“You’re used to the stigma attached to the label.”
She releases her arms, flinging them at her sides. “Once a man’s seen your bare tits and ass swinging around a pole, it’s difficult for them to view you any other way.”
“I bet.”
She peeks at my smile, and we both laugh.
“Look at it this way.” I pop another piece of muffin in my mouth and quickly eat it before continuing. “If any dude has put himself in a situation to see your ass,heshould be the one expecting others to question why he was there.”
“True that.” She reaches for the door, turning back to say, “Regardless, tread carefully with those boys when they come here. They may seem lovely at face value with their pleases and ma’ams, but they dabble in a lot of shit you’d be best to avoid.”She nods to my phone. “Especially when you’re dealing with that already.”
The mood shifts, the easy smile falling from my face. “I will.”
She disappears to the counter and I lift my phone to wake the screen.Shit you’d be best to avoid.Like letting themselves in my damn house and watching me sleep. Putting one of them on guard—yeah, I saw Circus down the street when I clocked into work this morning. Kind of hard to miss his tattooed face.
I thumb the photo app and tap my volume to mute.
Chaos fills my screen, arm taking up most of the shot as he adjusts the position of his phone. His frown deepens before he gets the device to sit still, backing away to check how much it captures. He draws a deep breath, shoulders rising before he grins and turns away, dragging a hand over his face like he can’t believe what he’s about to do.
It took me by surprise that he followed my order, too.
I don’t know what I expected when my whim told me to send him on his way to test his devotion to me. But my racing heart and shaking hands told me my subconscious had prepared for the worst. For him to argue. Push me around and take what he wanted anyway.
Like the men in the compound always did.
But Chaos sighed, shook his head, and dressed silently before kissing my lips and leaving the same way he’d got in—without my help.
I pause the video when he turns back to the camera, zooming in on his face. It’s as though he looks right at me, not a piece of plastic and technology. As though he sees my face when he looks at the screen.
I tap to resume and watch as he glances above the phone, fixed on something in the distance. No matter how much it piqued my curiosity on my walks, I haven't been to the farmhouse. It felt like a violation, helping myself to a place thatwasn’t mine. But maybe I should snag the opportunity before it’s gone. Before they move in.
Then I’d know if he was looking at me. At my house in the distance before he slowly brought his wide hand to the base of his throat and closed his eyes.
I squirm in my seat and shove more muffin in my mouth.Pay attention to where you are, Ness.My nipples are stupidly hard already.
His fingertips trace the swell of his bottom lip as though remembering where I sat. How I tasted.
I push more food into my mouth and fight the urge to moan at the vision before me.
He breaks away from the moment, shoving a rough hand through his unruly hair. My eyes flick constantly around the screen as he walks to the far side of the room and stands with his hands on his waist, elbows wide.Fuck, the man is pretty.My thoughts shift to the visage of him this morning, seated on his bike outside my house.
A blacked-out helmet, leather cut slung over strong shoulders, and a gray printed T-shirt tugging at his thick waist. And those goddamn jeans. It was like they were made to worship his fucking thighs as he sat astride that machine.
I snap back to the image before me as he moves back to the camera, eyes crinkling at the outer corners with his cheeky grin. He tugs his bottom lip between his teeth and then reaches for his belt.
“You wanted this. Remember that.”
His lips move without sound due to the lowered volume, but the rough cadence of his voice is burned into my memory. I gently push the muffin aside.
He tugs the belt free, fingers working the clasp of his jeans next. His focus shifts above the phone again, gaze hooded.
I place a hand in my lap, pushing against the apex of my thighs with the heel of my hand.You should stop.Tap that screen and save this for a more appropriate moment. My gaze flicks to the door, the muted sounds of Theresa moving on the other side and distant conversation.Just a bit more.
I look down and find Chaos with his jeans tossed aside, strong hand pulling his cock free of his boxers.
There’s no hope of looking away now—not when I know what comes next.
Desire builds low in my gut, the heat between my legs growing slicker by the second.