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her made it almost worth being under his power.
They climbed from the shower together, and he wrapped her in a huge fluffy towel. She enjoyed
his towels and didn t think she d ever be able to go back to the scratchy kind, which had never
bothered her before.
When she stepped into the room, she was embarrassed by the loud growling in her stomach the
smell of the food caused. Ryan raised his brow at her and gave her a smile. She chose to ignore him
and made a dash for the food. She didn t care how it made her look.
 When will you actually start listening to me? Ryan asked her in such a conversational tone of
voice it took a few moments for the words to actually sink in.
 I m not your possession, your call girl, or your employee, and therefore I don t have to listen to
you, she stated back in the same conversational tone.
 You ll learn.
 I wouldn t hold your breath in anticipation of that. No, wait a minute. Go ahead and do just that.
I m sure it won t take too long, she said in a sugary sweet voice and batted her eyes at him.
###
Ryan laughed out loud. He really could get used to her being a part of his life on a permanent
basis. She was good for his huge ego, or at least for taking it down a notch or two. He didn t think
he d ever get her tamed, but he was sure going to enjoy trying.
They finished up the food, and Ryan shut the light off and pulled her down next to him.
Unbelievably, he was still tired. He never slept more than about six hours a night, but he had a
feeling, by the time they got up, it would be more likely ten hours that particular night.
Nicole was stiff in his arms, stubborn as always. Apparently that got too uncomfortable for her,
though. After a while, she finally relaxed, and they both fell asleep.
Ryan knew they d both won some of the smaller battles that evening, but overall he d won the
war. He d gotten exactly what he wanted, with her in his bed. He d make sure he woke up with her
still in his arms. It may have been a small thing, but to him it was a matter of a line being drawn in the
sand and her learning not to cross it.
Chapter Nine
 There s absolutely no way I m going to another one of those parties with you, and that s final,
Nicole said. She placed her arms across her chest and glared at Ryan.
 We have an agreement, and if I want to parade you around to ten of those parties a week, you
won t only go, but you ll do it with a smile plastered across your face, he yelled at her.
He hadn t yet seen her put her foot down. He may have thought she d been stubborn before, but the
last party he d made her attend had been miserable, and the women had been piranhas. Neither
Jasmine nor Trinity had been there, and she d fought tears the entire time. She wouldn t put herself
through that again.
 I don t care about the stupid agreement. You re expecting too much, she told him.
 The only reason you were miserable at the last party was because of your own stupid
stubbornness, he mocked her. She d refused to wear the dress he d purchased or the jewelry that
lined her drawer. Instead, she d worn her own sale rack dress which, Ryan had told her, made her
look like she should be attending a backyard barbecue. Of course, the socialites had also ripped her
to shreds.
Nicole knew he was angry with her for refusing his gifts, and he ignored her most of the night.
They d both walked away from the evening ticked off. He didn t even want to go to the stupid party
they were fighting about. He d only accepted the invitation because he wanted to punish her, which
made her just as angry at him as he was at her.
 Well you can take your party and stick it up your& .
He didn t let her finish her words. He grabbed her in his arms and smashed his mouth down on
hers.
 You ll be ready by seven tonight, he told her and walked from the room. She smiled at the
closed door. He really had another think coming if he thought he d get his way. If he didn t like how
she was behaving, then he could kick her out. She didn t like the feeling that thought caused in her gut.
She may think he was a pompous jerk half the time, but he was also the boy she d loved more than any
other.
What really scared her was that she was falling for the man he now was. He was beautiful, caring,
family-oriented, and made love with so much passion she never wanted to let him go afterward. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]