Page 101 of Overexposed

I lost track of orgasms. When he flipped me onto my stomach and thrust into me even as he smacked my ass, my endorphins lost their damn minds. Pretty sure I mewled like a kitten when we were done. Or maybe I was just purring.

This time when he got a cool rag, he was careful with cleaning up his mess and then setting something chilly against the fresh welts he’d left on my ass.

“This isn’t too much, is it?” The soft question roused me from my stupor, and I glanced up to find him studying me.

“No,” I said “Not really. Unexpected? Sure. But I like it in the heat of the moment. The next day or two of feeling it every time I sit down? Debatable.”

His smile was so wide and beautiful, I forgot how to breathe. “I never want you to forget what it feels like to have me.”

“I had gotten that impression,” I teased him, and he shocked the hell out of me by nuzzling a soft, almost-sweet kiss to my lips. Then he straightened and reached for one of the apple slices he’d grabbed in the kitchen along with some cheese.

The first bite was pure crisp fruitiness with the edginess of the sharp cheddar. “Hmm.” I pushed up on my elbows and he took his time feeding me and himself. Then we split some water.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Seven said, and I flicked a glance up at him. The emotion in his eyes stymied my next smart-ass response.

He offered up more fruit and cheese, and I accepted them and sucked on one of his fingers. His pupils seemed to dilate farther as he watched me. Then he slid his free hand up to loosen my hair and stroke his fingers through it.

“Will you stay in here with me tonight?” It was an invitation. The last time, after the car crash and my subsequent panic attack, he’d just brought me in here and that was that. We hadn’t discussed or acknowledged that it’d even happened, and I hadn’t slept in his bed since.

My heart did an uncomfortable twist.

The weight in the question threatened to suffocate me. Ropes of tension looped around me…but ultimately I wanted to stay.

“Unless you were planning on carrying me to my room, I guess I have to. Not sure I can walk after all of that.” I was aiming for casual and nonchalant and wasn’t totally sure I nailed it.

The smile kicking up one corner of his mouth made my stomach bottom out. The ease in his expression, the openness in his eyes, and the warmth in his smile were absolutely devastating to my equilibrium.

He just didnotneed to know that—his already enormous ego did not need the boost.

“If I wore you out that much, I better keep you close, so I can look after you.” He fed me another slice, and this time he added a thin wafer of dark chocolate. Oh, having expected the cheese, the chocolate had my eyes drifting shut and another moan escaping me.

Instead of turning on a movie or music, we just lay there, with him feeding me and absolutely seducing my senses with his apples and chocolate and drugging kisses.

When we were done, he wrapped me up, tucking my head to his chest. I stayed there ’cause I was too damn spent to move—that was my story and I was sticking with it.

Lights out, he stroked his fingers up and down my back, the light massage sending me deeper. I was so ready to sleep. “You really are something special, Stella.” The soft words threatened to leash me to him forever. “More than you know.”

Yeah, I couldn’t do this. It was too much and I was going to end up making a fool out of myself with words likeloveandwantandneed. So I walked my fingers up to press against his lips. “Shh. Sleep now.”

He nibbled one of my fingers, then captured my hand in his. “Mine now.”

“Shut up,” I growled. “Or I will go sleep somewhere else.”

My eyes snapped open as a shock rippled through me. Seven Harrison made me feel safe. Like Gem and Ollie. That thought was going to leave a mark. Fuck. What was I supposed to do with that? With all of them? I couldn’t decide this now, so I closed my eyes again. Despite the surprise, I was also exhausted and warm. The asshole was still chuckling when I finally fell asleep, wrapped up securely against him.

A wild shriek woke me with a jolt.

The room was mostly dark and the bed next to me empty. But I could still smell Seven—and feel him. Blinking with sleepyconfusion, I jerked my head at the movement of a woman right next to the bed.

Woman? What the shit?

Three things hit me at once.

One, she was dressed like one of the cleaners, and she looked just like the woman from the reel who’d been cosplaying as me.

Two, she looked really pissed off.

And three, she had what looked like a weapon in her hand.