Penny is sitting on my sofa with her delicate legs crossed primly at her ankles. I have the ridiculous urge to dirty her up in the best way, but I control it. Barely.
My deepest, darkest desire to own her body plays in the background of my mind.
“You didn’t take off your jacket,” I say.
“Oh, ah, it’s okay. I shouldn’t stay long anyway.”
She’s looking for an escape, but I won’t make it easy, not if this is my only chance.
“When are the kids expecting you home?”
Her gaze jumps from my eyes to my chest and an obscene amount of pride makes me smile, but I do grasp the knot holding my towel up just in case.
“Well, they’re with my cousin tonight because I usually work late.”
The clock by the TV says it’s quarter of five.
“So, you have some time?” I ask hopefully.
“No,” she says with a wild shake of her head that has her hair falling from its pretty bun. “I should get home.”
“Have some pizza with me. I never get to see you outside of Lochlan’s office.”
I will happily beg for whatever this woman can give me. With sudden clarity, I see my future: years and years of living with blue balls. And I’d happily endure it for decades if it meant moments like this with her.
“But, I—the train. It’s scheduled.”
I cross the room in three long strides. Careful not to crowd her, I lean down just shy of her personal space. “Today’s your lucky day, Penny. I’ll drive you home.”
“Oh my God. No. Dillon.” She looks anywhere but at my chest, making my heart beat erratically. “Seriously, with traffic, it’ll take you hours to get there and back.”
I pick up the folder she’d given me from the coffee table. “It’s not a problem. I have to talk to Ashton about this anyway. It’s pure luck that he lives in the same town.” I grin so hard my cheeks hurt. She can’t argue with me now.
She swallows, and I follow the graceful movements of her neck—a neck I want to mark as my own with my teeth, my hands, and my cock.
How far would she let me push her?
Her expression holds a look I’ve never seen from her before. She wants me as much as I want her. There’s no doubt about that. But she holds herself apart for her boys. Fucking hell, if that doesn’t make me like her even more.
“Um…” She bites her bottom lip, clearly searching for a way out of this, but I won’t allow it. Reaching out, I grab her chin between my thumb and forefinger and pull just enough that she’s forced to release her lip.
I memorize the slight indents left there by her teeth and can so vividly picture what her lips would look like after my mouth takes hers.
“Dillon?” she whispers, and I take a step back.
“Take off your jacket, then I’ll get dressed and get us some pizza.”
“I can’t,” she says too quickly.
I pause to study her, then nod as something akin to glee fills my body.
“Did you spill something on yourself again?” I ask with a grin. She’s probably regretting telling me how often she spills stuff right about now.
I never smile as much as I do when I’m with her. It’s another reason I’m always so desperate to be in her presence—she chases away the sadness that follows me like the worst kind of shadow.
She lifts her eyes to the ceiling. “It was Lochlan’s fault this time.”
A deep chuckle rumbles in my chest. “Let’s see the damage. Take it off.” My dick twitches at the demand, but I discreetly adjust my towel and tell him to stand down.