Page 133 of Tall, Royal Hater
He tsked through his teeth, and the humiliation I felt made my clit throb and fingers twitch to claw at his skin like an angry cat. “It’s not as convincing when you’re looking at me as if you want me to bend you over the table right now and make good on my threat.”
“You wish,” I bit out, loving how I hated how breathy I sounded.
He leaned in closer yet. “And you’re wet.”
As I gulped around the simultaneous pounding of my heart and sex, Shehryar stuck his fork into my box and stole one of my pancakes.
I jerked upright, having not realised I’d been bending into him too, and threw an outraged glance down at my box. “Oi! Eat your own bloody pancakes.”
He wore a lopsided smirk as he chewed that turned my stomach at the same angle. I gritted my teeth, wishing I had a razor so I could rid him of his beard and destroy his rugged sexiness.
Instead, I picked my box off the table and eased back into my chair, eyeing him with more wonder than irritation. “What is up with you today?” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why are you so…”Flirty, touchy, smiley, smirky, and…likeable.
None of those words made it past my lips, and I ended up waving my fork at him instead.
He seemed to understand what I meant though, because he quirked his brows and said, “Would you rather we go back toignoring each other or bickering and insulting each other?” He held my gaze, and my pulse seemed to slow and speed up at the same time. “Because I don’t.”
“So what?” I said, trying to keep my voice light. “You don’t hate me anymore?”
He blinked once, twice, three times, then shook his head. “It was never as strong as hate, Mariyah.”
I rolled my eyes. It was that or acknowledge the cartwheel my heart did. “Do you stillextremely dislikeme then?”
His lips twitched. “Do you?”
“Nuh-uh, you first,” I said, leaning my elbows on the table surface.
He rested his left elbow by my right one, bringing his entire body into my personal space. My lungs expanded on his warm, citrusy scent. “Not extremely,” he said.
I slid my tongue across my dry lips. “Me either.”
“Good.”
“Fine.”
An amused smile grew across his mouth, and it was the oddest thing, but I found myself returning it.
His eyes dipped to my lips, and I…
Jabbed my fork into his box of pancakes and shoved one into my mouth before he could react.
With a mouthful of food, I said, “But I don’t like you enough to give you a pancake for free.”
He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Brat,” he muttered.
“Don’t steal my food then,” I sassed back, but I scrunched my face as the taste of what I’d eaten coated my mouth. “Fuck, I hate bananas. That’s disgusting. How are you eating that?”
He grunted. “Deserved.”
But his smug smile only lasted a few seconds before he set his wooden fork down in his box and rested his forearm on the table. “What was that in the car, by the way?”
“What?” I said around a mouthful of chopped, out-of-season strawberries and chocolate sauce.
He nudged his box away from his arm as he replied, “What you haven’t told your dad.”
