah, but,” I begin, but the look on Kendrick’s face makes me stop. There's a look in his eyes that makes my body hit the brakes while my heart continues to pound behind my rib cage.
We stand face to face in the center of the room, looking at each other as the world around us begins to spin. Everything tilts because I don't understand what’s going on right now. Is this just my excitement pushing me to do things I wouldn't normally do, or … do I want this? Do I want Kendrick? Have Ialwayswanted him? Our relationship has been so volatile from the moment we met, I never allowed myself to think straight—scratch that, I never had theabilityto think straight when it came to Kendrick. Even when the two of us were in his car, he splashed all of the wires in my brain with water and sent sparks flying everywhere. When it comes to him, I have never had my shit together.
Kendrick looks down, and I follow his gaze to get a clear view of our hands—our fingers interlocked, his thumbs rubbing circles on mine as he slowly pulls me closer to him. When I look up at him, his eyes are back on mine, filled with longing.
“What are you doing?” I ask, doing my best to remember why I hated him in the first place. He was with Amy, and he treated me like shit after we hooked up. I have every reason to slap him in the face right now and storm out of here, but every cell in my blood wants to be right here in front of him, my hands grasped in his.
“You impress the fuck outta me, Maya,” he says. “Even when you're getting on my last nerve, you thrill me. Even when I can’t stand you, I want you.”
I shake my head, hoping to knock loose whatever is keeping my feet planted in this spot. “What are you talking about? You and I have never gotten along. We’ve just been forced to work together, and for reasons I can’t understand, it has worked every time.”
“Maybe that’s becausewework every time. You heard what Denver just said—the two of us make a helluva team. I don't believe for a second that you’ve hated me this entire time.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” he says, pulling me so close that our chests touch. “You never hated me.”
“Yes, I did,” I reply as sweat starts to bead on my forehead. “I still hate you. You’ve been an asshole from the jump.”
“So have you.”
“Then why are you pulling me so close? Why not let me go and walk out of here if I’m an asshole?”
“Why don't you?” he fires back. “You could leave right now if you wanted to. I’m not holding you hostage. If you think everything I just said is bullshit, then leave. Go.”
My breathing becomes labored as my nerves send my body into a state of panic. My vision feels shaky and my hands tremble in his grasp.
“Don't,” I mutter, before steadying myself. “Don't tell me what to do.”
“We’ve already played this game, Maya. In my car, remember? We’ve seen what happens when I tell you what to do.”
A flashback hits me like a stun grenade—Kendrick’s hand on my throat as he pulls me from the passenger seat.
I snatch my hands away and spin on my heel, speed walking over to the coffee maker because it’s as far as I can get from him without leaving the room. Why can’t I leave the fucking room?
“I don't know what you're talking about,” I bark, trying to hold it together as my grip on self-control falters. “Whatever happened before doesn't matter now.”
“Why are you trying so hard to fight it?” Kendrick asks, frowning as he slowly takes steps toward me.
“Don't come over here. Stop walking,” I demand, but he takes another step.
“No,” he snips. “Stop being in denial. If you don't want me to come over there, say it like you fucking mean it. Tell me to get the fuck out right now. If you hate me so much, prove it once and for all. Otherwise, admit that you want me. Make a choice and voice it loud and clear.”
My heart slams against the inside of my chest as Kendrick takes another step, licking his lips as he stalks toward me. I have no defense left to put up. It’s true that I can’t stand him, and it’s also true that I want him more than anything. He challenges me in ways I never knew possible, even if I denied it all, the wetness between my legs would suggest otherwise.
“You want me to voice it loud and clear?” I ask. Kendrick nods and I exhale. “Then make me.”
Kendrick smirks, just before he lurches forward with three giant steps and slams his mouth against mine. My reality is suddenly shrouded in thick fog as I fall through the floor of the break room into a cloud of ecstasy and passion. We kiss with nothing but lust as our hands clamor over each other’s bodies, pulling at clothes in search of scorching hot skin, and being frantic when we can’t find it fast enough. I completely forget where I am as my eyes close and I sink beneath waves, drowning in the man I always thought I hated. His lips feel so good on mine that it doesn't seem real, and I’m truly disappointed when he pulls away.
