“You know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s going to be hell to pay if you don’t stop this shit right now!” he growled, glaring at me with rage in his eyes. Even though his reaction wasn’t exactly what I was going for, at least I’d distracted him from his world of gloom and doom for a little while.
“Well… just so you know, Preparation H isn’t just for hemorrhoids anymore. Lots of people use it for wrinkle cream. You might try it on those little crow’s feet you’re getting in the corner of your eyes from all that scowling you’ve been doing,” I told him as I grazed my teeth over my bottom lip, still trying my best not to laugh in his face. He slowly drug both his hands down his face, trying to contain his frustration, which made it even more challenging for me not to continue. I just couldn’t help myself.
“And you know fiber is really good for your digestive system. It might help regulate your…”
“You think your pretty slick, don’t you?” he said. The expression on his face was slowly beginning to change, softening just a bit. A wave of satisfaction washed over me when I realized I was getting to him. As he stepped closer to me, he lifted his hand up to my face and tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. “You should know something, Henley.”
“What’s that?” I whispered, feeling my knees weaken by the slight touch of his hand.
“Pay back’s a bitch,” he told me with a panty-melting wink. A little shiver of anticipation crept down my spine while I stood there looking at him with that sexy smirk on his face. That smile could bring a girl to her knees, and I would do just about anything to keep it right there on his handsome face.
“Bring it on,” I told him as I put on my brave front and walked out of the room. I couldn’t help but wonder if he really had it in him to get me back and just how far he’d be willing to go, but I looked forward to finding out.
I managed to talk Cassidy into letting me use her laptop. Over the past few days, I’d been obsessed with searching for practical jokes. I tried a few on Maverick. Vaseline on his door knob, a sexy male model poster hanging over his bed, and changing all his radio stations to Rap. I kept waiting for him to call me out or get me back, and I was a little disappointed when he had no reaction whatsoever to any of it. I was busy searching for my next big stunt when there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, I was surprised to see Guardrail standing there.
“Hey, Kane. How’s it going?” I asked, wondering what I’d done to have the VP come knocking at my door.
“Allie’s going to babysit Dusty tonight, and she wanted to know if you’d like to go with her.”
“Sure! I’d love to,” I told him as I quickly closed the laptop.
“She’s waiting for you out front. I’ll let Maverick know where you are, and I’ll send one of the brothers along with you to keep an eye on things.”
“Great. Thanks for asking me. I’ll be right out.” I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and grabbed my purse before heading out front to meet Allie. When I got there, Maverick was busy talking to several of the prospects. They were all intently listening to whatever he was saying; however, his mouth stopped moving the moment he saw me heading in their direction. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he watched me walk over to Allie, and it made me wonder what they were talking about. I was still staring at him when Allie called out to me.
“Hey, Henley. You ready to roll?” Allie asked while she pulled her long hair up into a messy bun. She was wearing a short pencil skirt and high heels, and her smile was bright and welcoming. I could see why Guardrail was so smitten with her.
“You bet. Thanks for asking me to tag along. I needed to get out of that place for a little while,” I told her as I got in the passenger seat of her car.
“Girl, I know. There’s only so much testosterone a girl can take!” she said laughing.
“Testosterone and sweat!” I snorted.
We were both still laughing when we pulled out of the driveway, but my smile faded when I spotted Maverick. His green eyes were focused completely on me as he continued to talk to the prospects. The minute he was out of my line of sight, I found myself longing to be back there, looking at him and watching his every move. Damn. What was wrong with me? Was I really turning into one of those crazy stalker ladies that drool over some guy who wasn’t even interested in them? Yep. I had a thing for the Grinch.
I was relieved to have a distraction from Maverick, even if it was for only a few hours. We spent the night playing Candy Land and Hungry Hippo with Dusty. Allie and I were completely out of practice, and Dusty won every single game. Seeing the smile on his face made me want to keep playing, even after Dallas came home.