Page 16

“Ivy!” Dane shouts, chasing after me.

“Oh no,” I whisper as I wipe the tears from my eyes, hating that he’s seeing me like this. “Go away!”

“I just want to talk to you,” he says, quickening his pace.

I can’t outrun him forever and I’m still so mad that I spin around and shove my finger in his face. He rears back in shock when he sees my tears.

“You’re crying?”

“You know why I don’t like you?” I snap. “You’re just a shark, but you’re even worse. At least a shark doesn’t hide its fin. Instead of announcing yourself in a suit, you hide behind jeans and a flannel shirt, trying to blend in with the locals. But you’re not a local. You’re a corporate parasite. You don’t belong here. This place is not for you.”

He takes a deep breath and almost looks pained by my outburst. I feel kind of bad for him for a second as I back up.

No. Don’t feel bad for him. He’s the devil. Look what they did to Huntington!

“What can I do to convince you I’m on the side of the town?” he asks.

“Leave and don’t come back,” I say, crossing my arms.

He lets out a frustrated sigh. “I just bought a house.”

“Probably ripped it from a local’s hands and plan to cut all the trees on your property down, right?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, looking exasperated. “No, I paid a fair price to an older couple who wanted to downsize. And I’m not touching the trees.”

I wonder why he’s still here. Why he chased me out. Why he’s even bothering with me.

If he was truly a corporate parasite, he wouldn’t care what I thought about him. He wouldn’t give two shits about what I think.

But he’s still here. After trying to turn the town against him. After berating him in public and in private numerous times. He’s still here. He still cares what I think about him.

I wish he would just fuck off and be against me. Be the true villain I know he is. I wish he would say mean things and stop looking at me like that with those stupid ravishing green eyes.

It’s infuriating. It’s frustrating as hell. I don’t know if I’d rather hit him or kiss him and it’s making me crazy.

Heat climbs up my neck and into my cheeks as I step up to him. A needy little pull twists low in my belly when I catch a glimpse of his mouth.

“You need to leave,” I say, getting into his face.

He stands his ground, staring me down. “No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

The air charges with heat. My muscles tighten with the effort not to touch him. I want to press my throbbing body against him. I want to smother that sexy mouth with mine. Why does he have to be so damn hot? This would all be so much easier if he didn’t look like this.

“Get out of my town,” I hiss as we inch closer.

He stares me down with those heated eyes. “Make me.”

I grab his shirt, my other hand squeezing into a fist.

“Argh!” I scream in frustration, unable to hold myself back any longer. I step on my toes, push against him, crushing my breasts against his big hard chest and kiss his big, stupid, sexy, frustrating mouth.

He stiffens in surprise, but then quickly melts with a moan. He wraps his arms around me, kissing me back as his back hits the brick wall.

I wrap my arms around his neck, planning to strangle him, but instead, I pull him towards me, loving the feel of his lips on mine. I plunge my tongue into his mouth with a moan as he sinks his hands into my hair.