His Revenge (Power Play #1)

Chapter 5

She took a step back, eager to put a safe distance between them, her pulse racing at the proximity.

"Why are you so interested in my well-being of a sudden?" Erin muttered, deliberately avoiding an answer to his question. "I thought your life mission was to seek my downfall."

He grinned, lifting a hand to brush away a tendril of hair from her face, the grin turning to a chuckle when Erin flinched. He dropped his hand and raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps, perhaps not."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Erin?" Todd came up beside her. "You'll ride with him right?"

"Yes, she will." Ethan cut in before Erin could form a single word. He held out a hand towards Todd. "I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm Ethan Lachlan."

Todd's eyebrows rose in surprise and he whistled, taking the offered hand in a firm handshake. "Ethan Lachlan? The Ethan Lachlan- Holbourn Enterprises?"

"The same." Ethan's voice held no hint of modesty and Erin sighed. Trust men to bond in the most impossible of situations. She cast a sympathetic look at his date, the poor woman looked just as frustrated as she felt.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Todd was saying, still looking impressed. "Your firm was featured in The Times last month, very impressive I must say. I'm Doctor Todd Haskell by the way."

"Don't you have to be on your way Todd?" Erin cut in, fed up with the entire situation.

"Yes-yeah." He leaned down to place a chaste kiss on her cheek then straightened. "May I call you later tonight when things have quietened down at the hospital?"

"Sure. Good night."

He nodded at Ethan and Imogen in farewell then jumped into his car.

Erin sighed as the BMW raced away in a cloud of exhaust fumes and turned to Ethan. "Well, I'll be bidding you good night too." She made to walk away, but his arm shot out and grabbed her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" His tone was hard, mouth set in a determined line. "I said I would take you home and I am a man of my word."

Erin wrenched her arm from his grasp and glared at him. "I made no such promise. You were the one who assumed I'd want to be in the same vehicle with you for even a short time. Well, you're mistaken because I would rather home in these heels before I set foot in your car. Not after the abominable manners you have exhibited all day."

A muscle worked in his jaw, clearly displeased at being thwarted. "Don't tempt me woman." He growled, taking a menacing step towards Erin. "I'm not adverse to hurling your behind into the car if I have to."

"How dare you threaten me?" She blazed at him, the fragile dam she'd built around her temper bursting at his words. Their argument was rapidly garnering an audience- passersby stopping, diners leaving and entering the restaurant, but for once, Erin didn't care. "I'm not afraid of you Ethan Lachlan, and I swear, if you so much as lay a hand on me, I'll sue your ass till doomsday."

*****

A wave of anger surged through Ethan as he stared at the annoying minx. In his thirty-four years and numerous encounters with women of every kind, he had never come so close to physically man-handling one as much as he wanted to do to Erin Gosling every time they met. Even more exasperating was how little control he had over his body when it came to this brunette.

For fucks sake, he'd been with women far lovelier and certainly better behaved, but none of them had eroded his self control or ignited his desire the way Erin did. He was supposed to despise her, bring about her complete and utter humiliation and yet, here he was, offering to give her a lift and having to watch her throw his offer back in his face.