Page 24 of Raw & Vulnerable

Red smirks, blood dripping from his nose. He waves after Minnie mockingly. “Sure, you are. Have fun with theride, Mollie.”

Minnie’s jaw clenches. She’s sure she hears him mutteryuppiebitch.

Upstairs, Gage guides her to a room at the end of the hall, nearly running into a giant wall of a man as he steps out of one of the rooms to their left. The hallway is tight, bringing everything in close quarters. “Night, Marlin,” Gage says briskly, yanking Minnie on, as if he wants to escape all of his housemates, like he wants to hide her from sight immediately.

It’s like he’s brought home the best pie in town and he doesn’t want anyone in the house to know about it.

The large man’s face is hidden, the hood of his sweater up on his head. His deep voice echoes after them, “Nice piece there, Gage.”

Then, Minnie is inside his room, inhaling the scent of his aftershave, already strangely soothing to her.

Gage groans, cracking his knuckles a bit. He rubs the back of his neck. “Didn’t mean to run you through the gauntlet. Buncha assholes.”

“Aren’t they your friends?”

“Well, shit.Yeah. Doesn’t mean theyaren’ta bunch of fuckers.” He’s busy taking his boots off, taking note of her standing by his door. He gives her a look, lips twisting a bit in a knowing fashion. “You can sit on the bed; it’s not going to bite you.”

Taking her own shoes off, she sits cross-legged on his bed, aware of his scent surrounding her. Masculine, the aroma of his skin. She thinks of him naked in this bed, his tattooed limbs stretched out on the sheets, muscles flexed, his strong hand wrapped around his cock.

He joins her on the bed only moments later, longs legs sprawled as he reaches for the bag with his burger in it.

So, they sit on the bed, eating their food. He talks about class and what he does at the work site. He doesn’t like his boss and the guy hates him right back. “He treats me like trash. Like he expects me to clean out his worthless worksite trailer.” Gage snorts, finishing his burger with a big chomp. “As if he has anything of value in there anyway. Idiot.”

He’s on his side next to her, curled slightly around her seated form as she finishes her fries. He’s playing with the bottom of her shirt, fingers dipping under, touching her skin. It sends tingles of awareness through her body, excitement, thinking about what comes next.

“Is your goal to move up, then? To a new role? After you finish at the trade school?” She’s curious; he’s so forward thinking, wanting to be better. She’s stuck, she’s made herself stuck in her past.

“Yeah,” his eyes are alternating between her lips and her breasts. He likes to look at her, she’s discovered. He doesn’t hide what he wants. What he’s distracted by. He’ll meet her gaze pointedly afterwards, with no shame, his desire blatant in his eyes. “I’ve got the drive to do more. I like the chAllange.”

Minnie finds it funny; he’s like a dog, trying to compel her to do something he wants with intense looks. He’s used to women coming on to him, she’s figured out, idly finishing the last bites of her burger, dragging it out on purpose. He’s already hard in his jeans, from what she can see.

He wants her to initiate something. A hand on his thigh, to brush her palm against his erection.

She’s not going to. Absurdly, she likes to see him want it, to see him mentally squirming that she’s not doing what he’s trying to make her do, no matter how obvious he is.

After finishing the last bite of her food, she sucks the edge of her fingers before delicately dabbing her mouth with a napkin, sighing with satisfaction.

“Are you a sadist?”

She looks down at him, a slight smile pulling at her lips. “I don’t believe so, no. The works ofMarquis de Sadeare not quite to my tastes.”

“Then, why are you torturin’ me?” He pulls her downward, finally, giving into what he’s been thinking of since she sat on his bed.

They lie on their sides, facing each other, his leg up over her hip, the evidence of his desire grinding against her. Minnie savors the feel of his eagerness for her, nearly giddy with her own excitement, gasping.

“I’ve been thinkin’ about this all day,” he growls against her lips, hand buried firmly in her hair as his hips press against her roughly. “Woke up horny, distracted. Went to work, nearly busted my hand thinkin’ about you. I feel like I’ve been a walkin’ hard-on since dawn.”

Minnie rolls her hips, enjoying the friction, darting her tongue out to play across his lips. He groans, groping at her breasts, playing with the waistline of her jeans, wanting them off. He’s demanding, hungry in his movements.

His hands are everywhere, devoutly caressing her form.

Gage’s so aggressively sexual that Minnie can only lie back and let him touch his fill of her, helping him with unbuttoning her jeans. He pulls them off with rough tugs before his hand goes to his own, working at the belt with fast, hurried motions as his hazel eyes stare at her lace panties.

“Pull them up a bit,” he demands hoarsely, unzipping himself.

Not entirely sure why, she pulls the panties upward, too far to be comfortable, the material sucking between the lips of her sex. The friction rubs against her swollen bud, making her thighs clench. He obviously likes what he sees, because he growls under his breath, “God, yes.”

In a moment of need, he leans down to press his nose to her mound, inhaling her feminine musk deeply. Oh, the indecency of it, the sheer delight. Minnie shivers, sighing when he presses a fond kiss to the place between her legs.

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