Page 49 of Ink & Desire

“It means,” he says, leaning down until his face is inches from mine. “That every time I turn around, you’re there. I can’t move without bumping into you. I can’t fuckingbreathewithout smelling your perfume.” He leans closer and my heart catches in my throat. When he speaks again, his voice is low and growly. “I can’t go to sleep at night without wondering how it feels to be inside you. You’re every-fucking-where, and I can’t make it stop.”

Chapter 21

Avery

Corbin's words somehow pierce through my anger and send a spike of something dark through me, straight to my core. Even now, I can’t turn off the side of me that wants him.

“It’s not like I want this either,” I say, my tone slightly more breathless than before. “I don’t even like you.”

“But you want me to fuck you,” he says, his voice dark withpromise.

His crass words should bother me. They should make me angry. But all they do is make me wonder what it would be like. My gaze drops to his mouth, and I imagine what it would be like to kiss him. What would it be like to have his hands on me? His body on mine?

He’s standing so close to me now. I can almost feel the heat radiating off his large body. I should push him away. Or maybe I should pull him closer. Both urges war inside me and even now I’m not sure which will win. I can see the same indecision in Corbin’s dark eyes as he looks down at me. This thing between us has been growing stronger every day, even though we tried to ignore it. It’s a wonder it hasn’t come to a head before now.

Something hot and shivery uncoils low in my belly and I pull in a slow breath trying to calm it. I know I shouldn’t want this—want him—but I can’t seem to help it. I don’t want to want Corbin. I want to be able to ignore him. I want my body to be my own; the way it was before I met him. But it’s too late for that now, and we both know it.

“Step away from me, Avery,” he says. His voice is low and tight. He’s balanced on a knife’s edge, and I have the feeling it would only take a small push from me to make him snap.

“What if I don’t want to?” I whisper.

“This is a bad idea.”

My heart is racing, and I feel like there’s not enough oxygen in the room. Being this close to Corbin—closeenough to see the gold flecks in his dark eyes—is sending my body and my mind into overdrive.

“Maybe,” I say. “But I still want it. I want you.”

I take a step closer and place my palm on his chest. He goes completely still as he looks down at me.

“Tell me you don’t want this,” I say. “Tell me to go, and I will.”

He stands there motionless, his dark eyes locked on my face. I’m frozen as I wait for him to decide what happens next. I want him, but I won’t push him. Whatever happens next is his move. If he tells me to leave, I will. But I need him to be the one to put a stop to it, because I’m not strong enough right now.

“Corbin?”

His name is a whisper on my lips. There’s a long moment where neither of us moves or speaks. I’m not even sure I’m breathing. Corbin’s chest rises and falls with a heavy breath.

“You should go,” he finally says.

Disappointment hits me harder than I care to admit, but I know he’s right. I should go. Hadn’t I just decided to let him call the shots? He’s clearly more in control than I am right now.

I give him a small nod. “Okay.”

Before I can turn around to go, I’m spun around so my back is against the wall next to the office door. Corbin’s hand is on my chest, holding me immobile. My heart pounds wildly and I can’t catch my breath. But it's not fear of him that has me breathless. It's somethingelse. His nearness is intoxicating. I look up to see that his eyes are even wilder than before. He looks nearly as surprised as I feel by what he just did.

“Youshouldgo,” he says. “But I don’t want you to.”

Fuck. Yes.

His admission sends a surge of triumph through me followed by a hint of apprehension. I know I can still go. If I tell him I want to go, he’ll let me. He’s not the kind of man to take something that’s not freely given. But I want this.

“I don’t want to go,” I whisper.

His face curves up with a smile of satisfaction as his hand slides up to my neck. “Good.”

Corbin’s hand on my throat holds me pinned to the wall as my breaths come in pants. His dark gaze is locked on mine. He still looks a little angry, but there’s something else there. A hunger I’ve seen only one other time. When he’d confronted me at the club and held me just like this. He’s not choking me, but he’s not releasing me either. He’s got me at his mercy, and he knows it. Excitement flutters through me and it’s all I can do not to lean into him and beg him to do whatever he wants to my body.

I bring my hands up to touch him, sliding them down his chest and over his stomach. I've wanted to touch him this way almost since the first time we met. I can admit that now, even if it's only in my ownhead.

---