pretending. Maybe it was time to explain to her what it meant whenever a woman became the object of his personal fantasies.
“And...” he said, “we will sleep together.”
She sat up in her chair, straightening her spine. Her lips went from sensual to tense but turned him on even more just the same. “No, we will not,” she said adamantly.
He smiled. “Yes, we will. It’s inevitable.”
She frowned. “No, it’s not. Just who do you think you are?”
He figured it was time she knew the answer to that. “A man who wants you. A man who intends to have you. A man who will show you, Layla Harris, just what you’ve been missing.”
* * *
Layla tried to keep her heart from pounding deep in her chest, while at the same time fighting off the heat stroking through her body. She knew she shouldn’t ask but she couldn’t hold back.
“And just what do you think I’ve missed?”
“Hot, raunchy, mind-blowing sex. Evidently over the years you’ve been too preoccupied with other things to indulge. Don’t you know it’s not good to deprive your body of meeting certain needs?”
Her frown deepened. “I haven’t deprived my body of anything.”
“Haven’t you? Why do you think you’re so attracted to me?”
Layla actually rolled her eyes. Really? Honestly? Had he looked in the mirror lately? When was the last time he’d studied all those photos Ms. Melody had plastered on the walls. Any woman would be attracted to him. Even now he sat there not doing anything and still looked sexy as hell with that well-toned body of his. And here she was sitting across the table from him. Right within kissing distance.
As far as she was concerned, Gavin Blake was eye candy of the richest kind. Passion personified. But she definitely wouldn’t tell him that. She would deny everything he’d said with her last breath if she had to.
“I am not all that attracted to you.” At least she hadn’t completely lied and said she wasn’t attracted to him at all.
“You want me to prove otherwise?”
What was it with men always wanting to prove things when it came to sex? “No, thanks. That’s not necessary.”
“I think that it is.”
He’d said the words in a low, vibrating tone with a sexy rumble she wished she could ignore. But there was no way, what with all the shivers oozing down her spine. “Are you trying to scare me off, Gavin?”
He lifted a brow. “Scare you off?”
“Yes. Say all these things so I get angry enough to leave the ranch, sparing you the trouble of making a decision one way or the other about whether I can dig on your land or not.”
“Is that what you think?”
To be honest, she didn’t know what to think. She needed his land and all he had on his mind was sex. That made her wonder...
“Then are you trying to box me into a corner? Implying that I will have to sleep with you before you’ll give me permission to dig?”
Gavin shook his head. “I would never put pressure on you to sleep with me. But be forewarned, Layla. If you hang around here doing that dig, we will sleep together. There’s no way we won’t. Your own body will betray you. When it does, I will be ready for the opportunity.”
Seriously? If he thought her body would eventually weaken, he didn’t know her. And that was the point, one she couldn’t lose sight of. He didn’t know her. He didn’t know about her dedication when it came to her work. Nor did he know of her ability to be single-minded when it came to her career goals. She could put everything out of her mind except what was most important. She was driven to be successful in her field, and she wouldn’t let Gavin—or any other man—stand in her way.
He was pretty sure of himself where women were concerned. A man couldn’t look like him, be built like him, and not be in demand and get any woman he wanted. All Gavin had to do was snap his fingers and she figured the women came running. Being denied anything from a woman would be foreign to him.
“Think whatever you want, Gavin, but I’m not the kind of woman you’re used to. I won’t break.”
He rubbed his hand over his chin as he studied her. “Would you want to bet on that?”
Layla frowned. She had no intention of betting on anything and she proceeded to tell him that. He only smiled, and it was one of those smiles she was getting to know too well. The one that made her body sizzle when it should make her angry. His smile all but said he had her where he wanted her.
“Would you be willing to bet on it to guarantee your dig on the Silver Spurs?”
That piqued her interest. “Depending on what you have in mind.” She hoped she was not setting herself up for something she would regret.
* * *
Gavin held back his gotcha smile. Little did Layla know but his teammates didn’t call him Viper for nothing. To some, a viper might be considered a spiteful or treacherous person, but for him the name meant he knew how to capture his prey using any means necessary. Striking when they least expected it. He wanted her in his bed willingly and he intended to do whatever it took to get her there. It was time to push his agenda.
“I’m willing to make a deal, Layla.”
“What sort of a deal?” She held his gaze.
Did she know how beautiful her facial features were? How striking her bone structure? He could sit for hours and stare, taking her in. But doing so would make him want her even more than he already did. Before he’d met her, he couldn’t have imagined that degree of need for any woman. But he could imagine it for her.
He lifted his shoulder in a half shrug as if what he was about to say wasn’t of grave importance. As if he really didn’t care one way or the other if she took the deal or left it on the table.
“I’m not as convinced about this buried loot as you and my grandmother seem to be,” he said. “And I doubt reading any report will make me change my mind. But wanting you in my bed will,” he said bluntly, needing her to fully understand what he was saying.
“This is the deal,” he continued. “I will let you dig, regardless of what I think. If you find something, great. You will have proven me wrong. I will be happy for you. Be the first to congratulate you on a job well done. However, if you come up with nothing then you admit you want me as much as I want you and we sleep together.”
“You are counting on me failing? And plan to take advantage of me if I do?”
The thought was firing her up. He could tell. The flash of fire in her eyes told it all. “You shouldn’t worry about failing. Unless you think you will. If there’s some doubt in your mind regarding the accuracy of your research, then I understand if—”
“My research is on point. There’s no doubt in my mind about anything.”
His
