His grunt of disgust said it all. Pulling out of their clutch, he shook his head and frowned as his expression hardened. The glitter flashing in his baby blues was not at all friendly.
“Dave didn’t say she was implying the video was of her, only that she’d fucked a tattooed guy. Bitch. She knew what she was doing. If pressed, I’m sure she’ll backpedal like crazy and point out that she never mentioned anyone specific. The inference was quite enough.”
When his mouth snapped shut, her eyes widened. Wow. It was easy to understand why the lady was a legend. Batshit crazy wasn’t enough—she had to be a manipulative cunt, too. “Oooooh.” She widened her eyes and nodded her head to show her understanding.
“Somewhere between Mickey’s rant about a news story and this latest threat lay an ocean of lies and half-truths. People will hear what they want to hear, and Jo knows that. Just by putting her name out there, it means half the public will automatically assume it’s her. Because why? Because we have a movie coming out, and you know what that means.”
Crinkling her nose, she finished the distasteful thought. “Yeah. Means you’re doing her.”
His eyes flashed. “Exactly, but … I am not doing anybody. Neither is Gideon, I might add.”
She noticed the emphasis on the word doing and saw what appeared like regret in his expression when he looked at her.
“Right,” she murmured as a whirlwind of thoughts blew through her mind. “Shit, this gets complicated, huh?”
Paige leaned over the black marble of the enormous island and clasped her hands in front of her, almost as if she was praying. The lights hanging overhead reflected in the shiny surface—so too did the bright sunshine and blue ocean from the wall of windows facing the beach.
Deep in thought, she unconsciously traced her fingers on the mirror images, vaguely aware of Edward behind her leaning against the counter.
The gears in her mind were furiously grinding. If JoJo were stirring the pot, it couldn’t be good. She wouldn’t put it past the cold-hearted woman to use Gideon to her advantage, a thought that made Paige extremely uncomfortable. Maybe she should confront her and …
Waaaait a minute. Was he staring at her ass?
Bent over as she was and wearing a pair of shorts that needed a warning label, her butt had to be making quite a statement.
The librarian chose that moment to belly up to the bar and take control. Only this time, she had her naughty corset on beneath the conservative white blouse and gray skirt and had slipped her feet into a pair of who’s-your-mama-now heels.
With a small, melodramatic sigh, she shifted position and pretty much wiggled her bottom in his face. If he was looking, which she was sure he was, then Edward had just gotten quite an eyeful of her ass cheeks.
Oh, my god! I must be insane.
Quickly straightening, Paige hated that embarrassed heat was rushing up her neck and into her cheeks. What alternate universe was she in where playing the flirt was in any way a good idea?
When she spun around, thinking to restore some dignity to this odd situation, her stomach bottomed out for the second time this hour. The look on Edward’s face stopped her in mid-motion.
He’d never considered bending Paige over the kitchen island … until now. One glance at her amazing legs with the teasing hint of ass cheek, and he was beyond any hope of reining in the powerful surge of arousal that had him in its grip. Positioned as she was, that pert, sexy ass of hers was at the perfect height. Now, if only she’d spread those sinful legs, a must if she hoped to stay upright while he pounded her from behind.
She let out a soft sigh and then his brain melted. Watching her wiggle that ass, he could only wonder what she was doing. Which was it—invitation or dare?
Whatever. He’d take either.
In three quick step, he was behind her, his eyes never leaving the tops of her gorgeous legs where they disappeared into the skimpy shorts. He had to touch her, plain and simple. Had to know if her skin was as soft and smooth as it appeared. Had to hear her whimper when he slid his fingers up her shorts.
Edward’s mouth twisted into a wicked, knowing smile when she didn’t move a muscle. Which made it easy to close the slight distance between them and press his throbbing shaft into the seam of her ass.
He put his hands on the counter to either side of her as he leaned heavily and ground his pelvis on her softness. At first, she stayed motionless, but he could hear her breathing getting rapid and shaky.
Goddamn, what a view. The short, nearly transparent top she wore exposed her lower back and the super-sensitive spot at the base of her spine that his fingers itched to caress.
Bet I could make her moan by kissing and then licking her there.
“What are you doing, Edward?”
Stupid question, please meet a direct answer. “I’m admiring your beautiful ass, babe.” He emphasized this admiration with a gentle thrust of his hips. “And imagining what it looks like naked.”
That was all it took, some dick-to-ass-grinding and a couple of simple words, and she was his.
She whimpered softly. Her arms reached across the counter, palms down with nothing to hold on to after she’d flattened against the cold marble. Edward wondered if the coolness made her nipples harden and surged against her bottom, this time with growing need.
Some part of him that he barely knew, the essence of primal man that must live in every guy’s core, took over.
Stretched out under him with legs trembling against his, her bottom pushed back as he teased her with his body—she gave off a certain virgin sacrifice vibe that turned his already raging cock to stone. Painful, throbbing stone.
A deep grunt rumbled up from his chest right before the animal inside bent down, sinking his teeth into her neck and shoulder. Her cry as he bit the soft flesh signaled a surrender that filled him with unspeakable pleasure.
After giving her neck a thorough mauling, he nipped at her earlobe and growled next to her ear. “Do you want me inside you, Paige?” He pressed against her rather forcefully and gave three quick thrusts—a taste of what he had in store. “Want me to fill you up and take away the ache with my hard cock?”
Her hands moved, fingers wide, but there was nothing but smooth stone beneath her. She was helpless. Whimpering and panting softly. Shaking all over.
His reaction? Animalistic.
Time for the shorts to go.
Wrapping a hand into her long mass of hair, he gathered a good handful and sharply yanked her head up. She gasped and tried to look back at him, but he was having none of that. The moment would come soon enough when he’d demand she look at him, but till then, they would play by his rules. Caveman rules said he took and she surrendered.
Putting his other hand flat on her back, he ordered her to do as he said.
“You’re not to move.” A sharp tug on her hair made her gasp. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
Pushing her flat again, he gently moved her hair away from the side of her face and pushed it aside, baring her neck.
He knew damn well the power of a simple touch, and he had gentled his after the rough reminder of who was in charge. Her eyes briefly drifted closed when his fingers softly stroked her neck, and he’d gritted his teeth from the effort of expressing any sort of tenderness. With the thunderous lust racing through him, he was struggling not to ravish the holy fuck out of her ass.