Sean
MESSING WITH PAIGE is the highlight of my day, and I don’t mean when I’m balls deep in her either. That’s just a bonus. I’m talking about the banter between us. Her feistiness is one of the things I like most about her. She gives me hell and I love it. Call me a sadist, but it keeps things interesting.
It’s no secret I want more from Paige. I’ve been pretty clear in my pursuit of her from the beginning. But I’ve realized being open and honest doesn’t work with her, so I’m backing off and agreed to this arrangement we have going. Friends with benefits was my in, I had to show her she didn’t want an out.
I knock on her door at exactly seven o’clock. I pull on the lapel of my sports coat to straighten it out as I wait for her to answer. A nervous energy zips through my body with each second that ticks by. Finally, I hear the deadbolt unlock before the door swings open.
“Hey,” she greets, her soft voice affecting me more than it should.
Normally, I’m met with a scowl or some type of annoyance, but tonight is different. She gives me the type of smile that goes straight to her eyes and hits me in the damn heart.
“Hey.” I take a step toward her and am met with my favorite scent. It’s all things Paige with a touch of citrus. I’d bathe in the shit if I could.
It takes me a minute to notice the rest of her since I’m so captivated by a gesture she probably doesn’t think much of.
My gaze moves down her body and back up again, taking in every inch. She’s wearing a pair of tight, black jeans with a green top that sits off the shoulders. In her black heels, she’s taller than normal and sexy as sin.
With my blue eyes locked on her hazels, I say, “You look stunning.”
A reserved smile touches her lips before she looks down. The softest pink crawls across her cheeks in a faint blush. I can’t resist anymore. Reaching up, I cup her face in my hand and lean in to give her a gentle kiss. She’s tense at first, but melts into me. I feel the moment she gives herself to me when she wraps her arms around my neck and opens her mouth to me. She’s so compliant when I have her this way. If only I could get her like this when our clothes aren’t close to coming off.
“Ready to go, gorgeous?” I ask against her lips.
Her eyes flutter a few times before finally opening. “Yeah.”
The car ride is quiet but not in an awkward way. Most girls think they need to fill every ounce of silence until the sound of their voice makes me want to rip out my eardrums. Paige isn’t like that. Then again, she’s nothing like any other girl I’ve been with.
Ten minutes later, we’re pulling into the parking lot. “I hope you brought your appetite,” I tell her.
“I’m starving, actually. Where are we?”
“Brasa. It’s a Brazilian steakhouse with more food than you’ve ever seen in your life.”
“Yum,” she replies.
I smile at her before getting out of the car and coming around to open the door for her. “Thanks,” she says softly, almost as if it embarrasses her, which strikes me as odd. Natural instinct tells me to grab her hand, but I resist. I have to handle her like a skittish cat or she’ll run away forever.
“So? What do you think?” I ask once we’ve been seated and the waiter has brought our drinks. I’ve only been here once, but it was amazing. A meat lover’s paradise if you will.
She leans in closer to me. “Uh, we have a problem.”
My eyebrows crease together. “What?”
“I don’t eat meat,” she whispers loudly.
My face falls as does my posture. Well, shit! I point over my shoulder at the door. “If you wanna go, we can—”
She starts giggling before I can finish my sentence. “I’m kidding,” she says through more laughter.
I arch my brow at her with a smirk. “Nice,” I say with a nod. “So, how was your first day?”
Her features perk up at the mention of her new job. It makes me happy she seems to enjoy her it. “It was really good, actually. There was a lot of information thrown at me today, but so far I like it.” Her bright smile shows her sincerity.
I return her gesture. “Good, I’m glad.”
“Mmm, this is delicious,” Paige says around a mouthful of food that’s been cut onto her plate, her petite hand held in front of her to keep me from seeing it. “Have you seen Marcus lately?”
“I was over there a couple nights ago so he and Lydia could have a date night.”
“You? Babysitting?” she asks in disbelief.
“Don’t act so surprised. I’m Ella’s favorite uncle,” I boast.
She lets out a small laugh. “You’re her only uncle,” she says under her breath before shoving another bite of food into her mouth.
