Page 55 of Between Love and Loathing
“They’re so happy. Who wouldn’t be with a baby like that?”
Nodding, he set the picture back down and grabbed another. It was of Carl, my mom, and Anastasia, all of them smiling with hats on. “You like the Kentucky Derby?”
“Not so much.” I shrugged. “But they looked like they had so much fun, right?”
“You’re not in the picture. You’re not in any of your pictures.”
“I …” I looked around. “I guess I hadn’t noticed.” It wasn’t really something I was particularly concerned about. While he eyed a few other ones, I walked around as fast as I could, fluffing a few of the soft pillows and picking up some of my dirty laundry that was in the hall. When I caught him glancing at it, I blurted out, “Sorry, didn’t expect—”
One side of his mouth lifted. “Don’t apologize. I love seeing your lingerie whether it's dirty or clean.”
I glanced down. “You’re ridiculous,” I snapped before storming down the hall to my bedroom as I yelled behind me, “You can leave now. I don’t think the paparazzi are still outside.”
Instead, he stomped after me. “I’m not leaving. We have things to discuss.”
“Like what?” I started to unbutton the back of my dress once in my bedroom, knowing I needed to shower and prepare for the early morning at the market with Valentino.
“We’re going to start getting questions. Dex asked me about you tonight, and Paloma seems to want every damn detail.” He leaned on the doorframe and watched me fiddle with the buttons before he stepped close to brush my hands away. Down the dress were about fifty small buttons, but I only need about ten of them undone. “Like what’s your favorite color and why you wear dresses that are so damn hard to get off when your boss and boyfriend likes easy access.”
His voice was low when he said the last part, and I shivered while I held my dress up as it loosened with each button. “I don’t care about how you want to answer questions. Just tell me what to say and I’ll say it,” I said over my shoulder and frowned at his eyes trailing down my body, my insides immediately heating at his perusal. “Turn around, Dominic.”
“What for?”
“I’m dropping my dress.”
“I’ve undressed you, Clara. And I told you in that fitting room, I won’t miss an opportunity ever again.”
“That’s not …” God, I wanted him, and that was bad. This was bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. “We need to stop what we’re doing.”
“Do we?”
“Yes. Lines are getting blurred. You’re supposed to hate me being in your resort, remember?”
“I don’t hate making you scream my name though. And a fake relationship can have benefits.” He smirked and his eyes scanned my body. “We can have a lot of fake benefits.”
“Get real.” I rolled my eyes and let go of my dress. I didn’t care if he saw me in my lingerie or naked for that matter. I wasn’t very modest when it came to my body as long as I wasn’t having a flare-up, which might be the case tomorrow. Tonight, well, there was something about knowing his eyes were on me that made me feel powerful.
And hungry.
And hot.
I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip as I watched him watch me. Then, I turned to slide the doors of my closet open to grab some pajamas. He continued his reasoning. “You know, if we’re not comfortable physically, we’ll never sell that this is real. People already will think it’s for publicity with the resort reopening.”
He was probably right. And as I heard his feet pad across the floor, I tensed up when his chest met my back.
“This.” He put his hands on my shoulders and massaged them, pushing his thumbs right into the pressure points. “The tension in your body when I’m against you, can’t be a thing.”
Resisting how his hand kneaded the muscles in my back with precision and strength would have been impossible. I normally didn’t even do it. Yet, here and now, with the emotions flooding every part of my mind, I froze. My heart wasn’t supposed to want love.
I moaned as I slumped against him, letting his large fingers spread over my shoulders to my collarbone, and then one of his hands drifted to the strap of my bra, sliding under it before nudging it off my shoulder.
I gasped when his calloused hand cupped my breast as he lowered his head to suck on my neck. He stepped us both back and turned us toward the door he’d closed behind him. The long narrow mirror on it showed how his body almost enveloped me. His eyes looked up, catching my gaze in the mirror as he bit into my sensitive skin. He penetrated my soul, held me captive, and snuffed out the embarrassment I would have normally felt from standing there with barely any clothes on next to a fully clothed man.
Still, I tried my best to hold out even though I’d thought about him all night, witnessed him lay a guy out for coming near me, and felt his green eyes follow me around that club like I belonged to him. Feeling wanted, feeling desired, and feeling like I could hold his attention was addicting, hypnotizing, and dangerous.
The hand that massaged my shoulder slid to my waist and then to my panty line. “We need you relaxed and ready to fuck me always, Clara. Is that how you’ve been all night?”
I wouldn’t admit that even if it was true. “Maybe it wasn’t you I was ready to fuck.”
