Page 31 of Inked Persuasion

Damn all of this.

“I’ll be right back,” he said as he tucked himself back into his jeans and presumably went off to get a towel or something. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure why since he had perfectly good kitchen towels right there, but I had never had kitchen sex before. Maybe one had to clean themselves off in the bathroom and not in the kitchen. Perhaps I should simply run away and forget this ever happened.

But as I tried to slide my way off the counter, considering I wasn’t wearing anything but the panties he had shoved to the side, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to leave at all. Because I didn’t know where he had tossed my bra after we’d moved our pile of clothes. And I needed that.

Plus, I knew if I ran away, we’d still have to talk about this. Or say it was fun and never happen again, or shout and yell at each other. Something. Maybe the latter would be the best option. We’d get everything out of our systems and wouldn’t have to talk about it again.

I searched around the kitchen until I found my bra hanging over the bar chair and winced as I reached over to put it on.

“Wait a minute,” Jacob said before bringing a towel towards me. He moved slowly as if afraid I’d bolt, and I didn’t blame him. He pushed my hair off my shoulder and brushed my lips with his thumb. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” I whispered.

And then he slid the warm towel between my legs, and I groaned, my hands digging into his arms, not having even realized I had moved up to hold him.

“I know you’re sore. I just wanted to take care of you.”

I closed my eyes, letting out a breath as he painstakingly took care of me and then helped me dress.

It was the sweetest and most erotic thing that anyone had ever done for me.

And we were still standing in his kitchen.

Afterward, when we were both dressed, he handed me a glass of water, neither of us speaking as we drank.

“So,” he began.

“So,” I repeated.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” he said, and I flinched. I hadn’t meant to, but I hated that phrase. It sounded as if he already regretted it. I hadn’t even had time to process what had just happened, at least not enough to regret it.

He shook his head quickly, reached out, and brushed his thumb along my lips again.

I wanted to lick that digit, suck it into my mouth, but I didn’t.

There was no time for that. And it wouldn’t help me think.

“I was saying I didn’t expect that, hadn’t planned on it. Because I never let myself think about you in that way.”

My eyes widened. “Letyourself?”

“You were younger than me when we knew each other before. Young enough that it would have been improper as hell for me to want you beyond thinking you were cute.”

“Oh.”

He smiled, and it did wonderful and far too alluring things to his eyes. “Yeah, oh. And then you were hanging out with my brother, and I figured you two were together.”

“Never, um…not in the way you think.” I quickly shook my head.

“He would’ve told me if you had,” he said, and I blushed.

“Yes, he probably would have.”

“And then later, we were going in two separate directions, and I hated you as much as I hated myself.”

My head shot up. “What?”

“I told myself I hated you so I wouldn’t have to think about what I was missing,whoI was missing. I was wrong, and I’m going to spend a hell of a lot of time trying to make it up to you.”

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