A week later, Worth still couldn’t figure out what game Sin was playing.. In all his imaginings about how their relationship would go, he’d never dreamed that she’d be the one to back out first. He was supposed to walk away from her, not the other way round. Was this a new strategy to reel him in? If it was, then he had no idea how to counter it.
He’d been in enough relationships to know when a woman was just playing hard to get. This was nothing like that. He’d seen the genuine nervousness that had filled Sin’s expression when he’d accidentally touched her. He’d seen how hard she tried to avoid him and how jittery she was whenever she was around him. It almost seemed like she was afraid of him.
Why would she be scared of him? Worth frowned, but the action sent a sharp pain shooting through his forehead and straight to the back of his head. With a groan, he turned onto his stomach to bury his head in his pillow.
Look at what she was doing to him. Even though he was as sick as a dog, she was the only person he could think about. That’s how badly he missed her.
Oh, the irony. He’d set out to seduce, use then toss her. Though there were a few glitches, part one and part two of the plan were successful. It was part three that was the problem. He couldn’t imagine tossing her now that he’d become addicted to her. The longer he went without any affection from her, the more he wanted her. Now he could understand how all those men had fallen into her traps.
Sin was an addiction.
Worth coughed to clear his dry throat, but it didn’t help. When he tried to sit up so he could go to the kitchen and get water, his aching limbs refused to move. God! He felt like crap! He flopped back onto the bed. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sleep either because he was trembling with cold even though his whole body was hot to the touch. Finally, he just gave up and let the sickness have its way.
Somehow, he managed to fall asleep. It could’ve been a minute or an hour later (it was hard to tell time) but a weird ringing woke him up. His head spinning, he woke up and looked around. The only light in the shadowy room was coming from the phone blinking on his nightstand.
Worth set his head back down on the pillow, intent on ignoring the phone. However, the ringing was so annoying that he reached for the gadget so he could turn it off. However, when he saw Sin’s name flashing on screen, he swiped his hand over the screen.
“Hello?” he answered, his voice groggy with sleep and sickness.
“Mr. Ransom, are you still asleep?” Sin sounded surprised. “It’s ten a.m.”
“I know what time it is,” he retorted. “What do you want?”
“You were supposed to have a meeting at Cantana at nine, but you didn’t show up.”
“Ugh!” He groaned. He’d woken up feeling so awful that that meeting had completely slipped his mind. “What did they say?”
“I just told them that you had a sudden emergency then rescheduled the meeting for Friday,” Sin said. “Don’t worry. They weren’t angry.”
“Thank you.” Worth let out a relieved breath.
“You sound sick,” she said. “Are you okay?”
The concern in her voice made Worth smile. “It’s just a little flu. But I’ll be okay by tomorrow.”
“Oh!” Sin didn’t sound convinced. However, she let the subject drop and instead said, “Legal dropped NERD’s new contract. We’re supposed to send it in today otherwise we won’t have enough stock for the marathon.”
“I guess that means I have to come in, huh? I’ll be in in an hour or so!” Worth knew how urgent that contract was. He sat up but the pain that shot through his skull was enough to make him groan. “Ugh!”
“Are you okay?” Sin’s panicked voice echoed over the line. Before he could reassure her, she interjected, “Just stay at home. I’ll bring it to you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Obviously, I do.” And before he could protest further, she hung up.
Immediately, he got off the phone, Worth forced himself to get out of bed. He opened his drapes and windows to get rid of the smell of sleep then changed into a t-shirt and sweats that were not as wrinkly or sweaty. Slowly, he trod around the house picking up the clothes he’d dumped haphazardly in the hallway and living room when he’d gotten home last night.
It was only as he carried the dirty clothes into the bathroom that he realized what he was doing. He was cleaning up for Sin, as if she was a woman that he wanted to impress, a woman he wanted to date. What the hell was wrong with him? He dumped the clothes on the bathroom floor and went back to bed.
When she finally rung his doorbell, he deliberately took his time getting to the door. It wouldn’t do for her to think that he was eager to see her.
The moment Sin saw him, worry creased her features. “Wow! You look like crap!”
“Thanks,” he retorted sarcastically. “Where’s the contract?”
Sin held out the large white envelope she was holding. He took it then shuffled deeper into the house and straight to the couch. Is this how people with arthritis felt? He could’ve sworn that he heard his bones creak and groan as he lowered himself to his seat.
Though he was incredibly aware of every movement Sin made, how she took the seat adjacent to his and how worried she seemed as she watched him, he ignored her and drew the document out of the envelope.
Narrowing his eyes in thin slits eased his throbbing headache, but it made it incredibly hard to read. In his situation, any other man would’ve just decided to trust his lawyers and signed the document. However, the one useful lesson Worth had learned from his father was never to trust anyone unconditionally. Humans were just that – human, and humans made mistakes.
Despite his sickness, Worth read every article in the contract. When he was satisfied that it was as agreed, he held out his hand to Sin. “Pen.”
She handed him a black one. Once he was done signing the document, he gave it back to her. He expected her to leave immediately afterwards but instead she asked, “Have you seen a doctor?”
