Page 47 of Always

“What did you gain by controlling yourself?” I ask.

“Nothing. I mean, I made you wait, I guess.”

“You did. You made us both wait for something we both wanted. But you know what?”

“What?”

“I never doubted you’d come to my bed. And I never doubted you’d eventually yield to me.”

She cocks her head. “You said I was a challenge.”

“Yes, and you were. You are. But I never back down from a challenge, and there’s not one thing I’ve gone after that I haven’t gotten.”

“So you’re saying…”

I breathe in, adjust my stance, ready to tell her the ultimate truth. “I’m saying there’s only one true master of control standing here, Skye, and it’s not you.”

Chapter Seventeen

My sanity is hanging on by a thread. Skye is looking inside herself, learning about herself, and I…

Fuck.

I just want to take her. Hammer her. Pound her. My cock is fucking granite inside my jeans, and my heart is nearly beating out of my chest.

“What if I said I wanted to fuck you right now, Skye? Right here, against this pole that frightened you so long ago. I’d like to blindfold you, tie you to it, and take you from behind hard and fast while forcing you to stay quiet the whole time.”

“I’d say do it.”

I groan. “You have no idea how much I want to.”

“No one’s stopping you that I can see.”

“Only you.”

She widens her eyes. “Did I not just tell you to do it?”

“You did, and I’m tempted.” I grab her hand and lead it to the firm bulge below my waist. “You feel what you do to me? What you always do to me?”

She nods, shaking.

“But if we go back there—back to that place we both desire—you will still want things I can’t give you. Until you can tell me why you want those things, I can’t go there.”

“I can live without it.” She gulps.

“Can you?”

“For God’s sake, Braden, I’ve lived without all of this for thefirst twenty-four years of my life. I’ve had sexual relationships before. Satisfying sexual relationships.”

I wrap my arms around her, pinning her to the scarecrow post. “As satisfying as ours?”

She slumps against me, her body like jelly. “Well…no. But that’s because I love you. I didn’t love any of them.”

“Is that the only reason?”

She doesn’t reply right away. Instead, she reaches forward, squeezes and rubs my erection.

I steel myself and whisk her hand away. “Stop it, Skye.”

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