Chapter 10

Tiana placed her hand on Bryce's shoulder and planted her pinning glare on Markie, staking her claim.

"Just catching an after-work drink with some coworkers?" Tiana asked him. The vile woman leaned into Bryce's side. "Do you want another? I'd love to buy you one, but not here." She looked down the alley toward Coach's Place. "How about Coach's?"

He edged away from the unsound woman, not stopping until his upper arm pressed against Markie's shoulder. "No thanks. We were just heading out. Calling it a night."

Interesting. The man she'd pegged as a player just shot down another easy opportunity, again, making her rethink her assessment of him.

Tiana's nostrils flared as she bounced her gaze between Bryce and her. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pulled into a tight thin line. The woman's head ticked to the side. "Fine, then," she spat through gritted teeth.

Bryce's arm rounded over Markie's shoulders, and he pulled her tighter to his side. Heat flooded her body at his possessive hold. Yes, his action was only a front to ward off a relentless pursuer, but it felt good - right. Still, her cautious side begged her to pull away, but the hint of desire creeping through her caused her to lean into the hard, muscled body at her side.

"See ya," Bryce said as he led Markie to her car.

She didn't need to turn to verify Tiana stared after them. The woman's glare burning a hole in her back was enough to know.

Bryce yanked the driver's side door open and she slid in before he walked around the front of the vehicle and climbed in the passenger side.

"Sorry about that. I'd appreciate a ride home," Bryce commented as he stared out the windshield.

"I assumed that when you got in."

Markie thought it best to waste no time in close proximity to Tiana, so she cranked the engine, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed in the direction of Bryce's house.

"I'd planned to walk but..."

"I get it. No problem. That lady is off her rocker. You need to be careful," she warned.

"I know. I can't seem to get rid of her. And it's not like we really even dated."

"Really?" Even after what she'd just assessed about him she couldn't hold the sarcasm from her tone.

A quick glance toward him found him looking at her.

"Yes, really. And why do you have such a hard time believing me? What have I ever done for you to have such a low opinion of me when it comes to women?"

Her pulse kicked up a notch at his calling her out. She refocused on the road. "I don't."

"Well, it sure doesn't seem that way. You bust my balls every chance you get. Always making some sort of comment about me and the opposite sex."

She pulled into Bryce's driveway and flipped the car into park.

The man wasted no time reaching for the door handle. "Thanks for the ride."

"Wait!" she called out as he climbed out of the vehicle.

He bent and leaned in to see her, his face muscles taut. "What?" he asked. Annoyance emitted from his tone.

"I don't do that."

His brow arched. "Yeah, you do." He shrugged. "Whatever though. What does it matter?"

Bryce stood, shut the door, and headed up the sidewalk, soon to disappear into his house.

The cleansing breath she drew in was not cleansing. Probably would have been if Bryce's cologne hadn't pleasantly infiltrated her nostrils. Though she'd successfully ignored his tantalizing scent in the past, it had become more difficult to do so lately. That hint of sandalwood on him was like a drug. She couldn't get enough of it, and like some drug addicts she knew, she needed to kick it for her own good, but couldn't.

Markie cut the engine and flung her vehicle door open. She knocked once on his front door then turned the handle without hesitation, calling his name as she stepped inside.

He studied her from across what she presumed to be the living room, but it was hard to tell since it was in the midst of a remodel job.

"What, Markie? What do you want?" Resentful attitude still laced his tone.

"I want to explain. I don't mean to give you a hard time. Really."

He just watched her, waiting.

She swallowed hard and narrowed the gap between them, stopping just a step away from him. The heat of his body warmed hers. That sandalwood scent hit her again, and those almost black eyes of his darkened even more.

Shame caused her to pull away from that dark gaze of his. She stared at the floor. "I don't know why I do it. I'm sorry."

An outright lie. She knew darn well why she did it. She was afraid of him. Afraid of falling for him. No matter how hard she tried to tell herself he was made from the same mold as her cheating ex-fiancé, she knew the truth. He wasn't. But telling herself that kept her from putting herself out there - risking another heartbreak.

When there was still not a word from him, she drew in a deep breath, looked up, and met his gaze.

His taut facial muscles loosened. His gaze softened with each passing moment.

"Please, Bryce, just..."

His lips silenced her words and his large hands cupped her cheeks, heating her skin. His flavor seeped into her. The kiss that started as urgent slowed, calmed, teased her to the brink of uncontrolled desire. He paused, lingered, and then returned to a soft, slow seducing pace. This guy knew how to kiss.

Bryce. The guy kissing her beyond the ability to think was Bryce. How?

Shit, who cares? His lips felt so good she kept in sync with him. Could do this for hours.

Bryce pulled back. The hope it was just a pause and he'd resume faded quickly as he edged back a bit farther.

Sheer disappointment raked through her. Distance clouded over the desire in his gaze. Where was he going off to?

She took a step toward him. He took a step back and shoved his hands in his pockets. His sun-darkened face turned white.

"Are you okay?"

His gaze landed on the floor. "I'm fine. I'm sorry."

Her heart hammered. "Sorry you kissed me?"

Silence.

This certainly wasn't the behavior of a confident womanizer. "Bryce?"

He slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers. "I'm sorry, but I shouldn't have kissed you. It was a mistake. We work together. We shouldn't do this."

That was the biggest line of crap she'd ever heard. What was he afraid of? You can't kiss someone with that much emotion - heart - and not really mean it, feel it. So it couldn't be how he felt about her that made him back off just now, something else bothered him. What?

After several beats of uncomfortable silence, she fished her car keys from her pocket. "Okay then. You're probably right. This is a bad idea."

She spun around and headed for the door, holding hope he'd call after her.

Nothing.

Moving slowly, she climbed into her vehicle and started the engine, all the time wishing that front door of his would open and he'd step through it to stop her from leaving.

Nothing.

If it hadn't been for the swirling desire in his gaze when they stared at each other in silence, she wouldn't have held hope he'd come after her. Between his intense stare and the seducing movement of his mouth when it was pressed to hers, there was no way he didn't desire her. So why did he fight it?

Peeling back the layers of Bryce Hawk just became her new life mission.