A Valentine Challenge (Challenge Series, #1)

by Kiru Taye

  He straightened still watching her, his stare penetrating and knowing. The confident look in his eyes dared her to come closer. To enter his personal space. Bristling, she told herself to calm down. He was the driver. She was the client paying towards his wages. There were lines he wouldn't dare cross.

  It seemed her body hadn’t received the memo though.

  Gritting her teeth, she spoke to him, her irritation barely hidden from her voice. "We’re going to grab something to eat before I head back to the hotel."

  "Sure," he smiled widely, effortlessly, as he opened the car door for her, waiting for her to get in before shutting the door. For some reason, his quiet, charming efficiency irritated her even more.

  Why am I letting this man rattle my composure?

  Franca walked to the other side and got in. When Michael started the ignition, Franca spoke up, telling him the restaurant name. He nodded and drove out of the bank premises.

  "By the way, I’m Franca. You’re Michael, right." Franca leaned forward to speak to Michael.

  "Hi Franca," he replied in his deep gravelly tone, giving Franca a disarming smile.

  Anger crept up Kasie’s stiffened back as she tightened her hold on her hand bag.

  "Yes, I’m Michael. It’s nice to meet you."

  She rolled her eyes up and looked out of the window, the suburban scenery whizzing past as they headed to Independence Layout. Why would Michael smiling at Franca annoy her? It was none of her business.

  "It’s nice to meet you too. Why don’t you come with us to the restaurant? I’m sure you’re hungry too," Franca said.

  Kasie grimaced at Franca’s bombshell, her body tensing up

  Wrapping her fingers around Franca's arm, she pulled her friend back.

  "What are you doing? Why are you inviting him along?" Kasie whispered through gritted teeth.

  "Why not? He must be hungry too," Franca said with a familiar lift of her shoulders.

  A loud harrumph left her lips before she could stop it. She imagined Michael’s idea of food had little to do with what they would find in the restaurant.

  A prickly sensation at the back of her neck made her glance up at the rear-view mirror. Cold grey eyes flickering with annoyance and something else she couldn't decipher stared back at her.

  Heart jolting, she looked away, biting her lower lip. What did she care if he was upset? She didn’t want to have to spend more time with him than was absolutely necessary.

  "You should've asked me first," she said to her friend. "I don't think it's a good idea inviting him along. I thought it was just going to be the two of us dining out."

  "Franca, thank you for your kind invitation but I already had something to eat before I came to pick you ladies up." His calm voice held no indication of his anger.

  Franca gave her a see-what-you’ve-done glare and shifted back to the other corner of the car to emphasis her annoyance.

  Kasie shrugged, turning her focus back to the outside scenery. She certainly wasn’t going to feel guilty about it. Men like Michael were no good and Franca would thank her later when the haze of lust had passed from her friend’s eyes.

  Before long they arrived at the restaurant. Wanting to end the evening quicker, Kasie told Franca she was tired so they decided to buy the food to-go. Michael waited by the car.

  Takeaway parcels in hand, they returned to the car. Kasie snuck a glance at Michael. His shoulders were loose, his stance relaxed and his expression indifferent.

  Feathers of relief floated down her body as he didn’t seem bothered about her brush-off. On the drive to Franca's flat, he chatted easily with her friend, the two of them discussing about local political issues.

  Kasie didn't join in. Seeing the effortless way they two of them laughed and flirted with each other only raised her ire. Sucking her teeth in loudly, she gave Franca one last glare and decided to ignore them, using her smart phone as a distraction.

  Why was she even bothering? If Franca was bent on carrying on with Michael she’d leave them to it. She just didn’t want the other girl coming to complain to her when it all went wrong. Moreover, what made Franca think men like Michael wouldn’t use her to get up the ladder and dump her? Right now, Kasie could see no good in any man.

  Luckily the drive to her friend's residence didn't take long. After she waved Franca off, Kasie’s attention returned to her phone. It was the best thing to do, a distraction so she didn't have to look at the man sitting in the driver's seat. Or worse, acknowledge the strong emotions he roused in her.

