Page 40 of Indecent Proposal

“What’s bothering you?” Claire asked after a short while had passed.

I glanced up at her, wondering if she had psychic abilities. “Nothing.”

“You’re lying,” she said in a light-hearted tone. “You get these little lines across your forehead when you’re trying to think something through.”

How did she already know that about me? “You’re like a dog with a bone.”

“I’m stubborn,” she said, giving me a cheeky grin. “You like that about me.”

“Unfortunately,” I grumbled, but it was true. I liked a lot about her, which was shocking considering how much we’d disliked each other when we first met.

“So what’s wrong?” she persisted, then popped a berry into her mouth.

I sighed, and finished with my meal, I set my fork on my plate, deciding that maybe talking it through might help. That was something new for me—having someone other than my partners to discuss things with, which was admittedly . . . nice.

“It’s about your case,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “I’ve learned to listen to my gut on things. It’s never wrong. When you work in our business you hone that kind of instinct. Use it as a tool just like the rest of your body. But I can’t figure out what’s bothering me. I know I’m missing something important with Richard—but I can’t fucking figure out what it is and it’s driving me crazy.” I raked my fingers through my hair in frustration.

She tipped her head, assessing me for a moment. “And when you get like this and things don’t just click into place like they should… dominating someone can help?”

She was smart, and she was quickly learning how I operated. “When something like this happens, I feel out of control,” I explained. “Being put in charge of someone, having someone… give me their trust like you did? I feel in control again. It gives me confidence.”

Claire nodded, and I could see her mulling over what I’d just told her. “Well. I was going to say I’m happy to help but that sounds like I’m a friend helping you move, or like I’m doing you a favor. Like I didn’t get something out of it, too, when clearly, I did.”

I laughed. “Well, glad to know I’m not the only one having a fun time here.”

“Trust me, I didn’t think I would have any fun at all,” she said, crinkling her nose at me. “You drive me insane.”

I smirked at her. “The feeling is mutual, as you well know.”

Claire’s teasing smile faded away as she absently toyed with her fork. “I remember when I was with Richard how much I wished the two of us had some kind of spark or fiery connection. I really wanted someone who would invigorate and excite me and keep me on my toes. But he was just so . . . nice and polite and even-tempered. And then I met you and I just wanted to fucking strangle you.”

I chuckled. “Careful, that sounds like maybe you like me now. Like you’ve felt some kind of… spark.” I winked at her.

Claire narrowed her gaze into a mock glare, but she couldn’t quite make it work. A smile kept threatening to break through. “Maybe.”

“Well, maybe I felt a spark too,” I admitted quietly.

Claire grinned at me, her eyes alight with pleasure. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” I wasn’t a guy who wore his feelings on his sleeve, but . . . I definitely felt some kind of connection with Claire. I didn’t know exactly what it was yet. I just knew that it was more than I’d felt with anyone else before, and I wanted to pursue it. To see what it could become once we were outside of this safehouse and in the real world with no threat hanging over her.

I saw that her plate was empty, so I pushed my own aside and reached out, grabbing her hand and pulling her to me. Without hesitation, she climbed onto my lap, straddling it, and I rested my hands on her hips.

“Mmm, I’m definitely feeling something right now,” Claire whispered, and playfully bit my bottom lip as she ground down on my lap.

She hadn’t put any underwear on, and with that knowledge rapidly hardening my cock, I pulled her in closer, wrapping my hand around the nape of her neck and guiding her in to kiss me. Our mouths met, lips parting, tongues tangling, while Claire squirmed in my lap, finding the right angle and rhythm to begin riding my stiff cock through the fabric of my sweats. The drag of the soft cotton fabric and the heat and weight of her was pure dirty decadence.

As we kissed, Claire unbuttoned the shirt she wore, then grabbed my hands and placed them on her breasts. I groaned into her mouth as my palms filled with her supple flesh, then squeezed and played with her nipples until they were hard and tight and she whimpered against my lips.

“Yeah, that’s a good, eager girl for me,” I said, dipping my head to take one taut peak into my mouth. I swirled my tongue around the tip before grazing my teeth across her nipple until she was nearly panting. “That’s the kind of submissive baby girl I like.”

She threaded her fingers though my hair and arched her back to give me more of her breast to suck on. “I like when you call me that,” she whispered.

I released her nipple with a little pop of sound and glanced up at her flushed face. “Yeah?” I growled, setting my hands on her bare thighs and slowly skimming them upward, teasing her. “You wanna be my good baby girl?”

Claire whimpered, her knees tightening against my hips as she rocked forward against my dick again. “Yes, yes, please…”

“You gonna let me fuck you?” I asked in a deep, dark, commanding tone.

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