Page 31 of The Charmer's Gambit
I didn’t bother stopping and returned his look with one of my own.What are you going to do about it?
The smile he flashed at me said,Oh, darlin’, wouldn’t you like to know? But he didn’t comment out loud as he sat on the bed beside me and started doctoring my foot.
“This is going to sting,” he warned as he started cleaning the cut. I bit my lip to keep from squealing, then let it go with a pop when he bent to blow on my foot. When he did the same thing to the cut on my knee, I shivered. Okay, maybe this doctor thing wasn’t so bad. And the feel of his rough hands on my bare skin? Yeah, I liked that too.
“All right, you need to elevate this for at least twenty minutes with ice. While you’re doing that, I’ll grab your suitcase from the car so you can change.” His lips quirked up. “Just because you decided to cheat and run through a rock-infested field does not mean you get to skip this afternoon’s meet and greet with my team. Nice try, though, Miss Dawson.”
My eyes narrowed. “Are you accusing me of slacking off?”
He reached over me to grab two pillows and paused with his face a few inches from mine. “No, I’m accusing you of cheating. Which, by the way, means I won, and we’ll be sharing this house for the week.” He waggled his brows. “I think we’ve gotten off to a fabulous start, don’t you?”
Will arranged my foot on the pillows, then draped a towel, which I hadn’t realized was there, over my ankle before pressing the ice pack to the most tender area.
My resulting wince killed whatever retort I had lined up on my tongue. I couldn’t even remember what we’d been bickering about. How stupid had I been to run through that damn field? All for what? To win a silly game? Or was it darker than that? I’denjoyed him chasing me. Deep down, I’d hoped he would catch me. Part of that fantasy came true, since I’d landed in his bed, but not nearly in the way I desired.
He leaned over to tug at the edges of the quilt from the opposite side of the bed and yanked it closer. “In case you get cold,” he explained as he left the corner beside me. His hand went to my hip. “Now, I mean it, Rachel. No moving.” That dark look was back, sending a shiver across my skin.
Why is that so sexy?
Because you’ve lost your marbles.
“You realize orders don’t work on me.” I couldn’t help throwing that out there. He had to know this about me by now, and if he didn’t, then we had another conversation coming.
He grinned and dropped his lips to my ear. “Oh, I do, darlin’. But I also know you enjoy them.” His teeth scraped over my neck in such a brief caress that I wondered if I’d imagined it. And then he was gone.
11
A Fresh Dynamic
Will’s doctoring helped with the swelling, but my ankle hurt like hell during the meet and greet in his oversized living room. I forced myself to ignore the pain as I shook hands with all his senior staff members and matched names with faces.
My feet were bare, something no one seemed to notice since they’d all discarded their shoes at the door, but I felt naked wandering around without my usual stockings. I caught Will looking at my exposed legs more than once. Each time, he flashed me a grin that sent heat rushing to all manner of inappropriate regions. It left me questioning his attraction all over again, especially when he maintained a purely professional demeanor. The way he handled the meeting and deferred to me for the legal updates were with the utmost respect. Never once did he make a suggestive comment or look.
And then there was that nibble. Every time he smiled, whether seductively or amusedly, it reminded me of his teeth against my neck and elicited a shiver. Like now as he chuckled at something David said. The financial analyst seemed to be the joker of the group. He had a light air about him that kept everyone laughing.
Will shook his head. “You’re trouble, man.”
“So my wife tells me,” the redhead replied. “Speaking of which, she’ll kill me if I come home late tonight after pulling all those hours last week.”
“Can’t have that,” Will replied, still grinning. “I think we’ve all done enough for today. Next week is shaping up to be a success, and it’s thanks to all the hard work in this room and also to Rachel’s team at Baker Brown.”
There was a round of cheers and excited claps, then each member of Will’s team came up to shake his hand before leaving. Maeve, a slender woman with auburn hair, was the last to leave. Her lips curled into an adoring grin as she placed a kiss on Will’s cheek. The woman’s sharp suit fit her like a glove, leaving little to the imagination with all her curves and long legs.
“We need to review the Francis presentation,” she murmured.
“Send it to me and I’ll take a look.”
She glanced at me with a curious look, then back at him. “Or we can review it now.”
Will grinned. “Maeve, go home. You’ve worked far too hard already.”
“You know I don’t mind.”
“Pretty sure Robbie does, though.”
She sighed. “Yeah. Doesn’t matter how many times Mia explains our friendship, Robbie still worries.” Her kind brown eyes met mine and crinkled at the edges. “Have you met Mia yet?”
The name didn’t ring a bell. “I don’t think so.”