  Noticing the car hadn’t moved, after a couple of minutes of reading status updates on her social media timeline, she glanced up to find Michael studying her via the rear-view mirror.

  The way the colour of his eyes darkened from an early dawn grey to midnight grey, she knew he wasn’t as calm as he appeared. Butterflies fluttered in her tummy, her heart rate increasing. She clenched her phone tighter.

  What was wrong with this man? Why was he staring at her as if he couldn’t decide whether to throttle her or kiss her?

  Darn it. Now she was imagining things? He couldn’t be thinking about kissing her, could he?

  Why wasn’t he driving the darned car, anyway!

  "Is there a problem?" she asked unable to hide her rising exasperation. She knew her tone was petulant and condescending but couldn’t help it. This man brought out the worst in her.

  "Not anymore," he retorted. The car engine roared to life and with a roar of spitting gravel they were back on the road.

  She reared back, shocked at his tone and driving. How dare he?

  "What is wrong with you?"

  Ignoring her question, his gaze was fixated on the road ahead.

  Wound up by his silence, she sucked in her teeth and returned to her phone.

  In. Out. One. Two. She counted and took gulps of air into her lungs. He wouldn’t get to her. If he wasn’t ruffled, she wasn’t going to let him rattle her.

  "Your friend Franca seems a nice girl. But I wonder why she hangs out with you when you’re so rude and stuck up."

  What the hell was going on here?

  Her back stiffened as if someone had just rammed a steel rod down her spine.

  "Excuse me?"

  Her body vibrated with anger as she glared at him in the mirror. One corner of his lips was tilted in a mocking smile, his thick eyebrow raised. Her fingers curled into a fist on her lap. The urge to slap the smirk off his face barely contained.

  "You heard me. Or is this brand of rudeness reserved just for me? You’ve been up your own arse, since I picked you up this morning. What’s the problem, not getting any from your boyfriend?"

  "How dare you?" she gasped out barely believing her ears. So maybe she’d been rude and cantankerous. Still, he was the driver, for goodness sake and it wasn't his place to tell her off. "You can’t speak to me like that. Stop this car. Right now."

  He ignored her, his expression even more amused, inflaming her anger the more.

  "I said stop this car right now," she shouted as her heart raced with adrenaline. "I swear you’ll regret those words by the time I’m done with you."

  She lifted her phone to call the car service. Michael swerved off the road abruptly.

  Thinking he’d finally obeyed her order, she pursed her lips as she scrolled through her contact list.

  She didn't see him step out of the car or open her door. Only sensed that something large blocked the doorway.

  Thud. Her heart rammed in her chest as she glanced up at his imposing body looming over her. She shrank back thinking he was about to do something crazy.

  A glance at his eye revealed a surreally cold composure instead. Her sigh of relief died in her throat.

  "Step out of the car," he said calmly, a bit too calmly.

  She shook her head as her heart raced. "No. You can’t order me about."

  "I’m going to make sure when you call your father to come to your rescue, you have something real to accuse me of. I’m not going to be
falsely accused this time."

  What the hell was he talking about?

  Before she had time to process all his words, he reached inside. A band of arms clamped around her shoulders and legs. He scooped her out of the car. She struggled and though his hold was firm, it didn’t hurt, almost gentle. But she didn’t have room to move because of the confined space of the back seats.

  Outside the car, he held her close to him, one hand on her nape, the other around her waist. She could feel all of him – tightly bound muscles wrapped in warm skin and spicy cologne.

  This close to him, all willingness to fight fled her mind. She should be wriggling, moving out of his hold. His grip wasn’t binding enough to keep her restrained if she struggled.

  Still, she was immobilised. His masculine scent—raw and feral—held her captive. His heat swarmed her body, setting her alight. All her senses alert, aware of this man. Wanting. Aching with need. The tension within her body coiled even tighter. Expecting.

