Page 31 of The Silence of Monsters

When I fell into Win’s bed, I was hit by a sudden bout of drowsiness. I contemplated getting up and grabbing a glass of wine, since I didn’t plan to sleep for at least a couple of hours. I was combing through my wet hair with my fingers when my phone rang. I was surprised to see Win’s name on the display. It was later than the middle of the night in London.

I answered the call and asked, “Are you still working this late?” I wasn’t supposed to care about his wellbeing, but I couldn’t help but have some sympathy for him. He was diligent for someone who openly hated his career.

“I’m getting ready to come home. I finally straightened out the issues with the project. I should be back sometime tomorrow afternoon. How’s Winnie?” His voice was raspy with exhaustion. It did something to my heart when he let himself show me his human weaknesses.

“She’s doing better. We spent some time away from the manor today. She’s sleeping in her own room tonight. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that she makes it through the night. The poor thing is as haggard as I was when I went through my first divorce. She really wants you to come home. She feels safe with you.”

He sighed heavily. “At least someone misses me.”

I snuggled down into the luxurious bedding and rubbed my fingers along the top of my thigh under the hem of my silk robe. My skin was warm and soft from the shower. The touch made my skin tingle, but it wasn’t nearly as exciting as having Win’s hands on me.

“Oh, I think it’s safe to say I miss parts of you, Chester.” We didn’t have much time to explore our enemies-with-benefits deal before all hell broke loose and he was called away.

I tilted my head back and let my fingers drift farther up my leg. I shivered when Win’s deep voice rumbled in my ear, “What parts in particular do you miss, Harvey?”

My robe parted and I let my eyes drift closed as fingers reached the suddenly aching point between my legs. I let my thigh fall to the side and let out a shaky breath.

“It’s your hands at the moment.” I pictured the hungry expression stamped on his features whenever he got his hands on me. “And your face.” It was unfair that he was blessed with a damn near perfect one.

“I would’ve done a video call if you let me know that you wanted to see my face so badly.” His voice dropped lower, and I felt the vibration throughout my entire body.

“I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m about to do if you were watching me.” Not because I was shy. I didn’t know that I could concentrate on giving myself satisfaction without wanting to return the favor. One of the few times I ever felt equal to Win Halliday was when we had sex. I finally had something I could provide to him that no one else could. And he finally had something I wanted to accept when he offered. We were equally greedy when giving and taking carnal pleasure.

I stroked my fingers over my soft center and felt my entire body heat. My chest lifted with a rapid breath and my nipples tightened. I needed another hand to touch all the places Win usually did when we were in bed together. Since I only had one free hand, fondling myself to completion would have to suffice. It felt better when he did it, but horny beggars couldn’t be choosers.

I slid my fingers through my slippery folds and skimmed them across the surface of my clit. I gasped into the phone and dug my heels into the mattress. Win swore into my ear and growled my name like a warning.

“I feel like you owe me a play-by-play, Channing.”

I wanted to laugh, but my breath felt like it was caught in my lungs as I stroked my fingers inside my wet opening. My body felt feverish and tense. My legs quivered and my nipples tightened, aching for stimulation.

“I’ve got my fingers inside of my pussy and I’m touching myself. I’m not doing nearly as good of a job as you did in the hotel bathroom.”

He hummed a satisfied sound. “That’s because you know what it feels like to touch you. Since it was something I’d only dreamed about, I had to give it my all so I could be certain you’d let me do it again.”

I gasped as I moved my fingers deeper and rubbed my thumb against my clit. “You dreamed about touching me?” I must be hallucinating. Someone in his tax bracket had to have far more interesting things to fantasize about than my vagina.

I moaned softly when my body fluttered excitedly against my practiced manipulation. Win sighed. The sound sent shivers along my arms and legs.

“I have more dreams about you than I have money, Channing.” He made another wistful sound. “I don’t think two years will be long enough to bring them all to life. I’m willing to try, though.”

I didn’t know he could talk like that. The man didn’t seem to have a romantic bone in his body. I guess when he put his mind to something, he would always be the best at it. There was no other option for a Halliday.

I kept my eyes shut and whispered, “My fingers can’t reach as deep as your cock. That’s the part of you I’m missing the most right now.” The silken flesh surrounding my fingers got wetter. My body throbbed along with my racing heartbeat. I put more pressure against my clit and bit down on my bottom lip. My head thrashed against the fluffy pillows as Win’s voice enticed me over the edge of the orgasm.

“It’s crude to say that my cock misses you, but it does. I’ve been too busy to do anything but work and sleep. You should brace yourself for my return. I have a week’s worth of pent-up frustration and desire you’re directly responsible for.” Each word was strained and tense. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been so distracted during a crisis before. You’re taking up a lot of real estate in my head, Harvey. You should know just how pricey that property is.”

“I’m going to come.” I gasped the words as I interrupted him, not sure if it was my fingers or his words that broke open the floodgates. Whatever it was, my toes curled against the sheets and my entire body quaked with satisfaction in the aftermath. I panted my approval in Win’s ear. He cursed quietly and told me he would hurry home.

Winnie was still asleep when I went to the bathroom to clean up. Once I was back in bed, I closed my eyes and fell asleep in a second. I was sleepy before the phone call, and the bone-rattling orgasm made it impossible to stay alert.

I regretted sleeping so deeply the following day. I didn’t wake up until Win returned home, well past the time Winnie left for school. I rubbed my eyes and squinted at the handsome owner of the bed where I was currently sprawled. I was going to welcome Win home with a sexy suggestion, but his expression was horrible.

“What’s wrong?” The question faded when I caught sight of the red and blond strands of hair scattered across my pillow. I gasped and lifted a hand to my head. I screamed when I felt huge chunks of hair missing on one side of my head. My gaze locked with Win’s. He looked furious and lowkey afraid.

“What is going on in this house when I’m not here?” He sounded like he was on the brink of erupting like a long dormant volcano.

I wasn’t going to cry that my hair had been chopped off while I slept. I’d experienced far worse things. However, I was once again beyond freaked out that someone was clearly in the room with me while I was in my most vulnerable state. I didn’t like feeling preyed on while unable to fight back.

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