Page 30 of Little Bird

Wren had been pushing my goddamn buttons with her reluctance to toe the line. My breathing eased as I thought about her, her blonde hair, and those eyes that seemed to miss nothing.

Fuck, I had to see her. I had to touch her. I needed her to ground me.

On the ride down in the elevator, I texted Andy that I needed him. He was waiting for me when I stepped from the foyer of the building. I slid inside the cool interior of the back seat and sat back, waiting for Andy to get this fucking show on the road. Drumming my fingers on the top of my thigh, I tapped my other foot, desperate to get to my Little Bird.

14

Wren

“Thank you,Mr. Beatty. I’ll see you and Cyril next week.” I waved the older gentleman off, his twelve-year-old beagle hustling beside him. I turned about to go back into the shop when I noticed the town car parked at the curb out in front of my shop. Adrenaline coursed through my veins.

I shouldn’t be excited about seeing Bane again. I’d planned on turning his offer down, even though Saturday night had been the most mind-blowing sexual experience of my life. I was going to talk to the bank this afternoon about that loan, to get Hawk the money he needed, then concentrate on working my ass off to pay it all back.

Bane’s way would be the easy way out, but I didn’t trust myself to walk away from him after two weeks. The longer I gave myself over to him, the more difficult it would become to break the obsession. I didn’t know if the obsession was wholly mine or his as well—I simply knew there was this undercurrent that connected us.

But after this was done, Hawk would be on his own.

I refused to bail him out again.

Against my will, a small smile broke out on my face when the rear door of the town car opened and Bane stepped out, looking amazing in a pair of dark jeans and a black T-shirt that sat snuggly against his broad shoulders, the pads of his pecs, and large biceps. The tattoos on his neck were revealed, giving me a tantalizing slice of tanned skin and intricate ink. He walked toward me, his gaze running down my body like he hadn’t seen me in years.

“Hi,” I said, the butterflies in my stomach feeling like they were the size of a jet. “What are you doing here?”

He wrapped one arm around my waist, the other cradling the base of my skull. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he murmured, dropping a kiss to my lips. I placed my hands on his chest, fisting his shirt in my hands like I was afraid he’d simply evaporate if I weren’t holding on. It was only supposed to be one night, but I was already addicted to his touch. What had Bane Rivera done to me?

“I missed you, too,” I replied. Immediately, I regretted the words. That was too needy, too fucking personal. I shouldn’t have missed him. All he’d given me was anamazingnight of sex. We weren’t in a relationship. We didn’t even have a business arrangement.

He stroked my cheek, then directed us inside the salon. “How many more clients do you have?” he asked, turning around to face me as I shut the door behind us.

“None. That was my last one, but I sometimes get drop-ins.”

Heat flared in Bane’s eyes. He marched to the door and locked it, flipping the plastic sign over before he stalked back to me.

“Bane, what—”

My words were stolen from me when he picked me up, and I immediately wrapped my legs around his waist. For a moment, I let his mouth devour mine before wriggling free of his grip.

“What are you doing?” My words came out as a tortured moan.

He quirked one dark brow at me. “I was going to fuck you until you screamed my name,” he replied, coming at me again.

I threw my hands up to stop him where he was. Swallowing hard, I said, “It was only supposed to be one night.” Jesus, what was I saying here? Was I turning down the best sex of my life all because of some fucking moral code?

He frowned, the expression only lasting a moment before melting away. He stalked toward me, crowding me against the wall. With his hands on either side of my head, I got a flashback to the private bathroom at Temptation. I was caged there, staring into his dark eyes, wondering what he would do next. Now I knew exactly what he could do, making the urge to resist him even harder.

“I did say it was just one night, didn’t I?”

I nodded my head because I was sure my words would come out garbled if I opened my mouth. I was also terrified that if I opened my mouth, I would simply just say, “Fuck it” and let him have his way with me.

With a groan, he stepped away from me, retreating a few steps and perching his ass on the edge of the front counter behind him. I drew deep breaths into my lungs, blinking at him. An erection was straining against his jeans, and my knees went weak with the desire to relieve him.

I watched as he scrubbed a hand over his face, his expression pained. “I’m a fucking idiot,” he announced on a harsh bark. His dark eyes were still on my face. “I apologize.”

What in the actual fuck?“Accepted,” I replied, gripping the wall. We stared at each other, the few feet separating us feeling like a form of torture. I wanted him to fuck me again, but if I let him, he would just keep taking and taking and taking. I didn’t agree to the original deal, but it seemed he had enough integrity to stand by that too.

Pushing off the wall, I straightened my fur-covered shirt and walked toward the counter. “Did you just come in here to fuck me?”

He nodded. “It feels like you’re in my veins, Little Bird.” His admission made my pulse pound in my ear. “I don’t know how to get you out of there.”

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