With a sigh, I looked out at the water. “Because I love my job. It’s an important job and it’s everything I’ve worked for. My family wanted me to join their fancy law firm in New York and I refused because this is what I wanted to do. And I hate disappointing my family. That’s how much I want this job.”

“So we put up with him.”

I wrinkled my nose. “He doesn’t seem to bother you that much.”

Rhys shrugged. “We’re trying to impress the guy. I’m not going to be outright rude to him even when he’s being a prick.”

I jumped on that. “You think he’s a p-r-i-c-k?”

He threw me that boyish grin as he gestured behind us. “I think they’re all pricks—if you sound out your words, Tinker Bell, you’ll get there eventually.”

I rolled my eyes and decided to ignore that. “Well, that’s not fair. About them being pri—nkles. You don’t know them.”

“Let’s be clear.” He turned toward me. “I didn’t call them prinkles. That sounds like something you put on a fucking cupcake. And I know enough about these people to know most of them are pricks.” A hint of bitterness laced his words.

“If you think these are ‘my people,’ you must think I’m a prinkle too.”

Rhys smirked. “Do I think you’d taste nice on a cupcake? Yeah, I fucking do.”

Determined not to laugh at his teasing in case it encouraged him, I fought a smile and shook my head at him like he was a naughty schoolboy. This just seemed to delight him more.

“Truthfully,” he said, nudging me with his arm, “what’s with the schoolmarm, no-cussing thing?”

My amusement died. “It’s not a thing. I just don’t like curse words.”

“You’re a grown woman, denying herself the right to a gratifying ‘fuck’ every now and then. That ain’t right.”

I blushed at the lurid images that suddenly filled my head.

“Dirty Tinker Bell,” he tutted, grinning, “I wasn’t talking about that kind of ‘fuck’ but —”

“Argh.” I pressed a finger to his lips to stop him from saying anything that might make me want to punch him and melt all over him in equal measure. The man had way too much sexual charisma for it to be fair. “Stop.”

His lips twitched against my finger, and I instantly dropped my arm.