Slade (The Protectors #6)(19)
“What’s the answer?” Slade looked at her from over the book, his golden eyes intense, yet they held a lazy appeal that was sexy as hell.
Shit, what’s the question? Jill had no clue; she was too busy staring at him. “Ah, I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do,” he answered, dropping the book to his lap, her eyes followed and she wished they hadn’t. Damn, he was one hell of a man.
She had to get her mind back on track and off Slade. “No, I really don’t.”
“Did you even hear the question?” Slade frowned. “Because you have answered this question correctly every time I’ve asked.”
Shaking her head, she frowned back. “Sorry, I didn’t hear it.”
“Then why didn’t you say that?” Slade studied her hard, too hard.
What was she to say to that? ‘I was too busy looking at your sexy eyes and listening to your voice’, or maybe, ‘the bulge in your pants is just too distracting’.’ Yeah, she was screwed. “I don’t know.” She finally came out with that intelligent response.
“Jill, you have to pass this test tomorrow or Sloan is going to have my ass.” Slade leaned away from the headboard to stare down at her. “What’s the problem?”
Sitting up quickly, Jill tucked her legs up underneath her and looked him square in the eyes. “Maybe Jax is right. Maybe I’m not cut out to be a Warrior.”
“Jax is a dumbass,” Slade hissed, then reached out, cupping her chin to lift her face to his. “And you really don’t mean that, do you?”
Searching his eyes, she shook her head. “No, but—”
“Listen, Jill.”
The way he said her name made her sigh and when she did, she saw understanding cross his face. Dammit, what the hell was wrong with her? She might as well slobber all over him, that would be less evident.
“If I didn’t have confidence that you could do this, I wouldn’t be wasting my time. I know you have confidence that you can do it so I know that’s not the problem. You had a rough-ass day and then everything that piled up on you after that is more than a lot of people can take, but I still don’t think that’s the problem.” He let go of her chin, but didn’t lean back. “So I suggest you come clean with what’s going on.”
She sat looking at him, wondering what Nicole, Tessa, Pam or Lana would do. Did they come right out and tell their Warrior they had the hots for them. This was new territory for her. Her eyes roamed from his golden stare to his neck with the large vein pulsing…bite me…to his wide shoulders, chest and even down…
“If you don’t stop looking at me like that…” Slade’s voice had grown harsh and deep. When her eyes shot to his, they had grown darker.
“Like what?” Jill asked innocently, even though she knew exactly how she had been looking at him. She couldn’t help it. He was too handsome for his own good, and dammit, it wasn’t fair. How was she supposed to look at him? Hell, she had even caught the other women glancing his way when they already have handsome Warriors who adore them.
He cocked his eyebrow at her, his grin curved his full lips. “Probably the same way I’m looking at you.”
Okay, that confused her. He had made it clear to her and everyone else, there was and would never be anything between them, yet he was flirting with her. She was going to go insane soon and it was going to be all his fault. Not being able to sit still, Jill rolled off her knees and stood up, and then pointed at him. “You’re driving me crazy.”
“Good, because fair is fair.” Slade kept his relaxed position on the bed, which only irritated her more.
“What does that mean? Fair is fair?” Jill threw her hands up, and then dropped them to the top of her head. “There is nothing fair about any of this. Okay?”
When he didn’t say anything to that, but sat staring at her with that grin still in place, she dropped her hands to her sides, clenching her fists.
“What do you find amusing, Slade?” Jill’s voice remained mostly calm, but her insides were going crazy, making her want to jump out of her own skin. “That the poor little half-breed wannabe Warrior can’t even remember a question you asked because she was too busy staring at you wondering what it would be like to be kissed, and not just a little kiss, but kissed by you? Is that amusing to you? I’m screwed, so I’m not amused. You can have any woman out there, but for me there is not a man compared to you anywhere in this f*cked-up world; so yeah, I’m screwed because I don’t want any other man. I want you. Have wanted you since that first day you pulled Jeff off me and I turned to see you. Do you know how hard it is to be around someone you want so badly when all they do daily is remind me and everyone else there will never be anything between us? Well, it’s harder than anything any one of the Warriors could throw at me during this damn initiation.”
Jill stood in the middle of the room after her little rant, wondering where in the hell that came from and why the hell she let it spew from her mouth. Her gaze met Slade’s and she wished she could suck every word right back into her stupid mouth. She had never seen him look more intense than he did at the moment, and his grin was absolutely gone.
“There. It’s out in the open and nothing is left unsaid. Now you can go spread the word to the other Warriors and laugh at my expense, but no one can say I’m a coward for not saying what I feel.” Jill tilted her head and when he still didn’t say anything, just stared at her with that intense glare, she turned toward the door. “I’ll leave you to stew on that…while I go kill myself,” she whispered the last part, not really caring if he heard her or not.