He watched her for a few seconds, contemplating his next move, then jogged to catch up with her. “V, come on. Maybe it’s not as bad as we think. I’m sure we can figure something out.”
Vanessa didn’t stop, and her distraught feelings seemed to be growing with every step. “You know, despite the fact that I hated being deceitful, we were doing fine in our roles as Reid and Lucie. He never once questioned our behavior and the plans were off to a great start. Now, because you felt the need to play Prince Charming to the wedding coordinator, he’ll be with us every step of the way, including the rehearsal dinner and the wedding!”
“Wow, that’s uncanny. You sound just like him.” They rounded the corner to the path that led to their home away from home. “The overemphasizing thing sounds more natural when he does it, though.”
“You always have something to say about everything, you know that?” She stopped short at the front door and shoved her key in the lock. “Which is precisely the reason I told you to keep your big mouth shut and let me do all the talking!”
He followed her inside and closed the door a little harder than necessary. Now he was getting worked up, too. “Yeah, well, I don’t appreciate being told to stay quiet like some yippy dog. I’m not a sidekick, and I’m sure as hell not a mute.”
Tossing the keys on the console table by the door, she spun around and poked him in the chest. “No, you’re definitely not a mute. Believe me, there’s no chance of me ever forgetting that. You haven’t shut up since the moment I laid eyes on you. But let me tell you something, Maris,” she said, stepping in closer and glaring at him like he was her lifelong nemesis. “You have to know when to talk and when to shut your trap. And as far as I can tell, you have no concept of the latter.”
She had no idea the envelope she was pushing. “You’re challenging me, V. Are you sure you wanna go down this road?”
“Ha! You bet your ass I do. In fact, let’s play the Quiet Game. The one who makes the first sound loses. How about that?”
“I think that’s the best thing you’ve said all day.”
“Good!”
“Fine. Just say when.”
“When!”
Vanessa turned, no doubt to stomp off in a huff to ignore him in the silence she thought she’d created, but Jackson wasn’t letting her go anywhere. Grabbing her arm, he spun her back to him and caught her in a tight embrace a split second before he crushed his mouth to hers. She froze, her body stringing wire-tight. But then he nipped her bottom lip and all hell broke loose.
She plunged her fingers into his hair and pressed her body closer to his as she opened her mouth to invite him in. Delving inside, he licked over her tongue again and again. His hands splayed across her back and kept her tight to him as his cock grew hard and begged for the extra pressure. The moment he ground it into her, she moaned in the back of her throat. Technically that was a sound, which claimed him as the victor, but it wasn’t enough. Her accusations wounded his pride, and he’d prove to her he knew exactly when words weren’t necessary. And on top of that, he was going to win her stupid game, because if he didn’t, he knew she’d lord it over him. He expected no less from her.
Breaking from her lips, he moved his kisses to her jawline and down her neck. At the bottom where it met her shoulder, he nipped her again before making his way back up. He made a note that every time he used his teeth, her body jerked like electricity shot through her veins. Seems the Red Viper likes the sting of a bite. What luck. So do I.
Jackson spun them around and pushed her back into the wall, pinning her there with his hips to let his hands roam. He cupped a breast and gave a gentle squeeze as he scraped his teeth over the tight cord in her neck.
And that’s when it happened. She moaned his name.
He wanted her until he couldn’t think from it. But if anything was going to happen between them, she needed to want him, too. And she wasn’t there yet.
Though it killed him, he kept to the game. He stilled all movements and whispered in her ear, “I win,” then crossed the room, entered the bathroom, and shut the door behind him.
Day 2: Monday
Vanessa sat on the couch, laptop on the coffee table, coffee on the end table. Almost noon and still no sign of Jackson. Which was fine with her. She’d never been more pissed off at a man in all her life. First, he screwed everything up with Robért, and then he had the nerve to not finish what he started.