Page 43 of A Forbidden Arrangement
“You could say that. I assess businesses. Acquire them.”
“Like a conglomerate?”
The word feels clumsy in my mouth. I can’t even picture something that big.
“You must be very rich.”
He laughs, low and easy. His hand slides down, fingers tracing along my neck, thumb brushing my cheekbone.
“Would you like that?” His lips skim my ear, voice dropping deep.
The air shifts. His hand steadies at my jaw, his mouth hovering close enough that warmth spills across my skin.
My body hums. My thighs press together, nerves and want tangling until I can’t remember why I shouldn’t. I turn toward him, our lips so close they almost touch. A thrill shoots down my neck, racing across my shoulder, when his breath catches. Each exhale mingles with mine, pulling me in.
I push forward, ready to close the gap, when he pulls away instead. The snap of the med kit lid makes me flinch. He straightens, every line composed, the only sign he’s affected the quick rise and fall of his chest.
“Good night, pretty girl.”
He leaves me buzzing, breath caught in my throat, stunned. I lift my fingers to my lips, still warm from how close he was, my eyes fixed on the doorway long after he’s gone.
Chapter 21
Xander
Fuck.
With my bedroomdoor shut behind me, I lean into the wall, forehead pressed to the cool surface. My lungs drag air in like I’ve been running, but it does nothing to steady the pounding in my chest. The muscles between my shoulders pull tight, a constant burn from holding back. I should get a goddamn medal for walking out when all I wanted was to ruin her mouth and wipe out every inch of space between us.
That mouth. That pretty pink mouth lifting toward mine, like she didn’t even know what she was offering. One slip of her tongue over her bottom lip, and my control snapped, teeth grinding while my brain lit up with everything I shouldn’t do to her. Not if I mean to keep her here. Not when all I want is her begging to stay, forgetting there was ever a world without me.
I haven’t gotten off since the night I first had her. My energy went to tracking her, dragging her out of the corner she tried to hide in, putting her back within reach. And now she’s here. In my house. Close enough that I can hear her move on the other side of the wall, smell her lingering scent if I let myself breathe deep enough.
It should be enough. Having her here. Knowing she’s mine whether she wants it yet or not. But it isn’t.
Because I know how she tastes. I know the sound of her voice breaking when my name rips out of her throat. And I’m starving for it.
My hands curl into fists against the wall, bones grinding together to keep me from turning the handle and walking back into her room. If I touch her again now, I won’t stop. And she isn’t ready for what that means.
But she will be.
My cock is rock hard, grinding against the back of my zipper. I pop the button with a sharp snap, a growl caught low in my chest as I wrap my fist around myself. Precum leaks hot over the tip, slicking my grip. The thought of it smeared across her lips makes my cock jerk up into my hand like it’s reaching for her.
I squeeze the base, choking back the release, then drag my hand slowly from root to tip. My teeth grind. I shouldn’t be doing this, but the picture’s already locked in my head. Her knees on the floor. My cock filling her throat. Lashes wet. Cheeks streaked with tears while she swallows around me. Sweet and ruined. Mine.
My forehead pushes harder against the wall. My hand tightens, squeezing the tip, wet heat smearing across my fist with every stroke. My pace builds without permission, faster, harder, hips bucking into my grip like I’m chasing her mouth. A live wire runs down my spine, heat curling deep until my balls pull tight, and I explode against the wall in thick, hot streaks.
Jesus Christ. She has me losing control like a goddamn teenager. Hungry for her touch when she doesn’t even want me.
The only thing that pulled me out of that room was knowing the truth. No matter how her body betrays her, her mind still sees me as a threat. Her eyes said it all, filled with equal lust and fear, charging the air between us. I could have taken her. She would have given in. But I know what would come after.The moment it ended, terror would smother whatever heat was there. And I’ll never let that be the way she remembers me.
I yank my shirt over my head, use the fabric to wipe the mess off the wall, tossing it in the hamper as I head to the shower. I twist the knob hard to the right and duck under the stream. My palms flatten against the tile, fingers spread wide, pressing hard until the tips ache. Ice-cold water streams down my face, into my mouth, and down my throat.
I’m supposed to be the man who controls everything. The one who calculates ten steps ahead. Who never cracks. But ten minutes alone with her, and I’m stripped down to something raw. All my precision shredded, revealing my true nature underneath.
The need to touch her has been clawing at me since the second I saw her smile at Marco. That smile should be mine. It burns that she gives it away so easily to him, while every glance at me is loaded with suspicion.
I stand under the stream, letting the cold hammer my skin until my muscles go numb, forcing myself to stay put, to fight the pull to storm back into her room, spread her out naked beneath me, and remind her of just how good I can make her feel.
