He made a gesture, saying something silently to Ollie. Ollie returned whatever interaction they shared with a nod of his head.
Two minutes later, Ollie was passing Nikki her bright pink cosmo and me a glass of chardonnay. “Compliments of the gentleman at the end of the bar.”
Oh no he didn’t.
I scowled in Mr. Wolfe’s direction, angling my head and pursing my lips as I pushed the stemmed glass away as if it were tainted. “No, thank you, Ollie. I’d prefer to pay for my own drink. If you’d return this to him.”
Confusion passed through Ollie’s expression before he shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
He headed that way, passing the glass to Mr. Wolfe, who had never turned away and had witnessed the whole exchange. I shouldn’t have been surprised when the arrogant man was already pushing to his feet the second he had the rejected wine glass in his hand.
Turning away, I tried to pretend I was in deep conversation with Nikki, searching for any subject to launch into. “Um…so it’s supposed to rain, yeah?”
But it was no use.
There was no running.
A shiver flashed across my skin. Hot and cold as it raced and sped, tingling in all the places I couldn’t afford to recognize this man. I tried to hold my breath, tried not to breathe in the faint scent of a spicy mandarin and sweet nutmeg.
His cologne dizzying.
Or maybe it was just him.
I felt the ominous presence eclipse me from behind. Because suddenly he was right there, his breath on my cheek and neck and ear. “I believe this belongs to you, Ms. Redd.”
He reached around and set the glass down in front of me.
I struggled to rein in the mix of emotions that stampeded within me, this confusing dichotomy of hate and the crushing demand of my body.
Remember.
Remember why you’re doing this.
Finding solid ground, I forced myself to look over my shoulder and meet his eye. “I can’t be bought, Mr. Wolfe. I have no interest in you or your drink unless it will send you running out of town. So, why don’t you go back to your seat, or more preferably, back to New York.” The words grated from my tongue. God, this man brought out the worst in me. Made me crazy and angry and confused.
That penetrating gaze glinted and danced to a dark, dark beat, the hint of a smile twitching at his mouth.
He was laughing at me.
Of course he was.
“It’s a drink, Ms. Redd. A peace offering. Not a goddamned bomb and certainly not a bribe. I was simply being nice.”
Guilt tried to mix with the confusion he incited. I forced a dubious laugh. “Nice?”
He angled to the side and leaned his elbow on the bar so he could meet my eyes. He was so close he stole my breath. My sanity. “I could be…if that’s what you wanted me to be. If you want, I’ll promise not to bite.” He angled closer, the words a low, guttural whisper. “But I’m pretty sure you want me to.”
I jerked back, my breaths too shallow and my heart a wild thrum. I blinked through the daze. “You have a lot of nerve, Mr. Wolfe, waltzing in here thinking you can just take anything you want.”
A smirk climbed to his ridiculously gorgeous face. “Since when is it a bad thing to go after what you want?”
God, I had to get out of there before he mixed me up any more. I grabbed the glass he offered and tossed it back, draining the entire thing in one gulp before I slammed it back down.
If anything, the bastard looked satisfied.
My attention turned to Nikki, who was sitting there biting her lip as if she were watching some kind of ridiculous teen drama.
“I’m going to use the restroom and then head home,” I told her.
Concern washed her features. “Are you sure?”
“I’m fine. I promise.”
She hesitated, wary, before she nodded and waved her drink in the air. “I’m just going to finish this.” There was no missing the longing in her voice, the undercurrent of why she was really there.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I spun on my heels, took a single step, and then stalled, backing up to meet Mr. Wolfe’s face, putting every ounce of strength I had into the warning. “The petition for historic landmark will be filed tomorrow. I will win this fight.”
Then I strode away with as much poise as I could muster before I rounded into the hall and then nearly broke into a sprint when I knew I was out of eyeshot. I pushed open the restroom door, panting as I tried to regain my composure.
This was so not like me.
Needy and wanting things I could never have.
My willpower weak.
Why had I always gravitated to the people who would hurt me?
Addelaine had been the exception, which was why I couldn’t let her down.
Finding my purpose, I moved to the sink, washed my hands, and dabbed a towel beneath my eyes as I studied myself in the mirror. My pupils dilated. My cheeks flushed.
God.
This was so stupid.
But that foolishness seemed to matter none when I swung open the door and stepped out into the darkened hall. Halfway down, my feet stopped short when I ran straight into the big body towering over me.
“Whoa, there, Lil’ Redd.” His words were as soft as silk.
A gasp rocked free, and my chest constricted, my thrumming heart going whoosh, whoosh, whoosh as I took a fumbled step back. He followed, angling around and backing me into the wall.
“Ms. Redd,” he whispered, his glorious, ravaging face in shadows, those unmistakable eyes burning with fire and something deep. Something I couldn’t quite recognize. He reached out and wound a lock of my hair around his big hand. “Lil’ Redd. Who the fuck do you think you are?”
He inched closer, fingers fluttering along the edging of my coat, as if he were mesmerized by the color. It ignited the air in a furor of severity, his breaths mingling with mine, something alive. “Who do you think you are, driving me out of my damned mind? For months, I’ve been fantasizing about you, wondering why every time I opened one of your messages, my cock grew hard. Desperate for a taste of the unseen.”
His mouth was at the shell of my ear, eliciting chills. “And now I know.”
Oh God. What was he doing to me? And why did I like it so much?
“I can’t do this,” I mumbled, attempting to push him away. He captured my hands in his, brought them to his mouth, and kissed across the knuckles.
Shivers slipped down my spine, and oh my God, I was going to lose all control.
He leaned in closer, his mouth a whisper at my jaw. “You want me to chase you, Lil’ Redd? Run.”
He suddenly stepped back, the expression on his face so severe I had the instinctual feeling that he needed me to run before he snapped.
I sucked in a shocked breath, turned on my heels, and propelled myself forward and away.
Fled.
I ran out the door and into the night.
Rain poured from the raging heavens, streetlamps shone down through the haze. It created a kaleidoscope of light that glimmered all around me. I leaned over, sucking in breath after breath, knowing I needed to escape.
Run.
But I didn’t get far.
Because he was suddenly there, his presence unmistakable where he appeared behind me.
Slowly, I turned around.
He stood there, looking like sin.
Drenched by the rain.
It only emphasized his beauty.