“Why would I?” he asked as he rubbed his nape. His skin was hot, and it prickled when he touched it. “It’s just the flu.”
“Have you taken anything for it?” she asked.
“It’s just the flu?” he repeated.
“Have you eaten since yesterday?”
“Ugh!” Worth let his chin fall to his chest and closed his eyes. “Your questions are giving me a headache.”
“I assume that that means you haven’t eaten.” Without waiting for his response, Sin stood up and walked away.
Worth assumed that she was leaving, but when he looked up, he saw her purse was still on the couch as was the document. Moments later, he heard banging coming from the direction of his kitchen. If he had any energy, he would’ve gone in there and told her not to bother. But he didn’t. He leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes.
He must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing he felt was Sin shaking him. “Worth, wake up.”
“What?” He half-opened his eyes to find her seated next to him and carrying a bowl of soup.
“You need to eat,” she urged.
Worth didn’t want to, but the soup smelt savory enough that he found himself taking the bowl without complaint. His stomach grumbled at the sudden invasion but soon quieted down, allowing him to eat. The soup was surprisingly good – surprising because Sin didn’t look like the type who could cook. He snatched a glance at her and found her watching him as if to make sure that he ate everything, as if she was really worried about him.
Biting back his instinctive smile, he asked, “Shouldn’t you be on your way to the office? Didn’t you say the contract was urgent?”
“It is,” she said. “And that’s why I’ve already sent it to NERD’s offices.”
He frowned. “How? When?”
“While you were sleeping, I sent it by courier.”
How deeply had he been sleeping that he hadn’t even heard her open the door?
“I don’t know what you use when you have the flu but I asked your building’s concierge if they had anything, and he gave me those.” She pointed to the bottle of pills that sat next to a glass of water on the coffee-table. “It’s just ibuprofen. You should have that too.”
“Thanks.” Worth offered her a grateful smile, but as he did so he wondered how much of this was genuine. Did she really care if he was sick or was this just another tactic in her seduction plan? Oddly enough, he it wanted to be real.
Yup! He was sicker than he knew.
She stayed long enough for him to finish his meal, take his medicine and even helped him back to his bedroom. Once he was in bed, she said, “I need to go back to the office. I’ll resche-”
“Stay,” he cut into her words.
“What?” Surprise glimmered in her eyes.
He hated himself for begging, but his mouth seemed to have a mind of its own and he found himself repeating, “Stay. Just for a little while longer. There’s nothing urgent at the office, is there?”
After all the hard work she’d put in to avoid him unless necessary all this week, he half-expected her to refuse his request. He was pleasantly surprised when she nodded then settled on the edge of the bed. Though she was doing everything to avoid looking at him, he knew she was just as aware of him as he was aware of her.
Even though he was drowsy, he couldn’t help staring at her and tattooing her features into his memory. Slowly but inevitably, slumber took him. When he next awakened, it was to find the room dark because the drapes were closed. The medicine and soup must’ve worked because he didn’t feel quite as feverish as he did before. He tried to move his leg sideway to stretch but found something heavy blocking it. When he lifted his head slightly, he found Sin asleep at his feet.
She was still here?
Her presence sent relief and happiness bubbling within him. For a moment he just watched her then he frowned. Though her upper body was on the bed, her legs were hanging. The position had to be uncomfortable. Careful not to wake her up, he exited the bed from the other side then circled it until he was standing next to her.
Sin was such a deep sleeper that she barely stirred when he lifted, carried and set her on the bed. All she did was sigh then turn and curl up in fetal position, like a baby. Grinning, Worth drew the covers over her then circled the bed again to get in beside her. His head propped on his raised arm, he watched her.
She looked so innocent as she slept. Her long lashes were like crescent shadows on the smooth skin under her eyes, and her mouth was parted slightly as she took in and out breaths. Without conscious thought, he kissed her forehead. As soon as his mouth brushed against her skin, a rush of odd feelings flooded him.
He reeled back, wondering what the hell those feelings were. It was at that moment that he realized that his life had just become complicated. This sleeping siren had already dug her claws into him while he wasn’t looking. It should’ve angered him, instead it left him confused and frankly, terrified because he knew that when this was over, he’d have a hard time letting her go.
With a sigh, he set his head on the pillow while he watched her. She must’ve felt his eyes on her because without waking up, she shifted closer to him, as if seeking his warmth. Even though he knew that holding her when he was feeling so conflicted was a bad idea, he dragged her closer and wrapped his arms around her. He buried his nose in her hair.
Man, he was screwed!
* * *
OF COURSE SIN hadn’t planned to wake up in Worth’s arms the previous day. All she wanted was to get him to sign the document then she could leave. But once she’d seen how bad he looked, she couldn’t help taking care of him. And when he’d asked her to stay for just a little longer, how could she say no?
She’d be lying if she said that it hadn’t felt good to find herself wrapped in his embrace when she woke up. However, nothing had changed. No matter how good it felt to be in his arms, he was still her ex-mark; the guy she’d lied to just so she could steal from him.
