Strong, Sleek and Sinful - By Lorie O'Clare Page 0,66

her lips, scared she would drool in spite of anger washing over her and determination warring with lust while she continued glaring at him.

Perry crossed his arms over his chest, and roped tendons flexed that were impossible not to watch. “Not yet, Kylie.”

He was calm, way too calm. She looked into his eyes, blinking when they were green, almost flat. She needed to be very careful. Perry could close down his emotions as well as she could, which meant he would be harder to read.

“If I want to sit on a street corner in a fucking blizzard,” she said, grasping for the bizarre to throw him off his guard, “I’ll damn well do it, and without needing to explain myself to anyone.”

He dropped his arms and walked toward her. She didn’t budge. This was too damn important. But when he moved past her and closed her door, then tripped the lock into place, she took her time letting her focus travel over his hard, flat gut, the way the T-shirt he wore stretched over his perfect body and disappeared into faded blue jeans.

Perry didn’t have too thick of a neck, in spite of how built he was. Focusing on his physical perfection didn’t stop the fact that he was preparing for a battle of wits. It was more than obvious when he turned around; his expression, intense and powerful, made her heart skip a beat.

“You will explain yourself to me,” he said with conviction as he stared hard into her eyes. “Tell me right now why you left your house when you knew I was coming over, drove to a parking lot and parked out of the way in the dark where you weren’t safe, and then got out of your car when that Suburban approached you. And while you’re at it, tell me how this helps you understand how teenagers act. Are you writing a section on how they can be idiots?”

“Go to hell, Perry.”

“You’re going to throw everything away out of stubborn determination to prove to me you’re a tough guy.” Perry moved closer, within inches of her, his body heat making her flesh tingle, her insides swell with a need so violent that even if she attacked, forced him out of her space, the act of touching him would prove more dangerous than trying to physically make him do what she wanted.

“There’s nothing to throw away.” She crossed her arms, refusing to move. It sucked that he stood close enough that she had to tilt her head to see his face. “And I’m not proving anything because I choose to keep my affairs private.”

Perry moved so fast that she squealed when he grabbed her under her arms and lifted her off the floor. All air flew out of her lungs and she grunted loudly when he forced her against the wall. The one picture she’d hung, a print of a mountainous landscape, rattled dangerously next to her head.

“There’s nothing to throw away, huh,” he growled, his tone so deep and gravelly that it damn near made her toes curl. “Are you sure about that?” he demanded, using his body to keep her pinned, and every inch of steel muscle throbbing while his cock swelled and grew as he pressed it against her.

“Perry.” She would have to attack brutally to get him to release her from the trap he’d just sprung.

“Are you panting and your face flushed because I just pissed you off?” he asked, dropping his voice to a dangerous guttural whisper. “Tell me you didn’t leave your house to meet another man when you knew I was coming back over.”

“Put me down.” She willed him to meet her gaze instead of focusing somewhere around her mouth.

“Answer my questions.” His cock pulsed between them while his fingers moved slightly against the sides of her breasts. “Tell me why you went to meet someone in a parking lot where there was no one around to protect you.”

Kylie twisted, feeling the cool, hard wall against her back and all that bulging, hot muscle pressed into her front. She grabbed his shoulders, pushing, and narrowed her gaze. “Don’t push me, Perry.”

“Then answer me.”

If she offered him any answer at all, he would push even harder the next time he wanted information from her. Perry’s aggressive, dominating nature might make her swell with need. But in spite of the throbbing between her legs, or the way her nipples puckered and her breasts swelled and were heavy, creating an ache she would