Page 3 of Choose Me

The somber tone he used almost set me off again, but I managed to hold it in. For some reason I already felt better, lighter, almost. Maybe all I had needed was a good laugh.

“Do you really want to have sex with me?” I saw no need to beat around the bush.

Richard crossed the short distance between us and sat beside me, setting the rope down on the coffee table. “Is that so unbelievable?”

Answering a question with a question. Typical.

I ran my hand through my hair. Richard was attractive and I had always thought so. His features were strong but well-balanced. There was a competence that surrounded him at the office, an air of calm dependability. We were outside the office now, but I still felt comfortable around him, despite the circumstances. Did that equate to wanting to fuck him? I couldn’t say yes with 100% certainty, but I wasn’t ready to say no.

“I take it Marina told you about what happened?” I couldn’t blame her for it, but it still stung a little.

He chuckled. “Not really. The three of you were less subtle than you might have thought. You do know I was right outside the door when Daphne demanded you both take her to Requited. It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.”

Heat burned my cheeks. I dropped my head in my hands. “God, that’s so embarrassing.”

“Why?”

I tilted my head towards him, rolling my eyes. “Why is it embarrassing that you know about my rejection?”

“It was brave. You took a chance. I mean, you aren’t blind, I’m sure you knew how those two were looking at each other. You still tried. That’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

I felt my jaw clench as something dislodged in my chest. I had to swallow hard to find my voice. “That’s kind of you. I don’t know that I deserve it, but thank you.”

“Well, I don’t know if kind is the right word,” Richard mused. His hand stretched out, his fingers brushing against my temple. “Maybe I just want you for myself.”

A shiver crept down my spine, gathering at the base of my stomach. The seconds passed and my mind was blank. I needed to say something, but he had thrown me off balance.

All I could do was blink as my mouth hung open, but Richard only smiled. “Just let me kiss you,” he whispered.

And I did.

His mouth was hot, nearly scalding, and I was lost from the moment I tasted him. I really was easy. A soft string of moans fell from my chest as I clutched at his body, wanting to feel him pressed against me.

Richard’s hands tangled in my hair, forcing my head back as he made a meal of my neck. I whimpered as he sucked against the delicate flesh, but it only encouraged him.

“Fuck,” I whined, pressing my legs tight as pressure built between my thighs. I had gotten hard just from his kisses.

He moved with the grace of a predator, pushing me down with ease. I was already helpless against him, but I felt no fear. I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me. He wanted me, and I was going to give myself to him, gladly.

Lust burned in his eyes, his panting breath betraying his calm exterior. In that moment I wanted nothing more than to see him fall apart, to see him drown in his desires.

I slid my hands down his chest, enjoying the firm feel of muscles that had been kept hidden from me. A strange relief flooded my veins as my fingers found a bulge straining against the seam of his pants. He was hard for me, too.

I cupped my hand around his erection, squeezing him through the fabric. He grunted as he bucked his hips into my grip, needing more.

It had been a long time since someone had looked at me the way he did. Part of me knew we should stop. We were in different positions and different departments, but we still worked together. I couldn’t avoid him, even if I tried. But the rest of me, the part that was tired of being alone, tired of always striving to live up to perfect only to be passed over, couldn’t stand the idea of walking away.

I let go of his bulge, bringing my hands up against his chest, using the lightest pressure to push him away. He moved instantly, searching my face for signs I wanted him to stop.

My lips turned up in a soft smile. “I thought you were going to tie me up?”

Chapter Three

“The way you were lusting after that performer at the club made me think you were experienced, but you aren’t, are you?”

I swallowed hard. There was no point in lying to him, but I couldn’t bring myself to admit it.

Richard had hoisted me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing and thrown me on his bed, wasting no time in stripping me bare. I had never been self-conscious about my body or my looks. I was handsome, and years playing sports had left me with a solid baseline of fitness, but there was something in his gaze that went straight to my depths. He saw all of me, even the parts I wanted to hide.

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