“You’re going to lay off your men?”
“That’s right. Won’t need them now, will I? Thanks to you.”
Exasperated, she tried to catch Jack’s attention again, but her friend was nowhere to be found. “Look, McKenna, I’m tired and I had a really bad day. I’m sorry about your men. I truly am. But I wasn’t responsible. I’m leaving now. Please get out of my way.”
She tried to squeeze past him, but he moved with lightning speed and placed his arms on either side of her body, keeping her captive with her back against the bar. When he took a step closer and her nipples actually rubbed up against his chest, scorching heat ignited like a Roman candle across her chest and bristled the minute follicles on the back of her neck.
She fixed her gaze on his clenched jaw and noticed his eyes narrowed and his lips tightened. She tried to speak but her mouth was parched.
“I warned you I couldn’t afford any more delays. So, since you ignored my warning, here’s what you’ve forced me to do. At eight o’clock Monday morning, I will go to Tim Brook’s office and I will accept his offer to buy your property.”
A gasp escaped her lips and her gaze flew to meet his. “What did you say?”
“You heard me. I’m talking about the fact that your house is going to go on auction very soon from what I hear. And since I’m a prime customer of Brooks Savings and Loan, I have first dibs on available bank-owned properties.”
She blinked back her shock. “You’re insane. And why is Tim talking to you about my p-personal business? My home isn’t going on the auction block. You’re misinformed.”
He shrugged. “Eight o’clock sharp. By the way—” he lowered the timbre of his voice so it was like a caress, “—those cookies were melt-in-your-mouth good.” His gaze locked with hers and she observed how dark his irises got when he was furious, as he was now.
Intending on pushing him away, she laid her hands against the tense muscles of his chest but before she could shove him, his hands captured hers and held them flat against the thudding of his heart.
“Feel that? Even though you probably wish you had, you haven’t killed me yet. I’m very much alive and I always, always keep my promises.”
“Get out of my way,” she said, but the words were barely audible. Like a sponge, her skin absorbed his heat through his shirt and burned a trail up her arm to her face. Their eyes collided and her breath hitched. The music and the chatter in the bar recessed into the distance. She was transfixed by the ragged sound of her breathing and the strong beat of his heart against her palm.
Mitch’s gaze dropped to her lips. His skin flushed and the color of his eyes deepened to a blue-black as angry as a day-old bruise. He seemed to be weighing his options before he released her hands. It was a full thirty seconds before she realized her hands remained flat against his chest. Feeling like a complete fool, she extricated them as casually as she could and let them collapse at her side.
“Get out of my way,” she repeated, her voice coming out thick and hoarse.
“Monday, eight sharp.” There went the curling of the lips again.
Warmth infused her face. She quickly snatched her purse and coat and, without a backward glance, stalked off on unsteady legs. She’d have to pay Jack later because she’d be damned if she’d turn back. Not when her hands were still trembling and burning from McKenna’s touch. The man was perverse. Why did her body react to him?
She wanted to scream until her vocal cords ripped to shreds. How dare Tim talk about her personal finances to anyone, let alone Mitch McKenna? It was a betrayal of trust. An invasion of privacy.
She couldn’t get out of the bar fast enough but just as she was nearing the exit, she bumped into the woman Mitch had been dancing with earlier coming out of the ladies’ room. Emma’s jaw dropped to her chest and she groaned inside with mortification.
There was no
“That’s right. Won’t need them now, will I? Thanks to you.”
Exasperated, she tried to catch Jack’s attention again, but her friend was nowhere to be found. “Look, McKenna, I’m tired and I had a really bad day. I’m sorry about your men. I truly am. But I wasn’t responsible. I’m leaving now. Please get out of my way.”
She tried to squeeze past him, but he moved with lightning speed and placed his arms on either side of her body, keeping her captive with her back against the bar. When he took a step closer and her nipples actually rubbed up against his chest, scorching heat ignited like a Roman candle across her chest and bristled the minute follicles on the back of her neck.
She fixed her gaze on his clenched jaw and noticed his eyes narrowed and his lips tightened. She tried to speak but her mouth was parched.
“I warned you I couldn’t afford any more delays. So, since you ignored my warning, here’s what you’ve forced me to do. At eight o’clock Monday morning, I will go to Tim Brook’s office and I will accept his offer to buy your property.”
A gasp escaped her lips and her gaze flew to meet his. “What did you say?”
“You heard me. I’m talking about the fact that your house is going to go on auction very soon from what I hear. And since I’m a prime customer of Brooks Savings and Loan, I have first dibs on available bank-owned properties.”
She blinked back her shock. “You’re insane. And why is Tim talking to you about my p-personal business? My home isn’t going on the auction block. You’re misinformed.”
He shrugged. “Eight o’clock sharp. By the way—” he lowered the timbre of his voice so it was like a caress, “—those cookies were melt-in-your-mouth good.” His gaze locked with hers and she observed how dark his irises got when he was furious, as he was now.
Intending on pushing him away, she laid her hands against the tense muscles of his chest but before she could shove him, his hands captured hers and held them flat against the thudding of his heart.
“Feel that? Even though you probably wish you had, you haven’t killed me yet. I’m very much alive and I always, always keep my promises.”
“Get out of my way,” she said, but the words were barely audible. Like a sponge, her skin absorbed his heat through his shirt and burned a trail up her arm to her face. Their eyes collided and her breath hitched. The music and the chatter in the bar recessed into the distance. She was transfixed by the ragged sound of her breathing and the strong beat of his heart against her palm.
Mitch’s gaze dropped to her lips. His skin flushed and the color of his eyes deepened to a blue-black as angry as a day-old bruise. He seemed to be weighing his options before he released her hands. It was a full thirty seconds before she realized her hands remained flat against his chest. Feeling like a complete fool, she extricated them as casually as she could and let them collapse at her side.
“Get out of my way,” she repeated, her voice coming out thick and hoarse.
“Monday, eight sharp.” There went the curling of the lips again.
Warmth infused her face. She quickly snatched her purse and coat and, without a backward glance, stalked off on unsteady legs. She’d have to pay Jack later because she’d be damned if she’d turn back. Not when her hands were still trembling and burning from McKenna’s touch. The man was perverse. Why did her body react to him?
She wanted to scream until her vocal cords ripped to shreds. How dare Tim talk about her personal finances to anyone, let alone Mitch McKenna? It was a betrayal of trust. An invasion of privacy.
She couldn’t get out of the bar fast enough but just as she was nearing the exit, she bumped into the woman Mitch had been dancing with earlier coming out of the ladies’ room. Emma’s jaw dropped to her chest and she groaned inside with mortification.
There was no
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