Page 56 of Dissension

“Guilty.” His fingers gently hook inside of her, pressing against her frontal wall, making her see stars. “But I put out good too, chickadee.”

He shifts to put a condom on, not even breaking his lips from hers. When he’s inside her, she feels a horrid wave of emotion pass over her and Kara gasps, a broken inhale. It’s too intimate, there’s too much feeling here and he’s going to kill her with it. He’s going to break her because she’sfeelingfor him and he’s indifferent. It’s a game to him, she knows this. A tear squeezes its way from her closed eyes and he slowly moves his hips, sogentle, so unlike anyone. Rocking and grinding, casually urging her towards infinity. “Please don’t cry,” he breathes into her mouth, mingling his air with hers. “I’ll be nice. Icanbe nice.”

He’s barely thrusting, more so using his cock to stroke her insides with slow grinds and different shifts of his hips, feeling her walls languidly. He’s like heaven and Kara wraps her legs around his hips. She’s slick for him, easing his path as he rocks into her again and again.

Every breath is ecstasy, spiraling higher and higher.

“Dieter-”

“Shhh.” He kisses his name off her lips, his tongue finding its way against hers.

He drags her to the edge and holds her there, just at the precipice of ecstasy. He slowly breaks her down, making her beg him to just let her cum-

“I’m on top tonight, chickadee.” His thumbs press against her nipples, playing with them. “I choose when you cum. Next time,you’llbe in charge.”

She runs her nails down his spine. “Next time?” Why is there a next time? There shouldn’t even be this time, but oh, oh, he’s touching her between her legs now. Hot pleasure boils low and Kara tosses her head back, moaning.

With a sly grin on his mouth, he presses her legs back, getting a deeper angle, filling her completely as she mercifully falls apart. When he cums, he gasps her name and Kara marvels at how he can make her feel like nothing and everything all at the same time.

In the morning, his arm is still around her waist, his head a blonde halo on her pillow.

“I can’t tell if this is a nightmare or a dream,” she whispers morosely. This is out of control. She should have never let them go this far. Disbelief wars with excitement, at war with a twisting guilt. Kara’s a mess inside.

Dieter’s eyes are closed, but his breathing tells her that he’s awake.

Chapter 21

“Coffee, you and me. In an hour.” The words are voiced in his confident, arrogant tone. The one that books no room for argument. The tone that assumes she’s literally got nothing better to do with her life.

It’s hard to not feel a sinking weight of guilt in her belly when she hears his voice. She doesn’t want to reconcile the truth that she slept with Dieter with the fact that she still can’t forget Nick. It’s almost as if he’s become a part of her, entangled in all her darker parts.

You shouldn’t feel guilty, she reasons.Nick’s not available, even though he claims to be.Until he calls off his engagement, he’s off limits…and Dieter isn’t.

Kara determines to play hard to get, because she still doesn’t know what their strange ‘truce’ truly entails. The push and pull between them continues; their inadvisably sexual phone call, followed by his jealousy burning quietly on Dieter’s yacht.

Nick wants to get close to her again. She wants to convince him to do the right thing and put an end to an engagement that he doesn’t want.

Coffee doesn’t break her own rules for herself, does it? Besides, she misses having a good bickering with Nick. That’s harmless…right? “What if I’m busy? I could have a hair appointment.”

Nick barks out a laugh on the other end of the line. “Youdon’tdohair appointments, sweetpea. Nice try.”

He’s right, damn him. He knows her low-maintenance ass better than she thought. “I could be doing just about anything, Nicholas. Why do I need to do it with you?”Convince me, motherfucker.

“Difficult as ever, Kara.” Nick’s voice is a mocking drawl. “Try this on for size. We need to have a professional chat, you and I. You hired a PI to snoop around Paxton and theDark Mirageagain, didn’t you?”

Kara stifles an undignified noise.

“I won’t confirm nor will I deny,” Kara replies coolly, examining her nails. She has certainly missed these engagements with Nick; sniping over cases, the thrill of the bickering.

A chuckle. “You don’t need to deny anything. Iknowthe stench of one of Benson’s PIs lurking around Paxton’s life. You hired one to dig deeper, didn’t you? You’re using the same one you always hired working for Benson.Amateur.”

“Pfft.” Kara’s caught. “I need answers and I happen to have cash to pay for them these days. Courtesy of your favorite fuckboy with a cocaine habit.”

He groans. “Unbelievable. Stubborn as an ox. Kara, what do I need to say to make you let this case go? This case,mind you, has nearly nothing to do with you.”

“Buy me areallyfancy coffee.”

The artwork on the foam of her cappuccino is truly beautiful. A swirled leaf, all autumn in color. The scent of the coffee is simplyheavenly. Nick has a reputation to keep after all; he likes taking her to bougie places for absolutely no good reason at all.

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