Page 74 of Nothing to Win

He started to take it from the box.“It’s thirty carat, round cut—”

“You keep handing out these baubles.All the time with the gifts.Is this what you think of me?”she asked, a churn of disgust in her belly.“I told Jenna I wasn’t interested in this crap and you keep handing it out like candy.You give me something every week, every other day it feels like.”

From his initial surprise, he segued into anger fast.“You’re pissed?What’s the problem?A guy can’t buy his girlfriend a gift?”

Was this his guilt over what might happen at Gault’s sneaking in already?

“I don’t need it,” she said.“What is it you’re apologizing for exactly?”

“Not a damn thing,” he said, snapping the box closed.“I’m with you every damn minute I’m not at the office.Do you think I have other women sniffing around?”

“Oh, I know you have other women sniffing around,” she said.Her boyfriend’s eligibility was obvious every minute of the day and something women liked to remind her of as often as possible.“If it’s not an apology, what is it?”

“A thank you.A token of appreciation for your effort last night.”

Made sense, and she’d have liked a treat, though not one like this.From a man like him, with boundless funds, this generic trinket offended her so much there was no way to appreciate the gesture.

“That’s what you said about the sex last night too,” she snapped.

Shanna came into her peripheral view on the other side of the island.“I… I’m just going to go,” she said and hurried off.

“Great,” Gia said, lifting a hand toward her disappearing friend.“Now you’ve scared away my friend.”

“You started this damn fight, Gia.You could’ve just said thank you and moved on, but no—”

“When something offends me, I say so.”With him she did.“You should know that by now… this has been some education.It proves you haven’t been paying as much attention as I thought!”

“If I want to show my appreciation, that’s what I’m going to do!”

She shoved at the box, sending it skidding across the island.“I don’t need the same glitzy ornaments you’ve bought a hundred different women!I told Jenna the only gift I wanted was your time!I told her a phone call trumped a diamond any day of the week!”

He clenched his jaw.“I call you ten times a day.”

True, he did, and he always took her calls, regardless of what else was going on.For a guy who hadn’t seen the value of talking to previous girlfriends on the phone, claiming it was a waste of time, he’d made considerable effort for her.Picking up the phone to her seemed to come naturally to him now.

“Yes, and I love every second we talk!I don’t need frosting like that to keep me happy or to feel appreciated.I feel appreciated.”

“No, you don’t!”he argued.“You don’t feel the way I want you to feel!”

“What the hell does that mean?How do you know how I feel?”

Balling his fist, he smacked the counter.“Because you tell me!You show me in the way you talk, the things you say!I know it, Gia!”

“Good!Maybe you can explain it to me, because I—”

Snatching her arm, he hauled her to him, bringing her up hard against his chest.“You don’t feel how I need you to feel.”

Glaring, she tugged her arm away from his grip.“You don’t know a goddamn thing about how I feel, Mister!”

What was this?Flying off the handle at each other.Why?Feelings.How could he know how she felt?She definitely didn’t know how he felt.Though ignorant of each other’s private thoughts, one thing was undeniable.

In sync with him bending to scoop his hands beneath her thighs, she grabbed his neck and hopped up to coil herself around him.

Their mouths joined with a fury that wasn’t unusual anymore.Their tongues had become so familiar, she knew how to angle, to pull herself in close.Just like he knew the right way to pressure his lips on hers until her pelvis rocked.

“I can’t wait, Irish,” he panted.What was with the talking?She dragged her mouth down to his neck, sucking and licking on him, unable to contain herself.“I can’t.Irish, I can’t wait.”

“Don’t,” she gasped.“Don’t wait.Fuck me, Brogan.Oh, goddamnit, fuck me!”