Page 44 of Beautiful Beast

But I absolutely can’t.

Chapter 10

Belle

Surely,I’mwelcomeatAdam’s apartment after we… well… kind of did it.

His cock was inside me.

Perhaps not in the traditional way, but it still happened. And it must break some kind of barrier between us and we can slowly start moving toward…

Well, that’s still to be determined.

But all I know is that every time I close my eyes, I see his face. I can still taste his lips, which are super plump for belonging to a man, perfect, and very bitable.

We connected at a terrible yet ideal time in our lives. His hesitations aren’t about me – they’re about his own insecurities.

Maybe he doesn’t believe anyone could find him attractive when he doesn’t look like his usual GQ self. It would be a huge blow to my self-confidence if my face was suddenly scarred when I’m used to looking a certain way.

But I think I’ve made it pretty damn clear how sexy I find him.

He certainly ran out of my temporary apartment like his pants were on fire – if he had been wearing pants. So maybe, he really does think I’m too young to entertain anything intimate outside of the bedroom.

Except we already have been intimate.

No other woman has seen his face since he’s been home from Syria, that much I know for certain, and he’s already confided in me more than he probably realizes.

My work day is over, and I’m knocking on his door with Buster at my side, half sure that he’s going to be happy we’re here and half uncertain.

No one makes my stomach flip-flop like Adam Townsend.

“Hey,” he greets me, not looking or sounding the least bit surprised.

I unhook Buster’s leash, and Adam moves back to let my dog wiggle-dance into his place. I follow behind Buster and gasp when I catch sight of the blazing orange and red sun setting through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“It’s so opulent in here,” I say, walking toward the pristine glass to get a better look at the remarkable colors painting the darkening sky.

“I’ve never met anyone who talks like you,” Adam notes.

“You don’t know what opulent means?” I ask, spinning around to face him.

He rolls his eyes, but there’s a smile in his voice. “Of course, I do. I went to Harvard, princess.”

“That doesn’t mean you know what opulent means.”

“Well, I do,” he insists. “I’ve just never heard someone use it in casual conversation.”

“I like to keep you on your toes.”

“Come here.”

Butterflies dance in my stomach as I skip over to Adam. He wraps me in his strong, solid arms, and I melt against his chest.

“I’m sorry that I left last night,” he murmurs. “I meant to text you today, but I was with my uncle all day and lost track of time.”

“Why did you leave?” I ask into his pec. I’m not ready to let go of him, my hands exploring the hard planes of his back.

He’s grinding his teeth so hard that I wince. “To keep you safe.”

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