Page 57 of The Rules of Playing with Fire

“But you aren’t going anywhere unless you have one,” I declared in my baritone voice.

She curved her back, launching her chest upward. “Oh, I know I’m not going anywhere tonight.” She ran her tongue along her top lip as I ran mine over her taut nipple, and it took everything in me to stop myself from giving her what she wanted.

After a deep kiss that I felt in my heart, my stomach, and my balls, I undid her hands and brought her to climax. The Hermès ties, wrinkled and exhausted, appeared proud. When she clutched my hair in both her fists and roared my name, I made her tremble and spasm again, then once more with me inside her.

When I flopped to the bed, I realized there was nothing in the world I wanted more than being with this woman. I gathered her in my arms and kissed her forehead.

“I did miss you, Mihir,” she whispered against my chest. “It wasn’t a lie to get you to give me those mind-blowing orgasms.”

“I know you missed me. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

Swiping the curls away from her face, I planted my lips on her forehead again.

We lay in each other’s arms for several moments of bliss before she slid her hand up my chest and said, “Mihir?”

“Yes, babe?”

“I’m hungry. You should know I missed dinner for this.”

“And you were so good,” I teased. “You’ll get your reward. I might be evil, but I’m not cruel.” I turned to my side and unhooked the receiver to call for room service. “Burgers?”

“A grilled chicken sandwich for me with fries, heavily salted. Wait, make that sandwich and poutine. I’ve always wanted to try it. Hope they make a good one.”

“They do,” I confirmed from past experience and placed the order.

While we waited for the food, I went to the bathroom to clean up. By the time I returned in my sweatpants, she had slipped into a silk camisole and sleep shorts. Her tote lay unzipped at the foot of the bed, and I spotted the end of an electric toothbrush and a cosmetics pouch. My heart swelled at the thought that she had come prepared to stay the night.

Good thing I was prepared too. “I got you something.”

Her face lit up in anticipation as I produced a decorative cardboard box. The delight in her eyes at the sight was the same as I had felt at seeing her. “Don’t tell me you got cake!”

“Chocolate cake. Had it delivered just before you got here?”

“So you knew I’d come? You’re a sneaky man, you know that?”

I put the box on the side table and climbed into bed beside her. She straddled my extended legs and placed a kiss on my nose.

She pressed her forehead against mine. “Now, do you want to tell me what that play was all about?”

I took her hands. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Really? May I hazard a guess? This has to do with my running away from you that evening.”

“Oh? Please elaborate.”

“Gladly, Mr. Seth. You wanted to set me up to be vulnerable before you, push me to trust you when I felt at my weakest. It was about testing if I would be open to baring myself to you, inside and out. How am I doing so far?”

She was spot on. If there was a smidgeon of doubt she was the woman for me, she had just knocked it right out of the park.

I neither confirmed nor denied her theory. Instead, I asked, “What’s the verdict, then? Are you ready to open yourself to me?”

She squeezed my hands and said, “The real question here is, are you ready for the brunt?”

“We won’t know until we try.”

Just then the doorbell chimed. Sona climbed off me and stepped into the bathroom. I answered the door, and while the server set the table for us, I looked around for my wallet but couldn’t spot it.

As I strode into the bedroom to look for it, I ran into Sona exiting the bathroom in a robe.

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