“Nothing, just a book,” I say, but he's breezing past me toward it. I hurry after him but he reaches the bed before me and picks up the book. “See?” I say defiantly.
“I know what Lady Chatterley's Lover is about,” he says, looking at me with a smug grin. Shit. “Maybe not such a prude after all,” he adds, running his eyes up and down my body. I swallow hard. “You know what I think?” he asks, stepping toward me. I step away again, feeling one of the posts of my bed against my back. “I think you want me. I think you can barely contain yourself.”
“That's mighty arrogant of you,” I comment. I begin to tug the ends of my hair nervously.
“Why are you doing that?” He asks, frowning.
“It's just a nervous habit,” I say with a shrug, and drop my hand.
“So I make you nervous?”
“No,” I reply quickly. “Just you being in here…”
“I'm only arrogant if I'm wrong.”
“Wrong about what?” I feel the urge to pull my hair again but don't want to give him the satisfaction.
“Wrong about you wanting me. Let's give it a test—” he narrows his eyebrows, studying me. “I'm going to kiss you now, and all you have to do is tell me to stop.”
“What? That's crazy. Not to mention you just fucked Dana, and now you expect me to kiss you?” I protest, but he steps toward me. I try to pull backward but I'm already pressed against my bedpost. Desire unfurls deep in my stomach as his eyes lock onto mine.
“If it's crazy, just tell me to stop,” he whispers teasingly, and moves closer. His musky scent fills my nose and my mind begins to swim. I feel wetness trickling down my thigh as he curls his arms around me, grasping the bedpost with both hands behind my lower back. He's so close to me. I can feel heat radiating off him. His legs and chest sink against me and he moves his lips toward mine. Just a few inches between Nate Thornhill's mouth and mine. Now an inch. Now two centimeters…I can feel his warm breath against my partially open lips…
“Stop.” I whisper.
He freezes but doesn't pull away, as though he can't believe what he's just heard. Though truthfully, I'm marveling at my own restraint. I can feel his erection against my thigh—I know he wants me, too. Now I can beat him at his own game. I lean forward slightly, allowing my lips to brush against his as I speak, “Unless you don't want to.”
His eyes, which were focused on my lips, flick back up to meet mine. I force myself to stay steady even as I'm consumed by the lust in his gaze. He stares at me for a moment, then pushes off the bedpost and steps back. He opens his mouth, about to say something, but nothing comes out. I remain pressed against the bedpost as he turns and moves toward the door. Without looking back, he shuts it behind him.
I stumble forward and take a deep breath. It's like he takes all the air out of the room and I can't breathe when he's around.
I can't believe I just rejected him. I'm stunned, but I also feel like giving myself a standing ovation. I just resisted the advances of Nate Thornhill, my fantasy of almost three years. I should win a willpower award. I knew that if I’d let him kiss me, I would forever lose any kind of power in our relationship. I'd be just be another pathetic girl who fell for his charms.
Of course, the downside is that I'm more turned on than I've ever been in my life, and I'm alone with a book again. I sigh and crawl back onto my bed. I have a feeling that whatever is happening between me and my stepbrother, I haven't seen the end of it yet.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“I'm so happy there's another girl working here!” Constance says, swiveling around on her desk chair. She's my new cubicle mate, and one of only a handful of other interns at Thornhill and Co.
“Ah, there. My Outlook is finally working,” I announce, opening the email system on my desktop.
“So they'll want you to sign an NDA and stuff, but after, want to go to lunch?” she asks.
“What's an NDA?” I turn to face her.
“Non-disclosure agreement. There are a ton of Senators and big business types who come in here, and you can't tell anyone. Very important,” she says in hushed tones. She seems very pleased that she's snagged this coveted internship, which is probably why I haven't told her that I'm the boss's stepdaughter. I've never benefited from nepotism before, and it feels strange and uncomfortable to me now.
“Oh. Well I'd love to get lunch later this week, but I'm having lunch with my friend Allison today. We go to UVA together, and she's got an internship at this urban planning place in Georgetown, so I'm going to meet up with her.”
“Cool. Georgetown has really good shopping. I'd love to go with you sometime. Fashion is like, my side hobby, and you have a stylist's dream body.”
“I don't think I—” I begin my canned response to a shopping invitation before I realize that maybe I can afford it. And Constance looks so perfectly chic in her patterned cardigan and statement necklace. “You know, that would be wonderful. I really don't know what to buy.”
“Oh, I can help you with that. But careful not to wear anything too tight around Mr. Thornhill,” she adds, rolling her eyes.
“What do you mean?” I ask with a frown.
“Oh my god, who is that?” Constance asks, breaking away from our conversation to stand and peer over our cubicle wall. I join her to see Nate and Pierce walking down the hallway together toward the elevator bank. They must be having lunch together.
“That's his son,” I reply, immediately sitting down again.
“He looks like a Polo model!” Constance exclaims, sitting back down.
“Um, what were you saying about Pierce—Mr. Thornhill—just then?”
“Well, I've never had an issue, but maybe he's just not into Asian girls,” she says, throwing her black hair over her shoulder carelessly. “From what I've heard, though, he has a certain reputation.”
“Oh, no,” I reply, worriedly tugging on my hair. Shit. Shit. I knew he was too good to be true.
“Don't worry. From what I've heard, he's pretty harmless, he's just from a different generation when it comes to women around the office—especially young women,” she adds.
“Mmhm,” I reply, my mind already spiraling into crisis mode.
“You OK, Brynn?”
“Maybe he's changed, though. I mean, he's married now,” I say, clinging to a speck of hope.
“Yeah, I heard he got married.” She shrugs. “Could be. I don't think it's something that's been really recent or anything.”