Page 25 of The Silence of Monsters

He caught my hair in his hands, which startled me. Win directed me across the leather seat until I was pressed against his side. His eyes locked on mine. There were chaotic emotions in the unreadable depths of his gaze that made me feel like I was the lone survivor of an unrelenting gale.

“Are you saying yes to being enemies with benefits?” I shivered from head to toe as he dragged the tip of his nose across my cheek and down the side of my neck, then nuzzled into the hollow of my throat.

I fought myself from surrendering to this touch. I wanted to keep some of my dignity by the end of the night. “I’m not having sex with you in this limo.” The poor, street-smart girl caught up with the obscenely wealthy CEO was so fucking cliché it made my teeth ache. After what happened to Willow, I wasn’t interested in living out a real-life version of My Fair Lady. Being extraordinary wasn’t on my bucket list.

Figuring out how to be happy was.

Win’s low laugh brought goosebumps out on my skin and my thoughts scattered in different directions. “Tonight? Or ever?”

I found it a lot harder to answer his question than it should have been. Especially after he bent his head and kissed me breathless for the second time that night.

Win

My city apartment was in a high-rise building that had an amazing view. At night, the lights from the city reflected off the water and gave the whole place a dreamy, otherworldly feel. It was decorated similarly to my suite at the manor, with top-of-the-line furnishings and fixtures. It was very bland. My surroundings were uninteresting and lifeless until I dragged Channing kicking and screaming into my staid environment. When I allowed myself to look at things through her bright and curious gaze, the whole lot seemed lacking. I included myself when I ran down a mental list of everything she’d openly disdained since I forced her back to the Cove. I could not envision any other woman so obviously disgusted by the grandiose display of wealth she encountered every single second she spent with me.

The fact that my life was too loud, too much, too cold, too superficial, too extraordinary for Channing is what kept me circling back to her. Even when what she craved most was something ordinary and simple. I found myself toying with her commonplace wants and needs. I could hand out money, jewelry, business opportunities, and make profitable connections. I did not have the first idea what it would take to offer even the smallest part of my heart to someone. I was starting to see all the less obvious risks Archie had taken when he fell for Willow.

I thought he was weak for crawling back home and cruel for forcing Willow to endure my mother’s wrath. I was bitter because I always believed he would still be alive if he had stayed away. Now, I could understand his desire to make sure his family had the best of everything, even if those benefits and advantages weren’t wanted. Similar to Channing, my brother’s wife never wanted much. A man who was a supportive father and a loving husband was more than enough for her. She asked for things no Halliday knew how to give, but my younger brother came the closest.

It was a shame close didn’t count when it came to being enough for another person. Either you were or you weren’t. The minute Archie brought his family back to the wolves’ den that was our childhood home, he stopped being the man Willow fell in love with. He immediately reverted to a Halliday. Not a soul had a better idea of how hard a Halliday was to love than I did.

I would never make the mistake of thinking I could buy or manipulate my way into Channing’s good graces. However, I was callous and confident enough to believe I had the skills required to negotiate and seduce a path between her legs and into her bed.

She wordlessly followed me into the bedroom like she was resigned to our shared fate.

I could not resist the opportunity to get as close as possible to the only person in my life who didn’t pretend with me. It was refreshing and painfully attractive. For years, I set myself up as her combatant because I could never be her equal.

I functioned as a shield. I didn’t want our niece caught in the crossfire between basic and billions. I kept Winnie isolated from her aunt’s regular life because it was the only thing I could never give her. As a Halliday heir, she faced a life full of everything except the little things that mattered. I grew up barely knowing either of my parents. Making a happy home was never a priority. There was no heart and soul in my life, only drive and ambition. Even now, I couldn’t tell you my mother’s favorite color or to whom my father looked up. Winnie was fortunate that she had Channing, because the teenager never had to question what it felt like to be loved unconditionally. She was gifted more than any Halliday who came before her.

“What are you thinking about?” Channing’s sharp question broke through my wandering thoughts. “If the answer is anything other than what you’re going to do with me when you have me naked and willing, you can forget about taking this evening any further.”

