Page 71 of The Naughty or Nice Deal

“Well, you’d better care what I think! Put me down right now!”

“Relax, Keller.” Hayden strides quickly down a hallway, then turns into what appears to be a small study and sets me on my feet, closing the door behind us. “There. Are you happy?”

I blink at him in stunned silence for a heartbeat, then shake my head, my lips pressing into a hard line as I glare at him with all the fury I can muster.

“Oh, you’re about to find out just how unhappy I am.”

31

HAYDEN

The memory of carrying her is still burning through my system—the feel of Maeve’s body against me, the curve of her ass under my hand, the press of her thighs against my chest. And god, her scent filling my lungs had nearly driven me out of my mind.

I’d been glad when she demanded I put her down, because I’d needed the distance. Picking her up had been a monumentally stupid move, because it meant every one of my senses was flooded with her. The heat of her body, the smell of her skin, the way she felt pressed against me—it was all I could do not to find the nearest flat surface and show her exactly what she did to me.

My hands flex now that they’re empty. Maeve straightens herself out, smoothing down her dress and fixing her hair. Damn whoever got that dress for her. It’s clearly too expensive for Maeve to have bought herself, which means either Ford—wanting his fake fiancée to look the part—or Gabriel, who can’t resist beautiful things.

Either way, I want to strangle them both. She looks far too tempting in it. The way the fabric hugs her curves, the hints of creamy skin it reveals… fuck.

Maeve is slightly disheveled, but she quickly puts herself back together. I have to admit, fury looks incredible on her. “What the hell was that about? What is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me?” I let out a harsh laugh. “I should be asking you that question. Didn’t realize you’d come here to pick up a date, Keller.”

Maeve’s eyes blaze with indignation. “I would never, fake-cheat on Ford. Ever. I would never make him look bad like that. And if you think I’m the type of person who would, then you’re even more of an asshole than I thought.”

I bark out a laugh. “I’m the asshole? That guy out there was hitting on someone he had to know was already taken. He couldn’t have missed that rock on your finger.”

“He wasn’t—not really—he was just being—you know—” Maeve stammers. “Arrogant people like that, they say stuff like that all the time.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Like how the bike messengers who deliver our files trip over themselves to spend extra time talking to you and complimenting you? They’re all fighting for the chance to be near you, you realize that, right? You think the mailman comes all the way up to our floor out of charity? He used to just drop everything off in the lobby, but then you started working there. You came in at the same time as him once—we were all in the elevator together—and suddenly the guy’s delivering straight to your desk every single day.”

“That’s not—that’s not true.” She looks genuinely embarrassed.

It’s baffling to me. How the hell can she be embarrassed that people want her? “Are you seriously telling me it’s news to you that men find you attractive? Keller, come on. You’re a smart woman.”

“And you’re clearly insane.”

I run a hand through my hair in frustration. “How a woman as gorgeous as you can be so oblivious to it is beyond me.” I stare at her, trying to make her understand. “How can you truly not know the effect you have on people?”

“I’m not trying to have any effect,” she stammers. “I was just being polite and putting up with him, you know? I just try to be nice to people. Everyone deserves basic kindness.”

“That server at dinner our first night here—he was interested. I’m not imagining things, Keller. You’re just blind to it.”

“Well, I’m not doing it on purpose! I didn’t want the server, or Richard or Robert or whatever his name was—I don’t want any of those men!”

“Are you sure? Because that’s not how it looked to me.”

I’m pushing her now, and I know it. Maeve is honorable—I know she wouldn’t make Ford look bad. But I need her to prove it. I know it’s stupid, know I’m out of control, but I can’t stop myself. I want her to tell me it means nothing. I want her to tell me she doesn’t want any other man.

What I really want is for her to say she wants me. But that’s never going to happen. I’ve kept her at arm’s length with my terrible behavior for two years, and for good reason. But it means I’ve made sure she’ll never crave me the way I crave her.

Maeve’s eyes flash with anger. “And what does it matter to you whether I flirt with someone or not? Hmm? It’s none of your business. You’re not my fake fiancé. You’re not even my boss anymore. And even if you were, it wouldn’t give you the right to interfere with my personal life. You have no right to have an opinion about this. You’re so frustrating and arrogant and stubborn. You’re⁠—”

She cuts herself off, clenching her jaw.

“Go on,” I say quietly, stepping closer. “Say it. What am I?”

Maeve’s gaze meets mine, and I swear I can feel electricity crackling between us.