Unable to decide if he was being deliberately obtuse, I tipped my head to one side. “You don’t think it would look seriously strange if we divorced but kept working together?”
“No, I don’t. There’s no reason for you to leave. You can stay where you are.”
“Um, no, I can’t.”
His eyes flared. “Yes, you can. You will.”
“It would be too weird. And people would think I’d stayed to be near you; it’d look like I was clinging to what scraps you would give me. No, I have my pride. I can’t stay at o-Verve. Patience is a really good PA.”
“I don’t want her. I want you.”
God, how I wished he meant something wholly different by that. “Dane, just—”
“You’re staying. End of discussion.”
I felt my lips thin. “Why are you being difficult about this? Look, I know you had trouble finding a PA who ‘fit’ you and who can overlook the fact that you’re an asshole at times. That’s why I’m looking at a potential replacement now. I can give Patience a little extra training, and then she’ll just be able to slot right into my position when I’m gone.”
He ate up the small space between us, standing so agonizingly close I could feel the heat of his body; could feel the dark, sheer intensity he gave off like pheromones that made my body pulse with an electric awareness.
“You don’t need to give her any extra training,” he stated. “She’s not going to need it, because she’s not going to be working for me. I already have a PA, and she suits me just fine. I don’t intend to let her go anywhere.”
“You can’t force me to keep the job.”
His brow hiked up. “What do I always get, Vienna?”
I folded my arms. “Okay, tell me how you intend to ensure I stay in a job I’ll no longer want. I’m genuinely curious how you think you’ll achieve this.”
He tilted his head. “Did you ever think you’d marry me, Vienna—sham marriage or not?”
“No.”
“And yet, you did. Never think I’m a man who ever settles for anything less than exactly what he wants. I never have, I never will. I know how to get what I want, and I know how to keep it.”
“I wonder if you’ll be saying that same thing when I’m boxing up the stuff from my office desk after the divorce.”
“It won’t come to that. You’re staying at o-Verve.”
God, give me strength. “Dane—”
“You’re staying.”
“You’re being unreason—”
“You’re. Staying.”
“Oh. My. God. Stop being a brat.”
His nostrils flared. “A brat?”
“Yes,” I snapped, out of patience. “You’re all about what you want. For just a few moments, step out of Dane’s world and remind yourself that one of the things I really want is to get married for real at some point. Remember we talked about that? I want a partner. And kids. And, yeah, a cat. I want to find someone who does actually care for me; who wants to build a life with me. That’s never going to happen while you’re in the picture, because no guy is going to be interested in me if I’m working for my fucking ex-husband. That’s what you’ll be. My. Ex—”
He took my mouth with a low growl, sinking his tongue inside. Hands bunched my hair as he herded me backwards until I hit the counter. It knocked the breath right out of me, but his mouth kept on eating at mine with so much greed and urgency. Stunned by the absolute ferocity of his kiss, I could only cling to him, digging my fingers into his upper arms.
Logic, reason, rationality, control—all of it was burned away by the carnal demands of his mouth. I strained to be closer, kissing him back for all I was worth. He growled in approval, punching his hips forward, grinding his cock against my clit. Oh, God, yes.
The burn of his hot mouth felt like a brand. The erotic flicks of his tongue demanded more. The sure, confident hands that roamed over me screamed possession. The feel of his dick rubbing my clit felt like a promise.
I really needed him to follow through with that sexual promise, because the molten lust pumping through my veins had whipped my body into a damn frenzy. My nipples were hard. My pussy was damp. My nerve-endings were crying out for more.
He shoved his hand into my panties and thrust a finger inside me—no preamble, no hesitation, only the sheer intention to take what he wanted.