  Tilting her head up, she glared at him. Even in her pair of towering Louboutins, her head only reached his chin. The man was tall.

  The shadowed light of street lamps made the angles of his face harsher, reminding her of jagged cliff tops. The outline of stubble lining his chin like the blackened undergrowth of the savannah plains after a bush fire.

  Strangely, she wanted to reach up and touch the coarse texture of his chin against her smooth palm. She must be mad for even thinking it.

  Standing this close to him caused crazy images to swim in her head. Pictures of both their bodies entwined, his hands all over her skin, his body claiming hers in an age-old lover’s dance. Heat unfurled and a slow ache throbbed low in her core.

  Staring at his piercing eyes, she watched as the grey colour of his eyes darkened with desire. Feverish heat flooded her body. She looked at his full, firm lips. The urge to taste them took hold of her. Her heart pounded in her chest. Semi-consciously she licked her lips. When she looked back up at his eyes, there was no mistaking the look in their fiery depths.

  He was going to kiss her.

  Chapter Three

  Michael stood still, holding Kasie. His heart acted like a drumstick, using his ribs as the surface to pound out a fast arrhythmic jungle beat. Overheated blood flooded his system. All sense of logic departed from him. His mind had ceased working rationally.

  Since he picked Kasie up, her attitude had worsened. He’d thought a day at work would’ve mellowed her down.

  Hell, no!

  Instead she’d stepped out of the bank building worse than she’d been this morning. Her attitude even more belligerent, more condescending; goading him.

  What was the matter with her? Where did she learn such cold disdain?

  He was a man of the world. He’d never treated women badly. Even after Ruth’s betrayal. She’d lit a fuse of dynamite underneath his heart and walked away, vaporising his love in the process.

  Damaged, he’s sworn never to give his heart to another woman. Yet he didn’t think they deserved to be ill-treated. They were delicate roses who understood what it was to be feminine and the importance of manners and courtesy.

  Yet, this one in his arms was no delicate rose. She was a feral cat intent on shredding his composure with her talons and barbed words. He’d tried to tolerate it, let her have the benefit of the doubt. But this was too much. He had to draw the line somewhere.

  When he’d opened the car door, for one moment there had been fear in her brown eyes. The human in him had felt a kick of guilt in his stomach for frightening her. He’d expected a struggle, yet she hadn’t put up much of a fight. Her squirms had only served to excite him.

  Now in his arms, she stopped struggling. He purposefully loosened his grip, half-expecting her to run, the primal part of him looking forward to the chase.

  In a rigid stance, she watched him; her chin raised defiantly, hands balled at her sides. Her eyes flashed with fire and excitement. Her curvaceous body stayed close to his, heat and perfume surrounding him, soft smooth skin enticing him.

  Every now and again, the lights from a passing car illuminated both of them on the roadside. In the recesses of his mind, a thought formed. Retreat.

  Kasie licked her lips, the movement of her tongue on her lower lip drawing his attention to her beautiful lips. A red flag to a bull.

  Her action extinguished the pull back signal in his mind. In its stead was...Load...Engage...Fire.

  The world faded. Michael couldn’t really explain his reaction to this woman. Why she rattled him so much. He knew what he was about to do was probably extreme. All he could hear was the whoosh of blood pumping in his ears, his heart dancing to an erratic tune.

  "What do you think you’re doing?"

  He heard the tremor in her husky voice.

  Ignoring her question, he asked one of his own, "Are you going to apologise for your behaviour today?"

  He was still a cultured man who didn’t harm women. He wanted to give her an opportunity to back down. Of course he’d let her go if she did. It was only fair. So he waited, expecting the words of remorse from her lips.

  Shoulders straight, she tilted her chin up, her brown eyes flashing insolently.

  "I have nothing to apologise for. If you think you can scare me with your macho man act, you’ve got another think coming."

  Her body trembled yet she stood her ground, her eyes and words daring him to do his worst. Courage.

  A warm fuzzy feeling permeated the crazed fog in his mind. Admiration. For her bravery.