She sat up on the edge of the king-size bed. It was easy to get her nude since her underwear was long gone and she hadn’t worn a bra since the back of her dress was cut so low. I tossed the cheap black garment somewhere on the floor next to her well-worn heels. She was right. My focus should be on her pale skin dotted with small freckles and her wild hair, which looked exceptionally sexy, tousled and messy from my hands. She was like a Renaissance painting, lush and curved. Everything about her appeared soft and seductive, as if she were begging to be touched and revered.

“I’m thinking that my bed looks much better with you in it. The entire apartment feels brighter with you here.” My tone was gruff. I kept my hands gentle as I reached out to tuck some of her strawberry hair behind her ears so I could see her expression clearly while she gazed up at me. “I never realized that I was surrounded by so much gray before. I paid a fortune for an interior designer. How did it still end up so dull?”

Channing’s eyebrows lifted as she reached out to unfasten the closure of my dress slacks. My jacket, shirt, and tie were somewhere on the floor with her clothes. Typically, I tried to treat my things with more care. However, as soon as Channing’s dress came off, all I cared about was getting my hands and mouth on as much of her bare skin as possible.

“The gray matches your eyes — and your personality.” The corner of her mouth lifted in a lopsided grin as she tugged down the fabric. “It’s not bad. You just need an accent color to liven everything up a little. Just like a bright yellow umbrella in the rain.”

An accent color. Something that could break up the monotony. When I was younger, playing the violin was the accent color that allowed me to see past my austere surroundings. After giving up the instrument to follow in my father’s footsteps, I stopped looking for anything that might not fit into the sterile, strict life where I was stuck. Unwittingly, I’d built myself another high-class jail cell and tossed away the key. Channing’s presence opened my eyes and reminded me there was a world of colors beyond the gray. She was my current accent color. I was smart enough to know that quitting her would be much more difficult than walking away from my previous passion.

Once my pants were down far enough for my cock to spring free, Channing pushed me back a step with a hand on my stomach. She used her thumb to trace along one of the lines that delineated my ab muscles and gave a low whistle of appreciation.

“When do you have time to work on a six-pack? I thought all billionaires were pasty and doughy from sitting in meetings with other rich people all day. You don’t have even a hint of a dad-bod. With your sweet tooth, you shouldn’t look this good without your clothes on.”

I grunted when she used her fingernails to scratch a trail through the coarse hair that arrowed down to the base of my throbbing dick. I wanted to persuade her to change her mind when she nixed the idea of fucking in the limo, but I figured I’d pushed her far enough after getting her off in the bathroom. Every inch of my being was achingly aware of how lucky I was to have this woman falling to her knees in front of me.

“I work out a couple times a week and play tennis regularly. Winnie likes to swim. I try to hit the pool or the ocean with her as often as possible. My mother would never tolerate a pasty, doughy Halliday heir. She thinks I’m a direct reflection of her. I can’t tell you how many times she’s tried to get me to dye the silver in my hair.” I gave a dry chuckle. “She’s forgotten that she’s the reason I went gray so early.”

Channing wrapped her hand around my cock and lowered the leaking tip toward her mouth. “You actually know how to defy her? I never would’ve guessed.”

I shoved my hands into her hair and pulled her closer to my painfully hard erection. I nearly forgot my name when her lips touched the tip. Her breath was hot and moist as it drifted over the sensitive surface of my skin.

“Can we not mention my mother when we are about to fuck?” Talk about a mood killer. “Or ever.” I’d had enough of the subject, frankly.

Channing hummed her agreement. The next second, her tongue darted out to lick along the leaking slit pressed against her soft lips. I sucked in a breath and forced myself not to yank her head forward to swallow my whole cock down. I was used to civilized, choreographed sex. I didn’t know what to do with the primal urges this woman brought out in me.

My breath caught as she swirled her tongue around the tapered head she drew into her mouth. Her grasp tightened on the base of my cock; the pressure made my hips push forward unconsciously. A tingle shot up my spine, and I lost the ability to form a coherent thought. The deeper she took me in, the further away my sanity slipped. The last time I let myself surrender to sensation and get lost in indescribable feelings was when I created beautiful music that came from my soul. Eons passed between that moment and this one. If anyone ever asked, I would gladly leave my foolish childhood dreams behind if I could have more of this — more of her.

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