Page 29 of Worth Every Risk

“Even if she’s upset? And only wants Daddy?”

“Yes. I’m busy. My work is demanding. And like you said, sleep is essential. I like mine to be undisturbed.”

Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.I find myself longing for the version of this man who ran up the stairs pretending to be a monster. Why can’t I get him instead of this icy version? “Sure. I can do that.”

He holds my gaze for a moment, and the air fills with static that raises the hairs on my arms.Something is going on here.Mum would say it’s the energetic charge of our thoughts clashing together in mid-air.What the hell is he thinking right now?

“I should go,” I say, and I skip past him. I aim for a jolly, carefree movement, my knee raised high. But the moment my foot strikes the floor, I know I’ve made a mistake. The tiles are wet and my heel slides out from under me.

I reach out for something to grab…anythingto steady me before my bum hits the floor. And my fingers find… towel. Thick, plush, luxurious towel.

Suffice to say, the towel offers no resistance and I plummet towards the floor in a heap of Egyptian cotton. I brace for the jarring of my coccyx on the tile, but a hand grips my elbow, taking all of my weight before I land.

My bare feet are tangled in the towel. I kick at it to free them, but they only end up further ensnared. Another hand comes around my waist, raising me gently to my feet, which are now half-wrapped in the towel.

The towel!

Oh, shit.

If I have his towel, then what is he wearing?The breath halts in my chest and a surge of panic rips through me so strong that my knees weaken. He must feel it because his hold on me tightens. My heart starts to race, and I keep my gaze very deliberately on the towel at my feet, but he’s right behind me, his hand still on my waist. His fingers are on the skin between my top and the stupidly short pyjama shorts I wear to bed.Why isn’t he moving them away?My skin pulses beneath his hand, like the creature from Alien is about to break out from inside my body.

“You okay?” he asks, sounding concerned.

I scrunch my eyes closed, shifting the towel with my toes. “Uh-huh.”

His hand leaves my waist and I bend to pick up the towel, patting the ground with my fingers to find it.

Oh, dear Lord, this is messy. I have Mr Hawkston’s towel in my hands. The towel that was wrapped around his hips only seconds ago.

My heart stutters as my brain tries to gear up through the fog of panic. I can’t move, and I don’t dare open my eyes. “Are you naked right now?”

A silence passes that could fill an eternity. “Yes.”

His voice is completely calm, with not even the faintest tremor of shame or embarrassment.

“Oh, fuck. I mean… Oh. Shit. Fuck.”

Well, that was eloquent.But holy hell, Mr Hawkston is absolutely 100%, hot, sweaty, and naked, standing right behind me. An unmistakable pressure surges to the apex of my thighs. Even if he’s not turned on, I definitely am.

Realising I won’t see him if he’s behind me, I pop open my eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of our reflection in the mirrored wall that lines the room. I can seeeverything.

My mouth falls open and a wave of heat so intense I feel like I’m the one who’s been in the sauna douses me. His cock is… huge.Jesus. That thing is a weapon. If I reached out with my left hand, I could pull the fucking trigger. Even soft, it’s enormous.

Wait, is it soft? Or is it…semi?

Is this turning him on too?

As if reacting to my attention, his dick hardens before my eyes.Hello, penis. This is nightmarish and ridiculously hot, all at once. I think I’m about to implode. I’m struggling to breathe.

My gaze lifts, snapping to his in the mirror. His expression is so ferocious that my heart misses a whole beat.

“Give me the towel, Aries.”

God, that voice. So low, so commanding.Is this how he talks in the bedroom?I’ve lost it. My imagination is running riot, while my body is frozen.

“The towel, Aries,” he repeats.

My heart gives a shuddering thump, like water finally making its way through an air-filled pipe. “Here.” The word croaks out from a dry mouth, my tongue feeling thick and uncoordinated.

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