Page 6 of Coldhearted King

A sharp indrawn breath proves she isn’t immune to me.

I rest my elbow on the bar. “So, what are you going to do?”

She drags her gaze away from me. “Nothing, I guess. My job is great and I love the company I work for, so it’s not as if I would leave. I just don’t like how I feel right now. I don’t like thinking it was something I did wrong. That I should have tried harder. That if I’d just...” She trails off, then takes another sip of water.

I lean back and study her. The water she’s been drinking has cleared the alcohol haze from her eyes. I linger on the length of her thighs, exposed by her short dress, and I make a decision. “You should forget quick, dirty revenge sex, then.”

“I should?” She sounds breathless after my slow perusal, and I can’t wait to hear her begging me to fuck her in that same breathy voice.

I nod, unable to tear my gaze away from her. Drinking alone wasn’t taking my mind off things. She might be exactly what I need to forget about everything I’ve got going on, and it will help to distract her, too. “I’m thinking you should go for downright filthy revenge sex that lasts for hours. And I think I should be the one you do it with.”

Her cheeks bloom with heat, and my dick is already half hard as I imagine pressing my lips against the warmth of her skin as I move inside her.

“Wh-Why you?” she asks.

I tilt my head toward her, a hint of her scent reaching me as I do—a heady mixture of wildflowers and something more sensual. “Because I can guarantee I’ll make it good for you. Because I think we can both do with getting out of our heads tonight. And because I haven’t stopped thinking about peeling that dress off you since the moment you sat down.”

She actually squirms on her stool, and I’ve officially gone from half hard to fully hard. How wet is she right now? I can’t fucking wait to find out.

She tucks some of her hair behind her ears and tries to pull herself together. “Wow, you work fast, don’t you?”

“I can go slow when I need to.” I cross my arms and lean back on my stool as I wait for her to answer.

“Well,” she says, her eyes dropping to my forearms, where my shirtsleeves are rolled up. “I might need you to go a bit slower right now.”

It’s not a yes. But it’s not a no, either.

I could just go back to drinking. I could pick up one of the other women in here, some of whom have already lingered next to me as they ordered drinks, casting hopeful glances my way. I could even give Jessica a call, although the last thing I want is to give her the impression I’m interested in expanding our arrangement. But when it comes down to it, this woman has caught my attention in a way few do these days. And after today’s shit show, the thought of losing myself in her body is a temptation I can’t resist.

“Let’s do slow then,” I say.

She’s silent for a moment, then her delicate jaw firms. “Actually, I’ve changed my mind.”

Disappointment hits me harder than it should, but before I can say anything, she surprises me again.

“I’m sick of going slow. For once, I don’t want to overthink everything.”

“So you’re saying...”

She takes a deep breath. “I’m saying, yes.”

CHAPTERFOUR

DELILAH

My hands start to shake when his blue eyes heat. But he doesn’t move, even though it feels as if his big body is suddenly coiled tight. Maybe he senses my nervousness.

“Yes? You don’t have any more questions for me? You’re not curious about the man you’re planning to leave with? Who I am, what I do?”

I lick my lips. I should be more curious. Those are the things I should want to know before doing anything with this guy. But unless he confesses to being a serial killer, will any of it make a difference? At this stage, I’m sick of thinking about it. I just want to have sex with this man who, from the way he talks and acts, seems like he knows exactly what he’s doing. Then I can get past this hurdle and move on with my life. “Let’s not pretend we’ll ever see each other after tonight. You don’t strike me as the more-than-one-night kind of guy.”

He inclines his head. When he looks up at me through his dark lashes, there’s an almost mischievous glint in his eyes. “Does that bother you?”

“No.” I let out a shaky breath. “Yes. I don’t know.” I guess I’m not as unconcerned as I thought. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to this.”

One corner of his mouth tips up. “I can tell.” A slow, seductive smile blooms on his face. “Do you need me to convince you?”

The rasp in his voice sends a full-body shiver through me. I lick my lower lip and nod, because maybe hearing precisely what he plans to do to me will calm my nerves.

---