Page 44 of Fixation

Pocketing both her glasses and her clip in his sweat sweat-pants, he gave her a mischievous look.

“Wh…what are you doing? Give those back to me at once.”

He shrugged. “Take them yourself, if you want.”

Her eyes flicked to his lower body and she gulped. There was no way she was reaching inside the pockets of his sweatpants and removing her things. In fact, she ought to stop looking at that part of him immediately. However, her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own as they coasted over his body, looking anywhere they wanted as per their own fancy. Her gaze paused on the tattoo on his bicep. The urge to once again trace the ink pulsed through her fingers, so much so that she had to curl her hand into a fist to stop herself from doing exactly that. Ugh. She was going mad.

“I like how you’re checking me out,” he intoned naughtily. “So sexy.”

A burn crept up her cheeks. “Fuck. Can you not wear a shirt?”

“I can, but I need help. Will you help me?”

She narrowed her eyes. “At this point, I’m not sure if you really need help or you’re just behaving as such to see my reaction.”

“Both. Now come help me, doctor. I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to hurt myself.”

He sat down on the bed and offered his t-shirt to her. She moved closer to him. She inhaled, and his delicious scent washed over her. It was leather, musk, and wood. So potent, so strong, so him. She’d once wondered what he smelled like. Now she knew. It wasn’t sporty and fresh; his scent was hot and sexy, just like him. She took another greedy whiff and snatched the t-shirt from his hands. Stretching one sleeve out into a circle, she held it out for him, refusing to look at his chest or his arm or his abs… any part of his anatomy, basically. He put his arm through it and then the other until he was fully covered. Thank God.

She backed a step. He caught her wrist, keeping her close to him. As usual, a strong current ran through her. Then her belly rumbled, and goosebumps erupted on her skin. How could such a simple touch evoke such a profound reaction from her?

Vedant was staring at her wrist too. “Tell me you didn’t feel that.”

She licked her dry lips. Of course, she’d felt it. But accepting it meant that she was accepting all that she was feeling around him, and she was scared to do that. Besides, she was still mad at him. Yes, she had to focus on that.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said as calmly as she could, despite her racing heart.

His lips curved in that beautiful smile, making her breath hitch.

“Go on, keep trying to elude what is happening between us. But it won’t last very long.”

He ran a finger around her pulse point. She had to force herself to not tremble under his touch. Fuck. This was getting out of control. It was like there was something pulling her to him and him to her. It wasn’t supposed to feel so right. His touch ought never to make her crave and yet it did. Her resistance to him was waning with every touch.

Finally, releasing her, he rose slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, and took a slow step toward her. Her eyes widened, but she remained in place. The limp in his leg was evident. He took another step to stand toe-to-toe with her. Her throat worked as she stared up at him. Standing like this, him towering over her, she was reminded of how tall he was and how petite she was in front of him. Her heart began to throb. A flood of want assaulted her. This man made her feel too damn much.

He caressed her cheek and she backed a step, shaking her head. She had to stop this now before it took a mind of its own and led her down a dangerous path of no return. He took a stepforward, and she retreated once more. They walked liked this, him forward, her backward for a few more steps, until her back hit a wall.

He took another step forward, and now his whole body was touching hers, crowding her in. A hand on the side of the wall blocked her from escape. She turned and another hand trapped her. She breathed out heavily, her heart hammering hard.

“Moya prekrasnaya, Reina. You are so beautiful. So stunning. I see you, all of you.”

She licked her lips. “What do you mean?”

“I see how you’re trying so hard to control your reaction to me. I see how your lips are trembling despite that, how your body is tilting toward me of its own accord. I see you, the strong, brave, and beautiful woman I want to claim, if she will let me.”

Her mouth fell open, and she stared at him transfixed. He laughed, his eyes looking down to her hands, one of which was clutching the centre of his t-shirt and the other was curled around his bicep.

She gasped. Why couldn’t she stop touching him? Before she could remove her hands, he lifted each of them with his own and pulled them to the side of the wall, caging her to him. He leaned forward and inhaled from the side of her neck.

“Your scent drives me mad,” he whispered against her throat. “So, fucking amazing.”

She gulped, unable to form a single word, unable to even gather the strength or the willpower to release herself from him.

“No more running, Reina,” he whispered, his mouth still on her throat. “Be honest, do you regret what happened between us in the pool? Do you want me to let you go?”

Her head was swimming now.

He suckled the side of her neck. “Tell me to leave you alone, and I will.”

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