Page 87 of Undeniable

James ran a hand down my side. His fingers danced over the outside of my breast, down my ribs and hip. The shaking was subsiding, but goose bumps pebbled my skin in the wake of his reverent touch.

“Did that convince you of how much I missed you?” he whispered.

I smiled and ran my nails through the stubble along his sharp jaw. I liked the look of it as opposed to his usual clean-shaven appearance.

“Mostly. But it’s going to take more than once totrulyconvince me.”

He chuckled and reluctantly stood. He strode across the room and deposited the condom in the en suite bathroom. I watched his ass flex and the lean muscles of his legs tense as he walked away.

He was back only a second later, but he stopped at the doorway between the two rooms and stared at me. I was too tired and overcome with feelings to move. Still sprawled out and completely naked on my bed, I furrowed my brow at the smile that spread across his face.

He chuckled and stalked toward me.

“Why are you laughing?”

He dropped down on the bed beside me and pulled me into him. Willingly, I curled up into his side and sighed.

“Your bedspread is pretty much the same thing you had in high school, with the flowers. Except this is the more adult, grown-up version.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t disagree. It was mostly white but was covered in a light floral pattern with pink and orange flowers.

“Some things never change,” he muttered against my hair.

I snorted and he leaned back to peer down at me.

“What the hell was that for?”

The playful grin pulling at one side of his mouth, showing off his straight, white teeth, made my heart thump hard. The feeling was so foreign. I was content and relaxed andhappy.

I pushed up from where I lay next to him, only enough to be able to see his face a little better, and I ran my hand over his chest and down his abdominal muscles. His eyes fluttered at my touch.

“In the span of two-ish months, we went from hating one another and never speaking to constantly being around each other and now fucking. You’re right that some things never change, but some… some things really do.”

He was silent for a moment, and I didn’t look at him as my words hung around us. Instead, I stared at where my fingers traced a nonsensical pattern across his stomach. My statement had unintentionally created new tension in the room, so I immediately backpedaled, hoping to relieve it.

“I am kind of sad we never had hate sex, though. I’ve heard it’s pretty hot.”

Before I realized what was happening, James scooted up the bed, leaned forward and gripped my hips, pulling me on top of him in one swift motion.

One hand massaged my hip and urged me to lower myself until I was flush against his cock, which was quickly stirring back to life beneath me. His other hand brushed the hair that had long since fallen from my bun over my shoulder and gripped the side of my neck. With his thumb under my chin, I couldn’t look anywhere but at him.

The playful smile was mostly gone, but there was still a gleam in his eyes.

“If we hadn’t been interrupted that day in the break room after your horrible date, I probably would’ve fucked you right there—shown you exactly how gorgeous and tempting you are. And made you come so many times that you forgot all about anyone else.”

I would’ve let him, I realized. Even when I preferred to have nothing to do with him, I would have ignored it all just for him to touch me again. At least once.

“But,” he began and tightened his hold on my cheek, using his thumb to lift my chin higher once again. My eyes had dropped to watch the steady rise and fall of his chest. But he forced me to look up as he continued, “I want you to listen to me when I say that I… I never hated you. But anger was so much easier to come to terms with than anything else. It was easier to stay away and pretend I hated you than admit that I was scared of how much I really felt the opposite. It was childish, but you terrify me in the absolute best way.”

My breath caught in my throat, and it felt like all the air had been sucked from the room. I’d known from the moment he wanted me to dance with him only the night before that little of the hate still lingered. But to hear him confess that it was never there at all. I didn’t know if I could say the same.

“I… I think I hated you at least a little bit… once.”

He nodded, not seeming surprised by my confession. “You should have. But what about now?”

I was beyond words at that point. It had been hard enough getting the last ones out. So, instead, I began grinding against his cock, which was almost completely hard beneath me. He sucked in a breath and I cupped his face, letting my lips glide over his and say all the words I couldn’t free just yet.

His hold on me tightened and my movements became frenzied as his tongue slipped against mine. He eagerly stole the whimpers and moans of pleasure that I couldn’t control.

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