And if any man had ever treated one of his sisters or, God forbid, his mother, the way he had just treated her, he would have taken the guy out. Twenty years of karate and a “freakish”—as Rosa liked to say—love of ballroom dance kept him in flexible, fighting shape.
So he’d conceded because he had no other choice, because he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he hadn’t. She’d gone and foolishly asked him to stay the night with her, told him her name, all while wearing the most brilliant, sexy, don’t-bother-arguing-because-you’ll-love-being-my-slave smile, and he’d mustered every ounce of willpower he had not to fall slobbering at her feet.
And then she had gone off on him, saying all kinds of things that he wasn’t even sure weren’t true, and he’d been unable to resist. Even though his body was screaming in protest, knowing how hard it was going to be for him to sleep just one room away from her, one door…
“She’ll take two,” he heard himself say, and tried to ignore the way his cock jumped in anticipation.
Down, boy. This isn’t what it seems.
From the way Lily’s shoulders stiffened as she stood with her back to him, that long ponytail making him want to grab, pull, and bend her backward to meet his mouth as he dove into hers with his tongue, she wasn’t very happy with his decision.
But he already knew, from her impassioned speech, and the fact that she’d made the offer in the first place, that she wouldn’t renege.
And he knew, even if she hadn’t, that he was a good guy. Even if he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted a woman in his life, he wouldn’t take advantage. She was safe with him. He would keep her safe.
But, for some reason, he couldn’t resist tweaking her nose a bit. He leaned closer to her, just far enough that he could see the faint, wispy hairs on the nape of her neck, and purred, “I accept your offer.”
Chapter Two
The elevator car arrived and Lily walked in, head held high. After all that drama, Komarov just accepted the couch like it was his due? It almost felt like it was, the way he sauntered in after her and leaned against one of the mirrored walls, head back against the shiny surface. His relaxed pose made her nervous.
Now she was having second thoughts, all because of what he’d said about her not knowing him. But he had put those second thoughts into her head about himself!
She didn’t know what to make of him. After he had announced his intention to take the couch for the night, he had attempted to pay for the room, too. But she drew the line there. It made her uncomfortable. Not just because it would make her feel obligated to relinquish the bed to him, but because she just wasn’t used to having men do such things for her. She always paid her own way. And usually her boyfriends’ way, too.
Eventually, they’d settled on a sixty-forty split. They’d argued for several minutes over that one, until Lily had item-priced every major service or convenience that one might use in a suite within one night, then calculated that, actually, thirty-eight percent was fair enough for him.
He had raised a questioning eyebrow at her at that. It reminded her of how Jason had regularly called her a math dork and a pencil pusher. Those repeated insults—delivered in the guise of good-natured teasing—used to make her self-conscious about her skills.
But she wasn’t going to apologize anymore for being great at math, and excellent at breaking things down and quantifying their value. It was a big part of how she made a successful living.
“Thirty-eight percent. Don’t make me break out the decimals.”
“Is that supposed to be a threat?” he’d scoffed. His voice dropped and he gave a low, easy laugh. “Go ahead and show me what you’ve got. I’m a patient man, and I’ve got all night.” Lily’s blood had heated so fast at those words, she’d had to fight the urge to fan herself.
Of course, at that point, Edgardo had to break his pretense of not eavesdropping and informed them that they did not split bills on stays under three nights, reminding Lily just how temporary this was.
Komarov’s voice broke into her thoughts, pitched low and much more drawn out than he’d been down in the lobby. “Look, Miss Stanton. I want you to know…if this is too much for you, I don’t mind finding another place for the night. I’m really not trying to make things difficult for you.”
She turned and took him in, gulping at the sight of this tall, tanned, gorgeous man reflecting back at her from three of the walls. It was Komarov, surround-sound style. She shook her head. “No. It’s not too much for me,” she replied, before she could think. But she paused for a moment and realized that was the truth. This was a minor blip on the radar of her otherwise horrible week. “And please call me Lily.”
He pushed away from the wall abruptly, and surprise had her shrinking back, just a bit, before catching herself and straightening again.