With the choices she’d made in life, a man like Worth was out of her league. He was too good for her. She’d had no choice but to extricate herself from his hold and get out before he woke up and begged her to stay again. Still, she couldn’t help the relief and pleasure that swept through her when he walked into the office this morning looking well.
There was nothing unusual about their day; they went through the usual tasks, meetings and back-and-forth emails. Even so there seemed to be a subtle change in Worth’s attitude to her. He wasn’t as curt or as rude as usual. In fact, he was downright friendly.
When she gave him his coffee, he thanked and smiled at her. When he found a mistake in a document she sent him, he didn’t haul her over the coals with that mocking tone that she’d gotten used to. He just told her what the mistake was and politely asked her to correct it. It was unnerving.
Since Worth had a meeting late in the evening, she stayed in the office until seven-thirty when his guest left. She was just putting on her coat when Worth emerged from his office.
“Are you on your way out?”
“Yeah!” She nodded.
He didn’t say anything but he seemed to be waiting for her. When she grabbed her purse and started towards the elevators, he matched his step to hers. However, when they got to the elevator and she reached for the ground floor button, he stopped her. “I’ll drive you home.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Sin protested. “I’m okay with taking-”
“I’ll drive you home.” He firmly pressed the basement button. “I kept you late, so it’s the least I can do.”
Well, this was a surprise! He’d kept her late several times before yet he’d never offered to drive her home. She studied him; had his flu seeped into his brain?
Given that he’d picked her from her place when they went for Claire’s shindig, he didn’t need directions. They set off for Sin’s place in silence.
A few minutes into the drive, Worth broke the silence. “What time did you leave yesterday?”
Immediate nervousness fluttered in Sin’s belly. They were going to talk about yesterday? Deliberately keeping her tone nonchalant, she answered, “Around ten. Why?”
Glancing in her direction, he gave her a small smile. “I missed you.”
Her heart immediately jerked. Still she managed to keep her voice steady as she warned, “Don’t do that! We agreed to keep things professional between us.”
“We didn’t agree on anything,” he reminded her. “You just told me what you wanted then walked out of my office.”
She answered his comment with silence.
“What do you want from me?” Worth’s voice was low but tight.
“What do you mean?” She kept her eyes forward, trying to avoid looking at him. “I don’t want anything from you.”
“Do you want a real relationship?”
“What?” Startled, Sin snatched a glance at him.
He was still focused on the road, but his fingers were wrapped so tightly around the steering wheel that she was surprised that he didn’t just jerk it out. Still, she couldn’t believe what he’d just asked. Maybe she was hearing things. She was so shocked that she didn’t even realize that they’d already reached their destination. Not until Worth brought his car to a stop in front of her building.
But before she could get out, Worth repeated, “Do you want a relationship?”
When he met her gaze, his eyes were serious and his expression grave, like he meant it. Surely, he didn’t!
He prodded, “Would you like us to date?”
“Um… um…” She gulped to ease the sudden tightness in her throat. His offer was more tempting than she expected but she knew she couldn’t do it. It took a while, but she finally forced the right words out. “No… I… I don’t want us to date.”
He was watching her keenly, like he was trying to read her mind. “Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in a no-strings-attached relationship?”
“Yeah… yeah… I did.” Sin stumbled over her words as she tried to gather her thoughts. “But that doesn’t mean I want to date you. I’m not… I’m not interested in any kind of relationship with you.”
He sat back in his seat, his dark eyes burning into her stiff form. “That’s not true.”
“It is,” she insisted.
“No, you’re interested in me.” He unclipped his seatbelt. “I’ll show you.”
Sin didn’t see it coming. One moment she was staring at him and wondering what had gotten to him, and the next his lips were on hers. She was so shocked by the unexpected kiss that she kept her eyes open, but that didn’t deter Worth. He eased his mouth over hers, nibbling and teasing her lips until she sighed with pleasure.
The temptation was just too great.
Her eyes closed and her lips parted. Before she knew it, she was kissing him back. It had been so long since they’d kissed that his taste seemed new, like something that she hadn’t ever tasted but had now discovered that she loved.
“Worth!” she moaned against his lips.
It was all the encouragement he needed. He cupped her cheek with his hand and deepened the kiss. Slowly, their tongues tangled, danced and mated, driving her deeper and deeper into need. When he ended the kiss, she was reluctant to let him go. Still aching with desire, she opened her eyes and found him watching her.
“See.” He smiled softly. “You still want me.”
His smile was enough to yank her from her stupor. Fumbling to get rid of her seatbelt, she insisted, “No, I’m not.”
“Sin, you don’t have to deny it!” Exasperation tinged his tone.
“No!” The belt was finally off her body. She turned to face Worth. “Please, please, please, just leave me alone. I don’t want anything with you. Please.”
Before he could do anything else to prove to them both that she was lying, she opened the door and got out of his car. Sin had never walked so fast. She didn’t even turn back once to make sure he’d left. She just kept moving until she got to her apartment. It was only once she was in the house with the door locked that she took a breath.
Damn! She leaned back against the door and sighed. Damn!