“Hi.”

He looked up briefly, muttering an indistinguishable greeting, and lowered his head again to read the magazine he was holding. Or pretend to read. His eyes didn’t appear to move from left to right, but seemed to stare at some random spot on the page.

Zane wore what he always wore: tight-fitting jeans, a black long-sleeved shirt, and boots that looked like he could kick the shit out of someone with them. His leather coat hung over a chair near the entrance. And damn it if that simple outfit didn’t make him look like sex-on-a-stick. Why Lauren insisted his bald head was unattractive, Portia didn’t understand. She had, in fact, never seen anybody who carried the loss of hair off the way Zane did, with his ‘take it or leave it’ kind of attitude, as if he didn’t give a shit what anybody thought of him. Maybe that’s what she liked most about him.

Liked? That was too strong a word. She didn’t really ‘like’ him—more like she had the hots for him—and that was a totally different cup of tea. ‘Like’ had nothing to do with it.

“Are you done looking?” Zane grunted.

Shit! She hated it when he called her on it like that. She could only hope that she hadn’t been drooling.

“Not much to see; you’re wearing too many clothes.”

His head shot up, his narrowed eyes glaring at her. “That kind of talk is dangerous.”

She took a few steps in his direction, easing closer. “Afraid of me?” Surprised at her own boldness, her pulse beat faster and more erratic than before.

He scoffed. “Don’t you have homework to do, baby girl?”

Annoyance kicked in, lending her courage. “If you think by calling me ‘baby girl’ you can fool yourself into thinking I’m not a grown woman, go ahead.”

Zane’s knuckles gripping the magazine turned white. She was clearly getting to him, just as she’d anticipated. Unfortunately, however, instead of turning him on, she was pissing him off. Perhaps she wasn’t that good on the flirting front. And why would she be? She’d never felt the need to flirt with anyone before, so she’d never bothered.

“I don’t care if you’re a grown woman. How often do I have to repeat myself? I’m NOT INTERESTED in you!”

Shocked by his violent outburst, she swiveled on her heels and headed for the kitchen. “Liar,” she mumbled to herself before she tore the door open and went for the fridge.

Well, that was going brilliantly! Lauren had warned her that a man like Zane wouldn’t be swayed easily. After this disaster she had to check in with her friend to see how she should proceed now. Lauren had a lot more experience with men. She would come up with something to salvage the situation.

Portia grabbed a coke, needing the sugar and caffeine rush, and closed the fridge door.

A split-second later, she found herself pressed against the cool stainless steel surface. Zane’s face was inches from hers. The coke can dropped from her grip and landed on the floor, making a loud noise on the tiles.

His teeth clenched, Zane issued his warning, “Never call me a liar!”

Her chest heaved from the sudden effort of breathing, her boobs pressing against his lean body with each breath, her nipples chafing and reacting instantly. When she tilted her hips forward, one realization infused her with courage to speak: he was sporting an erection.

“I’d call you lover, but you give me no choice.”

Zane closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring at the same moment. “I’ll never be your lover,” he countered, all anger drained from his toneless voice. “Go play with somebody else before you start something you can’t handle.”

He thought she couldn’t handle him? He was wrong! She would prove it to him.

Abruptly, Zane released his hold on her, but before he could step back, she framed his face with her hands and pressed her lips to his.

“Don’t,” he whispered but didn’t pull back.

Portia licked her tongue over the seam of his lips, urging him to surrender. A thrill charged through her body when Zane moved. His lips parted, and the next moment she felt herself sandwiched between the fridge door and his hard body.

Her hands dropped from his face to wrap around his neck, making sure he wouldn’t change his mind.

“You’ll regret this,” he murmured against her lips.

“I won’t.”

“I know I will.” But despite his contradicting comment, he stroked his tongue against her lips before he delved into her, capturing her mouth in a move indicating ultimate possession. He held her so tightly, not even with her hybrid strength would she have been able to escape him had she wanted to.