He had this wicked gleam in his eyes as he gave me a slow once-over. “Fuck, no. Doesn’t mean I want to see him try, though.”
“Now I know why you never have a girlfriend,” I said, raising an eyebrow. He lifted my foot from the little table I had it on and placed it on his lap, massaging it. I closed my eyes and tossed my head back, putting down the cup of cereal on the floor beside me.
“What were you saying?”
“Huh?” I asked, opening my eyes to look at him. He was still smiling as he lifted my foot and bit down on my toe. “Ouch! Fuck.”
He chuckled. “You were saying that you knew why I never had a girlfriend.”
“Oh.” I straightened a bit in my chair. “Your controlling tendencies. I don’t know if women can handle that.”
“Can you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
I looked at him for a beat, unable to keep myself from getting lost in the intense look his eyes held. The challenge. I freaking loved it. Loved him. I realized, as he massaged my feet, clearly not at work like he would have been if he’d worked his magic on my dad and whoever else he met with, that in a world full of Gabriels, men like Victor came a dime a dozen.
“I think I can,” I said quietly. I smiled when he dropped my feet and stood, towering over me with both hands clutching the armrests on either side of me.
“If anybody can, it’s you,” he said, dropping his lips to mine and kissing me deeply, his tongue delving into my mouth in a way that took my breath away. He broke the kiss and backed away slightly, still holding the armrests. “I have a surprise for you, but now that you’re being so sassy, I’m not sure I want to give it to you.”
“What are you going to do? Spank me?” I asked, smirking.
His gaze heated instantly. “Don’t tempt me.”
“Maybe I want to,” I said, bringing my foot up and brushing it against his crotch, which was already hardening. He breathed out harshly.
“You love playing with fire, Nicole,” he said, his voice a low rasp as he placed his forehead against mine.
“I love playing with you,” I replied, pressing my lips against his.
He reached down and carried me, my chair making a screeching sound against the concrete as he lifted me and pushed it aside.
“Wait,” I said as we waited for Bonnie to walk in before closing the door behind us. “Did you get fired?”
He chuckled, setting me down on the couch. “You wait until now to ask me that?”
“I was distracted.”
“By how handsome and controlling I am?” he asked, grinning.
“You are so full of yourself.”
“So I’ve been told,” he said, grabbing his crotch in his hand. I nearly moaned at the sight of it.
“Did you?”
“No, I’m on leave until your divorce papers come back.”
“So . . . you’re still partner?” I asked quietly.
He sighed and took a seat beside me on the couch, putting an arm around me. I put my legs on his lap and scooted closer. “I am,” he said, running his fingers through my hair. If he kept this up, the massages and the hair touching, I’d definitely keep him. “I was there when your dad called you.”
My eyes widened, meeting his. “Did I . . . well, obviously he kept you on board so I didn’t mess anything up, but . . .” I groaned. “I hate that he put me on the spot like that.”
“You did great, Nic.” He pulled me closer to him. “You did great, and,” he let out a breath, “you were fine. It was fine. Will just doesn’t want any more attention around this until it’s clear the divorce is over. I really can lose my license. That’s not a game.”
I blinked. “We were just outside kissing. You just told Brent that you were my attorney and insinuated you were my boyfriend.”
“Fuck Brent. He’s not a threat.”
“You don’t know that.”
He shot me a look. “If he becomes one, I’ll take care of it.”
“Like you took care of Darryl?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. I knew I’d caught him off guard because of the way his eyes widened and he reared back slightly. “I saw him in Argentina. His face was all cut up the same week you had a bandage on yours. Coincidence?”
“Probably. I’m sure a lot of people want to cut his face,” he said.
“You’re going to sit here and lie to me?”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was telling.
“You can’t just go around beating people up because of me,” I said. “Isn’t that worse than us being out together?”
Victor let out an unamused chuckle. “Not in the state of California.”
“He can press charges.”
“Let him try,” he scoffed, then looked at me. “You don’t have to worry about any of that, Nicole. Trust me.”
“I do. I just don’t want to be the reason you go through all this trouble and lose a great job.”