Page 79 of Inarticulate

“I think you should take me back to…” Her words drifted as the mansion from their past came into view, the impressive structure now alight from innumerable angles. She sucked in a breath, held it, and let the pressure trigger her adrenaline.

The home was bigger than she remembered, more monstrous in all its pretentious beauty. The top level mimicked the bottom with matching windows and curtains. There was a balcony above the double-door entry, a three-bay garage, and an immaculate garden to make it picture perfect.

The car slowed at the looming front gates, while her heart tried to climb into her throat. “This is yours.” It wasn’t a question. She was now well aware of all the blindingly obvious clues she’d missed.

He hadn’t lied. His position at Grandiosity hadn’t been a secret. The puzzle had been there for her to piece together. She’d just been too preoccupied to notice.

The gates parted before her, cracking her ribs apart at the same time. “You should take me home.”Christ. Even her words betrayed her. There was no conviction, no determination or demand.

He remained unresponsive and drove the vehicle along a gravel path to park in front of the stairs leading to the entry. The engine died, the keys were removed, and he slid from the car, leaving her in thick, tangible silence. She ignored his movements in her periphery, the way he strode around the hood and came to her side.

Her door opened, the freezing chill not penetrating the heated bubble she’d placed her thoughts in. He held out a hand and those fingers taunted her. They mocked her. She could already sense the spark his touch would ignite. The pleasure would be traitorous. Her white flag would raise without her permission.

“I can get out on my own.”

She waited until he stepped back, and then pushed from the car, her cell clutched in her sweaty palm. Visions from the past bombarded her. He’d commanded her silence. He’d made her fearful of being caught. He’d played her, and somehow she couldn’t find the will to hate him because those moments were some of the most exhilarating in her life.

“I need to get the bank documentation on the Grandiosity staff that helped today. I want to pay them as soon as possible.” She was deflecting, endeavoring to turn the seductive vibe into something more professional. “And I haven’t thanked you yet, have I?” She couldn’t remember, she couldn’t even concentrate. “If not, thank you. And I’m sorry for my attitude this morning. You and Penny caught me off—”

He encroached, seeping into her personal space as she backed herself against the hood. Her nerves responded accordingly, tingling with a complete lack of regard to her emotional turmoil.

“Don’t,” she whispered into the night. She couldn’t handle his proximity. His temptation. Her inhalations increased, the depth of her breaths resembling someone under interrogation and would soon parallel that of a marathon runner.

He took another step and monopolized her vision as he raised his hand toward her face. She stiffened as his fingers approached, preparing for the unauthorized pleasure his grip on her chin would inspire.

She was defenseless against that hold.

Helpless.

But he didn’t touch her. His hand fell to his side and the disappointment that burst through her veins only cemented her stupidity. “Was that night a game?” The need for answers bubbled from her lips without consent. “And every night that followed?”

“No,” he mouthed. “No game.”

She tore her focus away, already losing the will to remain angry. How could she when his wordless apologies addressed her libido, not her common sense?

“Is this all you needed to show me?”

There was no answer.

She looked up from under her lashes and hated how her heart squeezed as their gazes collided. His lips parted, then closed. His focus flickered between her eyes, from one to the next, back and forth, his zealous scrutiny shrinking her defenses. He shrugged, the answer filled with a yes, a no, and a maybe.

“You can take me back now.” She pushed from the car, forcing her feet to move.

Then there it was. His touch. The connection that made her knees weak and her heart respond with arrhythmia. Goosebumps cascaded down her back, along her arms, and slid between her aching thighs. Every inch of her was covered in skin that literally burst forth for more of his attention.

Don’t turn. Don’t turn.Please, don’t turn.

She turned and hated that his pain seemed to outweigh her own. His expression was etched with remorse from the shadowed depths of his irises and the creases marring his forehead.

“You’re an asshole.” The statement whispered between them. “You should’ve told me.”

He nodded as if he understood, but he didn’t. He had no clue what he meant to her, or how harsh his betrayal had hit.

“No, I mean areally bigasshole.”

He flashed his teeth in a sheepish smile that melted her like cheap candle wax. He’d won. With that smile and the sorrow in his eyes, he’d slaughtered her restraint. He tugged her into his body, then led her backward to lean against the warm car hood.

“What do I mean to you, Keenan?” She wanted the reason for being here painted in black and white. The truth set apart from the lies.

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