CHAPTER ELEVEN

REAGAN

I didn't know it was possible to feel closer to a woman from shooting guns with her. I just went on a hunch, knowing she could shoot, but her eyes lit up when I brought out my Glock and I knew it was the best move I made since I met her.

I couldn’t have done better if I brought her the whole Louis Vuitton fall collection. 

We shot until nearly nightfall before heading back to the house. We laughed, talked, and had so much fun, I didn't want the day to end. 

Ignacio's voice nagged at me in my brain the whole time. I would have to ask her soon. Getting her relaxed and opening up first seemed like the best move. 

"My hands are sore as fuck," Pepper said, rubbing into her palms. "But that was the most fun I had in a while." Her eyes gleamed when she looked at me. "Thanks, Reagan. It's like you're getting to know me." 

Her words tested the tense waters between us. It was like we were walking on a frozen pond and seeing how far we could walk before crashing through the ice. 

"I hope I am," I replied coolly. 

It was now or never. I flashed a winning smile. 

"So, Pepper. I think I'm ready to cash in on my favor."  

Her delicate eyebrows lifted. 

"Oh, how so?" Her voice was cautious, unsure. 

"There's a party you should come to with me," I replied. "Next weekend." 

"No," she said all too quickly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I'm not a fancy party person." 

"Have you ever been to one?" I pressed. 

"Well, no..."

"Then how do you know if you'll like it or not?" 

She huffed out a sigh. "I know that I'll stick out like a sore thumb and have nothing in common with anybody. " 

"That's not true," I urged gently. "Come on, it would be great for you to let loose and unwind. Don't all girls have some secret desire to get all dressed up, made up, and feel like royalty?" 

"Not me," she snapped. "This," she held up her gun. "Is how I let loose and unwind. I appreciate you making the effort to understand my world, but I definitely don't belong in yours." 

My heart sank. She wasn't budging one inch. I could see her retreating into herself again, after opening up to me so beautifully earlier today. 

“This is my best friend’s parents’ anniversary party,” I said. “It’s not a work function with assholes of my board. These are actually some down-to-earth rich people. They would never be rude to my date or any guests for that matter.”

Her nostrils flared and her eyes flashed. I knew I was tiptoeing the edge of being too pushy, on the verge of setting off that temper of hers but I didn’t care. 

“Why me?” she asked suddenly. 

“Because you’re the person I want to bring,” I answered simply. 

“Okay, but why?” She almost sounded pleading. “Don’t you have a long list of women who would jump at the chance to be your date? Who actually know how to talk to these people and not make a fool of themselves?”

I shrugged as I stepped closer to her, invading her space. She tried to back away but bumped into the porch railing. We both froze there, the moment as intense as it had ever been between us. Our breath mingled in midair like an indirect, untouching kiss.

Her eyes flashed challengingly at me, but the rest of her body betrayed her desire. A warm flush crept up her neck to the apples of her cheeks. Her lips parted arduously and her gorgeous tits heaved with her breaths just inches away from my chest. 

“Sure,” I began in a low voice. “There are women who know me and want me, but they have nothing interesting to say. They don’t… challenge me like you do.”

“And how important is that, really?” she barked, not backing down. “They’ll look nice on your arm, right? Isn’t that all that matters?”

“Pepper,” I breathed, incredulous that she couldn’t see what I saw in her. “You’re beautiful.” 

My hands floated to her shoulders which she promptly brushed away.

“Stop. You don’t need to say things like that. It won’t work.”

“I’m serious,” I insisted. “You’re gorgeous. And you’re tough and interesting.”

“You mean, I would be pretty if I lost some weight,” she said bitterly. “Or dyed my hair or dressed more like a lady.”  

“No way!” I balked. “You are perfectly stunning as is. The fact that you’re such a strong, badass only adds to it.” 

I was dying to kiss her. I wanted to prove that I meant every word I said by feeling the curves of her waist under my hands, the inside of her mouth with my tongue, and the hardness of my cock against her belly. 

A sad smile crossed her lips as she lowered her gaze from mine. 

“Maybe you’re different from the rest, but the fact is you earned your spot among your class of people. I might as well belong to a completely different universe.” 

She turned and started to head inside. 

“Thanks for the offer, though. Goodnight, Reagan.”