Page 21 of Velvet Sin
All I had to do now was keep him that way.
When he stood, I sat up.“You know what I’m about to say, right?”I asked while pulling the top of my dress up to cover myself.
“Let me guess.”He shook his head, crossing the room, going to his private bathroom.The water ran while he muttered, “Something about how this can never happen again.”
“You know it can’t.”So did I, and I didn’t like it any more than he did.Not when I now understood how much I’d missed out on during my marriage—years of faking, convincing myself to be in the mood for Cameron’s sake.It was either that or dealing with him pouting and bitching about feeling rejected.
My heart sank, but I forced myself across the room on legs that still trembled in the aftermath.“I work here, for one thing,” I reminded him.
He glanced up at me in the mirror while washing his hands.“Last I checked, you quit.Remember?”
“Last I checked,” I countered sourly.“You didn’t accept my resignation.”
Drying his hands, he turned to face me.The expression on his face told me I had walked into a trap.“Last I checked, I made you come three times… no, I made you explode,” he amended.“And it took next to nothing.I’m willing to accept it’s been a while since your breakup, but nobody who’s used to being eaten and fucked properly sounds as surprised as you did.”
Surprised?“I did?”I whispered, chewing my lip.“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you literally sounded like you didn’t know it was possible to feel that way.Your body surprised you.And you werehungry,” he added, crossing the room.It didn’t occur to me to back away.“Tell me the truth.Did he ever do that for you?Or am I the only one who knows how to make your body sing?”
Something deep inside me yearned in a way that wasn’t physical—the desire to open up.Confess what I had bottled for too long.“He didn’t bother learning what I needed,” I admitted.It was incredible how much lighter I felt.
A handful of emotions and feelings washed over his face all at once.Relief.Pride.Smugness.“Is that why you went to my club in LA?Because it was time to catch up on what you were missing?”
“That was completely my friends’ idea…” I paused, then admitted, “I think that was the general thought process, though.”
“I thought so.Why deny yourself now?We can have fun.Blow off steam,” he suggested with a shrug.“We’re two adults who are good at getting off together.”
How romantic.
Then again, this wasn’t about romance.And fuck me, he was good.Incredible.I was still pulsing inside, aftershocks zipping through my core.Already, I wanted him again.“We’d have to be careful,” I murmured, thinking it over.“I don’t want to cause trouble around here.Make things awkward, you know?”
“We’ll be discreet.I don’t like trouble, either,” he reminded me with a faint smirk.
“And for the record…” I stood as straight and tall as I could, lifting my chin, staring him right in the eye so he’d know I meant it.“This doesn’t erase the past.I’ll never forgive you for what you did back then.”
His jaw tightened.Was he going to apologize?My breath caught before he replied, “I understand, and I don’t expect it.This has nothing to do with the past.It’s about what we both need now.”
What we both needed.My needs.When was the last time I considered them?
Dammit.My skin was tingling, and my heart was fluttering.I never stood a chance, did I?He had me.
And the arrogant prick knew it before I took a deep breath and gave in.
9
DANTE
Note to self… ask Blake what the hell he told this realtor about me.
“I understand you’re fairly particular about your requirements for a home here in Las Vegas.”The woman speaking while tapping on her phone looked like she spent too much time in a tanning bed, her skin a shade of brown that stood in stark contrast to her platinum hair.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t have any strict guidelines in mind.”Looking around her office, I made a mental note not to use her decorator.The word bland didn’t begin to describe it.
She lifted her head on her way through the door, though I couldn’t see her eyes behind a pair of sunglasses that covered half her face.In a way, they reminded me of the masks from the club, though the masks we used gave people the benefit of eye contact.I couldn’t tell where she was looking.It was damn unnerving too.“Mr.Reed went out of his way to explain that you have specific needs.Maybe we got our wires crossed.You are Dante West, correct?”she asked with a laugh as we stepped out into a typically warm afternoon.
“That’s what it says on my driver’s license.”I was beginning to think this was a waste of time.“All I need is a comfortable apartment, townhome, condo… whatever works best… where I can stay while in town for business.This won’t be my primary residence.I do, however, enjoy comfort.”
“That’s not so unique.”
