Page 60 of The Opposite Effect

A grin curls on my lips when the concerned mask on her face momentarily slips, exposing a flare of excitement from my tease.

Quicker than I can snap my fingers, the excited gleam is replaced with anger when I mutter, “You got an itch you need scratched, Princess?”

My cock turns to stone when she replies, “You’re lucky the kitchen counter is between us, or my knee would have become reacquainted with your crotch.”

I smile a shit-eating grin. “Don’t break it before you get the chance to use it.”

Her breathing becomes excited when I nudge my head to the box of condoms sitting to my right. She tries to keep the expression on her face neutral. She miserably fails.

A smug grin curls on my lips. I’ve never seen her so muted. She usually spits her fiery words off her still sizzling tongue when we engage in a bit of friendly banter, whereas now, her lips twitch but not a word spills from her mouth.

I like this new look, and I can’t wait to study it in greater detailwhen she’s beneath me.

Clara’s throat struggles to swallow before she mutters, “How long?” Although her question is short, her interrogating gaze adds to its length.

“As long as it takes for your shock to wear off?—”

“Already gone,” she interrupts, her eyes blazing with the spark our earlier union in the shower renewed.

“And…” One word is all it takes to secure her utter devotion. “Until the men responsible for your attack are held accountable.”

Her brows tact together. “How long will that be?”

I lift my right shoulder into a shrug. “Could be days… or weeks.”

Her eyes bug as her lips purse into a sexy pout. “Weeks?” she squeaks out. “You want me to stay here for weeks?” She gestures her hand around my apartment.

When I nod, her pupils enlarge to the size of dinner plates. She balls her hands before her eyes drift between me and the entry door of my apartment, no doubt calculating the most viable exit.

I arch my brow and glare into her eyes, warning her that if she attempts to flee, I won’t hesitate to tie her to my bed. There’s no chance of her leaving here before I’ve had my fill, and considering I’ve just spent the last two hours moving her belongings into my private abode, and I didn’t freak out once, the chances of me getting my fill anytime soon are low.Very fucking low.

“Weeks of finding out how many ways you can scream my name.” My voice is as wild as my desire to claim her. “Do you have a problem with that, Princess?” My words are crass, but I want to test her to see if she’s only here because she’s afraid of being alone or because she actually wants to be.

Clara snaps her eyes back to me. She doesn’t say anything. She just stands across from me, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. I slant my head to the side and stare into her glistening eyes. The more Istare, the livelier the glint I identified last night becomes. Clara isn’t here because she’s afraid or lonely, she is here because she wants to be ravished. Consumed. Devoured.

And I know just the man for the job.

“If you keep leaving your mouth hanging open like that, I’ll find something to fill it with.”

Clara sucks in a deep breath and lets it out slowly before her eyes drop to my jeans. My cock—now hard—pulses against my zipper when she licks her lips before slowly raking her eyes up my body. Even though I’m wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a short-sleeve shirt, her eyes drink me in as if I’m standing before her as naked as the day I was born.

When her heavy-lidded gaze reaches my face, I jerk my head back and say, “Come here.”

I push off the kitchen counter I’m leaning on, preparing to beat her race to the door if she attempts to bolt. She stuns me for the third time in under twenty-four hours by simply shrugging her shoulders before spanning the distance between us. I can tell by the look on her face that she wants to engage in a war of words, but since I’ve caught her in a moment of weakness—her libido overriding her astuteness—she appears more willing to put our game of tit for tat on the backburner for a few hours so we can undertake more stimulating activities.

If I were a better man, I wouldn’t use her weakness against her.

It’s a pity I’m not a better man.

My cock firms as Clara steps toward me with her eyes blazing and hips swinging. Some men would feel intimidated by the determination set in her eyes. Lucky for me, I don’t have a problem with a woman who calls it as she sees it. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to have her flushed and speechless beneath me, but I sure as hell won’t cite an objection to her climbing onboard and taking herself for a ride.

Fuck!Just the thought has my cock wrangling the zipper in my jeans, dying to break free.

A jagged groan rumbles from deep in my gut when Clara slings her arms around my neck and seals her mouth over mine. Her tongue sweeps across my lips before plunging inside my mouth. I return her kiss by weaving my fingers through her silky hair and twirling my tongue around hers. The warm goodness of her mouth has my cock aching to be immersed inside her.

Curling my arms around the back of her slim thighs, I hoist her feet off the floor. She smiles against my lips when I place her on the kitchen counter on my right. Her backside dangles far enough off the edge, our crotches align.

The stubble on my chin scratches Clara’s neckline as I place a succession of featherlike kisses along her jaw, making her purr like a kitten. My chest swells. There’s no greater compliment to a man than being able to switch a strong, determined woman to a purring little kitty. Clara is a take-no-shit type of lady, and I love that about her, but when she loosens the tight reins she governs her life with, I feel invincible.Like King-Fucking-Kong.

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