Page 29 of How to Resist Prince Charming

“Not a good time to tease, babe.”

A sudden deviousness struck. “Oh, but it’s always a good time to tease.” Leaning forward, she nipped at the base of his throat and sucked hard, causing him to mumble out a curse and grow clumsier in his endeavor to open the package.

Groaning out a sound of frustration, he tossed the condom aside and yanked her close, pressing their chests flush against each other.

“You’re killing me here.”

He tugged her onto his lap and she naturally straddled his thighs. The blunt tip of his penis found her opening again. He kissed her shoulder as he guided her back onto him.

She was about to slid down and take him in completely, but he lifted his face and his gaze caught on something behind her. In a nanosecond, his body went tense.

“Jesus, God!” He jerked back, accidentally dumping her off his lap and nearly falling off the edge of the bed in his haste to escape.

“What?!” Lenna yelped, her eyes widening.

She whirled around, looking in the direction he’d been gaping, expecting to find King Kong or some such ghoulish fiend behind them, ready to attack.

He jerked a finger toward her nightstand. “Your dad’s staring right at me.”

CHAPTER 7

Lenna didn’t even have to follow Braxton's glance to know what he referred to. A framed four-by-six picture of her standing next to her father at her college graduation sat propped on her nightstand. Tom’s arm was wrapped around her shoulder while she clutched her diploma to her chest, showing it off as they both beamed at the camera.

After closing her eyes and giving a brief shake of the head, she finally opened up to study the picture further. Yes, it did look like she and her dad were smiling directly at Braxton.

“Sorry,” she murmured and quickly flipped the frame face down on the surface of the nightstand. “Forgot that was there.”

She turned back to find Braxton running his fingers through his hair and looking regretful as he blew out a long breath. He’d just lost the mood...completely. A flare of irritation struck her.

“It’s just a picture.”

He nodded but wouldn’t meet her gaze. When he finally glanced her way, he cringed. “You’re really close to him, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Lenna said, not bothering to sugarcoat that fact. “He’s not just my father. He’s my friend, too.”

Braxton jerked his attention away from her and stared at the kitchen part of her apartment.

“Look,” she started. “I know he can be a bit overbearing sometimes—”

She broke off abruptly when he snorted derisively at her word choice.

When she glared, he winced in apology. “Sorry.”

She closed her eyes and pressed her thumbs to the center of the forehead. “Tom Davenport has his moods,” she allowed, “but I trust him more than anyone. He’d die for me.” Opening her eyes, she settled Braxton with a stern look. “He’s a good man.”

“I’m sure he is…to you,” he conceded softly.

Lenna’s mouth dropped. “Oh my God. You really don’t like him at all, do you?”

He flushed guiltily. “I just think if he’d only stop treating me like a snot-nosed little brat that doesn’t know what I’m doing, then I’d get along with not just him, but the entire department, a hell of a lot easier.”

“Well, have you given him any reason to think of you as a snot-nosed brat?” she retorted. “My father just doesn’t start despising someone for no reason.”

Braxton’s face darkened. “Hey, he started the whole pissing contest we’ve got going. He jumped in my ass the first moment I stepped behind my dad’s desk.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but Braxton waved a finger in her face. “No, I never wanted to make an enemy of him. Hell, I admired the man when he worked for my dad. But he’s so God damn condescending to me. He makes me so mad sometimes, I can’t help but smart back with a rude comment when he turns all cynical and demeaning. The guy just needs to back the fuck off and let me do my job.”

Lenna knew her father tended to go overboard where the younger generation was concerned—she was his daughter, after all—but she was so irritated that Braxton had interrupted her, she lashed back, “Maybe he doesn’t think you’re doing it right.”

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