I glare at her, but the grin on my face gives me away. “Well, if I had competition I have no doubt I’d come out on top.” Her continued snickering proves she’s not convinced. “There aren’t a whole lot of guys who would perform the Frozen soundtrack for a fourteen-month-old with as much accuracy as me.”
“Wait. You were singing along to Frozen?” She presses her lips together to hide her smile, but it’s useless.
“I hear the judgment coming off of you,” I deadpan.
She holds her hands up. “I’m not judging. I’ll let it go and we can talk about something else.” There’s a pause before we both start laughing. “In all seriousness, I think it’s great you’re close to your niece.”
I shrug. “She makes it easy. I told Marcus if I had a kid like her, I’d want ten of them.” An image of a blond-haired, hazel-eyed little girl flashes through my mind. It hits me like a punch to the gut. I’ve thought a lot about a future with Paige, but this solidifies it. I want this girl in every aspect in my life.
“So, what do you do at work, anyway?” she asks, switching topics. It makes me wonder if she can read my thoughts.
“You don’t have my bio memorized yet?” I try hard to hide my grin, but fail. The way her face falls in annoyance only amuses me more.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t spend my day researching all there is to know about Sean Riley.” She arches her eyebrow in a challenging taunt.
I clutch my chest. “I’m not sure my ego can take so much negativity.”
“I’m sure you’ll manage. Something tells me your ego is inflated enough to withstand all insults. Now, you were saying . . .”
Damn, I’m into this girl. “I’ve done a little bit of everything. Currently, the regional managers report to me. It’s a lot of analyzing reports and making sure people are hitting their numbers while monitoring compliance.”
“Wow, that’s pretty impressive for a thirty-year-old. Must be nice to know people in high places.” She looks amused, but I’m not laughing.
The jab doesn’t go unnoticed. She thinks Daddy got me the job, and I’m sure that’s the assumption most people make. But my father is no fool and didn’t get where he is by putting incompetent people in positions of power. Yes, he’s grooming me to take over his spot, but I have to prove I’m capable of running the company first.
I cross my arms over my chest and stare at her with my own smug expression. “If I’m not mistaken, knowing people is how you got the position you have now.”
I know insinuating she didn’t earn this is going to piss her off, and I look forward to seeing this bomb go off.
She scoffs. “Excuse me? I may have gotten the interview because of you and your brother, but I got the job because of me.”
I let the grin I’m holding in spread across my face, letting her know I’m giving her a hard time. Her hardened expression softens, the crease between her brows disappearing. “You ass,” she says as she shakes her head.
A chuckle leaves my mouth. “Sorry, you just make it too easy. But in my defense, you started it first.”
“How so?”
“Thinking my dad got me the job.”
“I mean, I’m sure it helped, right?” She shrugs, but the accusation from moments ago is gone and replaced with intrigue.
“Probably, but my dad has never been one to hand Marcus or me anything. We’ve always had to work for it. So, I might not have started out as a teller or in the lower levels of the banking hierarchy, but I’m paying dues and having to prove myself to my father. Trust me, if he doesn’t think I can handle it, he will give the position to someone else.”
She looks sheepish. “Sorry, I can see how my comment could be offensive.”
Not wanting her to feel bad, I wave her off. “No worries. Plus, it’s not something I haven’t heard a million times before anyway.”
The rest of dinner goes well. I get her to laugh a few more times, making me feel like I conquered Everest. It’s not long before we’re both busting at the seams and I can’t shove one more bite of food in my mouth.
“You ready?” I ask her once I’ve paid the tab.
“Yep.”
As we walk back to my car, I sense her walls going up again. Her shoulders give her away every damn time. They’re almost up to her ears with as tense as she is. Whenever I feel her getting uneasy, I take it back to the one place I know she’s comfortable.
Sex.
“Want to play Titanic?” I ask her. Her puzzled expression faces me. “You be the ocean and I’ll go down on you.” For the first time in all of my horrible pickup line history, she throws her head back and laughs.
“Now, that’s a game I wouldn’t mind playing.” And just like that, we’re back in the safe zone.
Once I’ve got her in the car, I walk around and slide into my seat. “My place or yours?” I ask as I start the ignition.
“Mine.”
My lip turns up in the right corner. “What? Think you’re safe there?”
She swallows hard but holds firm eye contact. “No.”
“Good.”