Read Resisting Her Rival for Free Online Page B

a knife. So much strength in his touch. Yet he’d been so gentle.
    “I want to do it all,” he said slowly.
    Goose bumps crept along Abby’s forearms. The warmth of his body heat behind her made it difficult to concentrate. One step backward and her body would be flush against his. Letting go of the knife, she managed to say, “I hope you’re referring to the cooking.”
    “Of course. What are you referring to?”
    Abby stepped quickly to the left to put some space between them and took two glasses from the cupboard. “What do you want?”
    “Anything you have to offer.”
    She shot him a sharp glance. “Some of my granddaddy’s prune juice?”
    Nick laughed. “Touché. Almost anything you want to offer.” His laughter faded, and his expression turned serious. “This is nice spending time together. Even though we both want the same building, it doesn’t have to mean that we can’t develop a friendship while you fall in love with me.”
    “I won’t fall for you, no matter what you say or do.” Abby rolled her eyes. “And you want us to become allies when we’re on opposite sides of a building war?” she asked in disbelief.
    Nick slid two fluffy omelets onto plates and set them on the table. “We’re not at war. More like at odds with each other.”
    “No.” Abby put a couple of forks on the table and took a seat. In all fairness, she had to make Nick understand what he was up against. “We are at war, and I will use everything in my power to make sure that you lose.”
    Nick reached for the napkins. His lips quirked in a half smile. “Such as?”
    “Whatever it takes.”
    “Right back at you, Abby. I can handle it.” He sat across from her. “Unlike you, I seem to recall that though we’re pretty evenly matched, I know how to perform better…tactical maneuvers.”
    Abby picked up her fork and pointed it at him. “That sounds like ego talking to me.”
    “It’s not ego if you can back it up.”
    Abby reached for the pepper shaker. “You do not want to get into this battle, Nick. I know that retreat is not in an ex-Marine’s vocabulary, but you should bow out while you still have your dignity because I don’t intend to lose.”
    “There’s no such thing as an ex-Marine. I still bleed green, honey, and I’ve never run from a fight in my life, especially one where the stakes are this high.”
    “That building is important to me.”
    “Go ahead and give it your best shot.” His gaze touched on her lips.
    Abby did her best to ignore the heated look in his eyes. “Oh, I plan to. You’ll never even see it coming.” She smiled, then cut a bite of the omelet and popped it into her mouth to distract herself. So the man can cook on top of all his other accomplishments .
    “I just hope that you stay in such…” She paused, deliberately allowing her gaze to travel over every delicious inch of him that she could see. “…Good shape. When you renovate the building for me, you’ll need all your strength.”
    “Nice to know you’ve noticed my shape.”
    “No holds barred, anything goes in this battle. Agreed?” Abby said.
    “Agreed. I look forward to seeing you surrender. Again.”
    Gritting her teeth, Abby wagged her fork at him. “No innuendoes.”
    “Backtracking already? You said no holds barred. If you can’t take the heat—”
    “Oh, I can take it.”
    “I know that.”
    He was deliberately trying to fluster her, to bring everything back to that night. Breathing in through her nose, Abby silently counted to three. “I’m going to do my best to make your life hell,” she promised.
    Nick leaned his head back and laughed. “I don’t mind the fire, sweetheart. I like it hot. But you’re forgetting I hold an ace.”
    Frowning, Abby pushed back the rest of the omelet she couldn’t finish. “What ace?”
    “I’m only fighting you for the building. I already know that I want you, so I’m not distracted by that battle. You, on the other hand, will be fighting yourself. You