  Not many people would look him straight in the eye and dare him to do his worst. His worst had involved taking lives in the name of his country. If she knew what he was capable of, would she still defy him? The thought was a splash of cold water on his face, sobering him up.

  "What is the worst you’re going to do? Rape me or better still kill me because I didn’t fawn over you like Franca did? I didn’t say ‘hey you big strong cave man, come and take me now’?" Kasie continued taunting him.

  He laughed but the sound was harsh and humourless.

  "Princess, what I’m about to do has nothing to do with rape and you know it. This whole attitude of yours is because you’re attracted to me and you can’t bring yourself low enough to say hello, let alone ask me to make love to you. All because I’m your chauffeur. Admit it."

  The husky depth of his voice betrayed her effect on him. For the first time in ages, he was responding unpredictably to a woman. He didn’t like it. Regardless, he was going to see this through.

  Her breath caught in a gentle gasp, her pert nose flaring slightly.

  "You’re talking rubbish. I don’t want anything to do with you."

  "Let’s find out."

  Moving his palm back to her nape, he lowered his head. Firm lips crushed soft ones. Hotly. Voraciously. Kasie kept her mouth sealed, turning her head away. He held her in place, pulling her closer, her pliant body against his solid bulk. His desire swelled with each pump of his heart. The evidence of his arousal pulsed, pushing against his clothes.

  He rocked into her, wanting her to feel his craving, his strength, his determination...her effect on him.

  A soft sob escaped her lips. He speared his fingers into her hair and unpinned the tight bun. Loose silky jet black hair cascaded down her back and shoulders.

  "Kasie, kiss me," he groaned out, commanding her to do what he felt she already wanted to do. He’d seen it in her eyes this morning and tonight. She was holding back because she didn’t think he was good enough for her.

  The thought drove him on. Damn it! No woman was going to make him feel like an inadequate teenager ever again. He angled her head and backed her up against the side of the car, grinding his hips into her.

  At first she shook her head. Then she let out a soft whimper and leaned into him, opening her lips for him.

  His senses went crazy, his taste buds exploding with her flavour. Her mouth was a haven. Sweet. Enticing. Vanilla ice cream on warm apple pie. His tongue entered h
er mouth, tasting her, letting her taste him. His need.

  He groaned, deepening the kiss, wanting more of her. Kissing her wasn’t enough. It was madness.

  He broke off the kiss, panting, catching his breath. Bending over, he mouthed her ear, running his tongue around the lobe. She sighed, the sound melodious, her warm breath fanning his cheek.

  "Tell me to stop now and I’ll leave you alone." He could barely recognise his own growly voice. He wasn’t a Neanderthal. No matter what she’d done, no matter how much he wanted her, he couldn’t take her without knowing she wanted to go all the way.

  She shook her head.

  Disappointment swept through him. He loosened his hold on her, ready to walk away.

  "Please..." she whispered before breaking off. He dropped his hands, though his body still craved the feel of her skin.

  "Don’t stop, please. I admit it. I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you this morning." Her voice was soft velvet, the spark setting his desire ablaze.

  He didn’t need any more words. He lifted her into the car and shut the door behind him. The back seat of the car was cramped. It wasn’t ideal but he didn’t care. This wasn’t a romantic date. This was for another purpose, although his brain was hardly computing the purpose at the moment.

  Right now, he wanted to see more of Kasie. Feel more. Taste more.

  He pulled her face to him with both hands and kissed her again. This time slowly, deeply, savouring her. She tasted like the best sweet confectionery served up just for him. Absolutely wonderful. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tugged him even tighter to her body.

  After a while, the urge to see the rest of her had him leaning back. They were both panting to catch their breaths as he spread her over the back seats.

  While he fanned her face with feathery kisses, his hands worked the buttons of her black satin jacket. In no time, it was off and on the floor. Thankfully, the buttons on her white silk shirt came undone easily. He took it off and dropped it next to her jacket.